Best 1440p gaming monitor?

The Viewsonic XG270QG is an excellent choice for those looking to invest in a high-quality 1440p screen for their gaming setup. It supports a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz at 1440p, and features great response time and very low input lag. All of these things come together to deliver a truly responsive and enjoyable gaming experience. Although there were some limitations due to the IPS panel, we still had a great time playing games and consuming media content during our time with the unit. G-Sync support makes it a little pricey but it still comes at an affordable price tag of under $500, especially for all the features it brings to the table.

Besides the board’s picture quality, there’s a lot to like about the XG270QG. The overall build quality, for example, is impressive and we think it has the right amount of RGB lighting to make it stand out without looking too obnoxious in your setup. We also appreciate some thoughtful extras like flexible mouse ties and a headphone hook that help you stay away from cable clutter. It’s a premium 1440p display that – despite the price – offers great value for money for buyers who are serious about the 1440p gaming monitor space.

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Viewsonic Elite XG270QG Review: Pricing and Availability

• The Viewsonic XG270QG is available to buy now for $499.

The Viewsonic Elite XG270QG has been available for purchase for some time. However, it was recently put up for sale in some regions including India. This is one of the many options available as part of the Viewsonic Elite gaming monitor series, so be sure to check out the options including the Ultra Wide variant and the 1080p variant. They all differ slightly from each other in terms of specs and features, so you might want to take a look at these monitors as well before making a purchase. The Viewsonic Elite XG270QG is readily available for purchase in the US from Amazon for $499 at the time of writing this review. In India, you can get this monitor for 46,990 euros, and place it next to some of the other premium monitors out there.

Viewsonic Elite XG270QG review: Specs

Before we move on to our Viewsonic XG270QG gaming monitor review, here’s a quick look at the specs to see what they bring to the table.

Quality design and build

• The Viewsonic Elite XG270QG offers great build quality with a metal stand that holds the screen well.
• This monitor also comes with some extra features like a flexible mouse bungee and a headphone hook.

All of Viewsonic’s new Elite gaming monitors look significantly different than the older monitors we’ve seen in the past. The company obviously puts a lot of emphasis on the design department to make it stand out from the crowd. The result is an all-black gaming screen with what we think is the right amount of RGB lighting to add a touch of RGB flair to your setup. While the base of the stand is made of metal, the rest of the body – at least the outside – is made of plastic. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it allows them to keep the overall screen weight lower, making it easier to handle, set up and adjust.

You also get plenty of adjustment options for the monitor arm included with the Elite XG270QG. The screen can rotate up to 45 degrees left or right, tilt between -5 and 20 degrees, or rotate around 90 degrees in portrait mode as well. And if you don’t like the stand and monitor arm that comes with your monitor, you can also use any VESA-compliant external stand or arm. We had no issues using the stand during our review for the perfect angle for gaming.

There is a hexagonal ring of RGB tape that works in conjunction with the VESA mount on the back of the monitor. These lights can be programmed to show either steady or pulsating rings of different colours. You can either change them via the OSD controls located at the bottom of the screen or by downloading dedicated software from the Viewsonic website. In addition, there are two more RGB bars at the bottom of the screen that can be controlled independently. These lights at the bottom, along with the RGB ring at the back, make for a nice under-glare and backlighting effect. Sure, RGB lighting isn’t necessarily new to monitors, but we love how the Elite XG270QG has the right amount of lighting to add more personality to your setup, rather than making it look overwhelming.

Next to the RGB strips at the bottom are a flexible mouse bungee located at the bottom of the screen. While I wasn’t sure it was reliable enough to replace the traditional mouse bungee, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. This can be very useful for those who do not already have a separate mouse bungee as part of their setup. And since the Elite XG270QG has one of these on either side, it makes it easy even for those with a left-handed mouse. Notably, there is also a headphone hook on the left side of the screen for hanging headphones when not in use. These are some of the thoughtful additions we’d love to see applied to other high-end displays as well.

Viewsonic Elite XG270QG review: Ports

• The Viewsonic Elite XG270QG features a good selection of ports on the back.
• All cables can also be easily routed to hide them from view.

All ports are on the back of the Elite XG270QG gaming monitor and are all inverted for easy orientation. This particular monitor is equipped with one HDMI 2.0 port and one DisplayPort 1.4 as the primary connection. You also get three USB 3.0 ports and one USB Type-B upload port, too. Cables can easily be routed through a hole in the monitor arm to hide them from view. There is also a plastic cover to hide the port area in the back.

The screen also has a Kensington lock under the 2W speakers, which are also located on the back. While you can completely ignore these speakers since there is a headphone lane, we suggest you try them out at least once. They won’t replace a dedicated pair of stereo speakers, but we think these are loud enough and give out crisp, clear sound. You can use it while sharing the screen to watch movies with others.

Display and performance

• The Viewsonic XG270QG features a sharp 27-inch flat screen display with an anti-glare coating.
• It supports a high refresh rate and is very responsive with a response time of 1ms.
• These monitors provide the right display type for gaming, content creation, and media consumption as well.

The Viewsonic Elite XG270QG features a 27-inch 16:9 display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440. It’s an IPS panel that features what the company calls a “borderless” design. The bezels are very thin around the screen, which gives it a very modern look overall. This is also a high refresh rate monitor with support for a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz. The combination of IPS and this highly responsive panel is what makes it a solid choice for the gamers out there. As noted by the company, the Elite XG270QG covers 100% of the sRGB color space.

It even covers up to 88% of the Adobe RGB space which basically tells you how the screen should work when dealing with content creation tasks. Finally, it also covers up to 98% of the DCI-P3 color space which means it should also offer a pleasant content consumption experience for movies and TV shows. The Elite XG270QG isn’t the brightest monitor on the market with a peak brightness of 350 nits, although we doubt if that would be an issue considering you’ll be using the monitor indoors for gaming.

For games, we used this screen to play a variety of games including both visually demanding single-player titles like God Of War and some fast-paced multiplayer games like Apex Legends. The combination of IPS and a high refresh rate, as mentioned earlier, makes it a very responsive and enjoyable screen for gaming. Unlike TN panels, which are fast and responsive but tend to get muddy or blurry at times during gameplay, the Elite XG270QG managed to hit all the titles with ease. The screen’s overall performance for fast-paced multiplayer games was impressive, as was the overall visual quality. Not to mention, it also supports G-SYNC Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology to reduce screen tearing. However, this is only available through a DisplayPort connection, so keep that in mind.

Provided you have a device capable of pushing all your games at 1440p, you are in a perfect place. Games like God Of War, Elden Ring, and Microsoft Flight Simulator looked amazing running at full fidelity. The sharp visuals also allowed us to see clearly everything in multiplayer titles like Valorant and Apex Legends. A 1ms screen response time will seal the deal for many. Whether it’s an action-packed multiplayer game or a visual masterpiece like Red Dead Redemption 2, the Elite XG270QG will make sure you play the way you’re meant to be played with its ultra-responsive and accurate color palette.

It’s worth noting that we did notice some light bleeding, especially during some visuals in very black environments. You also won’t get the best consistent contrast ratio with this panel, or even the deepest blacks. You may notice a huge difference in quality if you’re coming from, say, a VA panel. However, many of the other positives outweigh these negatives. Not to mention that these are some of the IPS features that aren’t limited to this particular monitor.

Viewsonic Elite XG270QG Review: Is it Worth Buying?

The Viewsonic Elite XG270QG offers a lot of great features and we think there is a lot to like about this monitor. However, it is not for everyone.

Who Should Buy the Viewsonic Elite XG270QG Monitor?

• If you are looking to buy a high-quality 1440p gaming monitor with support for a high refresh rate and fast response times.
• If you are in the market to buy a reliable 1440p display for gaming, content creation and media consumption workloads.
• This is a great monitor that offers great build quality and some thoughtful extras like a mouse bungee and a headphone hook.
• It’s also a solid option to consider if you want a board that supports G-Sync variable refresh rate (VRR).

Who should not buy a Viewsonic Elite XG270QG monitor?

• The Elite XG270QG does not support HDR, so you may have to look elsewhere.
• This is not the best option for budget shoppers as there are cheaper alternatives out there, albeit with less exciting features.

The Viewsonic Elite XG270QG is an excellent 1440p gaming monitor that can be purchased in 2022. It offers an impressive array of features along with a sharp, color-accurate panel for gaming, content creation workloads, and more. This is also one of the best looking screens which should be perfect for most settings. The overall build quality is great and we appreciate the extras too. G-Sync support makes it a bit more expensive than we’re willing to pay for it, but there’s no denying that it’s one of the better screens at 1440p. A device that definitely deserves a place in our collection of the best gaming monitors.