I was aware of the fact that the AOC AGON AG271QG was a bit less expensive than most of its 27" 1440p IPS 165 Hz G-Sync competitors before I started testing it, which had me wonder which corners AOC cut in order to trim down the price. In fact, certain Amazon sellers offer it for as little as $570, which is $130 less than what the Acer Predator XB271HU will cost you. The answer? Almost none of them - you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Sure, we could talk about the lackluster backlight uniformity, annoying OSD buttons, and rudimentary OSD menus that don't even have something as basic as factory picture profiles, but then, we wouldn't be focusing on what's important, and that's the fact that this is an awesome gaming monitor. The combination of a 27" screen diagonal and native resolution of 2560x1440 works perfectly. You get a sharp picture and a lot of screen real-estate, while the number of pixels isn't so high that your graphics card wouldn't be able to push them quickly enough to utilize said high refresh rate. This monitor is a viable option even if you own a GTX 1070 or GTX 980 as long as you can live with not having your in-game details maxed out. And if you have a GTX 1080 or better, the AOC AGON AG271QG will offer you a gaming experience like you never thought possible. The G-Sync range spans all the way up to 165 Hz, and it only takes a push of a button to overclock it from 144 Hz to 165 Hz.

Of course, I wouldn't be as impressed with the smoothness of its in-game performance if the picture quality were sub-par. Thankfully, it isn't. The built-in AHVA (IPS-type) panel holds no surprises in that regard. Out-of-the-box tuning of the picture can be a bit harsh on the eyes due to extremely high brightness and warmth. However, the colors still remain vibrant and satisfyingly rich even after you lower the brightness by about half, and if you calibrate the display (or use one of the ICC profiles provided in this review), everything that was already good about the AGON AG271QG becomes even better.

I also like the fact that AOC didn't go too far with the design. This is a monitor you won't be embarrassed to place on your living room table, if that's where you do your gaming. I couldn't say the same about the Acer Predator XB271HU, for example, which came with obnoxious red details on its base and was a bit of an eye-sore because of that. The ergonomics are also good; this screen can be adjusted in all directions and pivoted. Nothing bad to say about connectivity either; we have our standard DisplayPort and HDMI ports and a grand total of four USB 3.0 ports, two of which are placed on the right side of the screen.

If money is no object, the Acer Predator XB271HU is still a better, more feature-packed choice. However, if you're after a high-end 27" gaming monitor but still want to save every dollar you possibly can, you can get the AOC AGON AG271QG without hesitation. When virtual bullets start flying, it's practically just every bit as impressive as its more expensive competitors.