The Asus ROG Strix XG27JCG delivers one of the sharpest and most colorful images you’ll find from a 27-inch LCD gaming monitor. It also has best-in-class video processing and a truly useful dual-refresh feature that turns it into a competition weapon.
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If you’re shopping for the best gaming monitors, you know that there is a compromise between frame rates and pixel density. When more pixels nust be moved, the refresh rate must fall. If you want to get over 200 Hz in 4K, for example, you’ll need to spend north of $1,000 on a 240 Hz OLED display. But there is another way.
I’ve recently begun reviewing dual-mode monitors as an emerging category. These screens typically run natively at 3840x2160 pixels, with a switch to 1920x1080 that doubles the refresh rate. They offer flexibility for users who want smooth action for twitchy shooters and high pixel density for more laid-back adventures in the virtual world. But if you’d rather not settle for FHD, Asus has a monitor for you.
The Asus ROG Strix XG27JCG is a 5K IPS panel, with a 5120x2880 resolution on a 27-inch display for an incredible 218 ppi. The dual-mode switch, called Frame Rate Boost, steps down to 2560x1440 QHD resolution and increases the frame rate to 330 Hz. And in 5K, if you have a GeForce 50-series card, you can overclock it to 180 Hz. You also get DisplayHDR 600, Adaptive-Sync, ELMB Sync, ELMB 2, and wide gamut color. Let’s take a look.
Asus ROG Strix XG27JCG Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally Panel Type / Backlight IPS / W-LED, edge array Row 1 - Cell 0 10-zone horizontal dimming Screen Size / Aspect Ratio 27 inches / 16:9 Max Resolution and Refresh Rate 5120x2880 @ 120 Hz Row 4 - Cell 0 180 Hz w/overclock Row 5 - Cell 0 2560x1440 @ 330 Hz Row 6 - Cell 0 FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible Native Color Depth and Gamut 10-bit (8-bit+FRC) / DCI-P3 Response Time (GTG) 0.03ms Brightness (mfr) 350 nits SDR Row 10 - Cell 0 600 nits HDR Contrast (mfr) 1,500:1 Speakers None Video Inputs 1x DisplayPort 1.4 w/DSC Row 14 - Cell 0 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB-C Audio 3.5mm headphone output USB 3.2 1x up, 3x down Power Consumption 38.4w, brightness @ 200 nits Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base 24.2 x 15.3-19.7 x 8.6 inches (615 x 389-500 x 218mm) Panel Thickness 3.5 inches (89mm) Bezel Width Top/sides: 0.3 inch (8mm) Row 21 - Cell 0 Bottom: 0.8 inch (20mm) Weight 15.2 pounds (6.9kg) Warranty 3 years
The XG27JCG includes every piece of premium video-processing tech currently available. Adaptive-Sync in both G-Sync and FreeSync flavors, check. Dual-refresh 120 or 330 Hz, check. 180 Hz in 5K, check. ELMB Sync and ELMB 2 blur reduction, check. Variable overdrive, check. The array of features is dizzying, but one thing is certain: they all deliver smooth motion and low input lag.
The 180 Hz at 5K part has one caveat: you need an Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series or a Radeon RX 7600 graphics card to run that overclock. If you have an RTX 4090 like my test PC, the 5K refresh rate tops out at 120 Hz. But in either case, you can run at 330 Hz in QHD resolution, and that is where the true usefulness of the XG27JCG lies. Dual-mode monitors are nice, but who wants to play games on a 27-inch FHD monitor? I’d much rather have QHD and its 109 ppi.
Asus pairs this with a super-precise overdrive that adjusts overshoot in real time to match the refresh rate. You also get ELMB Sync, which lets you use blur reduction and Adaptive-Sync together. If you want control over the pulse width, there’s ELMB 2, which works instead of AS. No matter which combination you choose, it works smoothly at all frame rates. My tests showed no phasing artifacts, unlike most backlight strobes.
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