GoKawiilThe KTC H27P3 delivers incredible color, contrast, and sharpness that’s unmatched for the price. It’s only fair for gaming, but there is almost nothing else that can boast its pixel density or value.
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We’ve seen a few dual-mode gaming monitors gracing the lineups from major display manufacturers. They offer flexibility, as they can be quickly switched between complementary resolutions to increase frame rates. Most are 4K natively and double their refresh rate at Full HD resolution, AKA 1920x1080. The only downside is that you have to play at Full HD resolution.
Recently, I reviewed the Asus XG27JCG, a 5K monitor that switches to QHD (2560x1440) at 330 Hz. That’s 5K, as in 5120x2880, which equates to a pixel density of 218 ppi. If you’re willing to go a bit slower, say 5K/60 Hz and QHD/120 Hz, KTC can save you some money with its H27P3. It’s an IPS Black panel with Adaptive-Sync, HDR10, and wide gamut color. How much will you save? Around $300 at this writing. The Asus is a very capable monitor, but it’s $850. KTC offers the H27P3 for $550. Let’s take a look.
Asus PA329Q Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally Panel Type / Backlight IPS Black / W-LED, edge array Screen Size / Aspect Ratio 27 inches / 16:9 Max Resolution and Refresh Rate 5120x2880 @ 60 Hz Row 3 - Cell 0 2560x1440 @ 120 Hz Row 4 - Cell 0 FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible Native Color Depth and Gamut 10-bit (8-bit+FRC) / DCI-P3+ Response Time (GTG) 7ms Brightness (mfr) 500 nits Contrast (mfr) 2,000:1 Speakers None Video Inputs 1x DisplayPort 1.4 Row 11 - Cell 0 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB-C Audio 3.5mm headphone output USB 3.2 2x downstream Power Consumption 23.9w, brightness @ 200 nits Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base 24.1 x 17.9 x 7 inches (613 x 454 x 178mm) Panel Thickness 1.6 inches (41mm) Bezel Width Top/sides: 0.3 inch (8mm) Row 18 - Cell 0 Bottom: 0.7 inch (18mm) Weight 8.25 pounds (3.75kg) Warranty 3 years
Now to be fair, the H27P3 is a gaming monitor for casual players. 120 Hz won’t deliver super low input lag or a blur-free experience when the action gets frenetic. But you will get a stunningly smooth image from that 218ppi pixel density. You can literally press your nose onto the screen (don’t do this, grease spots are hard to remove) and never see the dots. If a monitor’s image can be called photographic, this one is. When you view graphics at 5120x2880, it’s a completely different level of sharpness than you’ve seen before. And yes, you can tell it apart from a 27-inch 4K display.
The H27P3 adds wide gamut color to the resume with a measured 110% coverage of DCI-P3. It’s spot-on accurate out of the box, too. My sample was so close to perfect that I could not improve it with calibration, not even slightly. It’s bright in SDR mode as well, with over 500 nits peak from an edge-LED backlight. HDR10 is supported with an automatic signal switch.
To improve the gaming experience, the H27P3 includes a decent overdrive with fixed levels and a variable option. Though refresh rates are relatively low, Adaptive-Sync effectively eliminates frame tears in both resolution modes. You also get MPRT backlight strobing, which works instead of Adaptive-Sync. You can pair the H27P3 with Nvidia or AMD video cards and get the same capabilities.
The game enhancement suite includes aiming points, sniper modes, night vision, timers, and a frame counter. There are USB ports for peripherals and three video inputs, one each of HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C. The latter includes 65 watts to charge phones, tablets, or laptops.
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