ASUSTUF Gaming 27" 2K HDR Gaming Monitor (VG27AQ) - QHD (2560 x 1440), 165Hz (Supports 144Hz), 1ms, Extreme Low Motion Blur, Speaker, G-SYNC Compatible, VESA Mountable, DisplayPort, HDMI ,Black

Ordered VG27AQ a few weeks prior and have had zero issues with the screen so far after initial calibration/setup. Zero dead/stuck/bright pixels, lucky! For an IPS screen, it's great to look at (and extremely bright, you can use the monitor at 0 brightness and still see the picture quite well- most of the calibration profiles I've seen leave it at 0). You can see it from all angles very clearly and even from far back. I sit relatively close to the screen with my desk setup, but it's exactly what I wanted as I can only have one monitor on the desk. I have only noticed a little bit of backlight bleed in the lower right corner, but it's a very small area and overall quite acceptable for an IPS screen with such a thin bezel. Have not noticed any IPS glow when sitting dead center or even slightly off (as a note, there is always variation with manufacturing, so some monitors might have either more than mine).I have used it to play both PC and Switch, and it works great for both, no complaints (the speakers are indeed a little weak, but they are only 2 watt and more for function than real use and at least it has speakers to do so). The only unfortunate part in my temporary setup is that the MSI laptop I'm using (GS65 Stealth with RTX 2060) combined I suggest/recommend expecting to just use fullscreen settings with games on the Asus (I suspect it's more the laptop than the screen, once I build my new desktop I will confirm if this is still the case with a desktop 1070).The refresh rate is excellent, one of my older screens is an old 1080p Dell VA panel from around 2014 and the refresh rate is around 7ms so I would sometimes miss quick reaction mechanics in some games despite the nice screen quality otherwise with what it offered. I had zero build quality issues on my Asus, everything in the box looked to be in order and all included hardware was perfect and complete. For the price and what the monitor brings, it is definitely a good value as long as there aren't any pixel or manufacturing issues. There are better monitors with picture quality, but usually those are VA panels which have their own set of characteristics and a 3 year warranty (the comparable LG 27GL850 only has a 1 year warranty which is short when compared to their competitors like Asus and Acer).

Right out of the box, extremely happy with this monitor. It was featured in a Linus Tech Tips episode recently, and I managed to find it for much less than the price I saw just now (~$800). Actual MSRP is in the 450$ range, so don't get ripped off if you're looking at this monitor as an option. It is no 800$ monitor, but by no means is it a slouch either.Assembly was silly easy. Attach base, plug in power, plug in HDMI or DP cable, and you're in business. Only gripe I have at this point is the IO ports on the back are a little close to the monitor backplate. I was originally going to use a Cable Matters DP cable that had locks on it, but the thicker plug on that one necessitated I use the cable that came with the monitor. It also was really difficult to get the cable to click into the monitor due to the same close tolerances. Finally got it in place, and the monitor fired right up.Ran the Heaven benchmark in order to tweak the settings to where I wanted them, and also see how the monitor performs. Initially, there was a bit of flickering. Opened up Windows Display settings and maxed the Hz at QHD, and it seemed to dramatically reduce it, but there was still a teeny bit of zig zagging in shadow borders. I found the OC option in the Monitor's menu, and that immediately resolved the issue. I still followed up by maxing the Hz selection under both Windows Display options and Nvidia Control Panel, haven't looked back.I was able to OC the monitor using Nvidia to 165(!)Hz, and have had zero flickering or stuttering. Color me impressed! I know the monitor is advertised to 155Hz, so being able to push it beyond that is a nice add on.The ELMB function is pretty amazing too! image is buttery smooth, and I can read text on windows while moving them around. I wouldn't say it's crystal clear, but it's definitely nice!IPS Panel looks amazing sitting next to my 4K IPS monitor as well, color between the two on default settings are very similiar, brightness is about the same as well.I expect for the money, the backlights will hold up better than the other monitor I purchased. If anything changes or this monitor quits, I'll update this review, but I think ASUS hit the nail on the head with this one. Very happy with the monitor!EDIT: It's 6/15/2022, and this monitor is still running strong. Absolutely no backlight loss, image is bright and crisp as always. I'd imagine there's been some brightness loss as the monitor ages, but it isn't enough that I notice a change.Changed my GPU recently. Didn't expect any problems, and happily had zero issues getting the TUF Gaming to play nicely with my 3080Ti. I didn't even need to adjust the OSD settings. Plugged it in and BAM... Doom Eternal pegged at 165 Hz is one of the smoothest experiences I could imagine, and this monitor handles it with grace and aplomb. I can confidently assert this monitor is an amazing buy for the money, as long as you're paying MSRP range prices. 11/10 would recommend!Edit 2; 3/1/2024: Still going, still overclocked to 165Hz, still bright enough to give me a headache if I turn off all of the lights in the room.What are you waiting for? Click buy.