G2 Series AOC 27G2 27″ Gaming Monitor Review

It has been some time since I have checked out a new Monitor so for this review I am going to be looking at the new G2 Series AOC 27G2 27″ Gaming Monitor.

Intro.

An update of my system is long overdue, I have been running the same set up now for around three years and have started to notice some issues when it comes to playing new games. My monitor is a bog-standard one that does the job for your average Joe but for me who likes playing games lacks that extra WOW factor. So I took it upon myself to start looking for a new set up and with that I came across this spectacular monitor; the AOC G2 Series  27” Gaming Monitor.

First Impressions

My First impressions when I saw the box was “I am going to need a bigger desk!” as the biggest monitor I have had the opportunity to own were around the 24” mark and below. The latest one from Samsung sadly got damaged in transit when moving house, maybe I should have taken out the removal insurance. So when this one arrived and the box was massive I was definitely like a child on Christmas morning. When I opened the box I found everything neatly packed inside and easy to remove from the box without damaging it. Once removed it was like a jigsaw puzzle as the monitor came in three parts, the screen, the base and the stand. Within seconds it was assembled and with the added bonus of not needing to use any tools. Just clicks together smoothly and with ease, anyone could have done it. For those that are not so confident AOC does provide a little manual to help with the setting up, but it is self-explanatory really.

Then the fun began with making room for the monitor on my desk. I had to remove my old monitor so that the AOC could sit perfectly in the centre while being the crowning piece to the desk. Once in place it was easy to adjust the height and angle of the screen due to its flawless design and easy pivoting movement. The base of the stand sadly overruns onto my mouse mat with the two legs at the front but it isn’t anything major just something that I had to make room for. I love the fact that the monitor is borderless and of course black, I’m a sucker for the colour black when it comes to desk, towers, etc. The addition of the red on the screen and stand really helps bring that extra glimmer and finish to the design nicely. The neck of the monitor is slightly angled which helps it sit on the desk. The Neck is also where the adjustable height pivot point is, just slide the monitor up and down until it sits perfectly with your eye line and then of course angle it whichever way you want. The base has two legs coming forward in a diagonal outward angle and two smaller legs that go out the back, this helps the monitor sit stably on the desk and reduces any risk of it falling over.

Falling in love with the monitor

I’d already begun becoming attached to the monitor while setting it up and just seeing how awesome it looked sat on my desk, but the journey for me didn’t stop there, turning it all on and using it with a variety of games was where this monitor really shined and made me see what I had been missing out on. I’m just your average gamer, I don’t play games competitively but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t have a monitor that enhances my overall experience and when you have a monitor that is this good and well-designed you’d be silly not to.

A nice crisp picture, no lagging, no jitteriness when moving the camera really quickly and above all just a perfect all around monitor. I tested the audio through the built in speakers and sadly found the first flaw if you will with the monitor. The audio quality is standard at best, don’t get me wrong if you haven’t got your own speakers or headphones then this will happily work but it doesn’t really draw you in with the games you’re playing. The image is enough to make you wet your pants with just how gorgeous some of the games on the market are nowadays but falls flat when it comes to the audio side of things but that being said when you buy a monitor it’s for the picture quality above all and this AOC doesn’t disappoint on that aspect. Luckily for me I have my own speakers so audio was playing mainly through them.

Playing the following games on the highest setting my PC would allow them had League of legends looking like a gem, The Ilse’s vast mountain ranges and dense forests really came to life and playing PUBG was like nothing I had seen before due to not having a decent monitor for myself for so long. The picture quality was amazing and really colourful. Of course, I watched videos online mainly YouTube and really enjoyed the newfound quality that this monitor offered. I did manage to get a side by side picture of my old monitor compared to my new one and you can see that an older AOC next to this one was no match when it came to the overall style, picture and finesse.

With the addition of four USB 3.0 ports, two HDMI ports and a display port 1.2 this monitor has you covered with helpfully located ports that sit nicely behind the screen and out of the side. Which helps visually because your desk doesn’t get cluttered with cables and USB devices, but I can see it being a huge help for games that might have used up all their USB ports on their tower and might need a few more for things like an Oculus Rift, Wacom tablets, etc.

When using this monitor at night I sadly don’t get away with that whole sneaky element, if the girlfriend decides to call it a night and turns off the light the room is still lit up like the Las Vegas strip. This is obviously due to the location of the desk in the room and of course the brightness settings. They can be changed but not going to lie I’m too in love with the beauty of this monitor that at times it just resorts to a few more hours of hardcore gaming and the girlfriend turning over. What can I say, we all need those Chicken Dinners?

Spec List

To go with the review, I ran a little test on a program called Monitor Test from Pass Mark Software. It a cool little program that you install for free and when it runs it does a variety of different test to see how good your monitor is. Please find the images below for the results of these tests:

Please find below a full list of all the specs and information regarding this brilliant gaming monitor:

Screen Details:

• Monitor colour: Black
• Monitor size: 27 inch
• Resolutions: 1920×1080 PX
• Refresh rate: 144Hz
• Response time: 4 ms
• Response time (mprt): 1 ms
• Panel type: IPS
• Freesync: 48-144
• Low-blue light: Yes
• Backlight: WLED
• Colour SRGB coverage: 118
• Aspect ratio: 16:9
• Brightness: 250
• Contrast (dynamic): 80M: 1
• Contrast (static): 1000:1
• Pixel pitch: 0.2745
• Active Screen Area: 527,04(H)mm X 296,46(V) mm mm
• Viewing Angle (CR10): 178/178 degrees
• Colours: 16.7 Million
• Bezel type: Frameless
• Weight without stand: 3.7kg
• Scanning Frequency: VGA/DP1.2/HDMI1.4 :30 -160KHZ (H) VGA: 50 -146Hz (V) DP1.2/HDMI1.4 :48-146Hz (V)
• Adobe RGB coverage (%): 88
• OSD languages: EN, FR, ES, PT, DE, IT, NL, SE, FI, PL, CZ, RU, KR, CN (T), CN (S), JP
• Hard Glass: 3H

Connections:

• Signal input: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 1.4 x 2
• Display post version: 1.2
• USB: Yes
• USB input: USB 3.0 x 4
• Audio input: Line in
• Audio output: Headphone out (3,5mm)
• Speakers: 2W x 2

Features:

• Curved Screen: Flat
• Frameless design: Yes
• Height adjust: Yes
• Speakers: Yes

What’s you get in the box:

• HDMI cable: 1,8m
• Display port cable: 1,8m

Ergonomics:

• Pivot: Yes
• Swivel: -30/30 degrees
• Tilt: 3.5/21.5 degrees
• Base Removal: Yes
• Vesa: 100×100

Power:

• Power supply: Internal
• Power source: 100 – 240V 50/60Hz
• Power consumption On: 28 watt
• Power consumption Off: 0.3 watt
• Power consumption Standby: 0.3 watt

Dimensions:

• Product dimensions incl base: 612.1W x (395.9~525.9)H x 227.4D mm
• Carton dimensions: 730(W) – 187(D) – 520(H) mm
• Net weight excl package: 5.1kg
• Gross weight incl package: 7.43kg

Conclusion

This monitor is designed for competitive gamers and general gamers alike. With its colour-accurate 27” IPS display, smooth 144Hz refresh rate, 1 ms MPRT response time and FreeSync support you’d be silly not to get one. If what I just said above didn’t make sense then in simpler terms it is one hell of a fantastic monitor. With the asking price of £199 – £220 depending on where you shop, it is an affordable and future proof monitor that will keep you more than satisfied for years to come. Having a beautiful, crisp and lag-free viewing experience while gaming is essential and I personally didn’t know I needed that until I got my hands on this and realised what I had been without all these years. The final piece to my gaming setup and with that, I can truly enjoy what every game on the market has to offer with a fabulous, top of the range screen. This monitor gets a well-deserved 10/10 and a standing ovation from myself.

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