Gigabyte G27QC A-SA 27" Black 2021

The G27QC A-SA gives you 165Hz at 1440p for as little as CAD 225, with a feature set in the 91st percentile. Color and brightness are its weak spots, landing in the 62nd percentile. For budget gamers who care about smooth motion more than HDR pop, this is an easy yes.

The headline numbers are 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms MPRT response time. That puts the G27QC in the 79th percentile for performance, which translates to well above average for a gaming monitor. You're getting smooth motion in fast-paced shooters and racing games without paying OLED money. The 2560x1440 resolution on a 27-inch panel gives you a pixel density that keeps text and game details crisp.

Adaptive-Sync handles screen tearing without much fuss, and the 1500R curve wraps the action around your field of view. It's not the fastest panel we've ever tested, but for the price bracket, the motion clarity is a standout. The 1ms figure is MPRT, not true gray-to-gray, so expect some motion blur in high-contrast scenes. Still, most buyers won't notice unless they're coming from a high-end IPS or OLED.

Stacked against the ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDMG or the MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2, the G27QC A-SA loses on color and brightness. Those OLED panels hit higher peak brightness and far better color volume, but they also cost significantly more. The LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B and Samsung Odyssey G60SD are similarly in a different price tier. Where the Gigabyte wins is raw value. It delivers 165Hz and 1440p at a price those competitors can't touch. The Alienware AW2725D offers better color accuracy but at a premium. If your priority is smooth gameplay on a budget, the G27QC is the smarter buy. If you want HDR that actually looks good, save up for one of the others.

At CAD 225 to CAD 330, the G27QC A-SA is one of the better price-to-performance plays in the 1440p gaming space. The CAD 105 spread across vendors means it pays to shop around. Memory Express and Newegg both list it, and the lower end of that range makes this an easy recommendation for budget-conscious gamers. You're getting a 165Hz QHD panel with height adjustment and a curved VA screen for less than many 1080p high-refresh monitors cost. The 91st percentile feature ranking means you're not sacrificing much for the savings. Just don't expect the color vibrancy or brightness of panels that cost twice as much.

The Gigabyte G27QC A-SA hits 165Hz at 1440p for somewhere between CAD 225 and CAD 330, depending on where you shop. That's a lot of smooth, sharp gaming for the money. Our database puts its feature set in the 91st percentile, which means it's packing more than almost anything else in its class. The 4.5-star average across 146 reviews backs that up. People genuinely like this thing.

But it's a VA panel with 250 nits of brightness, and that's where the compromises live. Color accuracy lands in the 62nd percentile, which is fine but not exactly studio-grade, despite what the HDR Ready badge might suggest. If you want deep blacks and a curved 1500R screen for immersive gaming, this delivers. If you want punchy, vibrant colors that pop off the desk, you might find yourself fiddling with settings more than you'd like.

Skip this if you care about color accuracy or HDR. The 62nd percentile color ranking and 250 nits brightness mean content creators and HDR enthusiasts will be disappointed. The 39th percentile compactness score also makes it a poor fit for small desks. If you're editing photos or video, or you want your games to look vibrant rather than just smooth, look at IPS or OLED options instead. And if you're tight on space, the chunky stand and curved footprint will eat up more desk real estate than a flat panel.

The Gigabyte G27QC A-SA is a solid 1440p gaming monitor that punches above its price. The 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms MPRT response time deliver smooth, responsive gameplay, and the 91st percentile feature set means you're getting more than the basics. The 4.5-star rating from 146 owners tells you it holds up over time. The weak spots are brightness and color, which sit in the 62nd percentile. If you can live with a dimmer panel and don't need HDR to blow your socks off, this is one of the best budget gaming monitors we've seen. Buy it at the CAD 225 end of the price range and you're getting a steal.