Aorus fi27q

The Gigabyte gaming division does not stop, and now it is time to analyze the AORUS FI27Q-P in depth. We already left some brushstrokes of this monitor during the review of the FI27Q, so we must know that the main novelty that this model brings is the HBR3 technology. With it, we have a greater bandwidth in the DisplayPort interface to enjoy 2K, 165 Hz and HDR with 10 bits of color all simultaneously.

The manufacturer continues to use a highly responsive 1ms IPS panel, packed with tactical gaming functionality and good color depth. Although we will see all this below, so do not miss the review of the best performance 2K from AORUS.

Before proceeding, we appreciate AORUS ' trust in us by lending us their products for our analysis.

AORUS FI27Q-P technical characteristics

Unboxing

This new AORUS FI27Q-P uses a large rigid cardboard box similar to that of the other manufacturer models. All of it is printed with corporate colors and two huge photographs on the main faces of the monitor front and back, to make it clear that we have RGB Fusion. In turn, a second neutral cardboard box has been used for transport to protect it to a greater extent.

Make the opening in the upper area, to find an expanded polystyrene mold composed of two sandwich-like parts that are responsible for protecting the screen and the different elements of the monitor base.

The bundle contains the following elements:

• AORUS FI27Q-P Monitor Custom VESA 100 × 100mm Support Arm Feet HDMIDisplayPort USB Type-B - Type-A Data Cable European and British Power Connectors Plastic Cable Clamp User Manual

We have exactly the same as in other models as normal. The monitor comes completely disassembled, as is also usual for the brand.

Stand design

We won't go too far when it comes to the design of the AORUS FI27Q-P, as it is ultimately exactly the same as the AORUS FI27Q version. We then have the gala support that the manufacturer uses for its gaming monitors, completely built in metal and with a very aggressive design that on the other hand occupies quite a lot of space.

The design of the legs has been made in a fairly closed "V", with something more than 90o. Even so, the legs do not protrude from the plane that the screen occupies, so the depth of the equipment is considerable, with almost 40 cm. This arm has RGB Fusion 2.0 lighting integrated both in the rear AORUS logo and in two lateral details of it.

The way to install the screen is very simple, since we only have to fit the upper tabs in the corresponding indentations and then the lower part until you hear a "click". It is a fast variant system of the traditional VESA 100 × 100 mm which is perfectly compatible. The monitor support system is quite robust and will avoid in any case most of the wobble of the monitor, also being a compact screen we will not have to worry about this issue.

Exterior design

As for the design that AORUS uses in its monitors, we also have no differences with the "normal" model. It is a monitor with a screen without any curvature and with minimal physical frames, as a mere excuse to protect the sides of the panel. All of them are made of hard plastic just like the back of the monitor. In it, we see the rest of the RGB lighting with the corresponding wings of the something distinctive of the brand, which we can manage and customize from the RGB Fusion 2.0 software as we will see later.

Extending at the edges of the monitor, we have both sides and top integrated into the screen with a thickness of 8 mm in total, and at the bottom we do have a 23 mm plastic one. If we look at the bottom, we have integrated in the center of the AORUS FI27Q-P logo a microphone that performs the function of noise cancellation. Like the other models, the integrated ANC system cannot be missing for a possible microphone that we connect directly to the monitor.

Ergonomics

We continue with the ergonomics that this AORUS FI27Q-P offers us, which once again will be the same as its younger brother.

Being a 27-inch monitor we still have space and the possibility of rotating it clockwise to place it vertically, a good option to read or to design vertically.

The arm has a hydraulic system to move, which allows us vertical movement in a range of 130 mm from the lowest to the highest position.

The clamping ball joint allows us to move on the two missing axes. The first of these corresponds to the possibility of frontally orienting the panel, which we can turn downwards by -5 ⁰ or upwards by about 21 ⁰. The second is the movement on the Z axis (sideways) in a range of 40⁰, 20 to the right and 20 to the left.

Connectivity

In this case, more than ever the DisplayPort port will be our ally, but let's see how the AORUS FI27Q-P port panel is made up. All of them will be located in the lower area, standard location for most manufacturers and design.

We have then:

• 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-B (for data and configuration) 1x Display Port 1.42x HDMI 2.02x 3.5mm Mini Headphone and Microphone Jacks Kensington slot for universal padlock Three-pin 230V power connector

What is new about the normal model here? Well, instead of having a DisplayPort 1.2 port, it is now version 1.4. This is necessary to implement the greater bandwidth given by the HBR3 technology that this monitor has. The manufacturer also specifies that it will only be available on this interface, since HDMI 2.0 has a lower bandwidth.

Regarding the other ports, we have the standard configuration of the AORUS, we hope that in the next generation at least one of the USB or both will be removed to the side, where we will have better accessibility to connect peripherals or flash storage units. In any case, to be able to use these ports effectively for data we will need to connect the USB-B cable that will handle the upload and download.

RGB lighting system

The AORUS FI27Q-P includes a complete lighting system on the back of the monitor and the support arm. Of course it has RGB Fusion 2.0 technology with which we can configure the animation scheme of these elements separately. It should be said that in no case will the lighting be powerful enough to give us a noticeable aura on the wall. In this sense, it also asked for next-generation LEDs with higher power.

To manage the lighting we will need to install the RGB Fusion program that we will find on the support page of the model in question. It is an extremely simple program, which is only responsible for managing lighting. We can choose the whole set or independently the base or the two sides of the monitor to apply the effect that we think appropriate.

In this case we cannot customize the LEDs that make up the system one by one, so we cannot consider them fully addressable. In any case we have 16 available effects to choose from.

Screen with HBR3 technology

Let us now see in an extended way the technical characteristics of the AORUS FI27Q-P in order to better differentiate it from the rest of the AORUS range. We have a 27-inch panel in flat format with a native WQHD resolution, or what is the same, 2560x1440p (2K) in 16: 9 image ratio. In this way we will reach a fairly small pixel size with only 0.2331 × 0.2331 mm. In this way we will have excellent image quality even at short distances.

Continuing with the specifications, the image panel has IPS technology with ELED backlight, which gives us a typical contrast of 1000: 1 and 12M: 1 dynamic. The typical brightness rises to 350 nits (cd / m ²) but thanks to the support with HDR10 and the DisplayHDR 400 certification we will obtain peaks of up to approximately 400 nits.

But of course, we are facing a gaming monitor, and its main characteristics for this audience will be to provide a refresh rate of no less than 165 Hz and a response speed of 1 ms MPRT (Moving Picture Respond Time). The presence of ADM FreeSync dynamic refresh technology compatible with Nvidia G-Sync cannot be missing either.

The image system assures us a Flicker-free and Anti-Ghosting monitor, that is, it prevents flickering in its refresh rate and ghost image to have a sharper image. We have verified this fact with Testufo, with the specific flicker and ghosting test and our sight has not detected such a phenomenon. We have also not observed any type of bleeding on the panel as seen in the image above, just a slight IPS glow typical of these panels.

Now we will complete the basic specifications with those related to color depth, which in this monitor we have a 10-bit panel, although they are not real, but 8 bits + FRC to show us those 1.07 billion colors. This will assure us a coverage of 95% DCI-P3 and 100% sRGB. As extra options on design, we have the PiP and PbP modes, to be able to place two simultaneous video sources in view of the user. The viewing angles of this IPS panel are 178 ^or perfectly reached both vertically and horizontally.

But of course all this is complicated to have in a standard bus width, so the main novelty that we have in this AORUS FI27Q-P, is its ability to show everything together through DisplayPort. This technology is called High Bit Rate 3 or HBR3, and what it does is increase the bandwidth to 32.4 Gbps to be able to reach 2K with 165 Hz in HDR and with the depth of 10 bits on the screen. Keep in mind that in standard connections we must sacrifice some of these characteristics, for example using HDR10 with only 144 Hz, or 165 Hz with a depth of 8 bits. As we see in the upper screenshots we can have everything together simply by going to the control panel of Nvidia or AMD and activating it.

Tactical gaming options

We can not forget the ANC technology in the 3.5 mm Jack connectors whose function of providing noise cancellation to the microphone that we connect to the monitor. Of course it is a system oriented to e-sport gaming and competitive games. Finally, we cite the gaming-oriented solutions implemented by the manufacturer and that classify this monitor as tactical:

• AORUS Aim Stabilicer - Reduces motion blur for sniper actions and FPS games. Panel or Dashboard: that will be able to monitor the properties and state of our CPU, GPU and DPI of our mouse, as long as we have the USB-B connector installed and the driver installed. Black Equalizer: is a system by which the monitor detects the darkest areas on the screen and automatically lightens them during the game. In this way we will have better visibility in this area without over exposing other brighter areas. Game Assist: a utility that allows you to place a minute hand on the screen for the elapsed time, and an advanced adjustment in the position of the image. OSD Sidekick: the software that extends the properties of the monitor in terms of game-oriented image.

Calibration and color proofing

We will analyze the calibration characteristics of the AORUS FI27Q-P, verifying that the manufacturer's technical parameters are met. For this we will use the X-Rite Colormunki Display colorimeter together with the DisplayCAL 3 and HCFR software for calibration and profiling. Likewise, we will verify these properties with the sRGB color space and also DCI-P3.

The tests have mostly been carried out with the factory settings, configured at 165 Hz and 10 bits deep.

Contrast and brightness

For the gloss tests we have used 100% of its capacity.

Measurements	Contrast	Gamma value	Color temperature	Black level
@ 100% gloss	1115: 1	2.30	6650K	0.3491 cd / m 2

We are no longer too surprised by the quality of these AORUS panels, as once again we have real results that exceed those provided in the specifications. We have for example a contrast greater than 1100: 1 together with a gamma value very well adjusted to the requirements of a good calibration as we will see later. Likewise, the color temperature is perfectly adjusted to those 6500K that are considered ideal for color presentation. And despite having a maximum brightness of almost 400 cd / m ² we observe an excellent depth of blacks below 0.5 cd / m ².

Regarding the uniformity of brightness of the panel, we have some results very close to each other except in the left corners. In any case, it does sometimes exceed those 400 nits promised in the HDR.

SRGB color space

As in the other AORUS monitors, this panel provides us with a perfect 100% in the sRGB space, this means that it completely covers the range of colors that this space uses for graphic design.

On the other hand, the mean Delta E value is 2.46. Measured with DisplayCAL and taking into account the ideal profile for this space, it is not a bad registration, especially in the gray tones we have a good fit, although in higher deviations 1 even our sight can differentiate these colors (not in the demonstrative images that we place).

DCI-P3 color space

In the case of the DCI-P3 space we have a coverage of 95.6% with the factory standard calibration. Recall that the manufacturer promises exactly 95% something that perfectly meets, good work of the quality department that is especially focused on giving us monitors with the quality they deserve.

The average Delta E in this case is 2.6, being practically the same as in the previous case and failing in the same colors. We will carry out a new profiling to try to improve these records.

Calibration

The calibration of the AORUS FI27Q-P has been carried out with DisplayCAL in the standard profile of the monitor with a brightness of 70% (about 290 nits). In this case we have not had to make any modifications to the RGB during profiling since it is perfectly balanced at the factory, something that we have observed in the HCFR graphics for each color space.

Our results in the Delta E for each space are as follows:

Next, we leave you the ICC calibration file to upload to your computer if you have this monitor.

OSD panel and software

The OSD panel of the AORUS FI27Q-P is one of the most complete in our opinion, whose control system is performed only with a joystick located in the lower central area of ​​the screen.

The operation is exactly the same in all units, and also includes the same options as other models reviewed by us. In the four directions of the space we will have quick menus such as: the black equalizer, image mode, volume and video input selection.

If we press, we will get the main menu with four other options: above will be the main menu, on the right Game Assist and on the left the Dashboard to monitor FPS and hardware. Below we simply turn off the monitor.

In the main menu on the AORUS FI27Q-P we will have enough options to modify on our monitor with a total of 6 sections and an option to reset the configuration. The management of image properties is based on profiles located in the "Picture" section. Within each of them we can modify the color, brightness, contrast, and a long etcetera. In addition, we have many other options that are available in the quick menus. We do not have an overclocking mode for 165 Hz, these will be natively if the card and the port are compatible.

Sidekick OSD

To support the native OSD panel of the monitor, we have the Windows software, OSD Sidekick, which is a practically complete extension of all the options. We have a menu for each image mode available on the monitor, and in each of them we can modify an infinity of image parameters, including brightness, black equalizer, color temperature and even the PIP / PBP and the Dashboard. We will have each image mode under our own taste to select it when we deem appropriate.

In addition to this, we can configure key combinations to activate quick options and modify them on the fly, these being the same ones that we see in the previous menu. In the general configuration section we will have the presentation options of the OSD and the direct access to RGB Fusion. In the penultimate section we can activate and configure the monitor noise cancellation system if we have headphones or microphones connected to its Jack ports.

User experience

For practical purposes, the use of this AORUS FI27Q-P monitor and the experience it provides is very similar to its normal version, so we must make this purchase if we are really going to use all the features simultaneously, taking advantage of HBR3 technology.

Gaming: no ghosting or flickering

And is that the characteristics of the image panel are the same in the two models, 2K, 165 Hz, a color depth and color space very similar judging by the results of our tests and the same design.

This time we have focused a little more on seeing the performance in gaming with this technology and of course FreeSync always activated. In our view, having a 27-inch monitor with 2K resolution is the perfect setup for e-sports and solo gaming. In addition, we have tested the flickering and ghosting tests available on the testufo site and have been very satisfied with how well this panel works at its maximum capacity.

Not all have graphics cards capable of moving games in 2K at over 60 FPS, but the good thing about these monitors is the good rescaling they have at Full HD to take advantage of 165 Hz in competitive mode and 2K to enjoy solo games. where image quality will take precedence in immersion and enjoyment.

Design: good color coverage and calibration

We understand that a 4K panel is the general tone for design, and that 27 inches may be a bit small for CAD or BIM designs. But the good calibration of this monitor and image quality are more than solvents for non-professional design, thus saving us a good paste on much more expensive equipment.

Perhaps in terms of content consumption and video editing, the DisplayHDR 400 certification falls somewhat short, and a 600-nit panel in this model would have rounded off its characteristics and helped to differentiate itself more from the FI27Q.

Final words and conclusion about AORUS FI27Q-P

If we are already very satisfied with the performance of the AORUS FI27Q, in this P version we have the same, but now with the possibility of putting it all together thanks to the HBR3 technology that increases the bandwidth to 32.4 Gbps in the DisplayPort 1.4 connector. Buying this monitor to use an HDMI and being limited is nonsense, so let's choose wisely.

Once again, the high quality of the AORUS monitors in 2019 is to be appreciated, it is true that in design they are all very similar, but they also install high quality IPS panels and consistent specifications for competitive and solo gaming. Example of them are 165 Hz, 2K resolution and 27 inches with FreeSync. We have the entire range of manufacturer's own tactical options and a very complete software management to put our monitor completely to our liking. We have had no trace of bleeding, ghosting or flickering, something we were already expecting.

Visit our updated guide to the best PC monitors on the market

To this we add an excellent factory calibration, even though it is not designed for design. Its 10-bit color depth and good color coverage are a great choice for hobbyist users. In this sense, we would have liked a 600 nit HDR, in order to differentiate it a little more from the FI27Q, since HDR 400 is the basic standard.

As for the design section, we have no objection, as always very careful, high quality finishes and minimal frames in case we want to set up a setup with more units. We have integrated lighting, although not too powerful, and yes, quite a lot of space occupied on our desk.

Finally, this AORUS FI27Q-P will soon be available in our country, although we already see it on sites like Amazon for a price of $ 650, while the FI27Q is at $ 600 on this site and € 579 on PC Components. So we have a very low price difference because they are very similar monitors. If we want to make the most of everything it offers, the HBR3 will be the option we choose, so it is highly recommended and quite round.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ 2K, HDR, 165 HZ AND 1 MS	AN HDR 600 WOULD HAVE ROUNDED IT
+ HBR3 TO HAVE ALL THE FEATURES TOGETHER	NO INTEGRATED SPEAKERS AND COMPLICATED ACCESS USB PORTS
+ VERY GOOD CALIBRATION IPS AND 95% DCI-P3
+ VERY SIMILAR PRICE TO FI27Q
+ NO BLEEDING, GHOSTING OR FLICKERING
+ COMPLETE OSD, SOFTWARE AND INTEGRATED ANC

The Professional Review team awards you the platinum medal and recommended product:

AORUS FI27Q-P

DESIGN - 95%

PANEL - 97%

CALIBRATION - 90%

BASE - 86%

MENU OSD - 90%

GAMES - 100%

PRICE - 85%

92%