Aorus CV27Q 165Hz Curved Gaming Monitor Review: Pixel-Dense Winner
Tom’s Hardware Verdict
The Aorus CV27Q ticks all the boxes for performance gaming. It delivers excellent color and high contrast coupled with a reliable 165 Hz refresh rate and adaptive sync. Add HDR and extended color, and you have a winner for less than $450.
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We’ve seen a number of 27-inch curved gaming displays hit the streets of late. To keep speeds at their highest, they mostly come in FHD resolution (1920 x 1080). But for the many seeking high pixel density, we consider QHD resolution (2560 x 1440) to be the sweet spot of performance and image quality. Gigabyte answers that need with the Aorus CV27Q, one of our Best Gaming Monitors and the higher-resolution brother to the FHD Aorus CV27F .
In addition to a QHD VA panel , it offers DCI-P3 color and FreeSync 2 HDR and can also run G-Sync , although it’s not certified to do so. Add a 165 Hz refresh rate and super-fast panel response time, and you have a potential winner selling for an attractive price ($430 at the time of writing or $400 at Newegg after rebate).
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Specifications
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| Panel Type & Backlight | VA / W-LED, edge array |
| Screen Size, Aspect Ratio & Curve Radius | 27 inches / 16:9, Curve Radius: 1500mm |
| Max Resolution & Refresh Rate | 2560 x 1440 @ 165 Hz, FreeSync 2, Pixel density: 109ppi |
| Native Color Depth & Gamut | 8-bit / DCI-P3 HDR10, DisplayHDR 400 |
| Response Time (GTG) | 1ms |
| Brightness | 400 nits |
| Contrast | 3,000:1 |
| Speakers | None |
| Video Inputs | 1x DisplayPort 1. 2, 2x HDMI 2.0 |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone output w/ active noise cancellation, 3.5mm stereo input |
| USB 3.0 | 1x up, 2x down |
| Power Consumption | 24w, brightness @ 200 nits |
| Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base | 24.1 x 15.9-21.2 x 10.2 inches (612 x 404-536 x 259mm) |
| Panel Thickness | 2.9 inches (74mm) |
| Bezel Width | Top/sides: 0.4 inch (9mm), Bottom: 0.9 inch (23mm) |
| Weight | 15.4 pounds (7kg) |
| Warranty | 3 years |
VA is our favorite panel technology because of its high native contrast. While viewing angles aren’t quite on par with IPS displays, VA monitors still look better when seen off-axis than TN screens.
Plus, many VA displays offer high color quality and accuracy. For example, the CV27Q covers 86% of the DCI-P3 gamut and renders a 6500K white point without the need for calibration.
Gamers looking for bleeding-edge tech will also want HDR capability. The CV27Q promises 400 nits brightness with HDR content with its VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification. The CV27Q’s HDR10 mode kicks in automatically when the proper signal is detected. It brings extra pop to both games and video, and along with the larger color gamut, really enhances the user experience. You also use still use FreeSync and even G-Sync (even though it’s not officially certified), while in HDR if you use the DisplayPort 1.4 port.
Note that to use G-Sync with HDR or otherwise, you’ll need an Nvidia graphics card and the latest drivers. Here’s how to run G-Sync on a FreeSync monitor.
Unpacking and Accessories
Unboxing the CV27Q reveals the same solid-metal base, stout upright and panel found in the lower-resolution CV27F.
The parts assemble without tools. If you want to use your own bracket or monitor arm, the monitor comes with a 100mm VESA mount, but you’ll have to source your own bolts. Cables include an IEC cord for the internal power supply, plus USB 3.0, HDMI and DisplayPort (necessary for HDR with FreeSync or G-Sync). All are quality high-bandwidth wires capable of carrying QHD resolution signals.
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There are no built-in speakers, but you do get 3.5mm in and out jacks. That way, you can use headphones or run the sound out to external speakers connected to the monitor. The headphone interface features active noise cancellation using mics built into the front bezel.
Physically, there is no difference between the CV27F and the CV27Q. The panels differ only in their resolution. With a higher resolution in the same size, the CV27Q has a pixel density of 109 pixels per inch (ppi), while the FHD counterpart has 81.
59ppi. Both have a curve radius of 1500mm, which provides a subtle wraparound effect. With a 16:9 aspect ratio, we saw no image distortion from the slight curve. The bezel is flush with the anti-glare layer and measures a scant 9mm around the top and sides with a wider 23mm strip at the bottom.
A single joystick under the panel’s center-point offers control over all functions, including the power toggle. There’s also a white LED status indicator under the Aorus logo on the bottom bezel.
Around back is an LED lighting effect that’s controllable via the on-screen display (OSD). You can also coordinate it with other RGB Aorus components, such as its LED fans and CPU coolers, using Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion app.
The stand provides a 5.3-inch height adjustment, plus 20-degree swivel in each direction, 21-degree forward tilt and 5-degree backward tilt. Build quality is excellent with smooth, firm movements. During my usage, the panel stayed in place without wobbling. The base has over 10 inches of depth to ensure it won’t fall over.
Around back, you’ll find an array of connections with two HDMI 2.0 inputs and a single DisplayPort 1.4. To couple HDR with FreeSync or use G-Sync in any form, you must use DisplayPort. But for SDR content, you can use FreeSync over HDMI.
OSD Features
Pressing the joystick opens a quick menu with Aorus Game Assist and Dashboard. The latter works via USB and displays an info panel that monitors things like your PC’s CPU temperature and fan speeds. Clicking the joystick to the rear opens the full OSD.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Gaming sub-menu includes several game-enhancing features. The Aim Stabilizer is a backlight strobe that eliminates motion blur. To engage it, you must be running at 120 Hz refresh rate or below and disable adaptive refresh (FreeSync or G-Sync). It also reduces light output by around 60%.
The overdrive feature works extremely well; even its fastest setting didn’t create ghosting. At the top of this and all menu screens is a status bar that reports input resolution and status of the settings in each sub-menu.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Tweakers will enjoy the CV27Q’s comprehensive set of calibration options. While it delivers excellent accuracy out of the box, there is a little room for improvement. You can accomplish this with five gamma presets and the Color Temp’s User mode with its RGB sliders. There’s also a Low Blue Light mode designed to reduce eye fatigue when reading black text on a white background.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The GameAssist menu has a number of features to aid gameplay. You can place a crosshair at the center of the screen and customize its shape and color. Aorus info reports framerates and can provide countdown timers. A display alignment tool aids in the installation of multiple screens by providing a set of bright red arrows at the screen’s borders.
Setup and Calibration
The CV27Q offers good image without calibration, delivering an accurate 6500K white point and spot-on gamma in its Standard mode. Our only gripe is that in SDR mode, you have to use the extended color gamut, which is over 86% of DCI-P3.
This will appeal to users seeking more saturated color but isn’t strictly to standard. Using the sRGB image mode dialed back the gamut, but its gamma and white point were visibly off the mark.
If you want to extract that last 1% of performance, you can try our recommended settings below. We changed the gamma preset from Off to 3 and tweaked the RGB sliders to achieve a high standard.
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| Picture Mode | Standard |
| Brightness 200 nits | 42 |
| Brightness 120 nits | 20 |
| Brightness 100 nits | 14 |
| Brightness 80 nits | 9 |
| Contrast | 49 |
| Gamma | 3 |
| Color Temp User | Red 91, Green 92, Blue 100 |
Gaming and Hands-on
We were anxious to see if the CV27Q’s HDR mode looked any better when playing Call of Duty: WWII than it did on the 1080p CV27F.
Our review of the CV27F revealed a slightly elevated black level, which we had to compensate for in-game. The CV27Q didn’t display this behavior; its black level was nice and deep, giving the image the depth you’d expect from HDR gaming. That coupled with its QHD resolution made details pop nicely with a more textural look to the environment. Surfaces like worn metal or stone had a more visceral feel with HDR engaged. And we enjoyed this effect with FreeSync and G-Sync.
Framerates stayed strong at around 120 frames per second (fps) for HDR games and 140-165 fps when playing SDR titles, like Tomb Raider, using our Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FE-equipped system. Even though the game is designed to be played on an sRGB screen, the monitor’s extended color gamut provided a positive effect. Though the extra saturation was apparent, there was no loss of detail, and highlights didn’t look overblown. We’d rather have an accurate sRGB mode, but the experience was still highly enjoyable, and most users will appreciate the extra, albeit inaccurate, color.
Keeping framerates high isn’t too difficult with QHD monitors. Our casual gaming skills were not enough to perceive a difference in response between the FHD resolution of the CV27F and the QHD screen of the CV27Q. And though the F delivered higher framerates, the Q showed 2ms less input lag, which will only be seen by the most-skilled players. The CV27Q is more than qualified for average competitive gaming use.
Like the CV27F, the CV27Q has an active noise cancellation (ANC) feature. The ANC feature uses two mics installed in the CV27Q’s front bezel that monitor background noise and apply the necessary correction to reduce the background noise others hear when you’re speaking into an attached gaming headset .
In my office, you can usually hear the wind blowing outside and the rustling of trees. But with ANC activated, this sound was eliminated. It didn’t have a noticeable effect on sound quality, though. When there was a lot of background sound, we experienced some reduction in frequency response.
Still, the ANC is a thoughtful feature that most will consider an enhancement.
Running Windows in HDR mode made the slightly green white point more obvious, so it’s unfortunate that it can’t be adjusted. There is also a barely-visible edge enhancement that we couldn’t remove because there is no sharpness control. We suggest reserving HDR for games and video only and keeping the Windows desktop in SDR mode. The toggle is easily accessible through the monitor’s Control Panel.
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Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom’s Hardware US.
He’s a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors.
Aorus CV27Q Review — 165Hz Curved QHD Gaming Monitor with FreeSync
- Overall
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The Aorus CV27Q combines an immersive screen with competitive-grade speeds and the brand’s signature touch to bring you a unique gaming monitor. This model sits a tier lower than the excellent Aorus AD27QD when it comes to pricing, but it still includes the Tactical Display features found on the latter. Let’s find out if the Aorus CV27Q can offer a surprisingly good overall performance which matters more than anything else
Aorus CV27Q Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution:2560 x 1440 QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Refresh Rate: 165Hz
- Response Time: 4 ms
- Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 400 cd/m²
- Speakers: No
- Stand: Height -Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot – Yes
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: HDMI 0x 2, DisplayPort 1.
4 x 1, USB 3.0 x 3, 3.5mm Jack x 2 - Dimensions (W x H x D): 24.17” x 20.95” x 10.24”
- Weight: 15.43 lbs
Design and Features
The Aorus CV27Q takes a simpler aesthetic approach than the AD27QD without forgetting about the brand’s gaming DNA. The monitor sports a clean, black chassis that doesn’t look over-aggressive, but timeless. The display area is bezel-free on three sides, so you don’t have to worry about plasticky distractions while enjoying your game.
Build quality for the Aorus CV27Q is, as expected, excellent thanks to its premium finishes and materials. There are no noticeable cosmetic defects on the body such as uneven seams, gaps, or unpolished edges. The device feels solid even if its lighter than some models we’ve held, so you shouldn’t worry about breakages with regular use.
The rear part of the Aorus CV27Q’s chassis has noticeable decorative enhancements that the aesthetically meticulous will love. The brushed accents are a nice add-on, but what stands out is the pair of RGB strips shaped into wings.
You can control only control this feature with Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion to change the colors and themes.
The Aorus CV27Q comes equipped with a bevy of extra features, so accessing them can be a pain for some. Thankfully, there is a centrally-located OSD joystick right under the bottom bezel. Navigating the various sub-menus is a breeze, plus it’s great that you don’t have to fumble and press the wrong button while playing in the dark.
There is also a good number of connectivity options on the Aorus CV27Q’s connectivity panel. You get dual HDMI 2.0 slots and DisplayPort 1.4 for inputs and a trio of USB 3.0 slots for accessories and peripherals. There is also a headphone and mic input on the rear which has a specialized noise cancellation feature that comes in handy when your audio gets fuzzy.
You also get a fully-adjustable stand that lets you tilt, swivel, and adjust the height according to your needs. The boomerang-shaped base provides excellent stability, but it does eat up a lot of space.
You can, of course, swap this part out with a VESA mount, but we feel that it’s only necessary if you are planning on a triple head setup.
Display and Performance
The Aorus CV27Q sports a 27-inch VA panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and 4ms response time which can be boosted to 1ms. The backlight hits 400 cd/m2 while the contrast is rated at 3000:1 as expected from a VA Panel. The display has a sharper 1500r curve which makes it seem that it wraps around you and covers your peripherals.
QHD is a perfect fit for 27-inch monitors since the PPI is higher than the usual, but the screen isn’t overly sharp. Games look clean enough to not need anti-aliasing, but you also won’t require scaling to read a wall of text. The tangible benefits of a curved screen also start at this size, making the Aorus CV27Q a very attractive proposition.
The Aorus CV27Q’s VA panel produces excellent color coverage which slightly exceeds 100% of the sRGB gamut and around 88% for DCI-P3.
This gives the monitor a slight visual upgrade when HDR is active since there is an added color-pop that gamers will appreciate. Color accuracy needs some improvement since the default DeltaE reached 3.05, but I can be tweaked down to 2.25 if you have a colorimeter.
Color temperature is also cooler than the ideal 6500K, but we don’t think the slight bluish tint on whites is annoying. In fact, it lessens the warmth which many dislike while working on documents or browsing. Gamma sits at 2.3 by default and 2.26 when calibrated, so there was really nothing the colorimeter could do to improve it.
The contrast ratio on the Aorus CV27Q is very strong, reaching as much as 3900:1 if brightness is set to around 30%. The screen’s black luminance is also at a superb level, giving us the inky blacks and excellent visibility in dark scenes from titles such as Control. HDR mode also gives a noticeable pump to this characteristic which is considerably noticeable compared to other pseudo-HDR monitors out in the market.
You can’t compare this monitor’s HDR performance to top-tier monitors like the PG27UQ obviously since it doesn’t have a FALD backlight installed. We think that’s the only real weakness of DisplayHDR 400 monitors since many of them can provide upgraded colors. But then again, FALD units will surely quadruple the price of this monitor which will stray it away from its target market.
Another aspect of the Aorus CV27Q which could concern some users is its mixed panel uniformity. The corners have some shifts in color and contrast which become noticeable when you view a black image or some very dark scenes. This can change between unit to unit, so make sure you can return yours if it suffers from very bad clouding issues.
The Aorus CV27Q’s pixel responsiveness is quite good once you’ve engaged its overdrive feature. Setting the Aim Stabilizer feature to its Speed setting cleans up the blurs and ghosting born out of the VA panel’s characteristics. However, some blurs and artifacts will still persist, but we think its forgivable since you get richer colors and amazing contrast levels in exchange.
The Aorus CV27Q is a FreeSync 2 gaming monitor, but it also works with G-Sync compatibility for Nvidia GPU users. This capability is excellent to have both Nvidia and AMD have very capable cards for a monitor like this. Input lag, on the other hand, sits at 13ms via the HDMI slot, making the monitor responsive enough for most types of play.
Thoughts on the Aorus CV27Q
The Aorus CV27Q is an excellent 1440p monitor if you are after a feature-rich and well-designed package that doesn’t disappoint. The curved screen produces attractive visuals despite a few innacuracies, while the monitor’s signature features add a layer of improvement for your gaming needs. This model has a noticeably better HDR performance compared to its competitors making it even better at immersive gaming.
There still are some flaws such as the Aorus CV27Q’s panel uniformity and the expected weaknesses of VA panels. Input lag is also slightly higher than most, but we don’t think the majority will notice the difference.
Over all, this product is a solid upgrade if you want to step up to 1440p and its a more practical choice than the AD27QD.
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About the Author:
Paolo is a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since his junior high years. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations and he believes that it’s every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews which accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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Assess this model: Model rating: 4.7 / 5. Number of assessments: 11, Prices and sellers⬆️ VISTOMS 27 «GIGABYTE AOORUS CV27Q — characteristics, description of
Are you interested in the Gigabyte AORUS CV27Q monitor (Gigabyte Aorus Kv27Kyu), manufacturer mark Gigabyte? We have collected all the information about him, which will help you make the right choice. This is a 27″ model with a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels (Quad HD (QHD) / 1440p). The sensor type is VA with W-LED backlighting. The maximum brightness is 300 cd/m2 and the viewing angles are 178 degrees horizontal and 178 degrees Reduce eye fatigue with Flicker-Free technology, a flicker-free backlight.0003 The static contrast ratio achievable within one frame is 3000:1. This feature is important. Dynamic contrast, adjusted by reducing the brightness of the backlight in the dark areas of the frame — 12000000:1. This characteristic is often a marketing ploy. If you are buying a monitor for gaming, pay attention to the maximum refresh rate at maximum resolution. In Gigabyte AORUS CV27Q, the frequency reaches 165 Hz. When working with photographs or demanding accurate color reproduction, color gamut is important. We also recommend that you calibrate your monitor after purchase. sRGB coverage: 122%. Price in Russia Want to buy Gigabyte AORUS CV27Q cheaply? Look at the list of stores that already sell the monitor in your city. Model Information
Matrix size and type
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| Accessories included | DisplayPort Cable HDMI USDM0012 |
The smaller the specified radius, the more curved the screen is. 
Directly affects the demands on the video card. Click on a value to search for monitors with the same resolution. 
Choose according to your lighting. 
The most widely used monitors with 8-bit matrices. Displays with greater color depth and bit depth are significantly more expensive. 
Look for a review in which the absence of PWM at any brightness is confirmed by measurements. 
Shows how many times per second the image on the matrix is updated. The higher the refresh rate, the smoother and more comfortable the game. The simplest monitors give out 60 Hz, budget gaming 120 Hz, the top-end ones — 240 Hz. An intermediate version of 144 Hz is gaining more and more popularity. It is important to choose a video card that consistently produces a number of frames equal to the monitor frequency, otherwise you will not feel any improvement. 
GtG — the time during which the matrix switches the brightness on gray from minimum to almost maximum. Considering that all colors are displayed in games, it poorly reflects the real performance, but it is stubbornly indicated by manufacturers in promotional materials. Modern monitors have overclocking technologies in which the response time is reduced, but image artifacts appear. Overclocking functions vary among manufacturers, some really help, some do nothing but damage the picture. 
. There are various formats supported by digital, analog and cable tuners. 
Replaced by turning along with the stand. Features and extras
Features Product features worth paying attention to.
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