Looking for a good mini-led 27" 1440 monitor but not happy with the market

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Rev. Night

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As the title says, I am looking for a new monitor to replace the Dell S2719DGF I have. Its a solid 27" 1440 TN panel that I bought 7 years ago. Being that TN panels are long in the tooth, I decided to do some market research for a new one.

Requirements:
  • 27", 1440p
  • PC Gaming and Windows productivity uses. No movie watching
  • Not TN, something nicer
  • Budget is under $1000
I run a 7900xtx so I love high framerates (100+) which is why I am sticking to 1440, not 4k. And since my monitor is on for most of the day doing work stuff, that makes OLED a no-go. I have had this current monitor for years and I would like to have this next one for years too. I use the hell out of it, and the screen looks just as good now as it did from day 1, which you can't say for an OLED.

This led me to mini-LEDs, which on a VA or IPS panel can look pretty damn good. And since its mini-led, not OLED, I can leave it on forever and not really care (I wont but still).

So this led me to the AOC Q27G3XMN and its somewhat successor the AOC Q27G40XMN. The lack of USB ports is frustrating only due to the massive firmware issues that rtings and Monitors Unboxed brought up. No usb ports means no firmware updates, so you are rolling the dice on what you buy from the factory. Looking at AOC website, I see a AOC Gaming Q27G4ZMN which I think has even better specs than the G40. The issue here is that after scouring the internet, I can only find a single review of it, Toms and they loved it.

Does anyone have good mini-led recommendations? These monitors only cost $250-300 or so which is well within my budget.
 
27" 1440p mini-led monitors aren't really that common. The best 27" 1440p panels are either some kind of OLED or edge lit LCD. So apart from the AOC models you already looked at, if you're really set on getting mini-led you could always get one of the 27" 5120x2880 mini-led monitors coming out that also run at 1440p at a higher refresh rate, but I really don't know how sharp it'll be in 1440p despite it being an advertised feature. Links are set to start at the 27" 5k mini-led models.


View: https://youtu.be/r6VT5bEeKWw?t=197

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZZDXSvdwGc&t=496s

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgZJQhh-8X4&t=339s
 
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I posted this question on Reddit as well. A few of them are enthusiastic about the dual mode 5k/1440. In theory, on paper, this is perfect. Get a beefy gpu to do high refresh at 1440 and then do productivity at 5k. Wait a few gpu generations, skip 4k all together, and then game at 5k.

It sounds great, and it does, but people are calling it as bullshit. I know reviews don't exist for unreleased products, but has there been any demos of how dual mode gaming looks at 1440?
 
I had similar reasons to seek out mini led vs oled. 7 monitor returns later I landed on a high end oled panel. Sure the text was not as crisp as a 4k ips, but after a few day I no longer noticed.

I spent so much time reading internet reviews. In the end it was a waste of time. I literally had to see them and use them in person. Had I trusted the internet I’d have been unhappy with my purchase.
 
I can understand seeing monitors in person, but there is a difference between trust and facts. OLEDs has burn ins, that is a fact. They aren't ideal for productivity work, that is also a fact. And a monitor that can do both 5k and 1440 and have mini-led which will look amazing, that's also a fact.

The only thing up for debate is how well the 1440p dual mode is. And for that, I will wait for Monitor Unboxed and Rtings reviews
 
Rev. Night said:
I can understand seeing monitors in person, but there is a difference between trust and facts. OLEDs has burn ins, that is a fact. They aren't ideal for productivity work, that is also a fact. And a monitor that can do both 5k and 1440 and have mini-led which will look amazing, that's also a fact.

The only thing up for debate is how well the 1440p dual mode is. And for that, I will wait for Monitor Unboxed and Rtings reviews
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Oled has built in burn in mitigation, that is a fact. And you cannot tell me it does not work, because the tech hasn’t been around long enough. Ideal because? Because the internet says so? No factual, that’s an opinion but see it how you’d like. Again for me I had to give them a try.

Do you have a reason for 5k? Do you own a Mac? Because outside of that use case where 5k is native you will not find many uses where 4k isn’t just as useful and actually a more commonly used standard.

I own more than a few high end Mac’s. I specifically went down the 5k rabbit hole specifically for its native Mac uses. In the end even for a Mac I do not find it useful for its increased cost and rarity. Again you may have your own use cases, but that was my experience.

Mini led looking amazing? I bought at least 5 of the highest end well reviewed mini led monitors. You know what looks amazing? Oled.

Sounds like you’ve researched and sipped the kool aid also. Your facts are actually opinions in this case that you’ve decided are very important for your purchase. I just recommend you use things before you decide what is “fact” especially if you are picky about your monitor.

Funny enough I also came from the same panel you mentioned in your op. I still own it I just don’t currently use it.

I also did not mention trust because the internet is full of shills, trust is not a thing. I trust my eyes.

I’m just encouraging you to see what you can in person. I was set on mini led and extremely disappointed. Felt like internet hype for a game I really to be good. And wasn’t. The tech hasn’t exploded, and I think that’s for a reason. If oled had no burn in…. You’d never hear of mini led monitors again imo.
 
Keep in mind the predicted price of these 5k mini-led panels is ~US$1500 so over what you want to spend. I would just go with one of the 1440p 1000hz IPS panels or one of the new Pulsar IPS panels if you considered switching back to Nvidia or a recent OLED. But if you aren't in a rush and don't mind waiting for reviews and spending over budget, a 2-3 month wait for reviews on the 5k mini-led panel isn't so far away.

If you want Mini-LED for HDR gaming, in windows it's still pretty bad and very much depends on how much effort the game studio has made into actually making it work correctly.
 
Dreamerbydesign said:
Oled has built in burn in mitigation, that is a fact. And you cannot tell me it does not work, because the tech hasn’t been around long enough. Ideal because? Because the internet says so? No factual, that’s an opinion but see it how you’d like. Again for me I had to give them a try.
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Dude, give it a rest. I'm not getting an OLED for productivity. I had this monitor for 7 years and I want to have the next one for just as long. If you think an OLED won't have any degradation you are kidding yourself

zehoo said:
Keep in mind the predicted price of these 5k mini-led panels is ~US$1500 so over what you want to spend. I would just go with one of the 1440p 1000hz IPS panels or one of the new Pulsar IPS panels if you considered switching back to Nvidia or a recent OLED. But if you aren't in a rush and don't mind waiting for reviews and spending over budget, a 2-3 month wait for reviews on the 5k mini-led panel isn't so far away.

If you want Mini-LED for HDR gaming, in windows it's still pretty bad and very much depends on how much effort the game studio has made into actually making it work correctly.
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I've seen a few that were $800-1000. Not saying you are wrong, but we shall see as the market firms up. I am in zero rush, and waiting 3 months sounds just fine.

As for HDR windows gaming, admittingly that is something I need to research more. There was a time a few years ago where HDR and Windows were a verboten but I heard that now a days it was just fine? I'll look into it.
 
Rev. Night said:
Dude, give it a rest. I'm not getting an OLED for productivity. I had this monitor for 7 years and I want to have the next one for just as long. If you think an OLED won't have any degradation you are kidding yourself
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Ya for 7 years I'd be worried about OLED. I have an OLED (as well as a MiniLED) and I like it BUT I am a nutbar who buys a new monitor every couple years because I want a new toy. Given that, I'm not super worried. But for a long time like you are talking about I'd be concerned. Maybe incorrectly so, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Rev. Night said:
As for HDR windows gaming, admittingly that is something I need to research more. There was a time a few years ago where HDR and Windows were a verboten but I heard that now a days it was just fine? I'll look into it.
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It works great now. Just flip the system into HDR mode and launch the game (a few will flip it automatically). Now the quality of HDR varies heavily. There's still plenty of games that don't support it, and plenty that do but don't do a great job. However when done well it looks amazing and even when it is done kinda mediocre it usually looks better than SDR. Plus these days there's RenoDX which can bring HDR to games without it, and often fix bad HDR in games that have issues.

I am a big fan of HDR gaming and recommend people try it.


As for a recommendation for a monitor, sorry I haven't really looked at the 27" market, I'm a 32" fan and right now the MiniLED choices in general aren't all that great. I'm hoping we'll see some better ones soon.
 
ok so almost a year later, I see that LG 27GM950B is out and on paper is what I want. Monitors Unboxed did a review:

(
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xQ7McYSv1k)

and they really seemed to like it. Their huge knock against it was that it was $1200, but I see it it for $800 on Amazon. 5k for productivity, 1440 for games, mini-led will be 10x what my VPS panel currently is. Rtings (https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/lg/27gm950b-b) gave it a good but not perfect review as well

I did a quick market look, I see that there is also the ASUS ROG Strix XG27JCG but it's rated a fair bit worse.

Keep waiting?
 
CES is just around the corner, I'd wait if you don't need something right away.
 
CES 2027 will take place from January 6–9, 2027, in Las Vegas, Nevada, with media days starting on January 4, 2027.


Not a bad idea to wait
 
Rev. Night said:
ok so almost a year later, I see that LG 27GM950B is out and on paper is what I want. Monitors Unboxed did a review:

(
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xQ7McYSv1k)

and they really seemed to like it. Their huge knock against it was that it was $1200, but I see it it for $800 on Amazon. 5k for productivity, 1440 for games, mini-led will be 10x what my VPS panel currently is. Rtings (https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/lg/27gm950b-b) gave it a good but not perfect review as well

I did a quick market look, I see that there is also the ASUS ROG Strix XG27JCG but it's rated a fair bit worse.

Keep waiting?
Click to expand...

LG... ugh. No thanks, especially with what they tried to get away with recently.

No need for the best. I'm very happy with the KTC - M27T6S (27" QHD Mini LED Gaming Monitor, Local Dimming, HDR1000, 1440P, Fast IPS, 200Hz/210Hz OC, 157% sRGB, 1ms MPRT) for ~$240.

Being closer to half a decade old, I'd only get a 4K or 5K monitor if it was 37 inches. 27 inches is too small, and 32 inches is the minimum I'd consider. I don't see the need for anything faster than 180Hz or higher than HDR1000 right now.
 
With the slowed pace of new gpus, I wonder if I'm looking too far ahead for a 5k dual mode monitor.

How crisp is the 1440 image (gaming) compared to a native 1440?
 
El_Capitan said:
No need for the best. I'm very happy with the KTC - M27T6S (27" QHD Mini LED Gaming Monitor, Local Dimming, HDR1000, 1440P, Fast IPS, 200Hz/210Hz OC, 157% sRGB, 1ms MPRT) for ~$240.
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Where the F did you get that monitor for $240? Is this in the US?
 
El_Capitan said:
Yes, in the U.S. At Best Buy. In this thread. It's $259.99 right now.
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hmm it is. Monitors Unboxed said that between that KTC and the AOC Q27G40XMN, that the AOC is better. Still, the AOC is hard to find and I'm on a dell S2719DGF which is a 7 year old TN panel. I may not see the difference ha.

I think I will end up getting the KTC. $260 now vs $800+ for something 'future proofed' later doesn't seem like the best value to me. Productivity wise, I'm fine doing office work at 1440
 
Rev. Night said:
hmm it is. Monitors Unboxed said that between that KTC and the AOC Q27G40XMN, that the AOC is better. Still, the AOC is hard to find and I'm on a dell S2719DGF which is a 7 year old TN panel. I may not see the difference ha.

I think I will end up getting the KTC. $260 now vs $800+ for something 'future proofed' later doesn't seem like the best value to me. Productivity wise, I'm fine doing office work at 1440
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AOC's are great, I just wanted to try a KTC (I like trying out different brands and models). I actually have a Q27G40XMN, which is a newer model than the Q27G3XMN. The Q27G40XMN has more dimming zones with less blooming, and is brighter, but you're limited to 120Hz at 10-bit while the Q27G3XMN would be able to do 180Hz at 10-bit. They're also VA panels instead of IPS. Different people have different opinions on which they prefer. I prefer IPS pretty much for everything (from productivity, to gaming, watching shows/movies, and image/video editing), but VA does look better for contrast and deeper blacks (watching movies and gaming with dark scenes).
 
So which would you recommend? On this monitor, I don't watch movies, just do office work and gaming. Being 'limited' to 120hz is just fine as I put amd chill on at 120 fps anyways.
 
Rev. Night said:
So which would you recommend? On this monitor, I don't watch movies, just do office work and gaming. Being 'limited' to 120hz is just fine as I put amd chill on at 120 fps anyways.
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For office work, all the options are good. For gaming, if you play more "dark" games, go for the VA panel. If you want a faster response, cleaner motion, and better color, then go for the IPS panel. If you're going for a VA panel, the Q27G40XMN is going to be better, but the Q27G3XMN still wouldn't be a bad choice, but I think the Q27G40XMN edges it out in clarity in exchange for being limited to 120Hz at 10-bit. If you need to game at 180Hz, you can still do it, but at 8-bit.
 
hmmm 2 new interesting entries. I wonder what the reviews would say

AOC AGP277QKM
AOC China has introduced the AGP277QKM, a 27-inch gaming monitor combining a 2560 × 1440 resolution with a 425Hz refresh rate and QD Mini-LED backlighting. The product targets competitive gamers who want a high refresh rate without moving down to Full HD.The monitor uses a Fast IPS panel and adds local dimming to improve contrast compared with a conventional edge-lit LCD. Hardwareluxx reports HDR brightness reaching up to 1,000 nits, although sustained full-screen brightness, local-dimming behavior and halo control will require independent testing.A 425Hz refresh rate reduces the interval between frames to approximately 2.35 milliseconds. That can improve motion clarity in fast esports titles when the graphics card can sustain a correspondingly high frame rate. More demanding games will generally operate below the maximum refresh rate and may rely on adaptive synchronization.
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https://www.guru3d.com/story/aoc-agp277qkm-combines-qhd-425hz-and-qd-miniled-hdr/
Selling in China for about $430

Acer Nitro MG275U X2biippx
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HFMQBPP...irect=mhFallback#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor
$230

Hmm....
 
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Rev. Night said:
I assume you mean the $230 Acer? I agree, but no reviews anywhere yet.
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Yeah, but the specs look good, and the limited Amazon reviews show they're not horrible, so good quality at least out of the box. DCI-P3 99% and AdobeRGB 95% Wide is good, 1152 dimming zones is good. HDMI 2.1 is great, but I'm thinking it could be HDMI 2.0? The only thing I don't see is G-Sync support.
 
Rev. Night did you end up picking one yet? I'm looking at either the Acer MG275U X2 from Amazon at $199.99 or the Acer XV275U F5 at Best Buy at $259.99.
 
Rev. Night said:
Which ones you looking at
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Either the Acer MG275U X2 from Amazon at $199.99 or the Acer XV275U F5 at Best Buy at $259.99.

Most likely the MG275U as it is cheaper. Just waiting for Amazon gift cards to show up from credit card points.
 
Rev. Night said:
ok so almost a year later, I see that LG 27GM950B is out and on paper is what I want. Monitors Unboxed did a review:

(
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xQ7McYSv1k)

and they really seemed to like it. Their huge knock against it was that it was $1200, but I see it it for $800 on Amazon. 5k for productivity, 1440 for games, mini-led will be 10x what my VPS panel currently is. Rtings (https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/lg/27gm950b-b) gave it a good but not perfect review as well

I did a quick market look, I see that there is also the ASUS ROG Strix XG27JCG but it's rated a fair bit worse.

Keep waiting?
Click to expand...

This one is $800 at Best Buy right now.

Amazing deal for someone who likes a screen close to their face. Push it away and the resolution advantage is lost.
 
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