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日本AOC C27G3U/BK monitor – Specs, Pros / Cons: Really Impressive Color Coverage
The AOC C27G3U BK might have a doozy of a name, however the monitor is really good, both for gaming and content creation. In terms of pure hardware, this 27-inch Full-HD monitor brings a VA panel, with high contrast, a 165Hz refresh rate, a 1ms response time, as well as AMD FreeSync Premium support.
We were super surprised to see just how many colors the AOC C27G3U BK manages to cover, and we’re sure you’ll be surprised too, as it’s not every day that we get a sub-200 dollar gaming monitor brings such color-depth to the market. In addition to that, we’ll check how accurate the monitor gets once we start playing with our display profiles.
You can check the current price of the AOC C27G3U BK monitor here: Buy from Amazon.co.uk (#CommissionsEarned)
Contents
Specs sheet, What’s in the box?, Drivers, Design, Connectivity
| Screen size | 27 inch (68.58 cm) |
|---|---|
| Refresh rate | 165Hz |
| Response time | 1ms |
| Panel type | VA |
| Backlight type | WLED |
| Screen finish | Matte |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 (FHD) |
| Technologies |
|
| I/O |
|
What’s in the box? Assembly
Drivers and Software
There are a lot of downloads available, both the drivers, as well as tons of additional software. There’s the iMenu, which gives you total OSD control from your OS. The GMenu is a bit similar, doing the same but for all your gaming settings, like the VRR, the refresh rate, monitor overdrive, and more. It can also control the RGB on your setup.
OSD Menu
Design and Connectivity
The design of the monitor feels modern but still has the Black and Red color scheme. In fact, there’s more Red than we originally expected, with accents on the bottom bezel, the stand, and the backside. The bezels are thin and the curved design feels immersive, at 27 inches. The stand has a very interesting design, with a cable channel near the bottom. It offers a lot of adjustments, including Tilt, Swivel, and Height, so you can get the perfect angle. If you need more adjustability than that, we recommend a wall mount, as the monitor has 100 x 100 mm mounting holes on the back, hidden behind the stand attachment.
On the bottom, there are built-in speakers, with two 3W tweeters. They work out of the box as both HDMI and DisplayPort can carry audio signals. Having speakers is pretty nice, even if the ones on many monitors aren’t as powerful or as loud as separately bought speakers. Of course, you can always use headphones, but it gets tiring after a while, especially if you just want to sit back and watch a movie or a YouTube video.
In terms of ports, the AOC C27G3U BK offers two HDMI 1.4 ports, one DisplayPort 1.2, an audio jack, as well as 4 USB Type-A 3.1 ports.
Display quality, Buy our profiles, Verdict
The AOC C27G3U BK brings a 27-inch Full HD screen (1920 x 1080p), which calculates to a pixel density of 81.59 PPI, a pitch of 0.3113 x 0.3113 mm, and a Retina distance of 42.14 inches or 107 cm. From this distance, the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels.
The correlated color temperature on a white screen after a Factory Reset in sRGB mode is 6250 K (Luminance 150 cd/m2 at 20% Brightness). The average gamma value is 2.18.
Color coverage
Here’s an illustration (Fig. 1). The whole “sail-shaped” map below consists of all the colors we can see, while the black crooked line shows all the colors from real-world scenes and nature around us.
Then, we’ve drawn some of the most important and interesting color spaces, compared to the colors the panel of AOC C27G3U BK can show:
Standard/For Web: sRGB – widely used color space for most consumer devices, ideal for Web design and development
For Print: AdobeRGB – used in professional photo editing, graphic design, and print
For Photographers/Video Editors: DCI-P3 – used in high-end film production, post-production, and digital cinema
Premium HDR: Rec.2020 – the widest consumer ITU color standard, covering a massive 75.8% of the visible spectrum, a benchmark for premium HDR content
AOC C27G3U BK: the yellow dashed triangle (– – – – – –) represents the range of colors this monitor can display. In our tests, we calculated the total color coverage of the monitor at 99% of the sRGB color gamut and 89% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
(Fig.1) AOC C27G3U BK covers 99% of the Web colors (sRGB)
This means that if the AOC C27G3U BK tries to show any color outside of its triangle, it will show the closest color to it that’s inside the triangle.
Color accuracy
Now let’s see how big is the difference between the real colors and the one you’ll see on the AOC C27G3U BK. We measure that distance in DeltaE – the bigger the number, the more different they look.
For the next illustration, we’ve chosen 24 common colors like dark and light skin, blue sky, green grass, etc.
Values below 2.0 are considered suitable for color-sensitive work. Before our calibration of the AOC C27G3U BK, the Average color accuracy was 3.8 dE (Fig. 2), and with our Web Design and Office Work profile, it lowered to 2.1 dE (Fig. 3). This is a DECENT 1.8X INCREASE, however, you’re still now below 2.0. With that said, we’ve had Creator laptops and monitors in the lab, and most of the OLED models that we’ve encountered don’t go below 2.0 too, so if you want to create content on the AOC C27G3U BK, by all means you can do a spectacular job.
(Fig. 2) AOC C27G3U BK in its factory condition
(Fig. 3) AOC C27G3U BK with our display profilesComparison in the sRGB color space (primaries and D65 white point specified in ITU-R BT.709, sRGB encoding curve).
Left: No Profile | Drag the slider to see the difference | Right: Design & Gaming Profile
Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom-tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate (they may seem strange at first but after a few minutes our brain will start recognizing them as accurate ones – that’s how Health-Guard differs from alternatives like f.lux).
Pro Tip: As the Health-Guard profile simulates paper and has as accurate as possible colors, it could be a great tool for prepress designers!
Left: No Profile | Drag the slider to see the difference | Right: Health-Guard Profile
Gaming and Movies
We also have a third Gaming and Movies profile, which regulates the black colors, making dark areas in games and movies appear more visible, thus giving you a better viewing experience. Shooting at your opponent first can be a make-or-break moment, so make sure you’re best prepared with our profile.
Left: No Profile | Drag the slider to see the difference | Right: Design & Gaming Profile
BUY OUR DISPLAY PROFILES
Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for the AOC C27G3U BK.
*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].
Read more about the profiles HERE.
Here’s how to prepare thе monitor for our profiles:
1. Open the OSD menu (On-Screen Display)
2. Reset Settings: Go to Menu ➡️ Extra ➡️ Reset, and click ‘Yes’.
3. Brightness: Navigate to Luminance ➡️ Brightness and set it to 60% for optimal viewing.
In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.
Office Work
Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.
Design and Gaming
This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.
Health-Guard
Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.
Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount
Verdict
AOC have always been good at monitors, and the AOC C27G3U BK is yet another example. It’s got a clean modern design, and while there are some red bits around the plastic shell, it’s tasteful and the red is bright and colorful. The curved panel is immersive, as the curve is juuust right.
In terms of gaming features, the monitor brings the essentials, including a 165Hz refresh rate (the HDMI ports are limited to 144Hz), a 1ms response time, and support. With all of this, you can have a stellar gaming experience, as most of the time, 1080p is just fine for pretty much any game, especially if it is an esports title.
Also for the creators among you, the AOC C27G3U BK covers you decently well. The monitor boasts impressive 99% sRGB coverage, as well as 89% DCI-P3 coverage, providing punchy and vibrant colors. Now, the color accuracy can obviously do with some improvements.
Currently, our Web Design and Office Work profile provides a 1.8X increase in accuracy, with the dE value going from 3.8 to 2.1. This is still pretty significant and the colors will look great, sitting right on the edge of being accurate enough.
You’ll like the Gaming and Movies profile much more, as it offers a way to stabilize black colors. This means that dark areas will be more visible, so you can see your opponents and react quickly. Lastly, the Health-Guard is the most important profile of the bunch, keeping your eyes more energized and less tired. It keeps Blue Light and PWM (Flickering) to a minimum, which helps you sleep better and reduces eye strain.
You can check the current price of the AOC C27G3U BK: Buy from Amazon.co.uk (#CommissionsEarned)
Pros
- Well-built stand (Tilt, Swivel, and Height)
- 99% sRGB coverage and 89% DCI-P3 coverage
- Built-in speakers
- Rich port selection
Cons
- dE value doesn’t drop below 2.0 (But there’s still a 1.8X increase in accuracy with our profile)
