Viotek GFV27DAB review.
With display technology advancing to offer both higher resolutions and refresh rates, PC gamers on a budget have had to choose between crisp visuals or smooth frame-rates. Panels that offer both have traditionally been premium-priced, hit-and-miss with quality control, or curved instead of flat. I’m happy to report that Viotek, with the GFV27DAB, has successfully combined the best gaming monitor features, with a high-quality finish, for a fantastic price. This is the GameRevolution review.
Ready to game
Right from the get-go, I was impressed by the Viotek GFV27DAB. Before I had even plugged it in, the thin bezels, RGB LED ring, and stand had me pleasantly surprised. I had wrongly thought that the materials surrounding the high-spec display would have had to have been very cheap and low quality to help squeeze this product in at under $300, but that isn’t the case.
But the Viotek GFV27DAB at Amazon.com here
Bezels are very thin and modern-looking, making this monitor look great in a gaming or office setup. The RGB LED ring won’t be for everyone, but it’s a nice optional touch. As for the stand, it might be made out of plastic, but it feels sturdy and offers adjustable height, swivel, tilt, and pivot.
VESA mounts are also supported, however, and that’s the option I chose. After attaching the GFV27DAB to my monitor arm and plugging it in using the external power brick, it was time to turn it on.
Easy setup with a hint of calibration
For whatever reason, displays are rarely ever accurate when they arrive in my home. Whether it’s a TV or monitor, it’s almost guaranteed that I’ll have to spend some time in the menus tweaking colors, contrast, sharpness, and whatnot. Unless it’s a high-end panel designed for pro use in a color-critical application, I’m always prepared for taking 5-10 minutes to correct it.
With the Viotek GFV27DAB, some tweaking is needed. It’s oddly cold and blurry out of the box, which doesn’t make for the best first impression. Even the ICC profile provided on the website doesn’t quite do the trick, in my experience. However, the on-screen display is easy to navigate and control using the little stick on the rear of the display. This makes increasing the sharpness, changing colors, and turning on various features like variable refresh rate support very easy.
Those using the display purely for gaming will likely want to change settings with the aim of getting a clearer and brighter image, while content creators will be prioritizing color accuracy above all else. Since I dabble in both areas, I made use of the multiple save profiles.
I also eventually decided on Medium Overdrive for the lowest perceptible input lag with few ill effects. This worked even when cranking the display up to 165 Hz which it supported with no issues, despite being rated for 144 Hz only.
My GFV27DAB review sample also supports G-Sync, which impressed me even further. Though Nvidia doesn’t list this as a supported model, I’ve been using it with G-Sync for over a month now and it’s been fantastic.
Some other additional gamer-focused features include built-in crosshairs and an FPS counter. The former can help in more hardcore games where there is no in-game crosshair, but many would call it an unfair advantage. The latter is very useful for monitoring frame-rates on the display hardware itself, rather than depending on software options.
It’s game time
I’ve been using the Viotek GFV27DAB for over a month in games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Black Ops Cold War, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Doom Eternal. For these fast-paced shooter titles, the high frame-rates are a dream and provide a tangible advantage when it comes to clarity and responsiveness. Gameplay is just so smooth! The high resolution is a bonus, too, along with the 27-inch diagonal length, which is the perfect size.
The VA panel avoids the glowing issues of IPS displays, but the viewing angles suffer a little. This isn’t a problem for me, as I’m always sitting in front of the display and don’t have people watching me from the side, but it’s worth noting. The VA wins over the IPS with better contrast, however. Once calibrated, colors really pop on the GFV27DAB.
As with all but the most high-end of panels, the HDR modes aren’t worth enabling. Brightness levels often don’t get high enough to truly make a difference and Windows’ implementation of HDR still needs major improvements. I’d honestly just leave it disabled, at least until Windows 11 is out.
Viotek GFV27DAB Review: The final verdict
For $279.99, the Viotek GFV27DAB is now my go-to recommendation for anyone looking for the perfect combo of 27 inches, 1440p, 144 Hz (or above!), and variable refresh rate. With some fine-tuning in the settings menu, this monitor really shines.
As my new daily driver and the display I choose when clicking heads in Call of Duty or producing content in my day job, it’s only right that the GFV27DAB earns an Editors’ Choice Award.
GFV27DAB monitor review unit was provided by Viotek.
