I’ve had a fair few friends ask me about gaming monitors recently, and it’s been hard not to recommend LG’s very decent 144Hz, 1ms 1440p screen. Today, that recommendation is even easier, because it just got a decent price cut.
The monitor in question is the LG 27GL850-B, currently one of the best all-rounder screens you can get for that sweet spot between resolution, refresh rate and colour accuracy. It was retailing for closer to $800 when stock first hit Australia, but with new supply finally landing on our shores, that has changed.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/03/lg-27gl850b-ultragear-gaming-monitor-kotaku-australia-review” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/lg-27gl850b-review-kotaku-australia-1.jpg” title=”LG’s 27GL850-B Monitor Hits The Sweet Spot” excerpt=”Wind back a few years and monitors were like buying an Australian internet connection. You couldn’t have fast, reliable and affordable internet – it was only two of the three. Similarly, monitors were stuck in this weird spot where you could have great colour accuracy, high refresh rates and 1440p or better resolution … if you wanted to spend a few grand. But times have changed, and screens are now starting to hit the sweet spot: good refresh rates for gaming, good response times, and decent colour accuracy out of the box at a price that regular gamers can justify paying.”]
Today, you can grab the 27GL850-B for $699. That makes it one of the most affordable 1440p/1ms 144Hz screens available in Australia, and it was already one of the best to begin with. It’s available through Amazon Australia as a limited offer, after which point it’ll jump back up.
I’ve had a very close friend of mine ask me whether I’d recommend the Ultragear for their gaming needs. And given that I had no qualms in undoubtedly recommending it to him, I’d happily recommend it to you all as well. I’ll give you the same advice though: make sure you spend about half an hour getting the OSD settings to where you like it, because the out of the box settings definitely aren’t the best. (You should do that with all of your monitors, but gamers sometimes are a bit lazy.)
If you want greater detail on how it handles across a range of productivity and games, see my review in full above. And for other monitor reviews and recommendations, there’s more of those below.
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/01/samsung-crg5-240hz-gaming-monitor-kotaku-review” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/01/samsung-crg5-27-1.jpg” title=”Samsung’s Entry Level Gaming Monitor Absolutely Nails It” excerpt=”Entry level PC products, generally, tend to have similar characteristics. They’re basic. They get the job done – just – and they’re not known for being flashy, either in performance or looks. That’s particularly true for monitors. Spend under $400 and you’re faced with a low quality panel with decent refresh rate, higher resolution but garbage refresh rate and input lag, or a middle ground that doesn’t really excel at anything. Samsung’s CRG5 monitor buggers that orthodoxy right off.”]
[referenced url=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/03/msi-mag272cqr-gaming-monitor-review” thumb=”https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/msi-optix-monitor-review-kotaku-australia-1.jpg” title=”MSI’s MAG272CQR Screen Is Seriously Great Value” excerpt=”It’s not hard to see why MSI has taken such a sizeable chunk of the monitor market, especially with the MAG272CQR. Look at this combo: a 27-inch 1ms screen with 165Hz refresh rate, a decent VA panel with an unobtrusive 1500R curve and 1440p resolution.”]