Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG review: This 5K gaming monitor is ultra crisp

Best Prices Today: Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG

5K monitors aren’t as exotic as they used to be. Once a rare option sold at prices several times higher than their 4K equivalents, 5K monitors are now available for well below $1,000. They’re also available with features that were once unthinkable, and the Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG is an example of that trend. It has a 5K IPS panel but also provides a refresh rate up to 180Hz at 5K, or 330Hz at 1440p. That’s a big leap over the 60Hz refresh rate 5K monitors have historically stuck with, but does it really make the XG27JCG a good pick for gaming?

Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best monitors for comparison.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG specs and features

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG’s key feature is of course the Fast IPS LCD panel. It has a maximum resolution of 5120×2880 and a maximum refresh rate of 180Hz when overclocked.

And if that refresh isn’t enough, or if your GPU can’t handle gaming at 5K resolution, you can lower the resolution to 2560×1440 and enjoy a refresh rate up to 330Hz.

• Display size: 27-inch 16:9 aspect ratio
• Native resolution: 5120×2880
• Panel type: Fast IPS LCD
• Refresh rate: 165Hz/180Hz(OC) at 5K, or 330Hz at 1440p
• Adaptive sync: AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, Nvidia G-Sync Compatible
• HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR 600 Certified
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and up to 15 watts Power Delivery, 1x USB-B 3.2 Gen 1 upstream, 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 downstream, 3.5mm audio pass-through
• Audio: No
• Extra Features: Tripod screw mount
• Software support: Windows 11, MacOS 12 or later
• Price: $849 MSRP

5K monitors with high refresh rates are new, so you might expect to pay a premium. Yet that’s not the case. The XG27JCG has a retail MSRP of $849, and while that’s not inexpensive, it’s actually towards the low end of 5K monitor pricing.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG design

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG embraces the company’s current tried-and-true design language. That means you’ll see a lot of matte-black plastic both front and back, as well as a prominent ROG logo with RGB-LED backlighting. The logo is compatible with Asus’ Aura Sync, so you can coordinate it with other devices.

It’s a design that screams “I’m a gaming monitor!” at the top of its lungs, but it’s not as impressive as Asus’ ROG OLED monitors, which tend to use materials that look more impressive on the rear panel.

An ergonomic stand is included with the monitor, as is typical for monitors in this price range. It has a compact, flat stand base that minimizes the monitor’s footprint on your desk. The stand adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and can pivot (rotate) 90 degrees for use in portrait orientation.

A 100x100mm VESA mount is available for use with third-party monitor arms and stands. However, the monitor stand’s neck is affixed from the factory. You can remove it by prying off two plastic pieces and then unscrewing four screws. This reveals a 100x100mm VESA mount, but is a bit recessed, which may not work with some third-party monitor stands and arms. Asus sells an adapter for wall mounts that can resolve this issue. It’s a bit of an unusual design, and I don’t see the logic in it, because it doesn’t seem to provide a functional benefit or look remarkably more attractive than other monitors.

Like many Asus ROG monitors, the XG27JCG has a nice extra: a 1/4-inch tripod screw mount. This mount is on top of the stand neck and can be used to attach a variety of handy peripherals, like an adjustable webcam arm or a ring light. Competitors rarely offer this feature, so if you want to mount some extra gear on your monitor, the XG27JCG is a great choice.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG connectivity

Connectivity can be a sore point for Asus ROG monitors, and while the ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG manages to offer some perks, it’s not quite where I would like it to be.

The issue is the USB-C port. The monitor does have one, which is good, as it’s still not a guaranteed feature on a monitor marketed to gamers. However, the USB-C power only provides 15 watts of Power Delivery, which is generally not enough to charge a connected laptop at acceptable speeds. You’ll need another power source for the laptop, which increases cable clutter.

I do understand why Asus would make this choice. Most Windows gaming laptops require 100 to 240 watts of power, which would require a more expensive USB-C power delivery implementation. Asus instead keeps USB-C power delivery simple, presumably to keep the price low. However, this is a 5K monitor, so it will appeal to not only gamers but also prosumers and professionals. The latter two demographics will be disappointed by the USB-C port.

It’s not all bad news, though. The monitor has two HDMI 2.1 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4, plus DisplayPort over USB-C, for a total of four video inputs. Most competitors have three inputs, though four is not uncommon.

The XG27JCG also has a USB-A hub with three downstream USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. That’s a good range of USB-A connectivity for a monitor marketed as a gaming display. These can be driven by the USB-C port or a USB-B port, and a KVM switch function is included.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG menus and features

Though it’s sold as a gaming display, the Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG doesn’t skimp on the menu system or image quality adjustments. It includes specific sRGB and DCI-P3 color modes (in addition to the unspecified “wide gamut” which is the default), plus precisely targeted color temperature and gamma modes and six-axis color saturation adjustment. These features are handy if you’re trying to tune the monitor’s image for a specific look or standard.

But the XG27JCG has a phalanx of gaming features, too. These include an FPS counter, a timer and stopwatch, on-screen cross hair and sniper modes, and shadow boost modes including a dynamic shadow boost that’s meant to engage automatically when needed (though I’m honestly not good enough at competitive shooters to say just how well this mode works). There’s also a lot of options for controlling refresh rate and an Extreme Low Motion Blur mode, which I’ll explain more in the motion performance section of this review.

The cherry on top is Asus’ DisplayWidget. It’s a software utility that lets you adjust most display features from inside Windows or MacOS. While some competitors (like Dell, BenQ, and Acer) have similar software, some brands (like Samsung and LG) are notably behind in this area.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG audio

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG does not have built-in speakers. This is typical for a gaming monitor. A 3.5mm audio jack is available for audio pass-through.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG SDR image quality

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG has both advantages and disadvantages compared to the average $800 monitor. On the plus side, it provides super-sharp 5K resolution and many image quality adjustments. But on the downside, it uses a Fast IPS LCD panel, a typical display panel that can tend to have downsides in contrast and color gamut. So how does the monitor stack up in SDR?

First up is SDR brightness, where the XG27JCG hits a maximum of 354 nits. As the graph shows, that’s okay but not towards the high end of SDR brightness. As you’ll see in the HDR section, the monitor does have the potential to get much brighter, and I would have liked to see that available as an option in SDR, too.

However, 354 nits is still just fine for most situations, and in fact I generally used it around 20 to 40 percent of its maximum brightness. You only need to consider a brighter SDR monitor if you’re in an unusually bright setting, like an office where you can’t control the lighting, or a room with large sunlit windows.

As mentioned, the XG27JCG has a Fast IPS LCD panel. IPS panels tend to have a limited contrast ratio, and the XG27JCG is not an exception. I measured a maximum contrast ratio of 1230:1 at 50 percent of maximum brightness, and that value didn’t change much at other brightness settings.

The issue here is the monitor’s backlight, which must shine through the LCD panel to make the display useful. The backlight often bleeds through noticeably in dark scenes, an issue known as “IPS glow.” This can make the image seem washed out in dark scenes.

Color gamut performance is better, though still only respectable. I measured a color gamut that spans 100 percent of sRGB, 94 percent of DCI-P3, and 87 percent of AdobeRGB. These figures are high enough to indicate a vivid image, but they’re a few steps behind leading competitors.

It’s interesting to note that the Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV has a much better color gamut. So, while the XG27JCG also provides 5K resolution, the ProArt is better if creative work is your primary goal.

Having said that, the XG27JCG actually did rather well in terms of color accuracy. It achieved a color error that’s highly competitive with alternatives, and which should provide realistic color in most situations.

But that doesn’t mean the image is actually superior to the ProArt, or to most alternatives, because I noticed small issues in gamma and color temperature performance. At default settings, the monitor posted a gamma curve of 2.4 (off the target of 2.2) and a color temperature of 7000K (off the target of 6500K). As a result, the image looked a bit darker and cooler than it should have.

I found the color temperature value was easily adjusted in the User Mode color settings, which instantly snapped it to 6500K. But the gamma value was always high. I had to lower it to a menu setting of gamma 2.0 to achieve gamma 2.2. That’s definitely not a deal breaker, but it’s something to keep in mind if you are considering this monitor for creative work.

Sharpness, of course, is a strength. The 27-inch 5K panel delivers a resolution of 218 pixels per inch. That’s close to the highest pixel density available (a 6K 32-inch monitor has similar pixel density). Only 8K monitors are significantly more pixel-dense, but they’re uncommon and expensive. 5K resolution is great if you work with high-resolution images or videos, of course, but it noticeably improves the readability of small fonts and is generally great if you read a lot of documents in your day-to-day workflow.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG HDR image quality

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG is capable of HDR and is VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified. I found that it achieved the promised level of brightness with a measured maximum of 608 nits. Unlike an OLED display, which is dimmer when large portions of the display are lit in HDR, the XG27JCG produced a maximum of 608 nits in all scenarios.

It’s not all good news, however. While the XG27JCG has a high HDR brightness, it lacks the dynamic contrast required to make HDR look its best. Because of how backlit LCD displays work, a bright HDR scene will generally lead to increased brightness in both dark and bright areas of the scene. That flattens contrast and also makes it hard for the XG27JCG to deliver the luminance detail expected.

The XG27JCG includes a dynamic backlight feature that is better than average. Now, let’s be clear: This is not a Mini-LED display. A Mini-LED display will place lighting elements directly behind the LCD panel. The XG27JCG is edge-lit, meaning the lights are placed around the edges. As a result, the dynamic backlight feature will cause distracting light uniformity issues in any scene with a mix of bright and dark content.

To give credit where it’s due, though, the XG27JCG’s dynamic backlight is better than average. It reacts with relative speed and appears to have more dimming zones than usual (though the exact number is not quoted, as is typical for edge-lit displays). I still don’t think it’s good enough to be of practical use, but it’s better than the norm for a dynamic backlight on an edge-lit LCD display.

In addition, the XG27JCG allows HDR brightness adjustment. This is not the norm, as HDR typically locks brightness to that set by the content shown on-screen. That’s okay for a television, but annoying on a computer monitor.

Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG motion performance

The Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG’s resolution is the headline feature. However, the monitor’s motion clarity is worth just as much attention, for several reasons.

First, the obvious one: refresh rate. The XG27JCG can do up to 165Hz at 5K resolution, or up to 180Hz when overclocked. That’s a big deal! 5K monitors have generally had much lower refresh rates (usually 60Hz). Increasing the refresh rate to 165Hz/180Hz provides a huge leap in smoothness and responsiveness. It’s not just for games, either. The lower latency that a high-refresh display provides can also be felt on the Windows and MacOS desktop.

The monitor can also deliver 1440p resolution at up to 330Hz (this mode does not have an overclock available). Personally, I tend to play strategy titles most of all, and I really like the sharpness of 5K in those games. Plus, many can hit high frame rates alongside the resolution. Still, the 1440p/330Hz mode is a nice option if you want to play a more competitive game.

Asus also provides adaptive refresh rate support through AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync. That is typical for a high-end gaming monitor, of course.

But Asus’ Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) mode is where things get interesting.

ELMB is a backlight strobing mode. It strobes the backlight at high frequencies such that a blank, black frame is shown between standard frames. Due to a quirk of human persistence of vision, this has the effect of reducing motion blur. ELMB is not new, and it’s not unique. Many brands offer similar features under different names. However, Asus is a leader in this technique, and proves that leadership with features not easy to find elsewhere.

The first is ELMB Sync. A standard backlight strobing is not compatible with adaptive sync. That’s because the frequency of the strobing can be at odds with the dynamic refresh rate. ELMB Sync can get them back in sync, however, so you can use variable refresh rates with ELMB turned on. That’s a big win.

The second is ELMB2. This version of ELMB takes advantage of the XG27JCG’s dynamic backlight to refine how the strobing works. Instead of turning the entire backlight on and off quickly, the edge-lit zones move down the display from top to bottom. It’s a bit like the scan line on an old CRT display.

And, wow, is it effective. I’ve recently reviewed a number of 500Hz OLED monitors with absolutely astounding image quality. The XG27JCG isn’t quite at that level, but it’s much closer than it has any right to be. ELMB2 delivers incredibly crisp motion with a ton of detail. Even small text is readable as it zooms across the display.

While ELMB Sync and ELMB2 are extremely useful, these modes come with some caveats. ELMB Sync is not compatible with dynamic dimming, aspect ratio control, and the blue light filter. ELMB2 additionally is not compatible with variable refresh rates and does not allow brightness control.

Still, the XG27JCG’s overall motion performance is outstanding for a 5K monitor.

Should you buy the Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG?

The ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG is yet another terrific monitor from Asus, though one with niche appeal. Most gamers will be better served by a 4K OLED monitor, and most creative professionals will prefer a 5K display built specifically for work, which is likely to have a wider color gamut and more features to control monitor image quality.

But if you want a monitor that’s great for both work and play, or you have a particular craving to play games at extremely high resolution (which can be quite possible if you enjoy older or less demanding games), the 5K XG27JCG is outstanding. It delivers incredible sharpness and clarity, and it does so at a competitive price.

Best Prices Today: Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG