The LG 27 UltraGear OLED (27GX790A) ($999) is a gaming monitor that combines the fidelity of an OLED screen with dramatically high maximum refresh rates. Designed for hard-core gaming, the latest UltraGear is a QHD (2,560-by-1,440-pixel) monitor with a whopping 480Hz ceiling. It’s an impressive display, made even better thanks to its excellent color coverage and gamer-friendly accoutrements like a DisplayPort 2.1 input. For the deep-pocketed gamer who wants to flex their latest and greatest GPU, the LG 27GX790A is a winner. It earns an Editors’ Choice award as a top-notch esports monitor.
Design: Maximum Performance, Maximum Future-Proofing
Last year was chock full of QHD 27-inch OLED monitors, including heavy hitters like the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED, the Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG, the Alienware AW2725DF 360Hz QD-OLED, and the Sony Inzone M10S, The 27GX790A has the most in common with the Sony model. Both are QHD OLED monitors that support refresh rates of 480Hz. Higher refresh rates will certainly entice hard-core, competitive gamers because, with the proper GPU to push extreme frame rates, they can achieve lightning-fast reaction times.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The key difference between the Inzone M10S and the 27GX790A is the latter monitor’s support for DisplayPort 2.1. This latest DisplayPort connector has had a slow adoption rate—the only monitor to come across our test bench sporting one in 2023 was the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9. It wasn’t until recently that monitors like the HP Omen Transcend 32 OLED (our current top pick for premium gaming monitors) began including it. While GPUs like the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX supported DisplayPort 2.1, you can thank the latest crop of Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards for helping it finally break into the mainstream.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
DisplayPort 2.1 can handle more than double the bandwidth of DisplayPort 1.4 (80Gbps versus 32.4Gbps). Why is this a big deal? DisplayPort 1.4 uses Display Stream Compression (DSC), an algorithm to compress each frame in real-time as it’s transmitted from the source to the monitor or TV. It’s considered lossless to the eye, but the signal is actually compressed 3:1. The additional bandwidth of DisplayPort 2.1 means you can maintain higher resolutions and refresh rates without that compression that erodes color accuracy.
DisplayPort 2.1 effectively future-proofs your monitor, but it’s not the 27GX790A’s only connector. The monitor’s port hub also includes two HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB-A ports, and a USB-B upstream port. Overall, the monitor is light on ports, but these are likely all you’ll need for a gaming monitor. If you’re looking for a productivity-focused monitor with ports to spare, we recommend the Dell UltraSharp 27 4K USB-C Hub Monitor (U2723QE).
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The monitor ditches internal speakers, offering a headphone jack enhanced by DTS:X instead. This audio tech has shown up on LG monitors before, promising to enable life-like 3D audio and spatial sound. In addition, LG touts this monitor’s four-pole headset/headphone port, which can be used for mic-equipped headsets as well as output-only headphones with three-pole plugs. Monitor-side headphone jacks of any type are a rarity these days, so it’s nice to see one at all here, let alone one that supports headsets.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The 27GX790A measures 22.8 by 23.8 by 9.8 inches (HWD) with the stand fully extended, and it weighs 20.5 pounds. The display is virtually borderless, with an uber-thin silhouette contrasting markedly with the thick stand. A pentagon-shaped stand base provides room to press your keyboard against but doesn’t take up too much space on your desk.
Testing the LG 27 UltraGear 27GX790A: A Super-Fast OLED
We put the 27GX790A through a series of benchmark tests that measure color gamut, brightness, and color accuracy using Calman monitor calibration software, a Murideo Six-G signal generator, and a Klein K-10A colorimeter. We also ran the monitor through a gauntlet of games to measure input lag and judge its real-world performance.
In our first test, we benchmarked the brightness with the monitor’s default gaming profile over an SDR signal. Under these conditions, we saw an average brightness of just 234 nits (candelas per square meter). That’s a smidge under the maximum 250 nits of brightness from the monitor’s spec page and much dimmer than most IPS gaming monitors. It’s even dimmer than the Sony Inzone M10S, which registered 296 nits in testing.
While IPS panels offer higher brightness maximums, OLED monitors achieve vivid images at lower brightness levels, particularly in low-light environments, thanks to their sky-high contrast ratios. The lower contrast ratios of IPS panels can lead to blacks appearing washed out, affecting the perceived brightness.
Moving to HDR, we measured 403 nits of sustained brightness. That’s in the ballpark of the monitor’s VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification. We measured a peak HDR brightness of 1,135 nits at a 2% sample size. (We measure sustained HDR brightness at a 10% window size, but to measure peak brightness, we drop the test size down to 2%. Why? Because OLED displays become brighter as the test patch size gets smaller.) Few scenes in video games and movies have highlights reaching this peak measurement.
(Credit: Portrait Displays)
Moving from brightness to color gamut performance, we see the OLED panel continue to shine. It spanned 138.3% of the sRGB color gamut (see the chart above), 91% of Adobe RGB, and 96.7% of DCI-P3 (see the chart below) in our tests.
(Credit: Portrait Displays)
The color coverage here is noteworthy, and while it falls slightly short of other 4K monitors that use QD-OLED tech, it’s hard to complain about numbers this good. Worth noting: sRGB coverage results of more than 100% have become increasingly common with OLED monitors. sRGB numbers this high can potentially oversaturate the content you’re viewing, even leading to color inaccuracies when viewing sRGB images. This is particularly true in applications that do not support color management. However, sRGB ratings above 100% also exhibit improved color grading and color vibrancy.
Color accuracy is also pretty good, as the monitor recorded a Delta E measurement of 2.5. A value under 1 is ideal, though few gaming monitors reach it uncalibrated with out-of-the-box settings. The higher the Delta E, the more the colors tend to stray from their intended hue. In the 27GX790A’s case, the 2.5 is certainly not bad, though it’s a bit higher than what we’ve come to expect from recent OLED monitors.
The 27GX790A is rated for a peak contrast ratio of 1,500,000:1, like the Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED (AW2725Q). A contrast ratio this high is common for OLED panels–they usually offer a 1,000,000:1 ratio or higher. The contrast ratio indicates the difference in luminance between the brightest white and the darkest black that a monitor can produce. It highlights the monitor’s ability to produce perfectly deep blacks alongside bright whites, resulting in excellent image quality in both light and dark scenes. In contrast, IPS panels typically feature contrast ratios of 1,000:1 to 3,000:1, so as you can imagine, they don’t offer the same amount of range.
Game and Media Performance
The 27GX790A sports a compelling color range that just about anyone will enjoy, but the 480Hz refresh rate will especially appeal to hard-core gamers, assuming input lag is low enough. In fact, the input lag is likely the most important metric for these shoppers. To measure the monitor’s input lag, we deployed the Leo Bodnar 4K Input Lag Tester; we also played a handful of games from our library to check for any noticeable blemishes, like screen tearing.
We recorded an excellent 2.5 milliseconds (ms) of input lag for the 27GX790A at 1080p/240Hz using the Bodnar device. While we can’t record input lag above 240Hz due to the limitations of the testing tool, generally, higher refresh rates and/or resolutions result in lower input lag. So, if your PC has the capability to run games with frame rates of up to 480Hz, you can expect imperceptible input lag. This is especially important for esports players.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Predictably, at 1080p/60Hz, we recorded a noticeably higher result of 26.7ms. We consider input lag of 16ms or less to be playable, at least for casual play at 60Hz. This means you may experience a noticeable delay on lower refresh rates and resolutions, at least over an HDMI connection. Playing at full resolution (2,560 by 1,440 pixels) at 60Hz solves this issue, as the Bodnar reported 7.3ms of input lag at 1440p/60Hz. Finally, at 1440p/120Hz, we recorded 10.1ms of input lag.
Just to be clear, these are all quite good results. For example, the theoretical minimum input lag for a 60Hz refresh rate is approximately 16.67ms. Lower input lag is better, but at a certain point, you’re dealing with fractions of seconds that are imperceptible to most gamers.
The 27GX790A also has AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and is Nvidia G-Sync and VESA AdaptiveSync Compatible, which should mean, if you activate the appropriate one, virtually tear- and stutter-free motion when paired with any of today’s high-end graphics cards.
Ad hoc game testing included Cyberpunk 2077, Counter-Strike 2, and Returnal, as well as Monster Hunter Wilds, played on a PS5 Pro. All of these performed as expected without any noticeable blemishes, though I would’ve preferred if the monitor were slightly brighter.
Verdict: An Esports Gamer’s Delight
The 27GX790A toes the line between performance and visual fidelity, and thanks to DisplayPort 2.1 support, it stands above other comparable gaming monitors like the Sony Inzone M10S. It does require the latest and greatest gaming PC to take advantage of the refresh-rate heights. But if you find yourself with a new GPU like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 and want to put it through its paces, this is a great monitor to use.
Our favorite premium gaming monitor overall is the HP Omen Transcend 32, but if you’re future-proofing for a gaming rig and peak performance is what you crave, the LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED (27GX790A) delivers on all fronts and is the best in class for this size and resolution combo. It’s our Editors’ Choice pick for esports monitors.
LG 27 UltraGear OLED (27GX790A)
The Bottom Line
The LG 27 UltraGear OLED 27GX790A’s panel alone makes it drool-worthy; couple it with a 480Hz refresh rate, and this monitor’s a clear pick for hard-core gamers looking for extreme display performance.
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About Zackery Cuevas
Analyst, Hardware
