ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS & XG27UCS gaming monitors: which to pick?
Both these new ASUS gaming monitors offer premium quality for a budget price, we talk through the specs of both
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The ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS is a new 1440p gaming monitor from the Taiwanese tech giant, and the ROG Strix XG27UCS is a 4K variant. Both offer a great number of features and impressive specs that you’d typically find in more premium-end displays, however they’re both available at what amounts to budget pricing (certainly in the case of the 1440p model anyway). As a result they’re both great options if you’re looking for a new gaming display without breaking the bank, and possible contenders for our best gaming monitors for 2024.
ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS vs XG27UCS: what are the differences?
The XG27ACS and XG27UCS are two very similar monitors, even the names are nearly identical! The main difference between them is obviously resolution, with the XG27ACS being QHD aka 1440p (with a 2560 x 1440 resolution exactly) and the XG27UCS being UHD/4K (with an exact resolution of 3840 x 2160). Both displays have the same 16:9 aspect ratio.
In terms of maximum refresh rate, the QHD model is slightly faster at 180Hz, though the 4K XG27UCS has a very impressive 160Hz max refresh rate, which is well above what you’d expect for a UHD monitor at this price point. In real life scenarios, most users won’t be able to tell the difference between refresh rates at these two speeds.
In terms of peak brightness, the 4K model is rated a bit higher: 400cd/㎡ on SDR mode and 450 cd/㎡with HDR enabled, whereas the QHD monitor is 350cd/㎡and 400 cd/㎡ respectively.
The final, very slight difference, is that the QHD XG27ACS has a reported DCI-P3 color gamut coverage of 97%, whereas the UHD XG27UCS apparently comes in at 95% – again, this probably won’t make much practical difference in real world scenarios.
XG27ACS
Close-up of the back of an ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS gaming monitor showing its stand and the logo, with “WeJiJ” watermark visible in the bottom right corner.
XG27UCS
A computer monitor screen displaying the GameVisual menu with various modes such as Scenery Mode, Racing Mode, Cinema Mode, and more. The “Scenery Mode” is highlighted on an ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS gaming monitor.
What do you get for your money?
Moving on to the similarities, you can see a list of the specifications of both monitors below. ASUS’ settings navigation menu is one of the better ones out there: you get some nice gamma, saturation, and color temp controls, certainly more than you’d typically see at this price.
The contrast ratio is pretty good for an IPS panel, and the color accuracy is on point, meaning if you wanted to do some color-based work in the sRGB spectrum at least alongside your gaming, this monitor would do nicely. The anti-glare coating also helps for both work and gaming when the sunlight is shining. In terms of gaming specifically, the 1ms g2g response time is very nice, and should reduce ghosting considerably (particularly in conjunction with the other features listed below).
The stands offer a lot of adjustment options, which are always nice to see, for tilt, height and swivel; you can even rotate the screens to use them in portrait mode if you like, and they come with a VESA mount. There’s even a slot for your phone in the base of the monitor stands, allowing you to place it in either portrait or landscape position, a simple feature but a nice one, plus something you don’t see very often.
| Screen size | 27-inch (diagonal) |
| Panel type | Fast IPS |
| Panel surface | anti-glare |
| Viewing Angle | 178° (Horizontal/Vertical) |
| Response time (reported) | 1ms gray-to-gray |
| Contrast ratio | 1,000:1 |
| Display colors | 16.7 million |
| HDR support | HDR10 |
| I/O ports | 1x HDMI (2.0), 1x DisplayPort (1.4), 1x USB-C (with DisplayPort), 1x headphone jack |
Other features both monitors come with include:
- G-Sync compatible & FreeSync: both monitors support these forms of Adaptive Sync to reduce screen tearing.
- Overdrive: you get twenty (yes you read that right) different overdrive settings to help you tweak your setup precisely to minimise ghosting.
- ELMB Sync: this ‘Extreme Low Motion Blur’ tech uses backlight strobing to further help minimise ghosting, and is compatible with either form of Adaptive Sync switched on.
- Dynamic Shadow Boost: this boosts the gamma curve even further.
The ROG Strix line is ASUS’ premium gaming range, yet the pricing on both these products is more like what you’d find in their more budget-friendly TUF line of products, which is something we’re definitely not going to complain about! The $299/£329 MSRP of the QHD model is very reasonable indeed, and although the $449 pricing for the UHD model stretches the term ‘budget pricing’ a bit, considering this is a 160Hz 4K monitor with some great features it’s very good value.
So which monitor should you buy?
For the vast majority of gamers, the ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS is the model we’d recommend, purely because 1440p gaming is more achievable than running AAA titles at 4K resolution, which requires a very powerful graphics card and processor if you want to enjoy them on higher settings and get good FPS (see our best gaming PC build under $2,000 and $3,000 for some examples). The monitor itself also has the advantage of being quite a bit cheaper.
That being said if you’re definitely after a 4K display: either because you also intend to use it for creative purposes where this native resolution will help in editing/graphic design or similar, or simply because you just crave the 4K gaming experience, then the XG27UCS is a great choice.
Where to buy the ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS & XG27UCS
The 1440p ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS is available to buy now from multiple retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy and the ASUS store.
Currently we haven’t seen the 4K ROG Strix XG27UCS for sale anywhere yet though we expect its appearance to be imminent on these same retailers.
