The Aorus CV27F was spotted earlier this year in Computex, aiming to compete in the mid-range arena for under USD $ 400. Being part of the World’s First Tactical Monitor family, the CV27F boasts a lot of capability and design, but how will it fare in real-world usage ?
Panel Size: 27-inch
Resolution:1920 x 1080 FHD (16:9 Aspect Ratio)
Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment (VA)
HDR400
Refresh Rate: Up to 165Hz
Response Time: 1 ms
Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 (Static)
Brightness: 400 cd/m²
Connectivity: HDMI 2.0 x 2, DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, 3.5mm audio, USB 3.0 x 2
Dimensions (W x H x D): 24.17” x 20.95” x 24”
Monitor Weight: about 7KG
Ergonomic design with Swivel, Pivot, Tilt and Height Adjustability
Futuristic design, Falcon-like outlook
Just like the the AD27QD, I felt the same awe for the CV27F. I was to see that the design language didn’t stray too far this time around. The brushed black-metal finish helps bring out a futuristic disposition, with its Native 1500R curvature supported by a penguin-foot stand that looks absolutely sharp (both figuratively and literally) To me, it looked as if the monitor was designed to look like the Aorus Falcon. This ensemble was made to bring about the idea of premium and sturdiness.
In the front is a simple, bezel-free (except for the bottom) arrangement with a the Aorus Logo etched at the jaw (dead centre bottom, is also where the power/navigation button is located). At the back rests an led strip on each side with the Aorus Falcon at the centre of the stand.The strips light up in RGB and can be customized to your liking using RGB Fusion 2.0.
Ergonomics
Highlighting the Native 1500R curvature earlier, it was an idea backed by research claiming that 1500R was close to the human eye’s natural viewing angles, providing a comfortable viewing experience for those long-haul nights. Adjusting the CV27F is very straightforward. The stand is flexible, allowing end-users to tilt, swivel and pivot the monitor to their liking. Height is adjustable too, so whether you decide to sit or stand, rotate or even sit on the floor, you can do so without hindrance.
Good Display, Passable Features
As you can tell by the name, it’s a 27-inch display, featuring a Full-HD 1080P resolution. The curved VA panel is able to attain a maximum 165Hz refresh rate and rapid 1ms response time. With that amount of refresh rate, any gamer can benefit should they have strong enough hardware to push that high. You’ll probably be beaten by someone who can get to a higher 240Hz, which will be the Aorus KD25F.
The CV27F is FreeSync 2 compatible, so both AMD and Nvidia (after some driver updates) can benefit from that. Once you have that set up, it’s goodbye to screen tearing and hello smooth gameplay, which was precisely the case after playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for 4 hours with FreeSync setup and HDR (thanks to the monitor’s DisplayHDR 400-compliance which gave an ever-so-slight boost to color depth and range of brightness without distorting anything). As for default colors, the CV27F covers 90% of the DCI-P3 color space, and full coverage for sRGB, so it’s suitable for some video/photography editing but that’s not its strongpoint.
Motion
With that high a refresh rate, some monitors may struggle with handling motion. That worry should be put to ease in this case, as the Aorus CV27F was able to shine here, with blurs only kicking in if you pan too fast. There’s overdrive to keep that at bay, smoothing it out by putting in a little more work. Keep it as the balanced profile though!
Black Equalizer
Just like the rest of the tactical monitor lineup, Black Equalizer helps optimize dark scenes by working on the contrast, though some presets from the OSD dashboard made the overall picture a little overexposed than usual, so I’d recommend that you turn the Black Equalizer down a few notches as it looked really aggressive in some cases.
GameAssist
This is a party trick that brings back memories from the CounterStrike days. GameAssist lets end-users create custom crosshairs and use them in-game in a sort-of overlay fashion. It was funny at first, till I realised how quickly I familiarized myself with an oversized red crosshair I made to play Rush on Battlefield V.
Other features of GameAssist is part of the OSD sidekick ecosystem. Being an Aorus exclusive feature, OSD Sidekick is pretty much a built-in command centre for all kinds of customizations for your monitor, with most useful being the dashboard. The dashboard displays real-time hardware diagnostics like Rivatuner’s statistics. I was able to monitor my CPU/GPU temps, clock rates and even my mouse DPI, which was great since I do switch my DPI on-the-fly for various scenarios, such as switching from sniping to SMG on Apex Legends. You are also able to bind keys to toggle whether you want to see your stats or not.
Active Noise-cancelling
A wideband DSP chip sits inside the CV27F, coupled with microphones in front of the monitor that help filter out noise when I plugged in my microphone via 3.5mm jack at the back, and apparently that’s the only way it could run, so USB-based microphones, you’re out of luck. In the real time sessions however it did a good job filtering out my neighbours drilling and kept my voice crisp and precise, with just a tinge of softness. Just remember to use the OSD sidekick to configure the intensity of the noise-cancelling (very low – very high), followed by how far is your microphone from you (Mic 1 – built in headset, Mic 2 – just in front of you, Mic 3 – that’s a long-ass table you have there sir.)
I/O features
There are 8, 8 ports on the CV27F. It’s a lot but since the monitor comes with so many features you should no longer be surprised. Besides, its good for cable management since you can plug in everything onto the monitor and even charge your devices via USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed USB charger that provides 5V/1.5A power)
- HDMI 2.0 x 2
- Display Port 1.2 x 1
- USB 3.0 x 2
- 3.5mm audio source
- 3.5mm microphone source
- USB upstream for OSD
- AC IN jack (monitor uses an internal converter so no power brick is needed)
Final thoughts
There are many things to love about the Aorus CV27F as much as there things to forgive. The design is premium, the 1500R curvature is well applied and the display quality is gorgeous. The asking price is RM 1699, and the price justifies the barrage of features the CV27F bombards you with. It doesn’t necessarily succeed the AD27QD, it’s a different line for a different kind of end-user.
This monitor is for
- The gamer who appreciates a good design and a balanced display quality
- The minimalist who is looking for a sleek frame and a load of features that’s not only a suitable panel and high refresh rate
- Those who are looking for a curved monitor that’s not curved until their eyeballs follow the curve
This monitor is not for you if
- You were looking for a HDR experience. This ain’t it chief the DisplayHDR Rating is entry level and is only able to add some improvements to color and brightness.
- You wanted speakers. Most monitors are now abandoning that trend and this is no exception. Besides, you can plug your headphones and mic into the monitor and that’s a plus in my books. (The Active Noise Cancelling works and it’s something to enjoy but only for 3.5mm)
