The Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM5A is a 27-inch competitive gaming monitor that outputs at 1080p on an IPS panel at 240Hz. If you’re looking for smooth gameplay and excellent motion clarity at a low price, you can’t go wrong with this display. It has a 1ms gray-to-gray response, HDR10 support, and supports both FreeSync Premium and G-Sync. It also has surprisingly good color coverage at 99% sRGB of the spectrum, which means it can serve double duty if you’re into creating art or video grading.
A gaming monitor that can give you a leg up on the competition
The 240Hz refresh rate is great for this price. Smooth motion is essential for fast-paced games, and this is one of the cheapest displays you can get that outputs that many frames per second. Unfortunately, the monitor maxes out at 1080p, but if you have to choose between resolution and refresh rate, most gamers will agree that refresh rate is more important.
Adaptive Sync keeps gameplay smooth by matching the VG279QM5A’s refresh rate to the GPU’s output, eliminating screen tearing without introducing input lag. It’s both G-Sync and FreeSync Premium compatible, making it a great choice whether you use an AMD, Nvidia, or Intel GPU.
ELMB Sync is Asus’s answer to motion blur. Most monitors force you to choose between blur reduction and adaptive sync, since the two cannot run together. Asus built ELMB Sync to use both at once, keeping moving targets sharp without sacrificing tear-free frames.
Choosing an IPS panel instead of a faster but lower-quality alternative shows in everyday use. The image maintains its color and contrast at an angle rather than washing out, making the monitor reliable for photo work, general productivity, and gaming. Panels built purely for speed tend to fall apart the moment the viewing angle shifts even slightly.
DisplayWidget Center handles settings through an on-screen menu controlled by the mouse, replacing the small buttons tucked behind the bezel. Shadow Boost brightens dark scene areas to reveal hidden detail without overexposing the rest of the picture, which matters in games where enemies hide in unlit corners.
At $159 on Amazon, down from $199, the VG279QM5A puts a 240Hz Fast IPS panel with adaptive sync and HDR10 under $160. The monitor’s 1080p resolution keeps framerates high on mid-range hardware, making it a better fit for a mid-tier build than a sharper screen that demands a more powerful card.
