Matthew Smith / Foundry

As the chart shows, the Ultragear 27GX790A-B’s HDR brightness is in line with most competitors. The MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED, with its new 4K QD-OLED panel, edged up in peak brightness when displaying a small bright object. But I’m actually not sure that advantage is obvious in real-world use. That’s especially true with HDR games, which tend to be disappointing in their HDR implementation compared to HDR movies and shows.

After testing the monitor, I loaded up my typical selection of HDR test clips. This includes the “Gargantuan” scene from Interstellar and the “Into the Storm” scene from Mad Max: Fury Road. Both looked great in 27GX790A-B. The bright flashes, like the arc of lightning through a dust storm, delivered impact and power. I also saw good detail in brighter objects, such as the accretion disk surrounding the black hole. Interstellar.

LG Ultragear 27GX790A-B Motion Performance

Okay, now we come to it: the real reason to buy the LG Ultragear 27GX790A-B. 🔥

The Ultragear 27GX790A-B’s OLED panel can reach a refresh rate of up to 480Hz. That’s the highest refresh rate currently offered on any consumer OLED panel, and it’s close to the best LCD monitors, though some competitors top out at 500Hz.

A higher refresh rate typically translates to smoother motion with less motion blur, and the Ultragear 27GX790A-B lives up to expectations. When I reviewed the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP, the world’s first 27-inch 1440p 480Hz OLED monitor (which also has an LG WOLED panel), I called its motion clarity “near-perfect.” The same is true for LG’s alternative.

Test clips of League of Legends showed an image that was almost as sharp as a still image. Character silhouettes, spell effects, text, and hit point bars were not only legible, but easy to read. A quick camera pan in a first-person game, like Valorant, revealed near-perfect detail in distant objects.

The advantage over a 240Hz OLED, which already offers great motion clarity, is obvious. Keep in mind, though, that a game needs to be rendered at a frame rate of up to 480 frames per second to take full advantage of the 480Hz refresh rate. That means you’ll need powerful hardware to take full advantage of the 27GX790A-B’s motion clarity.

Although the Ultragear 27GX790A-B It looks great in motion, but it does have one slight disadvantage compared to Asus’ 480Hz alternative. Asus supports black frame insertion, which it calls Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB), at both 120Hz and 240Hz. Thanks to a trick of human perception, inserting a black frame between each regular frame can reduce motion blur in exchange for lower perceived luminance. Asus’ ELMB gives the ROG Swift PG27AQDP an edge in motion clarity when gaming at less than 240Hz.

The Ultragear 27GX790A-B provides official support for both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync. Since they’re similar, most monitors that support one will support both. Still, it’s good to see LG providing official support for both, as it gives owners peace of mind that the monitor will work properly with both AMD and Nvidia hardware.

Is the LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B worth it?

The LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B is an excellent choice for competitive gamers looking for outstanding motion clarity along with great contrast and color performance. While its sharpness and color gamut don't match the new 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitors starting to hit stores, a 1440p 480Hz OLED panel has a clear advantage in motion clarity. 🚀

Compared to its closest competitor, the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP, the 27GX790A-B is very similar in performance. The LG has the advantage of a more compact stand, but unlike the Asus model, it lacks a threaded mount at the top of the stand. The LG also doesn’t offer a black frame insertion feature, so its motion clarity won’t match that of the Asus at lower refresh rates.

Ultimately, choosing between the two comes down to personal preference, or which monitor is on sale when you're ready to buy. 🛒