ASRock ASRock Phantom Gaming PG27QRT1B
Monitors

ASRock

ASRock PG27QRT1B: Reddit's VA Panel Debate Reignited

Mar 2026

Last Analyzed

6/10

Overall Rating

13

Positive Reviews

28

Negative Reviews

Summary

The ASRock Phantom Gaming PG27QRT1B is a 27-inch curved VA panel monitor running at 1440p and 180Hz, priced around $140. Reddit sentiment is decidedly mixed — budget-conscious buyers appreciate the aggressive price point, but the VA panel choice draws repeated criticism for black smearing and ghosting at high refresh rates. It's a monitor that sparks the classic VA-vs-IPS debate every time it appears on a deals sub, and most experienced users steer newcomers toward IPS alternatives at similar or only slightly higher prices. ASRock's entry into the monitor market is met with some skepticism, though the brand's value reputation from motherboards carries over somewhat.

Pros

  • Extremely competitive pricing around $140 for a 27-inch 1440p 180Hz panel — a spec sheet that would have cost $300+ just a few years ago
  • VA panel delivers a rated 95% DCI-P3 and 132% sRGB color gamut coverage, giving it strong color vibrancy for media consumption
  • 1500R curve suits single-monitor desktop setups where the narrower VA viewing angles are less of a concern
  • FreeSync (AMD Adaptive Sync) support included, covering the majority of GPU users without additional cost
  • Owners of the related PG27Q15R2A model (sub-$120 sibling) report satisfaction with build quality and day-to-day use

Cons

  • VA panel at 180Hz is widely flagged for black smearing — one buyer returned it specifically due to unresolvable VRR flickering issues
  • IPS alternatives with identical or better specs (1440p, 180Hz) are available for $10-20 more, making the value proposition weak for anyone not specifically preferring VA
  • No hardware sRGB clamp mode — colors run oversaturated by default since the panel exceeds sRGB, which affects how games and videos look as intended by creators
  • 1080p pixel density at 27 inches (the FHD sibling) draws heavy criticism; the 1440p version avoids this but the brand's cheaper panels drag perception
  • ASRock has no established track record in displays — Reddit consensus is they're likely rebranding a generic OEM panel, making long-term support and QC uncertain

VRR Flickering Drove at Least One Buyer to Return It

A confirmed owner on r/buildapcsales reported persistent VRR flickering that no settings change could resolve, ultimately switching to an AOC IPS panel. It's a single data point, but VA panels at high refresh rates have a known history of this issue across brands.

Is $140 Actually a Deal When IPS Is $155?

Reddit deal hunters repeatedly point out that comparable 1440p 180Hz IPS monitors — including the ASRock PG27QFT2A (the IPS sibling) — are available for $10-20 more. At that gap, the VA-specific downsides are hard to justify unless you specifically want the curve and contrast.

The One Spec That Makes Color Nerds Angry

The lack of any sRGB clamp mode is a recurring complaint from color-aware users. With a wide-gamut VA panel and no way to restrict it in the monitor's OSD, content designed for sRGB — which is essentially all YouTube, most games, and streaming — displays with oversaturated colors by default.

User Reviews (41 of 102 analyzed)

51
0
GWM5610Ur/buildapcsales13d agonegative

Curved VA at 1500R. Black smearing galore..

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33
0
ryankrueger720r/buildapcsales13d agonegative

VA Panel

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33
0
reddit_equals_censorr/hardware13d agonegative

No sRGB mode AT ALL! Not even a fake broken one. So any potential buyers be aware of this. The expected outcomes are overly pink skin tones, red sand in deserts instead of brown, etc. It is disgusting that the display industry still RARELY sells displays with a working sRGB mode. Remember, that for most people almost all content consumed is sRGB content. YouTube: almost entirely sRGB. Gaming? Almost entirely sRGB.

View Original Comment
19
0
jayraygeekr/hardware13d agopositive

sRGB can be clamped by the graphic driver.

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17
0
thesuperpumar/buildapcsales13d agonegative

Certified VA Moment

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16
0
Munchbitr/hardware13d agonegative

I wouldn't trust sRGB mode on a budget monitor to be accurate anyway, unless you have a colorimeter.

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13
0
Impossible-Glass-487r/buildapcsales13d agonegative

After my last interaction with Newegg I'm done with them for good. Terrible company, terrible people working there.

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10
0
CuddleTeamCatboyr/buildapcsales13d agonegative

27 inch 1080p VA? Great choice if you want to simulate being farsighted.

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10
0
BeerGogglesFTWr/buildapcsales13d agonegative

IPS is the standard, and more and more affordable. People may jump on this assuming they're getting an IPS panel.

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9
0
Epicus_r/buildapcsales13d agopositive

I remember when people were agonizing about prices ($200 vs $250 vs $350) for this class of monitor and now they are all consistently so cheap. Good to see.

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8
0
KetoSaibar/buildapcsales13d agonegative

You could find similar spec IPS panels a year ago for $10-20 less. This isn't very good of a deal, unless you prefer VA.

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8
0
OctaviusOCr/bapcsalescanada13d agonegative

Most of the other companies also know nothing about making displays either. They're just buying panels and slapping it into their chassis. Just like how corsair doesn't actually know how to make PSUs or how all OLED panels are made by Samsung and LG.

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7
0
Mrfixiter/buildapcsales13d agopositive

I bought that MSI one a few months back and I don't notice the high refresh VA issues. I think it bothers some more than others and also probably depends on the company doing it and their implementation.

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7
0
RecalcitrantBeagler/buildapcsales13d agonegative

27" is bigger than most people like for a 1080p monitor, but having used a 27" 1080p for a while, a 21-24" looks better, but it's not terrible, especially if you have it a little further away than the usual arm's length.

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6
0
Rangerbobox1r/buildapcsales13d agopositive

Damn AsRock out here making monitors now

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6
0
axehammer28r/buildapcsales13d agonegative

I was ready to pull the trigger until I read this (about black smearing).

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5
0
asdf12311r/buildapcsales13d agonegative

1080p at 27" is horrible. Everything will look blocky. There's a reason this is $100.

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5
0
3VRMSr/bapcsalescanada13d agopositive

Amazing how far panels have come. Paid over 800 bucks for a high end IPS 1440p monitor 6 years ago. Worse than these frequently under 200 displays in every way. Hope the trend continues for OLED, mini-LED and micro-LED panels, but never take these things for granted.

View Original Comment
5
0
alvarkreshr/bapcsalescanada13d agopositive

Nice, has IPS. Good find!

View Original Comment
5
0
bunsinhr/buildapcsales13d agopositive

Not all of them are bad. Some of the higher end VA 240Hz panels from Samsung are actually pretty decent with virtually no black smearing.

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5
0
JimmyCartersMapr/buildapcsales13d agonegative

I'd bet anything they don't actually make the monitor, just a rebrand.

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5
0
whomad1215_mobosr/buildapcsales13d agopositive

They still make good mobos. The Taichi Lite are arguably the best value if you're looking for a high end mobo, as it's basically a $500 mobo without some of the aesthetics.

View Original Comment
5
0
HowManySmallr/buildapcsales13d agonegative

I don't like that pixel density but my god that is tempting.

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4
0
raoufhakamr/bapcsalescanada13d agopositive

This one has higher brightness (400 vs 300) which is useful if your PC is in a well lit room. Otherwise, fairly similar.

View Original Comment
3
0
mockingbird-r/buildapcsales13d agonegative

FHD? Come on….

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3
0
thevenr/buildapcsales13d agopositive

Yeah I picked up the PG27Q15R2A model for less than $100 a few weeks ago and I love it.

View Original Comment
3
0
whomad1215r/buildapcsales13d agonegative

I don't know how cheap you need a 1440p 144hz+ monitor to be. Costco has them for $150 and other stores are like $160. This list doesn't include prices from off-brands like KTC where you can get a 1440p 200hz IPS for ~$165, or a 1440p 100hz for ~$100.

View Original Comment
2
0
KungFuChicken1990r/buildapcsales13d agonegative

I bought this last year on Black Friday. I kept having bad VRR flickering issues that wouldn't resolve no matter what I did. I returned it and bought an AOC panel instead. I've been in gaming bliss ever since :)

View Original Comment
2
0
Scanoer/buildapcsales13d agopositive

I bought the same, PG27Q15R2A, a couple weeks ago, mine was $118. It is a very nice monitor.

View Original Comment
2
0
keebs63r/buildapcsales13d agonegative

It depends heavily on the panel. There are some that are very good, usually high-end ones from Samsung have very low response times and minimal ghosting/blur so they look good. Low end ones absolutely suck though.

View Original Comment
2
0
theRealtechnofuzzr/buildapcsales13d agonegative

Yeah not a fan of VA panels, but they are cheap... Currently on an OLED, so I'm spoiled... IPS 240hz would be the better pick and microcenter has the hyperx 240hz IPS on sale occasionally for $129, that is 100% the better buy.

View Original Comment
2
0
HazzyXYZr/buildapcsales13d agonegative

It is a scam, I thought I was doing well with my VA 144hz, then I checked out laptops in bestbuy with oled and ips displays and saw how much more clean and smoothly just moving windows around looked.

View Original Comment
2
0
KillerDemonic83r/buildapcsales13d agonegative

You can still find a KTC IPS monitor of the same spec for around this price.

View Original Comment
2
0
popop143r/hardware13d agonegative

Problem with ASRock is I NEVER find any of their products here in Southeast Asia. Like their motherboards are always the recommended brands but their monitors aren't here.

View Original Comment
1
0
rowsolr/buildapcsales13d agonegative

High refresh VA is such a scam.

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1
0
M34nM4ch1n3r/buildapcsales13d agonegative

Curved and VA...oof move along boys

View Original Comment
1
0
Momo--Samar/buildapcsales13d agonegative

As an owner and enjoyer of a curved ultrawide, I don't get the point of curved 16:9 monitors, but to each their own.

View Original Comment
1
0
cokefriendr/bapcsalescanada13d agonegative

I like some of the asrock motherboards, what the fuck do they know about making monitors.

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1
0
sheo-cheeser/buildapc13d agopositive

I ended up getting the Asrock and honestly I have no complaints so far.

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1
0
Op2musr/buildapcsales13d agopositive

I have one of these, solid monitor, especially for the price.

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1
0
Durillonr/buildapcsales13d agonegative

Let's just hope it don't blow up like their motherboards.

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