I was surprised by how much I liked the RCA M27PG135F Gaming Monitor. As someone who generally makes use of a laptop for my primary computer, monitors aren’t generally something I find I regularly need to make my setup better, mainly for portability reasons. But every now and again, I find myself trying out products from unexpected companies and find myself wondering if maybe I could use a desktop for other means of productivity.
RCA has recently come out with a new set of gaming monitors that, pardon the pun, could be a game changer. While I don’t see as many RCA-branded products on the market as before, I can’t help but remember my fondness of RCA products I used back in my teenage years, which initiated my love for tech.
The RCA M27PG135F gaming monitors come in two different screen configurations, depending on your preferred refresh rate, 165Hz and 240Hz, respectively. Both sport 27” matte QHD IPS screens with vibrant red accents on the base and rear and support up to 90W USB-C charging. With prices starting at $299.99 for the 165Hz model and 429.99 for the 240Hz, the RCA monitors are priced about the same as their competitors such as Samsung, Acer, and HP.
“I was surprised by how much I liked the RCA M27PG135F Gaming Monitor.”
Setting up the RCA gaming monitor was as quick as screwing only three screws into the base of the stand and clicking the stand into the back of the monitor, then of course, connecting power and your input method. While the charger for the monitor itself is relatively large, with proper cable management, that is something that I do not find to be a problem at all.
I want to mention one issue I had while setting everything up: the base’s overall footprint on my desk is a little bit large. While the legs are narrow, they are pretty long coming out of the front, and the back sticks out a little more than I have seen on other competitors. Despite the gaming intention, the RCA gaming monitor could easily blend into an office or more professional environment with its minimalistic appearance.
Using the RCA M27PG135F gaming monitor for my usual slew of productivity tasks such as emailing, media consumption and more basic type work, I found the near bezel-less display to be very enjoyable to use, and I did not find I got any eye strain from extended use.
The matte display also helped at times when the lighting in my room was very bright, either from the sun shining in or my lights turned on high to see better. Having a 27” display felt like the perfect size for me to be able to have multiple windows open on a split screen while still being able to work productively. I often found myself playing a video on one side while messaging people or typing documents on the other.
“RCA has done an exceptional job on their RCA M27PG135F Gaming Monitor.”
The RCA M27PG135F features a 27-inch Fast-IPS panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate with 1ms response time. It manages to offer a 350 cd/m2 output backlight and delivers a 1000:1 contrast ratio. Also, while the RCA M27PG135F is not HDR-certified, it is compatible with HDR10. It also manages to deliver 100% sRGB and 92% DCI-P3, making it great for displaying games the way they were intended. It also lets it double as a fantastic option for people working casually with Adobe who want to ensure things look accurate.
When it came to gaming, the RCA M27PG135F delivered in spades, providing a solid experience across all the titles I tested. It felt like games came to life while using the RCA M27PG135F gaming monitor, bringing out details and clarity that added to the immersion. Colours were bright and accurate, allowing me to immerse myself in whatever game I was playing while testing. While my setup was unable to push the RCA to its maximum frame rate of 240Hz, playing all my regular games at well over 120Hz made the experience nothing short of breathtaking.
All content I tested in the RCA M27PG135F gaming monitor was fluid, with no issues with ghosting or shadow trails from moving items on the screen. This is true, whether it be a car driving by in a game like Forza Motersport 7 or a bullet whizzing by in GTA V. Honestly, I did not know what to expect from an RCA gaming monitor, but the 27PG135F exceeded my expectations. I would say my time using the RCA M27PG135F gaming monitor was excellent, delivering games how they were meant to be played.
Last but not least, the RCA M27PG135F also manages to throw in 90W charging to make it a fantastic value to people using the monitor with a laptop. While I did not find myself using the feature much while testing, despite my laptop being compatible, I feel it is fantastic to see this addition for those focusing more on productivity over gaming. For my use case, while gaming, 90W would not be able to keep a consistent charge on my laptop, and I would see battery life slowly drip away. Other less power-hungry laptops, such as those running Macbooks or Ultrabooks, would likely fare better in this aspect.
RCA has done an exceptional job on their RCA M27PG135F Gaming Monitor. It packs the features both productivity and gaming users would generally like to have while not breaking the bank. RCA may face stiffer competition from other more known brand names, but if users give the RCA M27PG135F Gaming Monitor a chance, they will be thoroughly impressed with the quality and performance it delivers. It was certainly a nice and pleasant experience getting to see new products from a brand that started my love for tech.
