amazon SAMSUNG CRG5 reviews
Neat design with thin bezels, but not enough for a gamer
Overall, the CRG5 has a fairly neat design, it seems that Samsung wants to focus on sophistication instead of being “modern” like other gaming monitors on the market. If not for the large “Y” base, then you will probably think that CRG5 is a screen for office people and designers.
The upper border and the two side edges of the CRG5 are moderately thin, looking quite airy. But between the plastic border and the screen panel is a fairly large groove. This can be considered a small minus point in the design of the product.
The lower edge of the screen is a bit thicker due to technological limitations, painted silver with the Samsung logo in the middle. Below this logo is the power button and interactive functions with the screen, quite popular on the market today. Personally, I don’t like this one-button-for-all-function type, and every time I want to customize something, it can be tiring. For example, on CRG5, to change the color profile requires 5 clicks.
CRG5 has a 27-inch screen size, according to the writer is just enough and suitable for many needs, from work to entertainment. Full HD resolution, however, is a bit low for this screen size. 2K resolution will make content appear sharper, but also means that the price of CRG5 will increase, so this is an acceptable tradeoff.
Unlike most screen brands on the market, CRG5 has a curvature of 1500R (curved with a radius of 1.5 meters) instead of 1800R. According to Samsung, the 1500R curvature is close to the curvature of the eye and optimizes the viewing angle, providing a more realistic experience, but the writer has used both 1500R and 1800R curves, the difference is almost impossible recognize. CRG5’s screen has also been matte good anti-glare, no ghosting in the bright room.
Going deeper into the configuration, CRG5 uses VA (Vertical Alignment) panels, 3000: 1 contrast ratio, 240Hz refresh rate and 4ms response time, supporting both G-Sync anti-tear technology and FreeSync. VA panels are often used on high refresh rates because it can keep response time low while color quality and viewing angles are better than TN panels. As for IPS panels – although it will give the best image quality among the three types of panels – but with a refresh rate of 240Hz, the price will be much more expensive. In other words, VA panels are the optimal choice for CRG5 to balance between quality and cost.
On the back, CRG5 doesn’t really have any noticeable highlights: No LEDs, no scratches, no eye-catching textures, what we often see on a gaming monitor. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, there are definitely users who like this simplicity.
The number of ports on the CRG5 is minimal, with two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort 1.2 port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. No USB Type-C port is acceptable, but not having a USB Type-A port for users to conveniently connect other peripherals is an unfortunate omission.
What the writer feels dissatisfied on the CRG5 is that it lacks flexibility. The screen’s angle and height are completely fixed, you can’t rotate, flip or do anything with it. The Y-stand of this monitor also occupies a lot of space on the table, but in return it is very stable, less vibration, a necessity when users need to focus to “try hard”.
Play the game very smoothly, very happy, but only the game
Being the first to experience the 240Hz refresh rate screen, the writer has put high expectations on the experience of CRG5 especially when playing games, and Samsung did not disappoint. In fast-paced games that require continuous operations such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive or Battlefield V, basically first-person shooters, the CRG5 experience is very smooth. The 1500R curvature somewhat helps the experience when playing FPS games become more realistic, when the viewing angle of the eyes is natural.
A plus for CRG5 is that it supports both Nvidia’s G-Sync anti-tear technology and AMD’s FreeSync. In short, these two technologies aim to synchronize the monitor’s refresh rate with the game’s number of frames per second to overcome screen-tearing, while minimizing delay input signal (input lag). The graphics card of the writer is GeForce RTX 2060 with G-Sync support and can reach 240fps for games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive without problems, but for heavier games, the fps drops nor does it affect too much smoothness.
Meanwhile, CRG5’s ability to display colors when working or playing is just normal. According to Samsung, this screen has 72% NTSC color coverage but the actual color is a bit pale, when viewed from the top will feel like the picture is blown out and the VA panel can not bring vivid colors, brilliant as IPS panels. That said, the CRG5 is nonetheless a monitor dedicated to gaming needs, if you want to edit photos or videos, perhaps other options would be more appropriate.
Also, it seems that changing the brightness and contrast doesn’t make much difference as usual. Edit from the highest to the lowest level but the brightness and contrast change only slightly.
Summary
It’s hard to deny the benefits of a 240Hz screen when playing games, especially first-person shooters. The smooth movement and 1500R curvature can be said to be great for gunners, but CRG5 also performs well in MOBA games like League of Legends. However, in exchange for a smooth 240Hz refresh rate for specialized gaming needs, this monitor had to sacrifice a lot, from design, flexibility, resolution to connectivity and color display.
where can you get a SAMSUNG CRG5 online
Samsung 27-Inch CRG5 240Hz Curved Gaming Monitor (LC27RG50FQNXZA) – Computer Monitor, 1920 x 1080p Resolution, 4ms Response Time, G-Sync Compatible, HDMI: Buy it now
Samsung 24-Inch CRG5 144Hz Curved Gaming Monitor (LC24RG50FQNXZA) – Computer Monitor, 1920 x 1080p Resolution, 4ms Response, FreeSync, Game Mode, HDMI: Buy it now
