The most important thing for a PC gamer to have for their custom built rig is a PC monitor that helps round it up in the end. Monitors nowadays come in many different shapes and sizes, and with the latest trend of curve monitors seeing companies like Acer and LG bring out their own rendition late last year, here comes Samsung with their challenger, the Samsung CFG70 Gaming Monitor. And boy does it curve.
[section label=”Wide & Curvy”]
Wide & Curvy
At 27 inches, it a big monitor and hopefully you’ll have enough room for the monitor and its rotating stand, as it helps to move the monitor screen around your desk, table or wherever you might put this monitor on. Only gripe I had with it is that the monitor kind of wobbles if a fan is too close to it but it doesn’t negate the fact that this monitor is an incredible piece of hardware.
The performance jump from my usual Dell monitor to this is astounding. With its 1millsecond response time and a 144Hz refresh rate, I can react and control action much quicker than usual, which needed a while to getting used to in competitive games such as CSGO The monitor has a few presents that can be utilized by the user within the menu system, ranging from FPS, RTS and Cinema, for that cinematic look.
Now, let’s see how it performs in a few selection of games and even a console that I used to test it.
[section label=”Testing Phase”]
Testing Phase
The first game that I tested with is Assetto Corsa. Not a lot has change in terms of overall smoothness, since it’s already smooth with the setting that I used but man do the wideness of the monitor helps. Since a racing game like this one emphasize on taking apexes and going through blind turns, the CFG70’s widescreen and its refresh rate help making going through corners easier.
Next is an unusual one to test but since there’s a preset for it, I figured why not. Motorsport Manager is a good management/strategy game from the team at Playsport. Although it doesn’t push the monitor to its limits, the game does scale well to the widescreen. And with the RTS preset, the screen doesn’t tear when many objects are on the screen, even while you switch between two of your controllable drivers.
Here we have Counter Strike Global Offensive, a competitive shooter that needs precision aiming, and I can safely say that this game can benefit from the monitor’s FPS and sRGB preset. The refresh rate in a way helps improve aiming, and again, the widescreen nature of the monitor helps in sight of the enemy easier.
For a bit of fun, I hook up my old Xbox 360 with the HDMI port and it works without a hitch. The Cinema setting makes any game from the last gen looks incredible, especially GTA V during the sunset. I imagine the fidelity of current generation of consoles like the PS4 Pro utilizing the power of the monitor, even without 4k.
[section label=”Conclusion”]
Conclusion
When Samsung contacted us back in late March, I didn’t expect to be reviewing a beast of a monitor that is definitely worth the price in terms of the possible usage this can get. I think owning this would have you set for at least 3 good years. As a relatively new product (it initially launched during early January), I can see it being a favorite to many players if they are searching for this type of monitor for their use. Apart from minor details (like the minor wobbling), it’s a great monitor for the asking price, at around RM1, 699 (24-inch) and RM2, 099 (27-inch) at their stores. I highly recommend it.
This review unit was provided by Samsung Malaysia. Thanks for giving us the opportunity!