Samsung’s 5K monitor has good gaming chops and a great price

There are quite a few 5K monitors out there. Many of them are designed to appeal to Mac users who are looking for cheaper Studio Display alternatives without giving up the pixel-dense 218ppi screen. However, if you’re interested in hearing about one with gaming chops, Samsung’s 27-inch Odyssey G80HF seems like one of the best monitors out there to satisfy your niche, but respectable desires. Currently, you can grab this model for $599.99 at Amazon and B&H Photo, which beats its best price by $100.

Samsung 27-inch Odyssey G8 5K monitor

Where to Buy:

• $949.99 $599.99 at Amazon
• $949.99 $599.9 at B&H Photo

The G80HF supports two display modes with its Fast IPS panel: 5K at up to 180Hz refresh rate, or 1440p with up to a 360Hz refresh rate. Samsung touts Nvidia G-Sync compatibility as well as AMD FreeSync Premium to ensure the monitor’s refresh rate remains in lockstep with your GPU’s frame rate output. The monitor features a DisplayPort 2.1 port (just one, and Samsung doesn’t advertise its bandwidth), two HDMI 2.1 ports, and a USB hub for charging or connecting two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 accessories.

As a gamer, one of my favorite features here is the one-millisecond response time. That’s a very common spec among gaming monitors — even in ones that cost hundreds less — but it’s a bit of a rare spec in a 5K monitor at this price. I tested KTC’s sub-$500 model last year, and gaming on it was a pretty atrocious experience despite having what it claimed to be gaming-ready capabilities.

For $200 more ($799.99), LG’s 27-inch UltraGear evo 5K Mini LED monitor delivers slightly better specs. It has more dimming zones for a more accurate picture, it can get brighter, and it supports USB-C video input with 90W power delivery output to charge your device as you use it. Its dual mode refresh rates aren’t as high as Samsung’s (165Hz / 330Hz), but I don’t really see that as much of a downside.

Other great deals happening now

• For those who haven’t yet placed a preorder for Grand Theft Auto VI, which comes out in less than a month, you can do so while saving $10 on a gaming gift card at Best Buy. The retailer is letting customers build a bundle of select games and gift cards. You can, for example, add GTA VI and a gift card will be $10 off its advertised price at checkout. It’s a small, but welcome way to save a little cash. The bundle includes other current and upcoming blockbusters, like Gears of War: E-Day, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and more.
• The excellent remake of Demon’s Souls by the shuttered PlayStation studio, Bluepoint Games, is down to just $13.49 in digital format on the PlayStation Store. What’s more, it’s for the digital deluxe edition (originally $89.99), which includes in-game cosmetics, a consumable that grants you a bunch of souls for in-game upgrades, and the soundtrack. The sale lasts through November 4th on the West Coast, or until 2:59AM ET on November 5th on the East Coast. The remake doesn’t mess with the formula of FromSoftware’s PS3 cult classic (it has stages instead of being an open-world like its spiritual successor, Dark Souls), but gives it some brilliant visuals and fast loading times. It’s definitely worth a try if you’re into other Soulslike games that reward (and test) your patience. Read our review of the game.
• If you need a multi-port wall charger to quickly charge a bunch of USB-C devices, Ugreen’s Nexode Pro is down to $59.99 at Amazon and Ugreen, a $30 discount off the usual cost. The price was $10 lower during June’s Prime Day, but this is still a nice value. Despite the charger advertising 160W charging passthrough, its USB-C ports labeled C1 and C2 each top out at 140W when just one device is plugged into the charger. The power of each port (four USB-C, one USB-A) varies depending on how many gadgets are plugged in, up to 160W total. The charger has folding prongs and a display that can rotate depending on how it’s plugged in.