Razer's excellent Raptor monitor is £200 off right now
The T-Rex of gaming monitor deals
The Razer Raptor 27 is one of the best 1440p gaming monitors I've ever tested. The only problem is that it's usually crazy expensive, with its regular asking price all the way up at an eye-watering £700. It's a difficult monitor to recommend on that basis, but happily, both Amazon and Ebuyer have lobbed £200 off it this week, taking it down to a much more agreeable £500.
Of course, £500 is still quite a lot compared to other 1440p monitors out there, and I should point out that my current 1440p recommendation, the AOC Agon AG273QX, can currently be had for £100 less over at Currys PC World. Still, there's something about the Raptor 27 that's just so darn lovely. Maybe it's the fabric-covered back. Or the super accurate IPS panel. No, wait, I'm not going to lie. It's the exquisite cable management lanes round the back. There, I said it. No use denying it.
Razer Raptor 27 - £499 from Amazon UK (down from £699)
Razer Raptor 27 - £499 from Ebuyer (down from £669)
This isn't the first time the Raptor 27 has dropped to £500, I should add, but it is the first time it's done so since the end of last year, according to my Amazon price tracker. Indeed, it dropped to £499 during the week of Black Friday, and has been fluctuating between £600 and £650 ever since. When I first reviewed it this time last year, though, the Raptor 27 cost a whopping £700, so today's deal is still pretty good going all things considered.
The AOC AG273QX is still arguably the better value monitor overall, though, as you not only get a higher 165Hz refresh rate on the AOC versus the Razer's 144Hz, but you also get more display outputs and USB ports for connecting up other devices. Its flat VA panel is also just as accurate as the Raptor 27's IPS screen, and its HDR support is just as easy to get working, too. It might not technically be one of Nvidia's officially sanctioned G-Sync Compatible monitors like the Raptor is right now, but I didn't have any problems getting its Freesync tech to work with my Nvidia graphics card when I had it in for testing, making it a great choice for Nvidia and AMD graphics card owners alike.
Equally, though, I still think the Raptor 27 wins on style. Seriously, just look at those neat little cable lanes. Absolute perfection.