** ASUS DO IT AGAIN: IPS, 144Hz & FREESYNC!!! Asus MG279Q thread **

Soldato
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Annoyingly there is quite a lot of backlight bleed on this monitor. Most photos claim to exaggerate BLB but this one actually looks a bit better than it does in person:

MG279Q 1 - Backlight Bleed.jpg


This was at 31 brightness and in a completely dark room. There is obvious BLB in the bottom-left and top-right corners, plus a strip where the buttons are in the bottom-right corner. With the light on it's a lot harder to see but it's definitely visible, so I'm not sure if it's worth trying for another one.
 
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Soldato
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My monitor has just now developed an interesting issue. I was playing a game in a window and then started playing a video. Immediately the screen went mental (random colours everywhere) and I had to reboot the PC to fix it. Since the reboot, the monitor has immediately noticeable flicker that wasn't there before (at 60 Hz). Switching the monitor to 120 or 144 Hz seems to fix the issue. I tried power cycling both the monitor and the PC, and also unplugging and replugging the MiniDP cable, but nothing seemed to work. I took a video with my phone to show the issue:

https://youtu.be/agUcBEmvji8

After leaving it on 120 Hz for maybe 10 minutes I tried switching back to 60 Hz and it looked fine. Another 10 minutes go by and once again it goes mental:

https://youtu.be/wiTGVtjnkA0

Anyone seen anything like this before? My second monitor (connected via DVI) is completely unaffected, which is why I think it's the monitor and not the GPU.
 
Soldato
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DragonQ;30483897 said:
My monitor has just now developed an interesting issue. I was playing a game in a window and then started playing a video. Immediately the screen went mental (random colours everywhere) and I had to reboot the PC to fix it. Since the reboot, the monitor has immediately noticeable flicker that wasn't there before (at 60 Hz). Switching the monitor to 120 or 144 Hz seems to fix the issue. I tried power cycling both the monitor and the PC, and also unplugging and replugging the MiniDP cable, but nothing seemed to work. I took a video with my phone to show the issue:

https://youtu.be/agUcBEmvji8

After leaving it on 120 Hz for maybe 10 minutes I tried switching back to 60 Hz and it looked fine. Another 10 minutes go by and once again it goes mental:

https://youtu.be/wiTGVtjnkA0

Anyone seen anything like this before? My second monitor (connected via DVI) is completely unaffected, which is why I think it's the monitor and not the GPU.

Tried another cable or turning off freesync? Could be a driver issue.

gupsterg;30444847 said:
Been through 4x MG279Q, most had some form of BLB. 2x of them has pressure marks. 1x was perfect on BLB but developed dead pixels, strangely all in a diagonal row ~2-3mm across. Asus support recommended I return it to etailer as direct RMA would be refurb screen which may have cosmetic usage signs :( . So I returned to the "rainforest", 4th screen luckily has very slight BLB, that you only notice on crazy brightness (ie >70) which I don't use, this has one semi dark pixel which you can only see if few inches away from screen and viewing area directly face on, which I don't as it's far right lower corner section about 5cm up and 2cm in.

IMO do not buy an Asus panel on the basis of Asus supporting you! I know I didn't ;) .

For example besides QA on panel itself FW is an issue on that panel, firstly it's been ~3mths and no movement by Asus on this issue:-

Strange line down the middle of my MG279Q - a lot of R9 Fury users have this problem

I know one poster got rid of his Fury Nitro and bought a Fury X to resolve issue. Now if you think perhaps it's the GPU/vBios read this:-

Asus MG279Q not displaying output on older GPUs

My Q6600/P5K/HD5850 I have owned each item since release, so you can imagine I may have used a lotta screens with it since 2007, only the Asus MG279Q has been like it is! Even modern screens like the Eizo FG2421 and Dell U2515H had no issue with that hardware. I tried various cables/ports/turning FS off in OSD, etc, etc and no joy :( .

Chatting to Asus support UK and highlighting quality of screens/FW issue they really weren't interested in noting issues and forwarding to say a team that may do something.

It's not so much Asus but AUO who provide the panels, Acer are just as bad but I'm willing to put up with some tiny BLB (More like glow on mine) for the resolution and frame rate, unless you keep looking for it or play dark games I struggle to notice it.
 
Soldato
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Doogles;30483991 said:
Tried another cable or turning off freesync? Could be a driver issue.

I've tried using HDMI and it made no difference. I have FreeSync off but turning it on also made no difference.

There was a driver update yesterday or today so I'll try rolling it back. Interestingly the latest driver has this in the changelog, which could be related (albeit it's meant to be fixed):

Changing memory clocks with Radeon WattMan with more than one display connected may cause memory clocks to intermittently become stuck at their minimum setting or switch between min and max ranges intermittently causing display flickering.

EDIT: So far so good with Crimson 16.12.2. Will keep an eye on it.
 
Soldato
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DragonQ;30484025 said:
I've tried using HDMI and it made no difference. I have FreeSync off but turning it on also made no difference.

There was a driver update yesterday or today so I'll try rolling it back. Interestingly the latest driver has this in the changelog, which could be related (albeit it's meant to be fixed):



EDIT: So far so good with Crimson 16.12.2. Will keep an eye on it.

Good to hear :) You might be best off investing into a displayport cable though, I've noticed my monitor runs better with it.
 
Underboss
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Doogles;30484375 said:
Good to hear :) You might be best off investing into a displayport cable though, I've noticed my monitor runs better with it.

can i just say, my new screen arrived today (acer 144HZ)
and in the manual is says different HZ and Resolutions for each cable

DP being the best
DVI 2nd best
HDMI the worst

which surprised me !

DP will goto 144 HZ
DVI will do 120 HZ
HDMI will only do 60HZ

might be worth reading the manual and see what that says
 
Associate
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Overall I consider the purchase of Asus MG279Q decent, but not stunning.

Putting aside the QC issues on panel itself, I'd say this:-

i) I like the OSD/controls. I had issues with one of the U2515H I owned where the touch sensitive buttons would not operate intermittently.
ii) Stand is nice with good movement range, only gripe is when swivel movement is done whole base moves, would have preferred it like the Dell stand where only stand arm swivelled.
iii) Has decent image quality once some tweaking was done and doesn't look too bad on desk :p .
iv) Would have been nice to have bigger range of FreeSync from out of the box, but moddable easily using CRU.

Only other thing I have noted with the Asus MG279Q compared with the Dell U2515H and Eizo FG2421 I had, is you can hear some low level static on the headphones via the socket on monitor. The low level static is only noticeable to me when no sound is being outputted on headphones, for example exit game and on desktop. I tested it with the Dell U2515H and Eizo FG2421 prior to selling them off and they did not have this issue, same rig/headphones, etc.

I also had QC issues on the Dell and Eizo, had 2 Dells and 3 Eizos before getting decent ones.
 
Soldato
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Is this screen still worth it? I'm thinking of getting on for my new build

Yes, it's a great monitor. Don't be too put off by a little BLB and IPS glow, after a few months these problems really do fade a lot. I took pictures of my monitor at various brightness levels on the day I bought it and about 6 months later. It really surprised me how much improvement there was.

I like mine so much that even though I switched to GTX 1070 I kept the monitor.
 
Soldato
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Overall I consider the purchase of Asus MG279Q decent, but not stunning.

Putting aside the QC issues on panel itself, I'd say this:-

i) I like the OSD/controls. I had issues with one of the U2515H I owned where the touch sensitive buttons would not operate intermittently.
ii) Stand is nice with good movement range, only gripe is when swivel movement is done whole base moves, would have preferred it like the Dell stand where only stand arm swivelled.
iii) Has decent image quality once some tweaking was done and doesn't look too bad on desk :p .
iv) Would have been nice to have bigger range of FreeSync from out of the box, but moddable easily using CRU.
Yeah I don't really understand the whole base swivelling with the monitor, especially since it's unlikely you'll get one where the monitor is exactly lined up with the base to begin with. The control buttons are good, it's just annoying for me that they're behind because that's where my second monitor sits. I have to move it to adjust anything on the main monitor.

Only other thing I have noted with the Asus MG279Q compared with the Dell U2515H and Eizo FG2421 I had, is you can hear some low level static on the headphones via the socket on monitor. The low level static is only noticeable to me when no sound is being outputted on headphones, for example exit game and on desktop. I tested it with the Dell U2515H and Eizo FG2421 prior to selling them off and they did not have this issue, same rig/headphones, etc.
This comes with the territory really. The more stuff manufacturers try to cram into their products, the more compromises get made. The panel is fantastic, QC issues aside, but the speakers are as crap as expected and the headphone socket is similarly poor - probably not enough shielding. If you really want to avoid hiss/static you need a good quality external DAC, which'd have its own headphone socket. Otherwise one on the front of your case might be better, if slightly less convenient.

I have a replacement monitor arriving next week, I'm hoping its BLB is better than the first!
 
Soldato
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Annoyingly there is quite a lot of backlight bleed on this monitor. Most photos claim to exaggerate BLB but this one actually looks a bit better than it does in person:

MG279Q 1 - Backlight Bleed.jpg


This was at 31 brightness and in a completely dark room. There is obvious BLB in the bottom-left and top-right corners, plus a strip where the buttons are in the bottom-right corner. With the light on it's a lot harder to see but it's definitely visible, so I'm not sure if it's worth trying for another one.

Looks slightly worse than my Acer, I just have it in the top right and bottom right slightly, I'd say that isn't too bad but I wouldn't want it any worse.
 
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This comes with the territory really. The more stuff manufacturers try to cram into their products, the more compromises get made. The panel is fantastic, QC issues aside, but the speakers are as crap as expected and the headphone socket is similarly poor - probably not enough shielding. If you really want to avoid hiss/static you need a good quality external DAC, which'd have its own headphone socket. Otherwise one on the front of your case might be better, if slightly less convenient.

TBH does the MG279Q cram more than the U2515H or FG2421? not IMO. Other than FreeSync and supporting 144MHz it's not vastly different than the other two screens I had IMO.

The FG2421 was a cracking screen IMO, bezel was a little too thick, but when your gaming not really an issue. That IMO was in similar price/market range as MG279Q and like I said no low level static on headphone socket, only issue it had was not 1440P and I was wanted that the most.

The U2515H was practically half the price of MG279Q, again no issue on headphone socket. Regarding panel quality, you really wanna see a U2515H running, image quality best I've ever laid my eyes on. I would have kept that over the MG279Q if it had even 75Hz panel, 60Hz for some games just felt too low after having had the FG2421 for 1yr+.

For the cost the MG279Q should have just been better IMO.

I have a replacement monitor arriving next week, I'm hoping its BLB is better than the first!

Good luck and got my fingers crossed for you :) . I'm content with mine now :) , even it has a semi dark single pixel :) . Like I said decent screen if you put aside QC issues, it wasn't like the Dell/Eizo didn't have any, but both those stunned me when used. I just feel the MG279Q has been a compromise for me after experiencing the screens I had prior to it. I think ideally I wanted a 25" 1440P high refresh rate panel IPS or VA with or without FS TBH, which AFAIK isn't out there.
 
Soldato
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TBH does the MG279Q cram more than the U2515H or FG2421? not IMO. Other than FreeSync and supporting 144MHz it's not vastly different than the other two screens I had IMO.
Those are pretty big differences. For me, the 4 key features are IPS, 1440p, 144 Hz, and FreeSync. Excluding the Eizo monitor that is £800+, there is only one panel out there that has all 4 features, and only 2 monitors that use it (the MG279Q and the XF270HU). When there is little competition for your premium product I suppose you can afford to be lax with quality control.
 
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OK, I think I may have not sort of explained properly how I have it in my mind ;) .

From what I have read in the past Freesync requires no proprietary module, so monitor makers don't have to cram extra hardware in :) . AFAIK the scaler chip has FreeSync built in, AFAIK this is not bigger than non FreeSync scaler chip. So technically each monitor I'm comparing is pretty much made up of same hardware anatomy :) . None have extras like webcam built in, bluetooth, etc ;) . All have power supplies built in, yes there is some difference on ports but not a biggie in the sense of cramming hardware in.

The panel resolution/refresh rate difference doesn't really translate into extra hardware in the sense of cramming into a monitor case. Technically as the MG279Q is 27" screen vs the U2515H 25" and the FG2421 23.5", Asus had a bigger casing to cram hardware in, so the headphone socket picking up interference is just poor IMO for a £400-£500 screen.
 
Soldato
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Well I've had a look at my second MG279Q. Unfortunately, it's as bad as the first, if not worse. See below:

1st:
MG279Q 1 - Backlight Bleed 2.jpg


2nd:
MG279Q 2 - Backlight Bleed.jpg


The retailer has said that they will try to source a new batch of them and once they've done that I can get a 3rd monitor. Maybe that'll be better. :/
 
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