haha, i don't really want to start that debate again. My take on it is yes, it's expensive, but it has features that no other screen in the market can. people pay an absolute fortune for the latest and greatest graphics card, so i reckon this could be something similar. You wont find some of this elsewhere at the moment so no doubt it will be very popular. The G-sync module and the fact it's a new panel are driving the cost up a lot
The Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q – a 27” 1400p 144Hz Monitor with G-SYNC
- Thread starter whyscotty
- Start date
haha, i don't really want to start that debate again. My take on it is yes, it's expensive, but it has features that no other screen in the market can. people pay an absolute fortune for the latest and greatest graphics card, so i reckon this could be something similar. You wont find some of this elsewhere at the moment so no doubt it will be very popular. The G-sync module and the fact it's a new panel are driving the cost up a lot
Soldato
You don't happen to have frame times and settings used for your BF4 test do you? I have the same graphics card so I'm keen to understand how well it performs at this res.
/realize this is not related to the monitor review but thought I would ask
/realize this is not related to the monitor review but thought I would ask
Hah I like to read some good debates 
and it was the only thing missing from your excellent review
After reading it I think the price is justified regardless of what it may cost in other countries, for the features and performance 6-700 seems about right with a premium to get the very first batch.
and it was the only thing missing from your excellent review After reading it I think the price is justified regardless of what it may cost in other countries, for the features and performance 6-700 seems about right with a premium to get the very first batch.
Soldato
Should get a good price for the Eizo hopefully so now just need to sell some of the wife's jewellery.
Soldato
Hah I like to read some good debates
After reading it I think the price is justified regardless of what it may cost in other countries, for the features and performance 6-700 seems about right with a premium to get the very first batch.
Yep, I'm really glad I pre-ordered. Just hope the stock comes in at promised numbers on the date advertised. Given the above review I would imagine there will be allot of Asus rage if people dont get their monitors lol.
Caporegime
i have nothing more to say other than..............
enjoy: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/asus_rog_swift_pg278q.htm
Great review Si and very very detailed
Agree a fantastic review, TFT Central are the best
One question to Baddass, if it's okey.
I dont like to bright picture so on my Asus VG278H I am using the contrast at default but have set the brightness at 30% as any lower seems to change the white to grey.
I seen on the review that you have it set at brightness only 20%, is that correct and we still will get an nice white colour and an easy on the eye picture ?
So I guess that maybe 20 - 30 % of brighness will be nice so it's not that overbright as I found on my VG278H!
Best Regards!
One question to Baddass, if it's okey.
I dont like to bright picture so on my Asus VG278H I am using the contrast at default but have set the brightness at 30% as any lower seems to change the white to grey.
I seen on the review that you have it set at brightness only 20%, is that correct and we still will get an nice white colour and an easy on the eye picture ?
So I guess that maybe 20 - 30 % of brighness will be nice so it's not that overbright as I found on my VG278H!
Best Regards!
Is it THE best for gaming though?!
I reckon you would have to sit down with the Eizo FG 2421 £370 and the ROG PG278Q and look at them both. Really they are the only two monitors i would consider buying personally. And i have an unopened Eizo here i have to get around to testing as well.
I wouldnt call it cold feet per say, But curiosity as to Asus TN v Eizo VA.
I reckon you would have to sit down with the Eizo FG 2421 £370 and the ROG PG278Q and look at them both. Really they are the only two monitors i would consider buying personally. And i have an unopened Eizo here i have to get around to testing as well.
I wouldnt call it cold feet per say, But curiosity as to Asus TN v Eizo VA.
Soldato
Soldato
A smashing review as always, Simon. I began reading it on my smartphone as I waited for BT to install broadband in my new property - so it gave me something to do 
. As I read through the review it started to reaffirm my expectations of the monitor. I really hoped this would be one of those monitors people can just plug in, reduce the brightness a bit and enjoy some really fluid gaming on. That sounds like it delivers exactly that - really happy to see such an excellent default setup.
I'm sure some armchair enthusiasts will continue to drone on about the TN panel and the slight overshoot using its optimal 'OD' setting, but I think that the actual users will be quite impressed by this monitor. It really shows just what modern TN panels can do - and some of these things require a TN panel to be done properly.
. As I read through the review it started to reaffirm my expectations of the monitor. I really hoped this would be one of those monitors people can just plug in, reduce the brightness a bit and enjoy some really fluid gaming on. That sounds like it delivers exactly that - really happy to see such an excellent default setup. I'm sure some armchair enthusiasts will continue to drone on about the TN panel and the slight overshoot using its optimal 'OD' setting, but I think that the actual users will be quite impressed by this monitor. It really shows just what modern TN panels can do - and some of these things require a TN panel to be done properly.
20% brightness was used to achieve a luminance of around 120 cd/m2 after profiling, so anything around that mark out of the box should deliver a comfortable luminance of the screen. whites remained white, and the colour temperature / white point was reliable at 6500k even out of the box
I really liked the Eizo too, don't get me wrong. for a smaller panel it is a good option and certainly the best non TN Film gaming option i think (given 120Hz support, blur reduction mode etc). It's just that the Asus delivers so much more - G-sync, ULMB, 2560 x 1440 res, 144Hz refresh, faster response times, 3D support etc
Thanks Baddass, great review, and i am breathing a huge sigh of relief knowing the screen live up to the hype. I'm not one to subscribe to specialist sites, but a donation for the review was certainly in order, thanks again!
Dougal
many thanks, really appreciated
i have nothing more to say other than..............
enjoy: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/asus_rog_swift_pg278q.htm
Great review, very satisfied I pre-ordered now
I WAS going to save it until later in the day but you peaked my interest with the Eizo bit so i read it. I would have probably been more diligent and spent more time so i sort of rushed it.
I think i need to see both after reading the review. The response times are so good compared to the Eizo even though both are the same 120hz with ULMB it is a fair bit lower. Not to mention toggle between ULMB and GSYNC and Asus amazing ROG design. PPI also jumps from 93 to 109 (+18%) so extra sharpess as you say.
What bugs me is none of that is what i am looking for at the minute i am upset at the lack of semi-full glossy coating (Mandatory imo) and contrast 1000:1 versus 5000:1 on the Eizo. Sharpness does not really bother me too much or screen size as 120hz is still amazing. I felt what i needed now was amazing PQ with blacks and whites and colors. Im still not convinced about the colors and contrast though partly down to previous experience of gloss v AG. I may be better off just waiting until the inevitable refresh with even higher resolution to be fair.
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Soldato
I love the fact that you loaded the ICC profile as well - not that this monitor needs it but it's nice to think that as soon as I get it up and running I can apply the profile
i have learned from a friend who owns a computer store, that this screen will MAYBE be in slovakia at the end of the year, because it's "unsellable" here at the moment. the MOQ from asus is apparently 400 units and that many won't be sold, so no one will order it. 
gibbo, please ship to slovakia, it's EU after all !!!
gibbo, please ship to slovakia, it's EU after all !!!
Soldato
It's also great that the official light boost mode doesn't mess with the colours unlike the hack which turned everything blueish. The trouble, for me though, is the eyestrain that I get from extended sessions with it enabled.
Associate
Great review as always from TFTCentral.
A few questions I'd like to ask:
1. You mention the AR film as "moderate". Would you consider the matte-film on par with Asus's other offerings such as on the very popular VG248QE G-Sync compatible screen? That AR film I found was quite annoying.
2. That input lag number provided, can you say what mode that was in? Was that in default non G-Sync 144 Hz? The reason I ask as the different modes can vary input lag number as we saw on the Eizo FG2421. If you still have the sceen, would it be possible to get an input lag number on 144Hz G-Sync and on 100% brightness/pulse width duration ULMB mode?
Honestly, as a user that loves fast PC's and the ultimate motion clarity I am really only interested in ULMB mode. Having said that and TFTCentral hinted at it, the brightness levels under ULMB are woeful.
You would definitely have to treat this screen like a projector. Some comparisons with IMO the only other "gaming" monitor worth anything out there, the Eizo FG2421.
Ok, so the Swift at 100% brightness and a ULMB pulse duration of 1.9ms (brightest) has a luminescence of 123cd/m2, black point of .014cd/m2 and a contrast of 876:1.
It's motion clarity should be just slightly better than the Eizo as the Eizo has a pulse duration of ~2.3ms. But with that comparison, look at the rest of the Eizo stats:
Turbo240-On, luminescence of 258cd/m2, black point of .06cd/m2 and a contrast of 4290:1. So it's over twice as bright and the image quality just hammering the Swift.
I got very excited when I first saw the chart of the pulse duration of .25, .5, .875. Those would provide EPIC motion clarity results. Until I looked down at the next chart and saw the associated brightness levels.
You may be able to squeeze by in a pitch black room gaming at 50% and 62cd/m2, but for most users that will be too dark. 75% at 92cd/m2 is about the reasonable minimum for a dark room (that produces a very similar result to 10% Lightboost from the VG248QE and it's associated 1.4ms strobe length Lightboost). In a light controlled room at night, the 100% brightness of 123cd/m2 will most likely be the mode used by those who prefer ULMB mode over G-Sync.
Now using the monitor during the daylight even with the blinds closed in most peoples rooms I think will be quite difficult for gaming under that luminescence level. Even at 258 cd/m2 of the Eizo (over twice the brightness), it appears just enough.
To summarize my thoughts: the epic pulse duration settings for motion clarity are too dim to use. At max brightness, the screen in ULMB can be used during the night and in a light controlled room, but won't be adequate during the daytime for competitive gaming even in a light controlled room. That is, unless someone goes hog wild and blocks virtually all outside light.
Also, not sure how Asus plans to allow people to use 3D with this thing. Since those shutter glasses block out half the light from the eyes, we are talking a max of around 60cd/m2 during 3D. Can only be used in pitch darkness really, and will still be fairly dark image.
Yes, the Eizo isn't the fastest on input lag, but I'd like to know the input lag of the Swift in 120 Hz ULMB mode to really compare. This monitor seems to shine more in the role of G-Sync versus ULMB IMO.
A few questions I'd like to ask:
1. You mention the AR film as "moderate". Would you consider the matte-film on par with Asus's other offerings such as on the very popular VG248QE G-Sync compatible screen? That AR film I found was quite annoying.
2. That input lag number provided, can you say what mode that was in? Was that in default non G-Sync 144 Hz? The reason I ask as the different modes can vary input lag number as we saw on the Eizo FG2421. If you still have the sceen, would it be possible to get an input lag number on 144Hz G-Sync and on 100% brightness/pulse width duration ULMB mode?
Honestly, as a user that loves fast PC's and the ultimate motion clarity I am really only interested in ULMB mode. Having said that and TFTCentral hinted at it, the brightness levels under ULMB are woeful.
You would definitely have to treat this screen like a projector. Some comparisons with IMO the only other "gaming" monitor worth anything out there, the Eizo FG2421.
Ok, so the Swift at 100% brightness and a ULMB pulse duration of 1.9ms (brightest) has a luminescence of 123cd/m2, black point of .014cd/m2 and a contrast of 876:1.
It's motion clarity should be just slightly better than the Eizo as the Eizo has a pulse duration of ~2.3ms. But with that comparison, look at the rest of the Eizo stats:
Turbo240-On, luminescence of 258cd/m2, black point of .06cd/m2 and a contrast of 4290:1. So it's over twice as bright and the image quality just hammering the Swift.
I got very excited when I first saw the chart of the pulse duration of .25, .5, .875. Those would provide EPIC motion clarity results. Until I looked down at the next chart and saw the associated brightness levels.
You may be able to squeeze by in a pitch black room gaming at 50% and 62cd/m2, but for most users that will be too dark. 75% at 92cd/m2 is about the reasonable minimum for a dark room (that produces a very similar result to 10% Lightboost from the VG248QE and it's associated 1.4ms strobe length Lightboost). In a light controlled room at night, the 100% brightness of 123cd/m2 will most likely be the mode used by those who prefer ULMB mode over G-Sync.
Now using the monitor during the daylight even with the blinds closed in most peoples rooms I think will be quite difficult for gaming under that luminescence level. Even at 258 cd/m2 of the Eizo (over twice the brightness), it appears just enough.
To summarize my thoughts: the epic pulse duration settings for motion clarity are too dim to use. At max brightness, the screen in ULMB can be used during the night and in a light controlled room, but won't be adequate during the daytime for competitive gaming even in a light controlled room. That is, unless someone goes hog wild and blocks virtually all outside light.
Also, not sure how Asus plans to allow people to use 3D with this thing. Since those shutter glasses block out half the light from the eyes, we are talking a max of around 60cd/m2 during 3D. Can only be used in pitch darkness really, and will still be fairly dark image.
Yes, the Eizo isn't the fastest on input lag, but I'd like to know the input lag of the Swift in 120 Hz ULMB mode to really compare. This monitor seems to shine more in the role of G-Sync versus ULMB IMO.
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Soldato
Can anyone explain why ULMB suffers from brightness problems?