ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q G-SYNC Monitor Review
by Chris Heinonen & Jarred Walton on February 13, 2015 10:00 AM ESTsRGB Data and Bench Tests
Before calibration, the ASUS ROG monitor displays a blue tint to the grayscale but it keeps the overall grayscale errors below the visible error level of 3.0 dE2000. The gamma tracks low, at closer to 2.0 than 2.2, which will give the image a bit more of a washed-out look than the proper gamma will. The larger errors exist in the color gamut, where there is an oversaturation to reds, yellows, oranges, and especially blues. Blue has both a tint and saturation issues, and the errors there grow steadily as the saturation ramps from 0% to 100%. Unfortunately, since the ASUS ROG has no internal LUT, like most displays, these color errors probably cannot be fixed.
For calibration, we use SpectraCal CalMAN 5.3.5 with our own custom workflow. We target 200 cd/m2 of light output with a gamma of 2.2 and the sRGB color gamut, which corresponds to a general real-world use case. The meters used are an i1Pro2 provided by X-Rite and a SpectraCal C6. All measurements use APL 50% patterns except for uniformity testing, which uses full field.
| Pre-Calibration | Post-Calibration, 200 cd/m2 |
Post-Calibration, 80 cd/m2 |
|
| White Level ( cd/m2) | 198.7 | 200.9 | 81.8 |
| Black Level ( cd/m2) | 0.2253 | 0.2246 | 0.0952 |
| Contrast Ratio | 882:1 | 895:1 | 859:1 |
| Gamma (Average) | 2.02 | 1.97 | 2.07 |
| Color Temperature | 6659K | 6515K | 6557K |
| Grayscale dE2000 | 2.48 | 2.47 | 0.76 |
| Color Checker dE2000 | 3.64 | 2.16 | 2.74 |
| Saturations dE2000 | 2.85 |
Post-calibration the gamma and RGB balance are almost perfect. The average grayscale dE2000 falls to below 0.6 which is invisible to the naked eye. The only issue is the contrast ratio, but I believe that is a bad reading at 0% since it is coming out much higher than our black reading at maximum backlight earlier. The contrast ratio should be closer to 850:1 based on the amount of fixing needed for the RGB balance. The 80 cd/m2 measurements will back this up, so this number is just a bad read.
Colors are better, because the luminance values have improved, but the overall errors are still high due to over-saturation of certain colors. Blue continues to be the worst, followed by yellow, with all skin tones on the color checker showing errors close to 3.0. On photos of people they look a bit sunburnt, as the saturation of reds and oranges is too high, compared to a proper display. It isn’t awful, but it isn’t a monitor I would use for photo editing either. Since ASUS positions the ROG for gamers I don’t think this is a big deal as the numbers are close enough. The pre-calibration numbers are really more important here, and those indicate a bit more of this red push than after calibration.
Changing our targets to 80 cd/m2 and the sRGB gamma curve, we see similar results on another calibration. The contrast ratio here is 859:1, indicating there was a bad read earlier on the 200 cd/m2 data. The RGB balance is again perfect though the gamma curve not as much. sRGB is harder to get right, and it is dimmer providing less room for adjustment, so this isn’t surprising.
Colors show the exact same issues as with 200 cd/m2 since adjusting the backlight level doesn’t affect the saturation of the colors. People look like they have gotten a bit too much sun compared to what they should look like. For gaming, where the colors are just imaginary to begin with, I don’t think this is a big problem but it just means it can’t serve double-duty as a display for editing photos or other things. Movies will also look a bit off on it, but no worse than a regular TV will before a calibration.
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Socius - Monday, February 16, 2015 - link
For the overclockable displays, "80-90Hz" isn't often achievable. The models that can be overclocked, are guaranteed to hit at least 105Hz, and 99% will hit 110Hz and above. And it's important to note that monitors like the Qnix that you mentioned, cost just $300 with free shipping, and are PLS (Samsung version of LG's IPS tech).You also made no mention of the fact that this supposed gaming enthusiast monitor has a fairly aggressive anti-glare coating on it which further deteriorates image quality, on top of it being a TN display.
This "article" seems like a last attempt paid sales pitch from ASUS before the new Acer XB270HU comes out and dominates it with superior image quality and a lower price point. This is what I was afraid would happen to AnandTech when they announced being bought out.
3DVagabond - Tuesday, February 17, 2015 - link
Can you please clarify? Are you saying that you notice flickering when below 40fps with this monitor?
cars10 - Tuesday, February 17, 2015 - link
for a long time my trust has dwindled in Anandtech. Now I have finally lost all value in your reviews.Seriously, this review is pathetic!
Did you actually do what this monitor was meant to do, and actually PLAY A GAME? Or did you just measure color values? Else you would surely notice and advise your loyal readers accordingly!
How much money has Asus PAID YOU to cover up the HUGE, gaping FLAW this monitor has?
The pixel inversion that affects the ENTIRE series is very significant and there are hundreds of posts on the Asus forum about it.
Shame on you, Anandtech.
Hxx - Sunday, February 22, 2015 - link
This is at the end of the day someone's opinion. He pointed out what he thought is important. Get over it.Zak - Tuesday, February 17, 2015 - link
I play games and edit photos (not professionally, just a hobby). I have no space for two 27" monitors. So I'm disappointed with this display, hoping the future will bring something better.Zak - Tuesday, March 17, 2015 - link
I pulled the trigger on this monitor after all. For gaming it's absolutely awesome, you've got to see it to believe, not so good for everything else. Although I'm getting another computer for my photo editing so that's why I decided to get this one after all.Sancus - Tuesday, February 24, 2015 - link
I like anandtech but come on.. this is an embarrassingly bad and shallow review. No mention of ULMB AT ALL when it's one of the core features of the monitor? No input lag tests? No image blur tests?Sorry but this type of review may be sufficient for your typical, run of the mill 60hz IPS panel, but it completely misses the point of the entire purpose of this display.
TFTCentral's review is what you should read if you're considering this monitor.
Subyman - Tuesday, February 24, 2015 - link
I've been using this monitor with 2x970's for a few months. I came from high end 27" IPS monitors and have been stunned by the performance. Sure the colors aren't as deep, but the game in motion completely makes up for it. Playing Mordor at 110fps with Gsync and high settings was a treat. I never knew what tearing and hitching did to the experience, but I could never go back to non-gsync monitors (or a similar technology.) Definitely worth it if you can afford it. I lucked out and got a perfect unit from newegg open box for only $599 :)Ubercake - Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - link
I have one purpose in mind with my gaming rig: gaming. I don't need 100% color accuracy to shoot enemies - or die - in BF4.For many years, I've gone with ATX builds in full tower cases and ran with 2 or 3 video cards to keep framerates up to make tearing less noticeable which also eliminates my need for V-sync and the associated input lag.
With this Asus monitor and a single flagship video card (GTX 980), I get a smooth tear-free lag-free video experience at full details and ultra video settings. I've noticed that if the frame rates stay in the high 20s or above (which they do 100% with most titles), the video stays smooth.
Because of the G-sync tech, my next gaming build will be with be a micro ATX or mini ITX scale build with my single 980 and whatever high-end enthusiast or high-end mainstream processor is out at the time. I no longer need a giant case with a ton of fans in it to get a high-end gaming experience. I no longer need more than one video card.
I can't wait until free sync monitors start hitting the market more as this competition should reduce the prices of monitors with dynamic sync technologies.
MyNuts - Sunday, July 19, 2015 - link
I own this monitor. Its perfect for my 980ti sli setup. Again like with my 670 OC GTX setup I will enjoy future like performance before it can be had single card style. My 670 GTX was compairable to a 980 GTX. Sometime you cant thave all the features you want from the product right away and its a trade off to wait and see like everyone says. But if you have the money and are willing to upgrade on a cycle this setup would be perfect for you.