Asus Rog Swift PG278QR 2K 27 Inch Gaming Monitor

Asus Rog Swift PG278QR 2K 27 Inch Gaming Monitorc

ASUS ROG Swift PG278QR WQHD (2560 x 1440) 27-inch gaming monitor has world-first overclockable refresh rate of 165Hz & 1ms (Gray to Gray) response time ideal for gaming and entertainment. Its eye care GamePlus and GameVisual technologies include flicker-free, ASUS-exclusive Ultra-Low blue light to ensure a comfortable viewing experience and less eye fatigue while viewing for longer period. This spectacular design has 170° wide-view angle and NVIDIA®G-SYNC™ technology for enjoying seamless visuals and smooth gameplay. Ergonomically-designed stand with full tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustment capability ensures multiple use and comfortable viewing position. 

Asus Rog Swift PG278QR Monitor Review

Since the team here at PC House love a bit of competitive gaming, we’ve had two of the Asus ROG Swift PG278QR monitors being used for months now. The review for these highly responsive gaming monitors has been long overdue, and with this monitor boasting a 1440p screen with an upgraded 165Hz refresh rate, I think its time we got started.

If you have the cash to splash and an Nvidia GPU, this sequel to a highly popular predecessor should tickle your fancy. The Asus PG278QR is packed with features such as Nvidia’s G-Sync technology and one of the best adjustable stands available.

The Asus ROG Swift PG278QR is an update to the Swift PG278Q with the differences being the overclocking ability of the refresh rate and the inclusion of an HDMI port for greater flexibility.

Performance

I used Lagom LCD monitor test pages to measure performance including black and white levels, color gradients, and response time. The Asus ROG Swift PG278QR proved to be a highly capable performer throughout testing, showing excellent black and white levels. It was perfect on the Black level test; all squares were distinguishable. It was nearly perfect on the White saturation test; only the last two grids were not distinguishable from the background. Banding is an issue that can occur in gaming, in which color and brightness variations show lines and bands rather than smooth color. The Lagom test uses grayscale gradients, and a poor monitor will show not just bands, but color when it can't render the image properly. The Swift PG278QR showed no banding and was able to display a smooth and consistent transition from back to white.

To test response time, which measures how well a monitor reacts to changes in gray levels, the Lagom test uses eight test patterns with pixels that are switched on and off. On the best gaming monitors, these flashing patterns are undetectable; in fast-paced gameplay, this translates to minimal or no motion blur. The Swift PG278QR was nearly perfect, scoring a -10, the next best score to a perfect 0 where there is no flicker on this test. With an HDMI connection, the display has a 60Hz refresh rate, but when using DisplayPort it’s set to 144Hz but can be overclocked to 165Hz in the OSD. Though the overclocking is mostly a marketing ploy to just have a higher number on the spec sheet, it will at least afford you a bit of headroom for the future, so I'm not complaining too much about it.

Also, unless you have a high-end Nvidia GeForce card (GTX 1080 or GTX 1070, basically), you will not be able to achieve framerates to match the monitor’s refresh rates given the panel's native 2560x1440 resolution unless you dial back the resolution or detail settings, but then again you'd be a fool to buy a monitor with these specs without the hardware to handle it. Still, if your GPU can't quite hit ~140fps at 2560x1440, at least it’s comforting to know that there's room to grow for future graphics upgrades, and it's G-Sync technology can handle keeping the action smooth when you are below the native refresh rate too.

After putting the display through its paces on the Lagom tests, I got to gaming. I played Battlefield 3, Burnout Paradise, and Doom and saw nothing to dampen my enthusiasm for the display. Games looked crisp and sharp, with accurate colors and smooth motion. With Nvidia G-Sync, I didn't see any screen tearing, blurring, or stuttering, but I I also didn’t see many problems when it was disabled either. However, since it's a 144Hz monitor it refreshes so quickly it's possible I just didn't notice it. On-screen action was smooth at all times, whether due to the refresh rate, G-Sync, or both.