Asus PB287Q 28-Inch 4K Monitor Review: Ultra HD For $650

[ceberle]

We've seen plenty of buzz about the beauty of gaming at 3840x2160. Up until now, though, that meant spending several grand on a 4K monitor. Asus drives the price down to $650 with its 28-inch PB287Q. But are there sacrifices made in the process?

Asus PB287Q 28-Inch 4K Monitor Review: Ultra HD For $650 : Read more

 

[oudmaster]

so if I have powerful GPU, can I get full 4k resolution with 60FPS with this monitor ?

 

[whiteodian]

@outmaster
From the article - Page 2 near the bottom. "Both HDMI inputs support the PB287Q’s 3840x2160 resolution up to a refresh rate of 30 Hz. If you want full 60 Hz operation, you have to use the DisplayPort input and enable version 1.2 in the OSD." So the answer looks like a yes.

 

[WINTERLORD]

what does it mean that "even though most users will use a 8bit signal chain" it is a 10bit monitor. why would most people use a 8bit signal chain? not sure what it ment by that

 

[ceberle]

what does it mean that "even though most users will use a 8bit signal chain" it is a 10bit monitor. why would most people use a 8bit signal chain? not sure what it ment by that

Windows may report that your monitor is rendering 32-bit color but it is in actuality 24-bits (8-bits per sub-pixel) with an additional 8 bits devoted to transparency information. 8-bits per primary color = 256 shades. 256 x 256 x 256 = 16,777,216 colors. To have a full 10-bit signal path, you need a video card capable of 1024 shades per primary color. 1024 x 1024 x 1024 = 1.07 billion colors.

I realize the terminology is confusing. Typical graphics boards output 8-bit color plus the transparency layer. 10-bit native panels like the PB287Q up-sample that signal to a 10-bit color depth.

-Christian-

 

[CaedenV]

Woo! Glad to see 4K monitors getting more 60fps friendly, less buggy, and (above all) cheaper!

... now if only there was a proper 16:10 4K variant in the wild... or if we could see MS push 3:2 into the mainstream I would be equally happy. 16:9 is simply too wide.

 

[red77star]

When i see 4K with 120Hz refresh rate i will get one...in mean time don't have time to deal with marketing BS -> pile of shit.

 

[ubercake]

I would consider 4K with G-sync....

Where my G-sync at???

 

[MU_Engineer]

@CaedenV

There will not be a 16:10 variant as televsion/cinema standards have essentially replaced computer standards for monitor manufacture. 16:9 is the broadcast HDTV standard while 16:10 was a computer-only standard. It's a whole lot cheaper for manufacturers to optimize to only one aspect ratio. Look at what 2048x1536 4:3 displays cost if you are curious as to what a roughly equivalent not-16:9 unit would run.

@red77star
You can't see the difference between 60 and 120 Hz anyway so there is nothing to worry about. At best humans can only see something slightly better than 30 Hz/30 fps so 60 Hz units like this one are more than good enough for actual usage. 120 Hz is simply a marketing ploy. If you think I am wrong, consider that movies are shot at "only" 24 fps and broadcast TV is 29.997 fps. Very few people complain about "lag" with these media but the world is full of computer gamers who "swear" they can tell a difference between 180 fps and 200 fps, probably just because FRAPS is running...

 

[bryanlarsen]

How are the viewing angles when rotated into portrait mode? That's one of the major drawbacks of a TN panel, and is fairly important to me.

 

[Doug Lord]

No. Unless you have dual titan blacks, you will not get even 30fps minimum at 4G with ultra settings on a 2014 game.

 

[Totally Man]

@red77star - You are a retard. Have you seen Lord of the Rings in HFR? 48fps vs 24fps and the thing is so smooth its like its in fast forward. The same goes with my old CRT - 60hz to 120hz dragging those windows around was super silky smooth.

I cannot believe how dumb you are. You are so dumb. So incredibly dumb. Worlds dumbest fool.

 

[phate]

Wow, I usually disable adblock for Toms(and other sites that I find useful and informative), but I had to re-enable it for this article, Ads everywhere, and the adds that pop-up over the images just pushed it over the top.

 

[nitrium]

There will not be a 16:10 variant as televsion/cinema standards have essentially replaced computer standards for monitor manufacture. 16:9 is the broadcast HDTV standard while 16:10 was a computer-only standard. It's a whole lot cheaper for manufacturers to optimize to only one aspect ratio. Look at what 2048x1536 4:3 displays cost if you are curious as to what a roughly equivalent not-16:9 unit would run.

Actually a standard DOES exist for higher resolution at the 16:10 aspect: WHXGA - which is 5120 × 3200.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4K_resolution

 

[Anri]

$650 for TN is ULTRA-LOW price???

Buy IPS for $330 - http://techreport.com/review/23291/those-27-inch-ips-displays-from-korea-are-for-real

 

[larsoncc]

What's the refresh rate of this monitor at lower resolutions, like 1080p? Is it still 60hz, or is it faster (120hz for example)? I ask, because even though it's not quite the same, some TVs have been advertising higher refresh rates at lower resolutions (frame interpolation, of course, but still). Further, it's a TN panel, if it's got the right chip, the panel tech would support it just fine. So, what's the word? Doesn't seem to be on any site that I can find.

 

[Spriggan43]

No DP 1.2a? So no freesync from VESA? Why be cheap on freesync is it no longer free?

 

[larsoncc]

No DP 1.2a? So no freesync from VESA? Why be cheap on freesync is it no longer free?

Even if DP 1.2a was used, AMD has stated it'd be another 6-12 months before monitors would hit the market that would support freesync.

 

[Spriggan43]

No DP 1.2a? So no freesync from VESA? Why be cheap on freesync is it no longer free?

 

[Spriggan43]

No DP 1.2a? So no freesync from VESA? Why be cheap on freesync is it no longer free?

 

[ceberle]

What's the refresh rate of this monitor at lower resolutions, like 1080p? Is it still 60hz, or is it faster (120hz for example)? I ask, because even though it's not quite the same, some TVs have been advertising higher refresh rates at lower resolutions (frame interpolation, of course, but still). Further, it's a TN panel, if it's got the right chip, the panel tech would support it just fine. So, what's the word? Doesn't seem to be on any site that I can find.

60 Hz is the max refresh at all resolutions. Over HDMI, 30 Hz is the max at 3840 x 2160. For 60 Hz at full-res, you have to use DisplayPort 1.2.

-Christian-

 

[Spriggan43]

No DP 1.2a? So no freesync from VESA? Why be cheap on freesync is it no longer free?

Even if DP 1.2a was used, AMD has stated it'd be another 6-12 months before monitors would hit the market that would support freesync.

If Asus added the 1.2a spec port, the support could come later in a firmware update, this monitor is asking too much for what is going to replace it in 3-4mouths; they had the chance to add the 1.2a spec port, but Asus have decided to hold off on dp1.2a so making the next monitor with same spec but with a DP1.2a port seeming like magic.
I don’t upgrade monitors that often, the Nvidia people are screaming g-sync and the AMD people are complaining on a TH post board, nothing changes in IT.
Just seems like a lost change to have a monitor on the market that would not be touched in specs from competitors for the next 3-4mouths.

 

[Duckhunt]

it is a start. You need 60hz to make it viable for me anyway.. I use to have 120hz and ( 100hz) CRTs but since i have LED lighting and high frequency ballast Fluorescent lighting (20khz) I do not get sore eyes as often as i did when i had the CRT at 75hz or lower.

 

[dogmang]

way too small for a 4K monitor

 

[krobjack]

@MU_Engineer

You obviously have no clue what you're talking about in regards to refresh rate. Its quite well known that a higher refresh rate directly affects the smoothness of motion in a video game to a degree that extremely noticeable. Stop all the nonsense about we only see 30fps lol. Eyes dont view the world in FPS, they view a monitors refresh rate in FPS. AND, if you're using a 3d monitor you NEED a 120hz monitor to push 60 to each eye.