Asus ROG Swift PG278Q 27-inch G-Sync Monitor Review

[ceberle]

We’ve been waiting to experience the wonders of G-Sync for months, and Asus is the first company to deliver a finished product. Its ROG Swift PG278Q is a 27-inch QHD TN-based display with G-Sync, 144 Hz operation, and ULMB, a new blur-reduction feature.

Asus ROG Swift PG278Q 27-inch G-Sync Monitor Review : Read more

 

[ubercake]

That Amazon link is to the PB278Q, not the PG278Q! ARRGGGGHHHHH!!!

 

[TechyInAZ]

Nice! This is great since I am one of those picky guys that believes that 30fps doesn't bring a good enough gaming experience.

But one thing I do hope for is a 144hz g-sync IPS monitor, ever since I've gotten my new Asus MX239H the ips makes a huge difference in games.

But besides that, it is a glorious monitor, resolution is great, 144hz, and of course g sync makes it a wonderful monitor.

But really $800? I know that it is one of the few g sync equipped monitors, but you can buy a 4k monitor for $650!

 

[CraigN]

Yes - please fix that Amazon link. I almost shat myself thinking that was available already.

 

[apertotes]

Anybody knows if the incompatibility between G-Sync and ULMB is something that will get fixed or is here to stay?

 

[CraigN]

Anybody knows if the incompatibility between G-Sync and ULMB is something that will get fixed or is here to stay?

Pretty unlikely. ULMB requires a static refresh rate, because it has to strobe the monitor at a constant rate. GSYNC would mean that it would have to strobe in time with each frame, at a variable rate. You would introduce a lag time on the strobing if you tried to do this, since it would be at a variable rate instead of a constant one.

 

[rh_dog]

I know it's expensive for 2560x1440, I know it's not IPS, but to get the refresh rate @144hz and the 1ms g2g and g-sync? The few reviews for this monitor that are out there are all glowing. Come on, Asus, release the thing already, I've been waiting since the Jan announcement for this monitor. Shut up and take my money!!!

 

[pchampn]

Guys ROG Swift PG278Q is not even listed on Amazon. Update your links, please!!

 

[Rendezvous]

Omg! I need this now..... I alrdy have 800 set aside for it...I need a exact release date now!

 

[agentbb007]

Asus has said on Twitter it should be in the US by the end of August. I can't wait for this, I'm checking newegg everyday to see when it shows up! I hope they have enough of these coming in because there seems to be a lot of people waiting to buy this monitor.

 

[Merry_Blind]

Yayy finally a review for this monitor! Thanks Tom's!

Off to read it now! lol

 

[Rendezvous]

Yayy finally a review for this monitor! Thanks Tom's!

Off to read it now! lol

There have been plenty reviews for this monitor just Google it. And they have all been great reviews...makes me want it even more

 

[Merry_Blind]

As amazing as this monitor looks, it still sucks that you can't use ULMB with G-Sync.

Personally, I'm sick of the crappy motion resolution in LCDs. It's not so bad in some games, but it's nigh-unbearable in certain games. My next monitor/TV WILL have Strobing-Backlights since it's the best way to get rid of motion blur.

However, maybe someone can help me out on this, I don't understand why monitors that feature such motion-enhancing technologies seem very nitpicky with which frame rate, refresh rate, etc. it's being used with. I'm saying this because more and more TVs are coming out with such Strobing-backlight technology, and I'm pretty sure those don't require an absolute steady framerate for it to work.

For example, if I were to connect a console to this ASUS Swift monitor, could I use ULMB in 120hz mode with a 30fps game?

 

[CraigN]

No, because the console won't output 120 Hz, especially not through HDMI to DisplayPort conversion.

It's not the framerate they're being picky about, it's the refresh rate. The light has to strobe in time with when the next frame is being introduced. When the refresh rate is constant (i.e., locked at 80, 100, or 120 Hz) then the strobe knows exactly when the next frame will be displayed. You're asking the display to strobe the backlight at will whenever the GPU can put out a frame. You're essentially asking the GPU to not only handshake with GSYNC when to render a frame, but to trigger the backlight to strobe then too. The tricky part here is that's another layer where you will have to reduce response time (response from the GPU's frame being rendered to backlight being strobed) since the refresh rate is no longer constant (it's now dependent on your game's refresh rate - which is barely ever anywhere near "constant").

How awful would your strobing backlight look if it came a few ms after your frame rendered? That'd probably screw all of the blur reduction qualities you want from it. At best, you could make an algorithm that would strobe at the *average* framerate you're outputting since framerate can rise and dip so quickly, but that could still cause a lot of problems

 

[agentbb007]

For example, if I were to connect a console to this ASUS Swift monitor, could I use ULMB in 120hz mode with a 30fps game?

I'm definitely not an expert on ULMB or Gsync but the blurbusters website says "LightBoost motion blur elimination is not noticeable at 60 frames per second." So even if you could get a console hooked up to the Asus Swift I don't think you would be able to notice any difference unless you get 85+ fps.

 

[Merry_Blind]

Yayy finally a review for this monitor! Thanks Tom's!

Off to read it now! lol

There have been plenty reviews for this monitor just Google it. And they have all been great reviews...makes me want it even more

Oh I know that, it's just that I was waiting for Tom's Hardware specifically to do a review since I like their reviews!

 

[Merry_Blind]

No, because the console won't output 120 Hz, especially not through HDMI to DisplayPort conversion.

It's not the framerate they're being picky about, it's the refresh rate.

Ok, let's forget consoles then for a second, because I didn't think of the fact that they can't output at 120hz. If, for example, I had my PC hooked to the Swift monitor, set to 120Hz, and that the game I play has a fluctuating framerate going anywhere from 30fps to 90fps. Would I be able to use ULMB since the monitor is running at 120Hz? Despite the framerate being all over the place, and not ever at 120fps?

Thanks for your reply btw.

 

[Merry_Blind]

For example, if I were to connect a console to this ASUS Swift monitor, could I use ULMB in 120hz mode with a 30fps game?

I'm definitely not an expert on ULMB or Gsync but the blurbusters website says "LightBoost motion blur elimination is not noticeable at 60 frames per second." So even if you could get a console hooked up to the Asus Swift I don't think you would be able to notice any difference unless you get 85+ fps.

But like I said, more and more TVs are being released with a 'Black-Frame insertion' option, and from reviews, it gets rid of motion blur very well, even for a movie, which plays at 24fps.

 

[CraigN]

Ok, let's forget consoles then for a second, because I didn't think of the fact that they can't output at 120hz. If, for example, I had my PC hooked to the Swift monitor, set to 120Hz, and that the game I play has a fluctuating framerate going anywhere from 30fps to 90fps. Would I be able to use ULMB since the monitor is running at 120Hz? Despite the framerate being all over the place, and not ever at 120fps?

Thanks for your reply btw.

No problem. I enjoy discussing the topic.

Yes. You would. Because with ULMB on, the REFRESH RATE stays constant, despite your varying frame rate. The monitor (In regular, or in ULMB mode, with Gsync off) will only refresh the frame at a rate of every 8.33 ms (1 / 120Hz), regardless of your framerate. This has nothing to do with the 1ms response time. That's where your keyboard or mouse input lag comes in. This is also what causes horziontal tearing, which is what GSYNC aims to remove. If your FRAME rate is much higher, or much lower, than your monitor's REFRESH rate, you will observe lots of tearing. ULMB does not reduce tearing, just motion blur.

You don't have to hit 120 fps to refresh at 120 Hz, but you get the most benefit out of your monitor that way. So yes, you can play ULMB at any framerate, but you *will* notice stutter if you're playing in the 90s and then drop into the 30s. This is what traditionally VSYNC tries to remove, but introduces input lag as a side effect.

Gsync removes the stutter and the tearing with virtually no input lag. It makes it so your monitor will refresh at the same rate as your framerate. So if you set your monitor to 144 Hz, and turn GSYNC on, then suddenly your *Max* framerate becomes 144 Hz (can't update faster than the panel), and the refresh rate of the monitor (when the monitor displays new frames from the GPU) varies with the framerate of the game from any range of 35 FPS up to 144 FPS. If you drop below 30 FPS, the GSYNC module switches to traditional VSYNC.

GSYNC can be toggled on and off from the Nvidia Control Panel. This is how you can switch between GSYNC or ULMB depending on what type of game you want to play.

 

[redgarl]

It's made by Asus and it is not a motherboard... stay away from it...

 

[CraigN]

Not sure why you feel that way. Several of their other products I own have been outstanding. My VG248QE is great and so is my G750JX laptop. Their $650 4K monitor got fantastic reviews.

Some of their lower-end products have some quality issues I hear, but you see that in Dell, HP, Acer... It's not exactly a new trend.

 

[redgarl]

It's made by Asus and it is not a motherboard... stay away from it...

 

[Merry_Blind]

Ok, let's forget consoles then for a second, because I didn't think of the fact that they can't output at 120hz. If, for example, I had my PC hooked to the Swift monitor, set to 120Hz, and that the game I play has a fluctuating framerate going anywhere from 30fps to 90fps. Would I be able to use ULMB since the monitor is running at 120Hz? Despite the framerate being all over the place, and not ever at 120fps?

Thanks for your reply btw.

No problem. I enjoy discussing the topic.

Yes. You would. Because with ULMB on, the REFRESH RATE stays constant, despite your varying frame rate. The monitor (In regular, or in ULMB mode, with Gsync off) will only refresh the frame at a rate of every 8.33 ms (1 / 120Hz), regardless of your framerate. This has nothing to do with the 1ms response time. That's where your keyboard or mouse input lag comes in. This is also what causes horziontal tearing, which is what GSYNC aims to remove. If your FRAME rate is much higher, or much lower, than your monitor's REFRESH rate, you will observe lots of tearing. ULMB does not reduce tearing, just motion blur.

Ok I get it. Most of what you said about G-Sync and V-Sync I already knew though but thanks anyway for elaborating!
I was just confused as to when you CAN and when you CANNOT use ULMB. So I understand it all depends on the refresh rate, however, wouldn't the flicker be weird, buggy, etc. with a varying framerate? (my 30-90fps scenario).
Also, any idea why Asus limits this option at 85Hz minimum, whereas TVs manufacturers implement such technologies in 60Hz panels (unless it does work because of those weird 'fake 120hz/240hz' cheats they use)

 

[CraigN]

The image (and strobe) still refreshes every 8.33 ms, even if your framerate is lacking. You'll just notice stuttering or frame skips in games like you normally would without the strobing. The strobe will still come on in time with the next rendered frame, you just might have a "jump" between what the last image you saw and the present one when you have a framerate jump like that. It won't be fluid. But the backlight will still strobe on drawing the new frame.

Explaining the difference between refresh rate and frame rate is weird. This image kind of gives you the gist of it the best.

The only difference is this is done in steps of ~16ms, which would be a 60Hz screen. In a 120 Hz screen, your refreshes are more frequent (half of what you see on that image) so you notice tearing a lot less. If a new frame is not ready in time for the screen refresh, the monitor typically reproduces the previous frame again.

Quick Edit: I do not believe the 85 Hz minimum is an ASUS limitation, but more of a limitation of the NVIDIA tech. After all, this limitation is also present on the GSYNC DIY kit for the VG248QE. So I believe that this is an NVIDIA design decision (since as someone mentioned earlier, has little to no benefits at 60 Hz) and that other manufacturers are getting away with the 120Hz/240Hz sorcery.

 

[ubercake]

Here's something that has me thinking...

Usually, when Tom's Hardware determines a product is 'smart' or exceptional, they give it some kind of 'Tom's Hardware' accolade. There isn't one with this monitor which makes me wonder why?