Asus ROG Swift PG278Q LCD Monitor Packs Nvidia G-Sync

[Johan Kryger Haglert]

Funny to say "without over-clocking", like if it matters how you get there as long as you do? If the panels can handle it and it's just not done because... whatever / the think 60 Hz is ok / standard then the only part which is missing is someone deciding to go higher from the beginning.

Also it doesn't have to reach 120 Hz, 75 will still be better than 60, 90 better than that, 100 better than that, ..

The G-sync is what I want too but I hate that it's Asus and Nvidia specific as is. Should be e general standard for having a monitor refresh to the video source.

 

[Mlim666]

Uhg, no better than a Korean monitor (which are overclockable AND IPS!) for 300. The high possibility that the Asus panel will have the same color issues as the VG248QE is a turn off. Idk @ 120Hz I don't think G-Sync is necessary, I feel like it's real game changing force will be to 60Hz gamers.

 

[Christopher Shaffer]

@Chris - you're wrong with LB and GSYNC either or scenario - just that IPS doesnt play well with LB above around 75hz. A board can be designed with both. GSYNC isnt that expensive and IPS panels - equivalent sizes are cheaper than TNs right now. Overlord has its IPS 120hz capable monster at $499. Just watch out - you will see there will be a better option available.

IPS are not overrated - you just sound like a TN fanboy. If you're okay with so-so color then cool for you. IPS is just a better option for color, clarity, and brightness. And before you continue your over-hyped comments make sure you ahve gamed on a 1440 120Hz IPS panel and compare it to a similar TN - there is no comparison.

Okay, for one what I said was FOR GAMING they are overrated as they are rather inapplicable; they don't hit the higher refresh rates, or response times, especially not at a similar price range.

Second, I said they're FINE for color-important tasks like video and image editing.

Third, I'm all for great color, but I think TN hate is a little heavy, at least in so much as it applies to gaming. I've used an IPS, the colors are great, but not twice the price great.

Forth, you're still wrong on LB. I did not say they can't have both. What I said was strobbing + GSync is not applicable because Gsync will make strobbing irrelevant. I also said they can't be enabled at the same time, which is currently true:
http://www.blurbusters.com/confirmed-nvidia-g-sync-includes-a-strobe-backlight-upgrade/

There's nothing "over-hyped" about my comments. They state the obvious: the monitors that make the most sense are the ones designed for what they're used for.

$500 for a 120Hz IPS @1440 vs. $279 for my VG248QE 144Hz @1080p doesn't equate. When we're talking maybe a 30% increase to go IPS at the same resolution, same refresh rate, then I can see the upgrade.

You'll also notice that their site doesn't even use the phrase "response time" in reference to this monitor:
http://overlordcomputer.com/products/tempest-x270oc-glossy#oid=1002_1

I've owned LED, LCD, plasma and USED IPS. But I've never even SEEN an IPS rated at 120Hz, 1080p or 1440 with a 1ms response time, let alone anything close to for less than about twice the price of a TN panel.

If you want color at the cost of response time, then IPS is great. If you want performance, TN is still where it's at, especially for the cost.

Also, the color issues referred to on the VG248QE are based only on review with DEFAULT settings; the monitor can easily be adjusted to much better color accuracy.

Funny to say "without over-clocking", like if it matters how you get there as long as you do? If the panels can handle it and it's just not done because... whatever / the think 60 Hz is ok / standard then the only part which is missing is someone deciding to go higher from the beginning.

Also it doesn't have to reach 120 Hz, 75 will still be better than 60, 90 better than that, 100 better than that, ..

The G-sync is what I want too but I hate that it's Asus and Nvidia specific as is. Should be e general standard for having a monitor refresh to the video source.

And I want Mantel for Nvidia. Maybe they'll both lay down their guns and make a nice even trade, but I'm not betting on it any time soon.

 

[Toolguns]

No mention of it being 3D Vision ready...
If it's 3D Vision Ready, I think Asus will have most of my Tax Return in April.

 

[Kronvict]

Looks like it's probably a TN panel, which is an epic fail in my opinion. No TN panel is worth $800 in 2014.

Not all TN’s are made the same: the premium panel used in the PG278Q is of very high quality. IPS panels (and their derivatives like PVA/MVA etc) are not suitable for a multitude of reasons: 1) the response rate is simply not fast enough to react to the active change in refresh rate and 2) They cannot reliably achieve >60Hz without significantly affecting the quality of the image. IGZO technology (and LTPS – low temperature polysilicon – likewise) – yields 100′s of times faster electron mobility versus standard amorphous silicon panels – and thus can provide a response rate comparable to TN (up to 60Hz currently), but, however desirable this technology is, it is still currently cost prohibitively for many PC gaming enthusiasts in 2014, which is why ROG has used a better price😛erformance, high quality TN panel. This debate about TN vs IPS/PLS will go on for a good while but at the end of the day its all about personal preference. I currently use a Dell U2713HM but will get the PG278Q because its everything i have been wanting in a monitor especially since i play alot of FPSs and want that smooth 120hz gameplay at 1440p. I don't wanna deal with overclocking korean panels as well. That's just my preference.

 

[Bondfc11]

Looks like it's probably a TN panel, which is an epic fail in my opinion. No TN panel is worth $800 in 2014.

Not all TN’s are made the same: the premium panel used in the PG278Q is of very high quality. IPS panels (and their derivatives like PVA/MVA etc) are not suitable for a multitude of reasons: 1) the response rate is simply not fast enough to react to the active change in refresh rate and 2) They cannot reliably achieve >60Hz without significantly affecting the quality of the image. IGZO technology (and LTPS – low temperature polysilicon – likewise) – yields 100′s of times faster electron mobility versus standard amorphous silicon panels – and thus can provide a response rate comparable to TN (up to 60Hz currently), but, however desirable this technology is, it is still currently cost prohibitively for many PC gaming enthusiasts in 2014, which is why ROG has used a better price😛erformance, high quality TN panel. This debate about TN vs IPS/PLS will go on for a good while but at the end of the day its all about personal preference. I currently use a Dell U2713HM but will get the PG278Q because its everything i have been wanting in a monitor especially since i play alot of FPSs and want that smooth 120hz gameplay at 1440p. I don't wanna deal with overclocking korean panels as well. That's just my preference.

Your points above are based on the ASUS literature. IPS do not suffer image quality issues at higher refresh rates - ASUS is lying to you. I have 3 IPS that overclock and all are great - there are thousands of these in the wild and I never have read of an image issue above 60hz. Now PLS panel do suffer from darkening once overclocked. ASUS uses the response time and color argument all the time to back why it uses TN panels, which is a-ok for ASUS - just doesn't tell the entire truth.

TNs are fine if you care about response time only. Why I prefer IPS over TN goes to color/clarity/brightness and I cannot tell the difference in response time between the ASUS 248 with GSYNC I have and the Overlord Tempests at 96-120Hz. What I do notice is I prefer the screen real estate and clarity of a large format IPS over a TN.

After playing on this monitor at CES I am still not a fan of the TN. While it is butter smooth - that I love - I will still wait for someone to do an IPS with GSYNC.

 

[Christopher Shaffer]

Looks like it's probably a TN panel, which is an epic fail in my opinion. No TN panel is worth $800 in 2014.

Not all TN’s are made the same: the premium panel used in the PG278Q is of very high quality. IPS panels (and their derivatives like PVA/MVA etc) are not suitable for a multitude of reasons: 1) the response rate is simply not fast enough to react to the active change in refresh rate and 2) They cannot reliably achieve >60Hz without significantly affecting the quality of the image. IGZO technology (and LTPS – low temperature polysilicon – likewise) – yields 100′s of times faster electron mobility versus standard amorphous silicon panels – and thus can provide a response rate comparable to TN (up to 60Hz currently), but, however desirable this technology is, it is still currently cost prohibitively for many PC gaming enthusiasts in 2014, which is why ROG has used a better price😛erformance, high quality TN panel. This debate about TN vs IPS/PLS will go on for a good while but at the end of the day its all about personal preference. I currently use a Dell U2713HM but will get the PG278Q because its everything i have been wanting in a monitor especially since i play alot of FPSs and want that smooth 120hz gameplay at 1440p. I don't wanna deal with overclocking korean panels as well. That's just my preference.

Your points above are based on the ASUS literature. IPS do not suffer image quality issues at higher refresh rates - ASUS is lying to you. I have 3 IPS that overclock and all are great - there are thousands of these in the wild and I never have read of an image issue above 60hz. Now PLS panel do suffer from darkening once overclocked. ASUS uses the response time and color argument all the time to back why it uses TN panels, which is a-ok for ASUS - just doesn't tell the entire truth.

TNs are fine if you care about response time only. Why I prefer IPS over TN goes to color/clarity/brightness and I cannot tell the difference in response time between the ASUS 248 with GSYNC I have and the Overlord Tempests at 96-120Hz. What I do notice is I prefer the screen real estate and clarity of a large format IPS over a TN.

After playing on this monitor at CES I am still not a fan of the TN. While it is butter smooth - that I love - I will still wait for someone to do an IPS with GSYNC.

In order to do G-Sync (currently) the monitor has to support 120Hz. There is no widely-available (let alone, consumer-level) IPS that does 120Hz **based on spec**.

What this means is that yes, there are *overclocked* IPS monitors that will do above 60Hz, but a manufacturer doesn't rely on things like this when it comes to a supply chain. The panel provider will need to guarantee every panel sent is spec'd for 120Hz.

So, yes an IPS with 1ms response time @27in equiped with G-Sync will be very pretty... if anyone ever makes one... if anyone decides to start producing 120Hz spec IPS panels and if Nvidia also produces a G-Sync board that will support this.

The electrical requirements of an IPS, along with the signal requirements make it pretty obvious that a completely different G-Sync unit would be required to make this happen.

We can have this argument all day, but the likelihood is about the same as Nvidia adopting Mantle: it's in all of our dreams, and that's probably where it will stay.

 

[bystander]

Asus is not lying about response times of IPS and even IGZO monitors. Take a look at these monitors. The PLS monitors are typically very fast for IPS. I do realize these isn't a huge sample, but this is why they choose not to use IPS tech for these monitors:http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/asus-pq321q-4k-monitor-review,3698-10.htmlThe absolute fastest monitor, takes 19 ms to change from black to white. A frame at 120hz is 8ms. That means that pixels never reach their correct color on a IPS monitor.Look at the latency too. There is a huge difference in latency as well.It's a trade off. You get major ghosting, and most don't ever hit 120hz anyways, not that you need 120hz for it to be good. Nvidia has chosen make a point that with G-sync, you can read moving text on their clock demo, the ghosting of IPS would fail to do that, which would not live up to their marketing.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Personally it's my experience that there is no "best" in every situation .... just best at certain things. We have three 24" monitors .....Dell IPS, Asus 24" 120Hz and Asus 144 Hz..... when working with photos, everyone wants the Dell..... if there are two people gaming however, the Dell system will sit idle..... it's always the last choice. Side by side the Dell is "fuzzy" and colors are "flat" **by comparison**. And there's more to it then people realize. Photo's are "real life" and the IPS panel does a great job (calibrated of course) of accurately representing them. Much like an audiophile audio recording. Problem is however, that most music we buy is not recorded for audiophiles, it's recorded for the mass market to sound good on the most common denominator .... that means i-Phones and Boom Boxes. The music is mastered such that the highs and lows are artificially elevated so that they sound better on 97% of what the playback devices are in use. When played on a $50k audio system, the result of these exaggerations is almost painful to the ear.Same thing ..... game developers have designed their games to look as best as they can on $125 monitors. Their color palettes are chosen to "look good on what most people have". Put two monitors side by side, one an IPS and one a quality 120+ Hz TN and most people choose the TN .... I demo both when peeps come in for a new build. Run the game benchies or game demo on both and I know the answer before I start ..... I have only had 2 people choose the IPS and both had photography as a hobby. One of the common comments is that the IPS looks like it has a tinted screen protector on it and lines between colors are "fuzzy". Finally the black on the IPS is a matte black (with a slight glow like a TV that is on but no picture) whereas the black on the TN is jet black.People always want to have something that is "best" in every conceivable situation.... but in reality, most of the time what is best in one instance, will not be best oi all others.

 

[latsop6102]

Comments on this YTBB (yet to be born) monitor seem to be all over the place. Gsync IS a new tech. Ever since I started gaming back in the late 1980's the gaming world has seen one tech advance after another. Most were good and added to the world of gaming. Others were like one step forward and two steps backwards. PC gaming has always been an expensive proposition. To speed up my gaming I purchased one of the first hard drives available. It had a capacity of 20Mb (not a misprint) and cost almost $300, in 1987 dollars. Now this new monitor arrives with Gsync AND 120Hz, both of which will enhance my gaming experience. Of course it will cost $799, maybe more, who knows, as release date is due in 2nd quarter 2014. I will get one and that's for sure and so will thousands or tens of thousands of other like minded gamers every where. The newer games are developed to run on the latest and best technology. We call that ADVANCEMENT and I hope that it never goes away. It's like damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. I'll have this new monitor when it's available and damn the cost. It will make my gaming experience better and that IS the whole matter of being a gamer. My wife calls my computer the fat lady because when she asks when will I ever finish it I tell her "when the fat lady sings." And she hasn't sung yet.

 

[Christopher Shaffer]

@Tom's: your "Reply to" function is currently broken in Chrome. Not sure what's up there.

@latsop6102 : G-sync might be new, but I can confirm 100% that it's the greatest thing to happen to monitors since 120Hz. When they say "you have to see it to believe it" it's true, but I'm warning you: once you do, you won't go back.

If you watch videos with a lot of high-speed action and play PC games, period (not just FPS at all; it's awesome on pretty much everything, especially Batman Arkham Origins) then you'll love G-Sync. It's a game changer, no pun intended.

I wouldn't tout it so much if it was just kind of awesome. It literally makes games I've already played feel new again.