27″ Asus Rog Swift Pg27uq Review

The 1440p IPS panel on the 27″ Asus Rog Swift Pg27uq makes it a great gaming monitor. The picture quality is good, and it looks great even in a dark room because it is bright and can handle reflections well. Like most IPS monitors, it has a low native contrast ratio, so blacks look grey in a dark room. However, it has good viewing angles, so the image stays true up close. It has a great response time at the maximum refresh rate, the backlight doesn’t flicker, and the input lag is great.

27″ Asus Rog Swift Pg27uq Specifications

Design

The 27″ Asus Rog Swift Pg27uq monitor uses an IPS panel with 10-bit colour depth (8-bit + FRC), 178-degree viewing angles, and a 4-ms response time speed. It is factory-calibrated to Delta E 3, covering 97% of the DCI-P3 colour space and 99% of the Adobe RGB colour space for colour-critical work in a professional setting. If you’ve been looking for a great monitor for gaming and work, you may have just found the holy grail. The ASUS PG27UQ also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) with a contrast ratio of 50,000:1 and a peak luminance of 1,000 nits, making bright highlights and dark blacks.

Display

You’ll need a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card and the latest drivers for this display. This will let you use both HDR10 and fast refresh. To turn on HDR, you’ll also need the Windows 10 update from October 2017. G-Sync is the best technology for preventing tears, and surprisingly, there is no ULMB (ultra-low motion blur). Even though the panel’s native bit depth is still 8 bits, it can also accept 10-bit signals (FRC). The PG27UQ comes with a factory-certified calibration that solidifies its status as a high-end monitor.

Performance

The 27″ Asus Rog Swift Pg27uq supports HDR and 4K at 144Hz. There’s a catch, though. What you won’t find on the product page or the box is that the ASUS PG27UQ can only do one of the following three things because of the bandwidth limits of DisplayPort 1.4:

• 98Hz and 10 bits of colour depth
• 120Hz and 8 bits of colour depth
• 144Hz and 4:2:2 chroma subsampling

It’s not a big deal to drop the colour depth to 8 bits. In video games, you can’t tell the difference between 8-bit and 10-bit colour depth. Most games use only 8-bit colour. At 120Hz, the 27″ Asus Rog Swift Pg27uq’s input lag is only 5ms, which isn’t noticeable, and its response time speed of 4ms gets rid of most artifacts left behind by fast-moving objects. It’s not as fast as modern IPS panels, so you can still see some minor ghosting, but it’s not a big deal. G-SYNC Ultimate ensures that gaming is smooth even at lower FPS by matching the monitor’s refresh rate to the frame rate of the GPU. This completely removes screen tearing and stuttering with almost no input lag penalty.

Price & Similar Monitors

At first, the 27″ Asus Rog Swift Pg27uq cost $2,000, but now you can find it for as little as $1,300. The Acer Predator X27, based on the same panel as the PG27UQ, costs about the same as the PG27UQ. On the other hand, its design doesn’t have a pivot, and the RGB lighting isn’t as customizable. However, it has built-in speakers and two extra USB 3.0 ports. We suggest that you get the Dell AW3423DWF instead. It costs $1,100, but its QD-OLED panel with an infinite contrast ratio and its smoother performance with an instantaneous response time make it a much better HDR TV.

Should You Buy the 27″ Asus Rog Swift PG27UQ?

The 27″ Asus Rog Swift PG27UQ is a premium gaming monitor that combines high-end features with exceptional performance. Here’s a breakdown to help you decide if it’s the right purchase for you:

Pros:

1. Exceptional HDR Performance: The 384-zone full-array local dimming (FALD) and peak brightness of 1000 nits ensure stunning HDR visuals with true blacks and vibrant highlights.
2. High Resolution and Refresh Rate: Supports 4K UHD resolution at up to 144Hz, providing an incredibly detailed and smooth gaming experience.
3. Great Color Accuracy: Factory-calibrated with a 97% DCI-P3 color space and 99% Adobe RGB, making it suitable for color-critical work.
4. G-Sync Ultimate: Ensures smooth, tear-free gaming with minimal input lag.
5. Solid Build Quality: Fully ergonomic design with adjustable stand, robust construction, and premium materials.

Cons:

1. Expensive: Even at a reduced price of $1,300, it’s still a significant investment.
2. DisplayPort 1.4 Limitations: You have to choose between higher refresh rates or color depth due to bandwidth constraints.
3. Haloing/Blooming: Turning off local dimming can mitigate this, but it may impact contrast performance.

Considerations:

• Gaming Needs: The PG27UQ is an excellent choice for hardcore gamers who want top-tier performance and visual fidelity.
• Professional Use: The colour accuracy and HDR performance make it suitable for professional work, such as video editing and graphic design.
• Budget: There are cheaper alternatives with similar performance. For instance, the Dell AW3423DWF offers a QD-OLED panel with infinite contrast at a lower price.
• Size Preferences: If you prefer larger screens, ultrawide monitors might be a better fit and offer more desktop space.

Conclusion

Many potential purchasers won’t be solely concerned with cost; size does matter. When comparing 32-inch or 34-inch ultrawide monitors, which cost half as much, a 4K resolution cannot compensate for the decrease in desktop area. Assuming image quality is your top concern, you need not worry. Because of the superior clarity of its HDR and SDR images, this is the best gaming monitor available, regardless of its size.