Asus ROG Swift PG259QN Review: Hitting 360Hz
The Asus ROG Swift PG259QN is the first monitor to hit a 360Hz refresh rate, giving u.s. motility clarity that'southward unlike anything we've seen with LCD panels earlier. Information technology also presents the next evolution of high refresh rate monitors, moving significantly across the 240Hz barrier that we've become accustomed to over the past few years.
What's possibly more than heady about the Asus PG259QN is that information technology hits this refresh with an IPS panel, not a TN. This is the commencement time that IPS is offering the fastest refresh rates on the marketplace, historically that'southward been the realm of TN panels and the just key selling point to those displays.
With this new 360Hz IPS and other ultra fast monitors like Samsung'southward VA-based Odyssey G7, it feels like TN is on its last legs as other technologies step up to exercise what TN has done, only better.
At present, a 360Hz monitor isn't going to be for anybody, especially as nosotros're seeing simply a 1920 10 1080 resolution and 24.five-inch size. But this review presents an interesting await into where monitor technology is headed and what nosotros can expect from other loftier-stop displays over the coming years.
As for other key specifications, the PG259QN is a K-Sync monitor, using a full M-Sync module for its adaptive sync functionality. This ROG monitor has been primal to Nvidia's "Frames Win Games" marketing entrada and has been hyped up alongside their new RTX xxx series GPUs. But this is not an Nvidia-exclusive product, the new iteration of their G-Sync module features industry standard adaptive sync support, so the PG259QN also works with variable refresh rates on AMD GPUs and other VRR-enabled devices.
We are now across the point where G-Sync is a locked down engineering science and that's slap-up to see. Oh and it'south a passively cooled Grand-Sync module, and then no demand to worry almost fan noise like with some G-Sync Ultimate displays.
Asus advertises the display as HDR capable but there's no local dimming support then realistically, this is not an HDR monitor. At that place'south not even a broad colour gamut. But that's non important for a super high refresh brandish, this is all almost that 360Hz refresh rate, fast IPS applied science, 1ms grayness to grey response time then on.
Like virtually of Asus' ROG monitors, this one is designed with the "gamer" oversupply in mind. There are a lot of gamer style elements to be seen here, from the sharp patterns on the rear, to the RGB LEDs, to the bold and aggressive stand. Nosotros've said a few times in the past that nosotros don't like Asus' ROG blueprint aesthetic and that's no unlike here, this is not my favorite monitor design.
With that said, Asus has undeniably built this monitor well. The stand up uses a premium metallic construction for its legs, and while the residual of the display is mostly plastic, we're getting slim bezels, no visible seams and a sturdy stand. Despite packing a full range of motion including height adjustment and pin support, the PG259QN is rock solid and will easily cop a bump to your desk without moving at all.
The on screen display is controlled through a directional toggle and we get the usual strong set of Asus features. For gamers, this includes timers, crosshairs, FPS counters and display alignment tools, all of which are useful. There's also shadow boosting and blueish light filters for manipulating colors. And and then a healthy array of colour controls to blast down color accuracy.
The selection of ports is fine although for some it may be a petty lacking: there's a single DisplayPort, and single HDMI port, in keeping with other One thousand-Sync displays. You'll demand to use DisplayPort if y'all want to access the 360Hz refresh charge per unit, HDMI is capped to 240Hz. There'south also a two-port USB hub and an audio output jack. No born speakers on this one.
I of the big questions we had going into this review was: is 360Hz actually better than 240Hz? There's already been a lot of discussion about how 240Hz delivers diminishing returns over 144Hz, and then what'south the situation here with some other step up in refresh rate?
Display Performance
Response Times / Overdrive Modes
To be honest, nosotros think the feel will vary from person to person as to whether the divergence from 240Hz to 360Hz is noticeable. To me, I can notice a minor merely perceptible gain on 240Hz, and even without a side-by-side comparison I was pleasantly surprised with how responsive this display feels to employ.
It's extremely fast, input feels lightning quick and I'g not a professional esports gamer, although as a monitor reviewer I am tuned in to spotting differences in visual quality. If you lot're less sensitive, maybe you struggle to tell the departure between sixty and 144 Hz (and yes, there are those people out there), and so yeah, 360Hz will be wasted on y'all.
What is very obvious though, is how much of an upgrade 360Hz is on 144Hz. During this review I used the PG259QN side by side with my daily driver, the LG 34GK950F with its 144Hz refresh rate. 144Hz feels sluggish and slow in comparison to 360Hz, there'southward a clear difference in smoothness as yous'd hope for with a two.5x increase to the refresh charge per unit.
It's not as stark of an improvement as 144Hz is on 60Hz (a 2.4x increment to refresh rate), but if yous've been using 360Hz for a while so go back to something only 144Hz, you tin can feel the difference. With 240Hz you become some of this outcome, but non to the same extent every bit with 360Hz.
The adjacent question is whether an IPS console can proceed upwardly with the demands of a 360Hz refresh rate; the window for each refresh here is just 2.78ms, in other words, the monitor can display a new image every 2.78ms. To get a truthful 360Hz experience, the panel has to exist capable of finishing its transition before this window expires, otherwise you just go a smeared mess.
At that place are merely three overdrive modes provided, the offset of which is the Off manner. While a sub-6ms average transition time is impressive for an IPS panel, information technology's not fast plenty for 360Hz gaming. But I don't call up many people will choose to employ this mode, given it's not the default.
The default Normal manner gets you extremely impressive performance. With a two.21ms grey to greyness boilerplate, we are well within the ballpark of a true 360Hz experience. In effect, we see 2 thirds of all transitions completing within the two.78ms refresh window, and over 90% within a reasonable tolerance of the window. This helps to deliver splendid movement clarity with no smearing, very impressive for an IPS display.
There is a pocket-sized amount of overshoot only in practice this is non noticeable, average error rates of 4% are well within normal tolerances and so overall, no issues here at all with how this display performs at 360Hz. To answer the initial question, it seems this new "Fast IPS" technology from AU Optronics is admittedly capable of 360Hz refresh rates. We're getting TN equivalent performance so don't worry at all near IPS not keeping up with such a high refresh, information technology absolutely can.
The extreme mode, one step higher, isn't equally useful. Here we get very high levels of overshoot and grey to greyness performance doesn't amend significantly on average. Given that in this manner as well as the Normal style, we do encounter 1ms transition times or lower, I think Asus' claims about a 1ms grey to gray transition are largely authentic. Nosotros all the same aren't at a signal where we become 1ms on average, but 2ms is pretty shut, and then we're definitely inching closer.
When using the Normal mode, in that location'southward no demand to worry about switching to other overdrive modes at dissimilar refresh rates. Thanks to the Chiliad-Sync module's implementation of variable overdrive, we get solid performance throughout the entire refresh range.
In offering nearly a 2ms grey to gray boilerplate, the Asus PG259QN is the fastest monitor nosotros've ever tested.
At 240Hz we see a two.59ms greyness to grey average with a small increment to overshoot. At 144Hz we're at present at a 3.3ms average with college just manageable overshoot. Then at 60Hz we retain manageable overshoot with an increase to a iv.39ms transition fourth dimension average. All throughout this range performance is really good and that'due south what I'd expect from a high terminate monitor.
In offering nigh a 2ms grey to greyness average, the Asus PG259QN is the fastest monitor we've e'er tested.
It's the fastest in terms of refresh rate, but also in terms of response times, the two go mitt in paw here to meridian the charts. This monitor is near 17% faster in terms of response times than the next best, the LG 27GK750F, at lower levels of overshoot. We're also seeing 40% faster responses than other TN monitors we've tested, like the HP Omen Ten 27, when viewing maximum operation.
The but other monitor that gets close is Samsung's Odyssey G7, another sub-3ms contender albeit with a lower 240Hz refresh charge per unit. While Samsung is undoubtedly getting excellent performance out of a VA console, IPS is still the faster applied science overall and more suited to ultra high refresh rates like 360Hz. The fact it's chirapsia TN is even more impressive, thanks to a l% performance proceeds over previous generation IPS brandish which topped out at 280Hz refresh rates.
This chart is a recent addition to our monitor reviews, and shows boilerplate performance across the unabridged refresh range, when using the all-time overdrive mode for variable refresh rate gaming. Previous charts showed best performance at the highest refresh rate, this chart is average performance across all refresh rates tested. Due to the PG259QN falling off slightly at lower refresh rates compared to other monitors, the PG259QN doesn't hold the kind of lead it did in the maximum operation chart. Merely it's still the fastest brandish overall by a narrow margin, although with somewhat college changed ghosting rates.
In general though, all three of the monitors at the top of these charts offering a remarkable gaming experience. The PG259QN does it with IPS, the HP Omen X 27 does it with TN, and the Samsung Odyssey G7 does it with VA. Overall, the ROG PG259QN is the faster monitor due to its higher refresh rate, but it'southward great to encounter such potent competition betwixt unlike technologies, something we've never seen until now.
Dark level performance is a non issue with the PG259QN, there's no night level smearing and response times are consistent across the board. Then for refresh rate compliance, 90% is proficient enough for a mid-tabular array result and that'south certainly splendid for an IPS display. We're seeing all of this accomplished with a sub-5% average mistake rate, which indicates the console isn't existence pushed to the extreme to deliver high response times.
60Hz really isn't the all-time showcase of what this monitor can do, but performance is solid nonetheless, with a 4.39ms grey to greyness average. Not quite up there with the best TN panels, but realistically the experience will be like given the high level of mistiness you get at 60Hz anyway.
Input lag is excellent with this display. Processing delay is around 0.2ms which is aristocracy, and when combined with a very high refresh rate and quick response times, nosotros end upward with a sub 4ms input to paradigm delay. The PG259QN feels lightning quick to use and this is why, nosotros run across class leading input latency which allows for a very smooth and responsive experience.
Power consumption is on the high side for a 24.5-inch display, although the inclusion of a G-Sync module and high refresh rate volition impact that somewhat. Still, 30W is nothing crazy and no crusade for business.
The PG259QN too supports ULMB, aka Ultra Low Move Blur, which is Nvidia's brand name for backlight strobing technology to reduce blur. It's interesting that information technology'due south called ULMB hither instead of Asus' usual brand name ELMB, probably due to the G-Sync arrangement. At that place'south likewise no ELMB-Sync here, and so this display only supports backlight strobing at fixed refresh rates and with G-Sync disabled.
In that location are further restrictions to how ULMB can be used though. The large ane is it tin can't be activated at 360Hz, the maximum refresh rate for ULMB is 240Hz. 360Hz has excellent motion clarity so at that refresh charge per unit it probably would accept but delivered a minor improvement, but still, it's disappointing to run across no possible combination of max refresh and ULMB.
At 240Hz, ULMB is proficient, however at that place is a faint-to-moderate double paradigm from strobe crosstalk. In my opinion it's really a scrap clearer at 144Hz, although the strobe is more obvious here and you lot do lose the smoothness of additional frames. Neither of these refresh rates evangelize a perfect backlight strobing experience, and given ULMB is limited to fixed refresh rates, it'south too not an ideal situation. I'd prefer to use the monitor in its maximum 360Hz manner with G-Sync, but ULMB might be an option in some scenarios.
Default Color Performance
Moving into color performance, and this should be a relatively quick department... that's considering Asus has delivered near-perfect factory calibration with this monitor. Not only are response times the fastest we've tested, but the level of calibration delivered out the box is the best we've seen from any gaming monitor.
The best aspect to scale here is perfect adherence to the sRGB gamma bend. And I mean perfect, seriously this is flawless performance. The CCT curve is also excellent, with no observable tint from the factory. This leads to outstanding deltaE averages below ane.0 by default, this cannot be improved upon in a meaningful style with farther scale.
Saturation performance is too very good. The top finish is impacted a pocket-sized amount, but the residuum of the range delivers good performance. A deltaE 2000 average below 1.0 is elite, and deITP performance is also smashing. Then in ColorChecker, again outstanding results here, equivalent to the previous best calibrated monitor we've tested, the Acer Predator X27. On average, monitors in their manufacturing plant state achieve a deltaE 2000 average of 3.34 in this examination, so sitting well beneath that at just 0.55 is as adept as it gets.
OSD Tweaked Color Performance
The only manner we were able to improve performance further is with a few very minor tweaks to the OSD but fifty-fifty then, we don't think it's worth showing our settings every bit we're confident the best option would be different for different units. In our opinion the factory scale is good enough that you can use this out of the box with no changes at all. That's excellent for this sort of monitor, well higher up our expectations.
Color Infinite: Asus ROG Swift PG259QN - D65-P3
At that place's only one downside here, and that'due south the total sRGB colour space, which sits at just 95%. That'southward not terrible, merely it's a fiddling brusque of the 100% we'd like to encounter from modern sRGB displays.
The main culprit is that reds are a pocket-sized amount below where they demand to exist. Honestly this is not a major issue for about people, 95% is admittedly fine, just it'south just something to be aware well-nigh.
Brightness, Dissimilarity, Uniformity
The PG259QN delivers very high levels of brightness in SDR mode, at over 500 nits. While information technology'south not practical to use the monitor at 500 nits in most environments, it does allow the backlight strobing way to also deliver a high level of brightness, so it's not a wasted feature.
What's really encouraging to meet is the PG259QN delivering a strong contrast ratio for an IPS display. Previous fast IPS panels like those from LG, sacrificed dissimilarity to achieve fast response times. Given IPS panels usually have better contrast and colour quality than TNs, this trade off was a bit disappointing for buyers and while there were all the same other areas where LG'due south IPS produced much amend image quality than a TN, black levels were weak.
AU Optronics with this panel has made no such trade-off, you're getting a 1200:one contrast ratio which is a scrap higher up an average IPS. This gives AUO the #i spot for IPS technology and nosotros're quite eager to see similar implementations in other sizes and resolutions.
Of grade, like with all IPS monitors, contrast isn't amazing overall as an VA panel volition offer around twice the performance or better. But given what we're working with and the response times on offer, we'll have 1200:1 every day.
Viewing angles are great, similar to other IPS monitors and evidently far ameliorate than what a TN can provide. This means you don't demand to view the PG259QN dead on to get the clearest prototype, if you're viewing it at a slightly off angle, everything is still very articulate.
This may not be a big deal for anybody, just I genuinely recollect this is important for tournament-level gaming because in that location's much more leeway for viewing the screen at various angles without a loss to paradigm quality. Every little reward counts.
Uniformity shows average results with a small difference between the left and right halves in terms of color tint, not a huge deal but subsequently a series of fantabulous operation results this is probably one of the display's weaker areas. We don't call up this is a bad effect though, and our unit didn't endure from IPS glow so that'south a positive.
What Nosotros Learned
With all the testing results in, we're very impressed with the Asus ROG Swift PG259QN. From a performance perspective, this is an absolutely fantastic brandish that nails everything it sets out to achieve.
The headline characteristic is superb response times, allowing for a true 360Hz experience, with an IPS console. This sort of performance was unheard of a few years ago, merely it's totally possible and Asus is delivering in a big way.
Asus is challenge this is the globe'south fastest esports gaming monitor and we'd admittedly agree with that statement based on our testing. This is the highest refresh rate brandish we've used, and information technology has the fastest overall response times. That's a killer combination for competitive gaming, and when yous throw in variable overdrive that keeps performance great throughout the entire refresh range, information technology's hard to fault any aspect to the gaming experience.
Some other surprising feat is how Asus has backed up elite response times with the best manufactory calibration we've seen from a gaming monitor. There's no demand to mess around with display settings, y'all can just plug in the monitor and become gaming with excellent colors. And so it's a one-two punch: the fastest response times and the most accurate color experience. That will be extremely difficult to beat out.
It'southward a one-two punch: the fastest response times and the most authentic color experience
Contrast, unlike LG's fast IPS monitors, is great then there's been no trade-off to accomplish great performance. Brightness is superb, equally are viewing angles, and then when combined with accurate colors, the prototype quality hither is awesome. If I had to nitpick, the backlight strobing mode could be better, and we're not quite hitting 100% sRGB coverage. That's nigh all we can think of.
Then once again, as crawly as the ROG Swift PG259QN is and the operation information technology can evangelize, nosotros don't think this monitor will be for everyone, but a smaller niche of players. For most people, let lonely coincidental gamers, 360Hz is merely going to offer a minor improvement over 240Hz. It is better, but for an average gamer, information technology'south probably non that much ameliorate.
At that place's also the question marking over whether you will fifty-fifty be playing at the required frame charge per unit, given you lot'll demand a very powerful system and to be playing less graphically intense esports titles similar CS: GO or Rainbow Six Siege.
In terms of pricing, $700 is a lot of money to pay for a 24.5-inch 1080p brandish, and about twice the price of the MSI MAG251RX, a great quality 1080p 240Hz IPS monitor we reviewed a few months ago. Spending $700 on a monitor that provides only a pocket-size upgrade for most people over a $360 monitor is not a nifty value selection, fifty-fifty though the $700 option has outstanding performance.
If speed isn't admittedly everything to you, and so $700 tin can get you an awesome monitor feel with benefits in other areas. You could purchase the Samsung Odyssey G7 with its 1440p 240Hz VA panel. Or a dainty 4K 144Hz display. Or an LG 27GL850 and save a bit of cash. For well-nigh people and especially those that don't just play esports titles, I'd probably choose i of those options.
And then again, average buyers are not the target market for this monitor. This is for professional person gamers, those that play in tournaments and exercise serious competitive gaming. Having that performance edge over a 240Hz display, no matter how minor, could exist the difference betwixt winning or losing.
For that audience, the Asus ROG Swift PG259QN is an outstanding brandish. Higher refresh rate than we've seen before. Best response times for the clearest motion. G-Sync variable overdrive. IPS display with excellent viewing angles. Aristocracy factory calibration. Spending $700 to get a competitive advantage over your fellow gamers in a coin-on-the-line setting is doormat alter, the just affair that matters is whether the hardware is actually expert and does actually provide an advantage. And this monitor is more than just "good".
The PG259QN too gives us a look into the futurity of monitor technology. While 360Hz displays at 1080p might be out of reach for virtually buyers today, continual innovation at the loftier-end ripples through the rest of the marketplace. 240Hz displays will get cheaper and meliorate. IPS monitors will get faster. In a few years, specs like these will be more affordable as new stuff is introduced at the height. That's what we love to run into and the functioning on offer with the PG259QN has me excited for the adjacent few generations of monitors across the entire ecosystem.
Shopping Shortcuts:
- Asus ROG Swift PG259QN on Amazon
- Samsung Odyssey G7 32" on Amazon
- HP Omen X 27 on HP Store
- LG 27GL850 on Amazon
- Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM on Amazon
- GeForce RTX 3080 on Amazon
Source: https://www.techspot.com/review/2097-asus-rog-swift-pg259qn/
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