APC - September 2015 AU.pdf

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“When it comes to image quality, this new
IPS model whips the RoG Swift raw with
the spiky end of a DVI cable. It’s an
absolutely gorgeous screen.”
MONITOR
$999 | ASUS.COM/AU
ASUS MG279Q
Behold, the messiah of gaming monitors.
ASUS’s new MG279Q
ticks a lot of boxes.
It’s a 27-inch IPS
model, with 2,560
x 1,440 pixels, 144Hz and
adaptive syncing. It’s not
a super-wide panel with
3,000-plus horizontal
pixels. Nor is it a 4K box.
But 2,560 x 1,440 pixels is
arguably where the sweet
spot is right now in terms
of matching pixel grids
with GPU power – 4K panels
are marginal for smooth
rendering on a single GPU.
Intriguingly, you get all
this for $100 less than
ASUS’s familiar RoG Swift
monitor. That’s similar in
many regards. It’s 27 inches,
2,560 x 1,440 pixels at
144Hz and with adaptive
sync. But it differs critically
in two regards. The RoG
Swift’s adaptive sync is
Nvidia-flavoured G-Sync
tech and its LCD is a TN item.
This screen sports AMD’s
competing FreeSync tech
and rocks an IPS panel.
When it comes to image
quality, this new IPS model
whips the Swift raw with
the spiky end of a DVI cable.
It’s an absolutely gorgeous
screen. The colours are as
good as we’ve seen pretty
much anywhere on any
screen. It’s a delightful
combination of accuracy
and saturation, at the same
time as seeming perfectly
natural and not remotely
forced, the latter being a
routine issue with VA
panels, which often look
punchy but thoroughly OTT.
Where things get
complicated, both in terms
of the comparison with the
Swift and in terms of actual
technical implementation, is
when it comes to adaptive
sync tech. Adaptive sync
means aligning the refresh
rate with the output of your
graphics card for improved
smoothness and an end to
screen tearing. We know
AMD’s FreeSync technology
is a little rough around the
edges, and unfortunately,
that remains the case here.
For starters, FreeSync
doesn’t currently play nicely
with response-enhancing
overdrive tech,and you get
some nasty inverse ghosting
with FreeSync enabled.
The MG279Q is actually a
good display to get to grips
with the problem, thanks to
a wide range of adjustment
for the overdrive setting,
which is accessed via ASUS’s
excellent OSD. Set it to
minimum and there’s little
to no ghosting, but a fair bit
of blur. Crank it up to max
and the ghosting is utterly
grim. Around the 40%
setting cuts the blur nicely
and doesn’t add any
noticeable ghosting.
Next up, the FreeSync in
this implementation is also
limited to a maximum
refresh rate of 90Hz. That’s
enough to get much of the
smoothness benefit of high
refresh rates, but not all of
it. Of course, you could argue
that once you’re up over
100Hz, the benefits of
adaptive sync are marginal.
So if your graphics card is up
to it, running with FreeSync
disabled and the panel set to
full 144Hz reheat could be
the answer.
Casting a shadow over all
of this is the fact that you’ll
need an AMD GPU to run
FreeSync, while G-Sync
screens like the Swift need
Nvidia graphics. Given that
monitors are generally
pretty long-term purchases,
that makes for a potential
GPU vendor lock-in that
leaves us more than a little
bit uncomfortable. Not
that this is ASUS’s fault.
However, it’s certainly
worth bearing in mind.
That said, you’re not
really paying extra for
the FreeSync capability.
So view the ASUS MG279Q
as mainly a 144Hz IPS
panel and it’s still a very
appealing proposition.
The best gaming monitor
yet? Very possibly.
Jeremy Laird
Verdict
Features
Performance
Value
IPS with 144Hz at last and FreeSync is
essentially freebie, but it’s not cheap.
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