Conclusion

Final Words & Verdict

The ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q GSYNC gaming monitor was designed for a very specific type of gamer with an even more specific set of requirements, for them this monitor ticks all the right boxes. It is blazing fast with a 1 ms refresh rate, the hardcore FPS games will love and adore the 120 / 144 Hz refresh frequency on this 2560x1440 resolution, you could go 3D with it and then there's that other options, of course it is a G-Sync enabled monitor as well ! All that is happening at that lovely and much preferred WQHD resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. The features ooze of the monitor and tick all the boxes that most of you need. But are there any negatives then ? Yes, there is. First, the ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q GSYNC gaming monitor is incredibly expensive for a monitor of this size and panel type. And since it is available in very low volume, even the 799 EURO price tag is artificially inflated to priced above a 1000 EURO. You should not purchase this monitor above asking price, period. Secondly, if you want a very fast screen, then obviously TN is your most suited alternative. But being TN, it comes with deficiencies. The viewing angle might be OK, but if you lift your head to the left or right or even up or down a little, you will already see discoloration up-to the point that it annoyed me personally. I am an IPS type of gamer though, I really dig color precision and good viewing angles. Speaking in terms of color precision. With an aim of 6500K, you'll end up at just over 7500K. The overall contrast and brightness values are overall good maybe a little average, nothing stands out I guess is the best way of saying it. However, for a TN panel, this probably is one of the better looking TN screens you can purchase. 

Aesthetics

You will probably either hate or love the design. We like it very much. ASUS applied a very stealthy look with the massive red LED ring at the bottom. We like the thin Bezel, the OSD works great and overall it is just a kick-ass looking monitor. The screen has a matte finish, no piano-black glossy glare or anything.

G-Sync

So it goes a little something like this, I can not deny that G-Sync really is a nice improvement over the overall visual quality. A game changer in my personal opinion would be a bit of an over statement. But as simple as the idea is, it is a pretty impressive technology alright. Once you experienced it'll be hard to go back to a regular screen. The visual gaming experience is a lot better, but realistically gaming the old-fashioned way with vsync on honestly works just fine for me as well. However playing games without input lag, screen tearing and VSYNC pulsing simply is an improvement of the game experience. As such we think G-Sync is the next logical step in the evolution of PC gaming.  A bit of a danger however remains to be the fact that this is proprietary technology from NVIDIA solely. Without any competition in this segment that is and will drive up monitor prices that are G-Sync enabled. We'll just have to wait and see how this will develop. Also this being proprietary Nvidia technology means that you can only pair it with selected Nvidia graphics cards. The rule of thumb here is, any mainstream Nvidia graphics card starting at series 600 and upwards will be compatible.
 

The Verdict

With all these features like G-Sync the monitor has huge potential for you guys, the gamers. My advice: you need to personally see it to believe it as no chart or recorded video can display the on-screen G-Sync experience you can only see in a real-world environment with your own eyes, on the actual monitors. So in the near future whenever you get a chance to look at a live demo of this monitor or any G-Sync display in say a computer store, just go for it and spend some time on it. Only once you feel you are convinced on the visual improvement, then its worth the extra money. The ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q is one of the best monitors in its class when you need features like a fast smooth running screen with a high refresh rate and gsync. For G-Sync remember, you need to have a more recent GeForce Graphics card as well. But I'll say it once more, you need to be rally after these features before the monitor is worth it. Do keep in mind that it is only a matter of 'relatively short' time that more manufacturers will release monitors like shown today with hopefully better prices. ASUS however delivers a truly unique product here that offers the first in several things on a screen that offers 77% more pixels then your average Full HD screen, I mean 144Hz at WQHD, come on you gotta love it. The pricing of the Swift PG278Q is a whopping 749 to 799 EUR. But due to high demand, low availability and this exclusive position that ASUS has at this moment, we already have seen price topping a 1000 EURO for this monitor in some countries. You will receive three years warranty on this product. The grand features and design make me believe the monitor deserves our top pick award. 

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