ASUS ROG STRIX XG279Q Monitor Review

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Matrix speed - HDR10

Matrix speed

ASUS ROG XG279Q is positioned as the flagship in 2560x1440 resolutions, few competitors are able to deliver an honest 170Hz. This monitor is ideal for the most dynamic games, including competitive eSports disciplines.

1ms GtG is an excellent indicator for IPS matrix. Let me remind you that this parameter measures the time for which the brightness of one-pixel changes. The bigger it is, the easier it is for the eye to notice it (for example, smearing a moving object is a result of the fact that pixels are not able to change their color in time). The monitor settings menu is very rich in custom settings and there are a total of 6 different Matrix overclocking modes available: OD Level 0, OD Level 1, OD Level 2, OD Level 3, OD Level 4 and OD Level 5. OD , it is also Overdrive is the standard technology of overclocking matrix. The default setting is Level 3 and it is one of the most comfortable modes for the eyes. Level 4 and Level 5 is not useful due to artifacts appearing at certain color transitions. For better comfort, I want to offer Level 2 or even Level 1 users.


Strob-test-1sm

As for the ELMB (click photo to enlarge), it's not all clear here. Let me remind you that ELMB SYNC is a mode that uses strobe illumination that flashes synchronously with refresh cycles. That is, in a simple language it is a technology of inserting a "black" frame between frames that were before. As a result, we have stroboscopic crosstalk - it's a double image effect that can sometimes be seen during Blur Reduction (technologies similar to ELMB) on game monitors. Essentially, you turn on Blur Reduction and then sometimes you see double-image effects. The Ghosting TestUFO demonstrates this perfectly.


Strob-test-2


In the dark field, the artifacts are more visible.

Another feature of the ELMB SYNC is the blocking of the matrix acceleration modes and the half-maximum brightness of the screen due to the "inserted" black frame. In the case of ASUS ROG XG279Q, the brightness cannot be adjusted and is equal to 190-225 cd/m² depending on the measured area.

The last and perhaps the most important feature is the Adaptive-Sync (Free-Sync) feature, which supports G-SYNC in Compatible mode, not Ultimate, although the G-SYNC sticker that was previously only adhered to on models with built-in hardware module is present. ASUS ROG XG279Q does not have such a module, it only supports DP 1.2 interface and video driver level. Free-Sync works fine on the 48~144Hz band for HDMI 2.0 and 48~170Hz for DisplayPort 1.2. Achieves no breaks in the picture at a highly floating FPS level, which is normal with resource-intensive (poorly optimized) games and 2K resolution.

HDR-10

Compliance with the HDR 400 standard on an 8-bit matrix will not bring the user much joy. Firstly, due to the matrix itself and secondly due to the maximum peak brightness of 400 cd/m², a higher brightness will cause considerable discomfort for the eyes.  After activation of HDR in Windows (sometimes it is enough to enable HDR in the game) all colors in SDR modes will become faded and low-contrast. Do not be afraid of this because first of all HDR standard cannot be seen in the static SDR mode. Again, we cannot show HDR on fixed objects, because you are looking at the SDR monitor. HDR effect is not only brightness but also deeper and better dynamic colors; for example, BT.2020 color space or DCI-P3 color space from film industry can display colors that do not exist in nature (real world) and HDR will help you. In HDR games, HDR is often "screwed on" only for light flashes, blaster shots, or more atmospheric explosions, with the rest of the scene losing contrast. In my opinion, perhaps subjectively, none of the existing games looked "tasty". The only place where I felt the full power of HDR was this demo:


Wild, bright, juicy shades with a really cool visual glow effect.


HDR content is still not very numerous, although there is Ultra HD Blu-ray, Amazon, Netflix or YouTube HDR. But even here without any problems, for Ultra HD Blu-ray you will need a special drive and Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX), while SGX must be active in the BIOS (often this option is inactive and hidden by the motherboard manufacturer). If you want to watch Netflix or YouTube HDR - we will not see HDR again without normal support in graphics card drivers. As for HDR modes, ASUS ROG XG279Q has two of them: ASUS Cinema HDR (presets from VESA) and ASUS Gaming HDR (own development from ASUS). For me personally, the Cinema HDR mode was more enjoyable, it wasn't too bright, and the gamut in SDR mode was richer.

To sum up, HDR in the PC niche is a developing technology that really has a future, but at the moment, like ray tracing from Nvidia, the meaning will have to search.

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