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The ROG Swift PG259QN’s Racing mode yields a reasonably accurate image that has a little room for improvement. All calibration controls are available, so optimal performance is easy to achieve (see our recommended calibration settings on page 1).
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
Our initial measurement run showed a slightly warm tint to the grayscale step pattern. Though the errors are visible in steps above 40% brightness, it didn’t have a huge effect on the picture, but the image didn’t pop quite as much as it could.
Gamma was near-perfect with only a small dip at 10%, indicating a rise in luminance at that brightness level.
Our calibration produced a professional-grade grayscale with all errors below a Delta E (dE) of 1. This improved perceived contrast and brought out highlights more for a three-dimensional look and better color saturation. Gamma was unchanged.
Comparisons
A 3.65dE average grayscale means you don’t really need to calibrate the PG259QN, but probably should. Just a few tweaks are needed to reduce the error to a tiny 0.58dE. Only the PG259QN’s stablemate, the VG259QM, and the Samsung can boast better. The naked eye will see no difference among the three.
Gamma tracks tightly at a small 0.21 range of values. Average error is 2.15 for a 2.27% deviation from 2.2. Since the error is only at 10%, you won’t see a problem in real-world content.
Color Gamut Accuracy
For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
The PG259QN is an sRGB monitor with no option for extended color. It covers that spec very accurately, with a nearly spot-on initial measurement. The warm white point pulls red and cyan a little off their hue targets and blue is slightly over-saturated at the 100% mark.
Our calibration fixed those errors neatly, taking the PG259QN to a high level of color accuracy. By the numbers, magenta is a little off in hue, and the 80% red point is about 5% under-saturated. But to the naked eye, the monitor looked very good post-calibration.
Comparisons
All of the monitors in our sample group calibrate to a high color accuracy standard. The PG259QN ended up mid-pack with an excellent 1.68dE result. There is nothing to complain about here.
None of our super-speedy screens feature a wide color gamut. But the PG259QN covers more of the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces than the others. It is very colorful in practice, but a DCI-P3-native monitor would render greater color saturation. If sRGB accuracy is a priority for you, this screen provides excellent performance. If you need critical accuracy, we recommend a software profile.
