When considering a premium gaming monitor purchase, the discussion always comes down to resolution and refresh rate. While an Ultra HD monitor running at 240 Hz would be amazing, the video card to drive it isn’t here yet. It’s important to balance monitor and system capabilities, and QHD resolution is still the best way to accomplish that. I’ve played games on literally hundreds of monitors, and I always enjoy the ones that deliver the highest frame rates best.
The Asus ROG Swift PG279QM defines the fast QHD category. For around $900, it delivers truly smooth motion because it can top 200 fps. No Ultra HD monitor can do this yet. When coupled with perfect G-Sync and FreeSync operation, you have a gaming experience that is completely addictive. I found no flaws in the PG279QM’s video processing.
Asus has devoted equal attention to image quality. With one of the largest color gamuts I’ve yet measured, the PG279QM sports rich hues and saturation in all situations. It comes amazingly close to filling the Rec.2020 gamut and tops DCI-P3 with over 112% coverage. The best part is the choice afforded to the user. If you’d rather keep sRGB for SDR content, you can do this automatically with one setting in the OSD.
HDR content looks stellar here as well. Asus keeps the cost under control by using an edge backlight but has a zone dimming feature that sends contrast over 34,000:1. HDR black levels are super-low and that means a deeply detailed and lifelike picture. And accurate HDR color tracking helps with that.
I failed to find any downside to the Asus ROG Swift PG279QM. With an addictive gaming experience and pro-level accuracy, it can serve as a monitor for all tasks and purposes. It’s premium-priced but completely worth it. If you’re looking for balanced gaming performance and top-shelf image quality, you've found it.
