Asus ROG Swift PG278Q 27-inch G-Sync Monitor Review

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We’ve been waiting to experience the wonders of G-Sync for months, and Asus is the first company to deliver a finished product. Its ROG Swift PG278Q is a 27-inch QHD TN-based display with G-Sync, 144 Hz operation, and ULMB, a new blur-reduction feature.

OSD Setup and Calibration of the PG278Q

The ROG Swift is completely focused on gaming, and as such has a minimal OSD. Fortunately, there are just enough adjustments to dial in color and grayscale properly. We also discovered a couple of other unique features.

OSD Tour

The Color menu has Brightness, Contrast, and Color Temp controls. Even though the gamma measured fine in our press sample, a couple of presets to make the tone darker or lighter for specific games would be nice.

Color Temp contains three fixed presets (Normal, Warm, Cool) and a User mode with RGB sliders. They start at their maximums, which is not ideal, but you won’t give up much contrast by calibrating them.

The Image menu has an OD (overdrive) option and the ULMB motion-blur reduction feature. We did all our tests on the OD Normal setting and saw no artifacts at all. ULMB, as already mentioned, improves motion resolution and reduces light output. To see just how much, check out our charts on page ten.

The final menu has language options, OSD position and timeout, signal info, and Light In Motion (a toggle for the red light that rings the monitor’s base). If you turn it on, the light stays lit even when the Swift is turned off. All Reset returns the menu settings to their factory defaults.

Calibration

Since the PG278Q only has one picture mode, calibration is limited to setting the desired brightness level and choosing a color temperature. The User preset unlocks the RGB sliders, which start at their maximum values. A few clicks to red and green gave us decent grayscale tracking. There are no gamma adjustments. But our tests showed solid results, so they’re not missed. We obtained our benchmark results with ULMB turned off. It’s a variable backlight strobe, so it reduces light output. Again, check out the complete tests on page ten.

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Asus ROG Swift PG278Q Calibration Settings
Brightness44
Contrast50
Color TempUser
RGBRed 94, Green 98, Blue 100
Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.