Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ 4K Gaming Monitor Review: Worth Every Penny

Reviews
By Christian Eberle
published

The Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ is one of the best (and priciest) 4K gaming monitors around.

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Conclusion

We told you up front that the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ is worth every bit of its $2,000 asking price. And it clearly isn’t just a gaming monitor. While that is its primary purpose, it can serve equally well as a color-critical display, a Windows machine and a great way to watch Ultra HD video.

When testing Ultra HD monitors with HDR, we’ve been comparing them to the Dell UP2718Q because of its full-array zone-dimming backlight (Yes, we know about the Acer Predator X27. It’s sitting in our lab right now awaiting testing.)  It has been obvious that the only way any LCD technology could properly display HDR was with a full-array backlight. Our test results and experience prove this beyond any shadow of a doubt.

The PG27UQ now stands as the very best monitor we have reviewed yet. It pumps out a true 1,000 nits in HDR mode and delivers contrast over 61,000:1. Even SDR content is greatly enhanced with a contrast ratio over 17,000:1. Extended color is properly implemented as well with over 90 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut covered. And if you want some extra saturation in SDR mode, that wide gamut option is available in the OSD.

The PG27UQ can truly do it all. Load up the latest version of Windows 10, and you can have HDR in all your applications. Plug in an Ultra HD Blu-ray player, and it will make your discs sing. Even premium YouTube videos look better. And games? Once you’ve experienced an HDR title, you won’t be able to go back. The realism is so good, it’s scary.

The only downside to the PG27UQ is its cost. We think it’s worth it, but we know $2,000 is outside many users’ budgets. And don’t forget to include another $800 for a GTX 1080 Ti. For now, this monitor is likely to grace only a select few high-end systems. But that price will come down eventually. The future is now, and it’s only going to get better from here.

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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.

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15 Comments Comment from the forums
  • hixbot
    What about the fan noise?
    Reply
  • mlee 2500
    Won't catch me buying a monitor with a fan inside. I don't care how great it is otherwise. Not too mention 4K at 27" is kind of a pointless waste of the GPU resources you use to drive it. Even at 28" I find my XB280HK too small for most games at 4K...it just makes all the hours that game developers and artists put into their product become pointless when the details are too small to notice.

    I've come to the conclusion that 30" is probably the sweet spot of not extending too far beyond your peripheral vision while still being large enough to make 4K worthwhile (I had a 31" LG and it was *too* big, IMHO). Of course this all assumes a rational 16:9 aspect ration. Don't even get me started on these super wide models with a paltry 1440 vertical. Seems like a neck injury waiting to happen.
    Reply
  • jonhart
    That's not how net worth works.
    Reply
  • Posty351
    27 inches?? Waste of space if not 32" or bigger.
    Reply
  • jas1nt
    Just buy it.

    Ironically, you'd need an RTX 2080 Ti too.

    JUST BUY IT
    Reply
  • AlistairAB
    Get the non-HDR version about to be released. Only $1300 instead.
    Reply
  • milkod2001
    This is something i was waiting for ages. Just one thing. I'm not 13years old any more, wish i was :). I don't need that stupid holographic or RGB lighting at the back. Just regular adjustable stand. I also don't need HDR, it's immature gimmick at the moment. I also want 32'' 4k version. 27''4k is a joke. Also price should be more down to earth $1200-1500. Gonna wait a little bit more i guess.
    Reply
  • milkod2001
    Go ahead and read reviews of actual owners on newegg. There is a loud fan included. This is not acceptable at this price.
    Reply
  • Joe Black
    Best thing about it... It's not curved. Amiright?
    Reply
  • moogleslam
    @Joe Black - I wouldn't call that the best thing about it, but sure, there isn't much need for a 16:9 27" to be curved. Not sure if you're against curved in general, but there's absolutely a place for it. a 21:9 34" or a 32:9 49" absolutely has to be curved.
    Reply