Asus ROG Swift PG43UQ 4K Gaming Monitor Review: Jumbo Screen, Extra Bright

A massive gaming monitor with 1,000 nits, HDR, Adaptive-Sync and 144 Hz.

Reviews
By Christian Eberle
last updated
Asus ROG Swift PG43UQ
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Asus)

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At $1,500, does the PG43UQ have what it takes to rival some of the best HDR monitors? Though it has an edge-array backlight, and not a FALD or OLED one, the PG43UQ’s Dynamic Dimming feature provides superb contrast, thanks to low black levels and an accurate luminance curve.

Here we describe how we test HDR monitors. 

HDR Brightness and Contrast 

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Asus ROG Swift PG43UQ
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The ROG Swift PG43UQ has no problem making good on VESA’s DisplayHDR 1000 certification. We measured 1,084 nits from both full-field and 25% window patterns. We hit this number in all three HDR modes with Max Brightness set to, you guessed it, 1,000 nits. If you want to dial that back, choose either 600 or 400 nits from the menu.

Of the monitors in the group, only the two 43-inchers have edge backlights; the rest have superior FALD units. But the PG43UQ isn’t far behind. In most environments, users will be hard-pressed to see the difference. Though it came in last in the contrast ratio test, 27,382.4:1 is an impressive number. One might see a difference in a blacked-out room, but in most spaces, the typical user will think the PG43UQ’s HDR looks equal to the other monitors here. 

Grayscale, EOTF and Color 

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Asus ROG Swift PG43UQ
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The PG43UQ’s HDR grayscale and luminance accuracy is beyond reproach. We measured all three HDR modes and got nearly identical results. GamingHDR is the default and the setting we used for all hands-on and gameplay tests. There were no visible grayscale errors, and the EOTF curve stays quite close to the yellow line. The tone-mapping point is specced at 75%, but the monitor makes a soft transition at 70% -- although that’s not visible with the naked eye. 

In the HDR color test, we see a bit of over-saturation in all colors except green at 100% brightness, where the native gamut is a tad short of the mark. Your eyes won’t be able to see this though, and the error is typical of extended-color displays. We found the PG43UQ’s HDR color to be exemplary; easily comparable to pro screens like the CP7271K.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test Monitors

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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.

8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • PapaCrazy
    Extremely tempting but price needs to go (way) down and GPU power up for such awesomeness to be readily adopted.
    Reply
  • Kridian
    $1,500?!Nope
    Reply
  • uwhusky1991
    Seems that TV manufacturers are missing an opportunity. TCL sells a 43" 4k tv for about $200. You can't tell me that it costs 9X more to make a 144hz 43" tv. Asus sells it for that much because there aren't any mainstream options. TV companies see the 43" TV size as a low end product whereas it's a high end price point for PCs.
    Reply
  • Tanquen
    VA / W-LED, edge array for $1500 when TVs of this size can be had for $300-$400?

    You can get the XG438Q now for like $1000 why get this?
    Reply
  • shemsureshot
    Looks awesome and probably something I would have bought had I not recently purchased the LG CX 48 inch TV as a gaming display. As someone who uses a large display with my pc I would say the size isn’t much of an issue and after a while even the 48” screen stops looking too big. I’m currently looking for a good deal on a lap board for the keyboard and mouse, there aren’t too many on the market at the moment even though these large displays are creating a need for them.
    Reply
  • CliveStaples
    How do you think this monitor might be better than your CX? I thought the CX was a shoo-in for best gaming display with with the OLED screen, g-sync, 120hz, but I would love to understand where this Asus monitor compares favorably.
    Reply
  • hermanbaggins
    I do alot of drone racing. Its critical to have a fast video feed from our drones to our goggles otherwise we wont have enough time to react and crash into everything. We deal in millaseconds delays also. With that said 1ms response time vs previous version of this monitor 4ms you will tell the difference when gaming. Im not sure if there is any monitor this size with these stats with freestink.
    Reply
  • menka69
    is this not 144hz compatible with gsync?
    Reply