Asus ROG Swift PG348Q (34", 3440x1440 @ 100hz) Impressions

moonbogg

Lifer
Jan 8, 2011
10,637
3,095
136
Once in a while I will get suckered into spending more money than is reasonable on a product. This is one of those times. I doubt many of you care about this monitor, but I'll "give my impressions" on it here anyway. Of course, what I am really doing is bragging about my badass new monitor, and anyone who has graced their desk with this titanic Christ like incarnation of gaming technology should certainly brag like hell, and all about it too.
If ever there was a time for a member of the PC Master Race to brag about anything, its upon the acquisition of this monitor. Its not so much a monitor as it is a wide, horizontal window into heaven from which God himself smiles upon you and hugs your face with the angelic curvature of this beautiful beast.
Despite its absurd width and gargantuan surface area, the color uniformity of this panel is better than my last monitor, the Acer XB270HU, not to mention every one of its 4.95+ million pixels are fully functioning. Maybe I hit the panel jackpot and got lucky, but I got what I got. This panel is even and uniform when displaying colors which are prone to banding and revealing backlight uniformity issues, none of which are easily detectable on this lovely charm. From solid white, to light gray and light blue, this panel is strikingly uniform and is quite pleasing to my discerning, hypercritical eye.
After spending this much money, believe me, I would be tearing this monitor apart if there were any noticeable defects. With mine, there are none apart from the slight backlight bleed and IPS glow that seem to be all but impossible to avoid with most of these types of screens. Both of these things are minimal and slight and don't interfere with any use of the screen, including dark scene gaming.
Colors on this IPS panel are very vivid and pop right off the screen like an unwanted AnandTech ad banner. If you aren't accustomed to a panel of this quality, you will suddenly take notice. After calibrating with a Spyder 5 Express, the image is stunning enough to be declared absurd, much like this mini-review.
The curvature is just enough to, as previously mentioned, feel as if though its hugging your face. I came up with that and there is no better description, so stop looking for one. The curve adds a special experiential aspect to the panel that you don't get with standard flat screens, yet its subtle enough to provide this benefit without annoying you, unlike how the author of this review has already done.
The 100hz response time is a good compromise between the limits of current display technology and the blazing fast 16:9 screens already in circulation. Not much is to be missed by the lack of those additional 44hz, and the added resolution and additional field of view do far more than make up for any slight loss in perceived responsiveness.
If you are a noob, you will likely not be reading this amazing review, but you very well may benefit from the digital crosshair feature provided by this monitor. The crosshairs are vivid and bright and 4 options are provided, differing in color and crosshair design. This is a fun feature to have, but their inclusion wasn't necessary on a monitor like this. This monitor is reserved for skilled digital assassins, such as myself, but if you are coming from consoles or a lesser skill level, then perhaps the crosshairs will serve as a tool during your transition into real gaming.
Other nice features include an FPS counter which is displayed on screen, and I find that to be real nice actually. I like being able to see my FPS without having to muck about with any software features. This is done on a monitor hardware level.
The user interface is marvelous with an easy to use and absurdly intuitive joystick hidden behind the right edge of the display. Its so easy a caveman could actually do this.
The build quality of the unit is impeccable, absolutely stunning. The stand is finely crafted and as solid as could be, and the design and aesthetic are pure power, gut punching amazing. They cater to the gamer, but they do it with class. There is nothing cheesy or cheap about the marketing or design of this unit. "If Moonbogg likes it, you know it must be good". Stick that in your sig and keep it there.
Lets not forget to mention Gsync, the subtle but very nice feature that we all know and love. The operating range here is from 30fps to 100fps, and that's how it should be. It covers the full usable range of the panels refresh rate, eliminating tearing which helps keep you on target.
This panel has the complete package of what is awesome in a monitor, and has nothing that isn't. The benefits of gaming in the 21:9 aspect ratio are increased awareness to your left and right, increased immersion and added peripheral vision. Not to mention it just looks completely bad assed. Combine the aspect ratio with the 3440x1440 resolution and all the things above, and you have the best damn gaming monitor in existence.
So, is it really worth the 1300 dead American presidents before taxes? You damn well better believe it is.
 
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mnewsham

Lifer
Oct 2, 2010
14,539
428
136
Only real downside to that 4k panel is it's AHVA not IPS, and the freesync only goes from 35-65hz.

I don't expect it will be too long for 4k IPS panels to have 100hz+ though.
 

moonbogg

Lifer
Jan 8, 2011
10,637
3,095
136
Notice the amazing elite desktop.



Notice the fence post to the left. No way I'd have seen that without this expensive monitor. That post could have easily been a person...with a gun.

 
Reactions: fastman

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,810
29,564
146
Only real downside to that 4k panel is it's AHVA not IPS, and the freesync only goes from 35-65hz.

I don't expect it will be too long for 4k IPS panels to have 100hz+ though.

It seems to me that at 4k, going above 60hz you start to hit diminishing returns, especially when you consider the hardware and the absolute cost of said (completely non-existent) hardware needed to push 4k beyond 60hz. What year do you think we will actually be able to push High-Ultra settings @ +60hz 4k, and what will that cost be? It's already rather expensive to get consistent 1080p60 at Ultra settings.

According to these comments:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1607952/qnix-uhd3216r-4k-matte-ahva-with-amd-free-sync/40

AHVA ~ IPS and from personal reviews, it is as good in terms of actual experience (maybe not technically).

I have been looking for a display like the OP's as I would prefer a wide 1440p, but when panels like that 4k come out, at that price, I start to think that is closer to the sweet spot, even though it doesn't have the more dedicated gaming features. I think that overall, OP has a killer display and is better for gaming now and in the foreseeable future, but at some point I can't deny value.
 
Reactions: moonbogg

moonbogg

Lifer
Jan 8, 2011
10,637
3,095
136
There is going to be a giant wave of new monitors coming, including 120+hz 4K screens and HDR panels and all sorts of stuff. I bet we'll see some good stuff mid to late next year.
 

Snarf Snarf

Senior member
Feb 19, 2015
399
327
136
+500 internets. I spit a bit of water on my desk at the first paragraph. Thanks I needed the laugh today.

That monitor is truly a work of art though, congrats on the purchase.
 
Reactions: moonbogg

IEC

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Jun 10, 2004
14,362
5,028
136
There is going to be a giant wave of new monitors coming, including 120+hz 4K screens and HDR panels and all sorts of stuff. I bet we'll see some good stuff mid to late next year.

I am currently using a 3440x1440 Ultrawide @ 75Hz. I would jump at a 120Hz+ 4K screen with low input latency or a 144Hz+ ultrawide with HDR.
 

MajorMullet

Senior member
Jul 29, 2004
816
4
81
I just had an Acer X34 delivered last night. Gaming is amazing of course - having used 120hz+ screens for years the 100hz "limit" is definitely satisfactory. Unfortunately for me the Acer has some horrible QC issues so I'll probably return it. The bezel in the bottom center is pulling away from the display. It also has some very bad backlight bleed that isn't just contained to the corners. Something that costs this much should have this many quality control issues IMO.

I thought about exchanging it for the ASUS and trying my luck there but from reviews it also suffers from similar QC issues. Might just wait at this point and see what pops up in the fall. Glad you got a good sample though - it's definitely the best gaming experience to be had at the moment!
 

crisium

Platinum Member
Aug 19, 2001
2,643
615
136
60hz. Its like gaming via real time oil painting. Sloppy, 3rd grader style oil painting smeared image.

High refresh rate really is spoiling isn't it? 100Hz sounds just fine. Personally I can feel and notice the difference from 60-75, and from 75-100. 100-144 is probably less profound then those 2 other differences, so I could live with it just fine.

Though I'm not into 21:9 because 16:9 is where most things are optimized for and really has been since ~2007 not counting movies. 4K @ 100-144Hz is where I am going next, though I'm in certainly no rush.
 

MajorMullet

Senior member
Jul 29, 2004
816
4
81
Backlight bleed is terrible on all 21:9 IPS panels i've looked at, especially on the curved models.

I actually purchased an LG 34UC88 (curved) before this one and it was almost perfect. Very, very small IPS glow in the corners but it barely intruded into the panel at all. No yellow bleed whatsoever and amazing panel uniformity. I kind of wish I hadn't tried it out since seeing it made me pretty upset about spending almost twice as much for such an inferior panel with the X34. Unfortunately I've been using high refresh displays for so long that I just couldn't handle going back to 60hz so the hunt continues
 

ScottFern

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2002
3,629
2
76
Such a hard decision.....I just checked Amazon and this monitor just dropped to $1182, but should we wait for whats coming this fall and winter!!!?!
 

moonbogg

Lifer
Jan 8, 2011
10,637
3,095
136
Such a hard decision.....I just checked Amazon and this monitor just dropped to $1182, but should we wait for whats coming this fall and winter!!!?!

I thought about waiting and decided the differences aren't worth the wait. I had to have this though. You can wait for release dates on panels you want, but I haven't heard of any new ones this size yet. Maybe they will have an HDR version at 144hz. Also, I wish mine was $1182. That's a decent discount.
 
Mar 10, 2006
11,715
2,012
126
I thought about waiting and decided the differences aren't worth the wait. I had to have this though. You can wait for release dates on panels you want, but I haven't heard of any new ones this size yet. Maybe they will have an HDR version at 144hz. Also, I wish mine was $1182. That's a decent discount.

There's always something better around the corner. If you have the money to buy something and you really want that something, then just go for it. That's what I do. I am glad I didn't wait for something "better" than my XB270HU because for my needs (2560x1440, hi refresh rate, great image quality) there's still nothing that beats it.

My next upgrade will be an ultra-wide like the X34 but I would really like to see refresh rates more in the 144Hz range because the XB270HU has spoiled me rotten.
 

JTDSR

Member
Mar 16, 2012
143
2
81
I am tempted to pick this up myself. I just purchased the Asus ROG Swift P278Q Sunday. For comparison sake, I was using a Samsung P2770 ( 1080P, 2ms, 60Hz ), circa 2010. The difference was astounding. While I have played BF4 for almost 3 years now, I stayed up until 4AM Sunday morning as it almost felt like a new game. I had been looking at this monitor first, but they had none in stock, and well, I was impulsive and wanted something that day.

My biggest concerns, now that these are back in stock, is:

1. Response time. Going from 1ms to 5ms likely will not be noticeable, but of course, it is something to consider. I am currently playing the BF alpha, and while I do pretty damned good in BF4/3 and prior FPS releases, I tend to have to be more sneaky ( flanking, going prone at common choke points, using cover more often than not, etc ) due to how jittery the monitor I was using was. With the new Asus, I found a lot of my shots rang more true simply due to the smoothness of game play. I wonder if going from 1ms to 5ms might remove some of the smoothness.

2. I am currently using an OC'ed GTX 1070. I wonder as well if I may need to up that to a 1080 due to the increase in resolution. I am currently averaging 85-98 frames in BF1, with all eye candy on in ultra. What video card are you using, and what type of frames are you seeing with the new monitor?

3. Since I likely will not be seeing over 100 frames, I would imagine the decrease from 144Hz to 100Hz would affect little, but I still wonder if I am gimping myself in some fashion. I have one week left to return this monitor for the bigger one, and definitely do not want to go back to the Samsung while waiting for something else to come along the horizon after playing on this current Asus.

4. The brightness is 350cd on my current Asus, and 300cd on the one you have now. I am curious if that might make that much of a difference as well.


Thoughts?


EDIT: I may have just answered one of my own questions. I just saw a video with a 1070 FE and this monitor and he was getting 55-71ish FPS. With the GTX 1080 on another video, he was getting about 70-89ish on average, which is not horrible. Seems I would need a video card upgrade as well then to maintain my current frames.
 
Last edited:

moonbogg

Lifer
Jan 8, 2011
10,637
3,095
136
There's always something better around the corner. If you have the money to buy something and you really want that something, then just go for it. That's what I do. I am glad I didn't wait for something "better" than my XB270HU because for my needs (2560x1440, hi refresh rate, great image quality) there's still nothing that beats it.

My next upgrade will be an ultra-wide like the X34 but I would really like to see refresh rates more in the 144Hz range because the XB270HU has spoiled me rotten.

I had the same concerns and I took a risk on the larger screen being only 100hz. While I am extremely happy with the larger screen (like, stupidly giddy about it actually) I understand your desire to wait for a larger screen to at least match the specs of the amazing XB270HU. And the XB270HU is flat out amazing. I still love mine and will probably cry a little when I get around to selling it.

I am tempted to pick this up myself. I just purchased the Asus ROG Swift P278Q Sunday. For comparison sake, I was using a Samsung P2770 ( 1080P, 2ms, 60Hz ), circa 2010. The difference was astounding. While I have played BF4 for almost 3 years now, I stayed up until 4AM Sunday morning as it almost felt like a new game. I had been looking at this monitor first, but they had none in stock, and well, I was impulsive and wanted something that day.

My biggest concerns, now that these are back in stock, is:

1. Response time. Going from 1ms to 5ms likely will not be noticeable, but of course, it is something to consider. I am currently playing the BF alpha, and while I do pretty damned good in BF4/3 and prior FPS releases, I tend to have to be more sneaky ( flanking, going prone at common choke points, using cover more often than not, etc ) due to how jittery the monitor I was using was. With the new Asus, I found a lot of my shots rang more true simply due to the smoothness of game play. I wonder if going from 1ms to 5ms might remove some of the smoothness.

2. I am currently using an OC'ed GTX 1070. I wonder as well if I may need to up that to a 1080 due to the increase in resolution. I am currently averaging 85-98 frames in BF1, with all eye candy on in ultra. What video card are you using, and what type of frames are you seeing with the new monitor?

3. Since I likely will not be seeing over 100 frames, I would imagine the decrease from 144Hz to 100Hz would affect little, but I still wonder if I am gimping myself in some fashion. I have one week left to return this monitor for the bigger one, and definitely do not want to go back to the Samsung while waiting for something else to come along the horizon after playing on this current Asus.

4. The brightness is 350cd on my current Asus, and 300cd on the one you have now. I am curious if that might make that much of a difference as well.


Thoughts?


EDIT: I may have just answered one of my own questions. I just saw a video with a 1070 FE and this monitor and he was getting 55-71ish FPS. With the GTX 1080 on another video, he was getting about 70-89ish on average, which is not horrible. Seems I would need a video card upgrade as well then to maintain my current frames.


The 1ms vs 5ms response time on these similar panels doesn't mean jack squat. The difference in HZ of the panel is much more of a concern IMO. In the BF1 Alpha, I am using a 980ti @ 1450mhz and my FPS hasn't gone below mid 60's from what I can remember. It usually floats around 75ish on all Ultra and 3440x1440. When SLI starts working I expect FPS to be pegged at 100 most of the time. If you are using a single card at this res, then you'll have to decide what you will be happy with. The FPS does take a hit coming from 1440p, but not a huge one. I wouldn't expect a single 1080 to keep you at 100fps either. A Titan X would get you closer for sure. Don't discount adding another 1070 in your rig. It would blow the doors off a 1080 and would also be faster than a Titan X in games that SLI works with, and would cost significantly less than a single Titan X. If you want a new single GPU for this big monitor, I'd wait for the 1080ti. That's probably the best bet for a single GPU IMO.
I love this monitor and it was worth it in every aspect. I will also add that gaming at 100fps vs 144 is not a big difference. There is a difference, but its a pretty minor one and I can't say I miss the extra 44FPS when playing my most intense FPS game (BF4). It feels the same as far as responsiveness goes really.
 
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moonbogg

Lifer
Jan 8, 2011
10,637
3,095
136
Well since the PG348Q dropped in price I decided to give it a shot instead of getting a replacement X34. Here's hoping ASUS' quality control is a bit better

Congrats on the purchase. I hope yours works out as well as mine did. When do you expect it? It would be awesome if you took some unboxing pics or something. I should have done that. Let us know how you like it. I actually like the red ROG light that shines on the desk. Its kind of cool. Some people don't like it, and you can turn it off, but I like it. Its the kid in me.
 

MajorMullet

Senior member
Jul 29, 2004
816
4
81
Congrats on the purchase. I hope yours works out as well as mine did. When do you expect it? It would be awesome if you took some unboxing pics or something. I should have done that. Let us know how you like it. I actually like the red ROG light that shines on the desk. Its kind of cool. Some people don't like it, and you can turn it off, but I like it. Its the kid in me.

It will be here tomorrow, pretty excited! Not sure I'll even use the stand since I have a monitor arm but I might have to hook it up just to see how cool it looks I can definitely try to take some unboxing pics - never done that before but could be fun.
 
Reactions: moonbogg

moonbogg

Lifer
Jan 8, 2011
10,637
3,095
136
It will be here tomorrow, pretty excited! Not sure I'll even use the stand since I have a monitor arm but I might have to hook it up just to see how cool it looks I can definitely try to take some unboxing pics - never done that before but could be fun.

Yeah go for it. I was going to get a VESA arm for this thing since its too deep for my little desk, but I just ordered a new desk. This monitor demands its own legit desk. A desk it shall get.
Oh, also. Don't let those guys on Overclock.net convince you that your new Swift is a piece of crap that needs to be returned. They do things like load a specific test, at a specific framerate, and stare at a specific area of the screen, and if there is a faint band visible under only those conditions, they declare the monitor to be a piece of garbage and they RMA the crap out of them until they have gone through 10 monitors. Pretty ridiculous. If you look hard enough you will find a problem with just about anything.
 

moonbogg

Lifer
Jan 8, 2011
10,637
3,095
136
It will be here tomorrow, pretty excited! Not sure I'll even use the stand since I have a monitor arm but I might have to hook it up just to see how cool it looks I can definitely try to take some unboxing pics - never done that before but could be fun.

Did you ever get the monitor? You seem to have vanished. Let me guess, you are a genius and invented an anti gravity machine but forgot to invent an off switch. Now you are lost in space and your new ROG is sitting on your porch all by itself. Way to go, man.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,810
29,564
146
Did you ever get the monitor? You seem to have vanished. Let me guess, you are a genius and invented an anti gravity machine but forgot to invent an off switch. Now you are lost in space and your new ROG is sitting on your porch all by itself. Way to go, man.

You know where he lives? I could use a new display.
 
Reactions: moonbogg

MajorMullet

Senior member
Jul 29, 2004
816
4
81
Did you ever get the monitor? You seem to have vanished. Let me guess, you are a genius and invented an anti gravity machine but forgot to invent an off switch. Now you are lost in space and your new ROG is sitting on your porch all by itself. Way to go, man.

Ha! I was away for most of the weekend and completely forgot to come back and update the thread. The display is awesome! I definitely got a better specimen in the ASUS than I had in the Acer. Very little back light bleed and just a hint of IPS glow in the bottom right corner. I haven't even unpacked the stand, I just put it on my monitor arm straight away. I will say the thing is super heavy - I have an Ergotron LX arm and it wouldn't hold it at first. I had to add quite a bit of tension to it before it would stay in place.

I'll also say I prefer the front of the ASUS more than the Acer as well. The ASUS is more subdued with just their company logo versus the giant "Predator" badge of the Acer. I will definitely be keeping this thing for a very long time.
 
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