The perfect 4K 43” monitor! Soon! Asus XG438Q ROG

XG438Q manual also available: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/LCD Monitors/XG438Q/ASUS_XG438Q_English.pdf

It does seem rushed though because the supported resolution list is wrong, doesn't list 3860x2160 so probably made on top of an existing manual for some other product.

Some interesting tidbits regarding the Picture In Picture and Picture By Picture features:
  • To turn on PIP/PBP function will disable Adaptive-Sync/ FreeSync, Dynamic Dimming and HDR function.
  • PIP/PBP function is supported below 60Hz.
  • 1920x2160@60Hz per input in horizontal split mode.
  • 3840x1080@60Hz in vertical mode.
  • 3840x1080@60Hz large window in vertical 3 way split mode (larger window on top or bottom).
  • 1920x2160@60Hz in horizontal 3 way split mode (larger window on either side).
  • 1920x1080@60Hz for small windows in any 3 way split modes.
  • 1920x1080@60Hz per input in 4 way split mode. I wonder how it does for 4 player, 4 computer couch co-op? :)
The "supported below 60 Hz" line is a bit odd but I guess it means it will drop down to 60 Hz per input when PIP/PBP is enabled. It's a bit of a shame but expected. For me this feature is important because it would allow me to use my desktop PC and work Macbook Pro connected to the same display simultaneously by splitting the massive screen in half.

It seems to allow a few favorite settings to be stored and that could be used to toggle between single input and split screen views easily.
 
I don’t understand why they bother to put speakers at all in a display like this as most of us use our own anyways.

My understanding is that it's been an HDMI thing. In order to sell a product that receives an HDMI signal for output, it must output both audio and video.
 
It’s pretty much what we expected.

I don’t understand why they bother to put speakers at all in a display like this as most of us use our own anyways. Have to pay for that and the LEDs on the back which I could care less about. The remote looks totally pointless.


Agree. I wanted a monitor, not a TV.

Heck, even on my TV, I use a HT Receiver and external speakers.

What a waste.
 
Jesus. A controller in the promo materials in the "gaming" section.

gamefast.jpg



This is eyeroll worthy.
 
Alright, so here are my thoughts now that we have more details:

1.) Built in speakers or any audio capability at all are annoying
2.) Presense of remote control is annoying
3.) The LED Aura nonsense is annoying.
4.) The Asus ROG "Gamer" styling is annoying.
5.) WTF, why is there a software client for a monitor?

1&2: It really frustrates me that I keep having to pay for useless shit I don't want.

We knew #4 was going to be a thing. It's a ROG product after all. :( Hopefully it doesn't look to crazy in person, and I'll be able to live with it.

As far as #3 goes, if this can't be disabled WITHOUT installing software, this has turned into a no-buy for me.

As for #5, I do not want any software from Asus on my machine. I certainly hope all features are usable without it. Otherwise this also makes it a no-buy.

Other things that piss me off: Built in "gamer crosshair" feature. In the tactical shooters I used to play, that's what we would call hardware cheating. In certain Tactical titles the "shadow boost" feature could also be considered a hardware cheat.

Still can't tell from the official specs if it actually supports 120hz at 4k resolutions, or it is an either or type thing. 120hz at lower resolutions and 60hz at 4k. This isn't explicitly called out.

It also remains to be seen how well the FreeSync and HDR capabilities work when used with an Nvidia GPU, because it's quite useless on today's AMD GPU's. none of them can take advantage of 4k resolutions even close to 60hz, let alone above.
 
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As far as #3 goes, if this can't be disabled WITHOUT installing software, this has turned into a no-buy for me.

As for #5, I do not want any software from Asus on my machine. I certainly hope all features are usable without it. Otherwise this also makes it a no-buy.

Per the manual (I recommend perusing), some of the lighting is a separate module that could simply be ommitted. All lighting can be disabled via OSD. The software is strictly for controlling the lighting in concert with other lighting arrays present elsewhere on the system.
 
The remote makes even less sense because it appears it doesn't control CEC enabled devices (not enough buttons on the remote). The display does appear to offer CEC which makes this even more confusing.

Does Nvidia's Adaptive Sync support work with Freesync 2 devices? (Meaning, do they output HDR when Freesync is on?)
 
Per the manual (I recommend perusing), some of the lighting is a separate module that could simply be ommitted. All lighting can be disabled via OSD. The software is strictly for controlling the lighting in concert with other lighting arrays present elsewhere on the system.


Ah. Good find. I didn't realize they had posted the manual as well. Never clicked on the support tab
 
The remote makes even less sense because it appears it doesn't control CEC enabled devices (not enough buttons on the remote). The display does appear to offer CEC which makes this even more confusing.

Does Nvidia's Adaptive Sync support work with Freesync 2 devices? (Meaning, do they output HDR when Freesync is on?)

You know, I consider myself somewhat of a home theater enthusiast, and I vaguely remember the term CEC from the manual of one of my receivers once, but I don't know for the life of me what it does :p
 
You know, I consider myself somewhat of a home theater enthusiast, and I vaguely remember the term CEC from the manual of one of my receivers once, but I don't know for the life of me what it does :p
Allows you to control other devices connected to the TV/Display with one remote, as long as all devices have CEC enabled.
 
Allows you to control other devices connected to the TV/Display with one remote, as long as all devices have CEC enabled.

Hmm. Is it even that useful? I'd imagine different devices require different buttons. For instance, it would not be ideal to control my Kodi box from my TV remote.
 
Allows you to control other devices connected to the TV/Display with one remote, as long as all devices have CEC enabled.

...through HDMI ;)

In theory, if you hook up a console / bluray player / receiver / whatever else through HDMI, the monitor can turn itself on and control some of the functions- and likewise if you turn off the monitor etc.

If you're using a bunch of IR blasters or serial links for home theater control, then it's likely something that you'd want turned off- and it's far from foolproof.
 
You know, I consider myself somewhat of a home theater enthusiast, and I vaguely remember the term CEC from the manual of one of my receivers once, but I don't know for the life of me what it does :p

I think our Samsung 4K TVs have it. Pretty sure I remember seeing it in the menu back in 2015 and not knowing what it was at the time, heh.
 
Hmm. Is it even that useful? I'd imagine different devices require different buttons. For instance, it would not be ideal to control my Kodi box from my TV remote.

...through HDMI ;)

In theory, if you hook up a console / bluray player / receiver / whatever else through HDMI, the monitor can turn itself on and control some of the functions- and likewise if you turn off the monitor etc.

If you're using a bunch of IR blasters or serial links for home theater control, then it's likely something that you'd want turned off- and it's far from foolproof.

And this is exactly why I use a Harmony Hub.
 
I think our Samsung 4K TVs have it. Pretty sure I remember seeing it in the menu back in 2015 and not knowing what it was at the time, heh.

Everything HDMI has it, unless it's a PC or an Xbox (don't know about Playstation / Nintendo). All of your consumer HDMI stuff has it and uses it; it can be quite convenient for less complex setups.

[I turn on my Shield or Bluray player and my receiver and TV turn on; turn them off, and the reverse happens- that's CEC]

Also, plenty of vendors like to brand CEC with something that sounds totally unrelated- it's still HDMI-CEC.
 
...through HDMI ;)

In theory, if you hook up a console / bluray player / receiver / whatever else through HDMI, the monitor can turn itself on and control some of the functions- and likewise if you turn off the monitor etc.

If you're using a bunch of IR blasters or serial links for home theater control, then it's likely something that you'd want turned off- and it's far from foolproof.


I have three remotes for my main home theater. TV, Receiver and Kodi Box.

The TV remote is just a remote power button. The Receiver remote is a power button and volume control. Also occasional source selection and all room stereo enabler. My external amp is turned on via the 12v trigger. (I wish more devices had a 12v trigger)

Everything else is handled by a Windows Media Center remote connected to my Kodi box.

I'm not sure what I would buy by using CEC.
 
And this is exactly why I use a Harmony Hub.

I was interested in a harmony hub when I first heard of it. I even ordered one, but when I found out it required an account on Logitechs site to use it, I returned it.

I have a strict "no new accounts, apps or client software" policy.

If a piece of hardware (or a game or anything else for that matter) requires the above, I just don't buy them.
 
I have three remotes for my main home theater. TV, Receiver and Kodi Box.

The TV remote is just a remote power button. The Receiver remote is a power button and volume control. Also occasional source selection and all room stereo enabler. My external amp is turned on via the 12v trigger. (I wish more devices had a 12v trigger)

Everything else is handled by a Windows Media Center remote connected to my Kodi box.

I'm not sure what I would buy by using CEC.
I recommend picking up a Harmony Hub. You can control everything with it, customize buttons, etc. Works great for Kodi because you can map keyboard keys to any Harmony remote.

You need a Logitech account because it has a huge database of CE devices, and they need to save your config. Worth it, only device of its kind.
 
I recommend picking up a Harmony Hub. You can control everything with it, customize buttons, etc. Works great for Kodi because you can map keyboard keys to any Harmony remote.

You need a Logitech account because it has a huge database of CE devices, and they need to save your config. Worth it, only device of its kind.


Yeah, see above.
I was intrigued by them when they first showed up on the market a few years back, but I was totally turned off by needing a Logitech account to make it work, so I returned mine.
 
Then why even bother? Just buy an xbox :p
I love using the Xbox gamepad on PC. Mouse is precise, but keyboard control was always wonky for me. Like having to hold shift with your pinky or trying to duck and jump and move forward at the same time (easy on gamepad but a herculean task on keyboard).

PC has many more benefits over consoles, not just the mouse and keyboard. For example: high refresh, ultrawide, better performance and graphics options, mods, old games not available on current gen consoles, emulation, etc.
 
it's quite useless on today's AMD GPU's. none of them can take advantage of 4k resolutions even close to 60hz, let alone above.
This statement is simply not true. The Radeon VII absolutely can play modern games at 4K and perform well. Many games can be maxed out, some on medium/high settings, but definitely above 60fps is possible.

You can watch this video I made when Radeon VII first game out. The games like Far Cry New Dawn were running at 4K HDR FreeSync, but I disabled HDR and FreeSync for the video because recording was a problem, but you can see the performance for yourself.

 
This statement is simply not true. The Radeon VII absolutely can play modern games at 4K and perform well. Many games can be maxed out, some on medium/high settings, but definitely above 60fps is possible.

You can watch this video I made when Radeon VII first game out. The games like Far Cry New Dawn were running at 4K HDR FreeSync, but I disabled HDR and FreeSync for the video because recording was a problem, but you can see the performance for yourself.




That makes no sense at all.

In every aingle review I can find It is still slower than a 1080ti, Pascal Titan or RTX 2080 (except for a few weirdo titles like AotS and Dirt4), and they can just barely handle 60fps at 4k in most modern titles, and not at all in others.

Now, granted it is pretty damned close, only trailing that pack by a small margin, but even so it is slower than three GPU's that are at best marginal for 4k. (I know, I have one of them)

There are only two GPU's in existence today truly suitable for 4k gameplay. The 2080ti and RTX Titan, and even those I wouldn't consider fully there yet.


Note, my standards are minimum (or 1%) framerates must be above 60fps.
 
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I'm buying this as more a future proof thing. I want a decent large screen 4k display with adaptive sync, and even though my 2080Ti can't consistently push 60FPS with high settings in games like AC Odyssey, the adaptive sync features should help even out the gameplay experience.

While my Samsung UN48JU6700 was good enough in 2015, it's sorely lacking now.
 
It will be interesting to read/see real reviews of this monitor once it releases.
 
It’s pretty much what we expected.

I don’t understand why they bother to put speakers at all in a display like this as most of us use our own anyways. Have to pay for that and the LEDs on the back which I could care less about. The remote looks totally pointless.

You really don't understand?

 
Hmm, 4K 120 Hz seems weird.

Shouldn't it be 4K 144Hz at 4:2:2 and 4K 98Hz at 4:4:4 like the 27" monitors?

Almost makes me think it's a 4K 60 display.
 
Hmm, 4K 120 Hz seems weird.

Shouldn't it be 4K 144Hz at 4:2:2 and 4K 98Hz at 4:4:4 like the 27" monitors?

Almost makes me think it's a 4K 60 display.

According to TFTCentral's PG27UQ review:

Code:
 98 Hz - 10 bit 4:4:4
120 Hz - 10 bit 4:2:2 or 8 bit 4:4:4
144 Hz - 10 bit 4:2:2

I don't know what was going on with that display because 4K 120 Hz 10-bit 4:4:4 should be the limit of Displayport 1.4 without chroma subsampling or DSC. Nothing indicates that the XG438Q isn't able to reach that as the manual nor the product page has any notes about resolution, color space and refresh rate limitations. Maybe it's an issue with the G-Sync module?

Since ASUS demoed a prototype of what seemed to be the same display but with 144 Hz using DSC and DisplayHDR 1000, we can probably expect something like that to be released next year. IMO 120 vs 144 Hz is not particularly relevant, it's not as noticeable jump as 60 to 100 Hz or 100 to 120 Hz.
 
I was interested in a harmony hub when I first heard of it. I even ordered one, but when I found out it required an account on Logitechs site to use it, I returned it.

I have a strict "no new accounts, apps or client software" policy.

If a piece of hardware (or a game or anything else for that matter) requires the above, I just don't buy them.

Jeez, do you still use a flip phone and install PC games off DVDs as well?
 
Jeez, do you still use a flip phone and install PC games off DVDs as well?

in 2019 corporate leadership teams and venture capital investors won't even fund projects unless they are monetizing user data. Every single piece of software on your computer, every app you have, and every single account you log into is tracking you, harvesting your data and selling it for profit.

It is in all of our interests to minimize the number of accounts, number of apps and clients we have installed. You can't avoid it completely, as all of them are doing it these days ( :( ) but at the very least you can minimize your exposure.
 
Zarathustra is right. Corps are data watching everything we do, say, and buy so they can market better to us. I guess it comes down to whether that is something that bothers you or not. Can't avoid it entirely though but you can put some limits on it.
 
Zarathustra is right. Corps are data watching everything we do, say, and buy so they can market better to us. I guess it comes down to whether that is something that bothers you or not. Can't avoid it entirely though but you can put some limits on it.
Ok, don't use a totally unique and timesaving product just because you're afraid someone is going to sell of your name to some marketing company.

Secret:

They already have it.
 
While you are probably right, I'm hoping it's a little cheaper than that considering the Acer that's using the same panel will be $1299.


Yeah, but Acer's "Predator" brand has nowhere near the same price inflating power as ROG does. :p

I'm thinking $1599 to $1699 somewhere.

I'd pay that. I don't think I'd pay $2k though.

I have the money, I just don't like bending over and taking it up the ass for no reason.
 
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