Asus ROG Swift PG43UQ with 43.4″ VA Panel, 4K Resolution and 144Hz Using DSC

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I wanted to make a separate thread for this monitor (the earlier edition was the XG438Q model. Or XG438).

I think many people are looking for a 40-43inch PC monitor, and this is the 2020 offering from Asus this year. This ticks a lot of boxes for me in the spec - but needs reviews before I commit. It's targeted for launch in H1 2020, so probably Q3 2020.

No it doesn't have HDMI 2.1. And there's no word yet on whether this has RGB or BGR subpixel layout, like the earlier XG438Q. Hence I'm a bit skeptical.

Specification:
  • 43.4″ sized VA technology panel with 3840 x 2160 resolution.
  • 144Hz refresh rate and uses Display Stream Compression (DSC) to allow for support of 4K @ 144Hz over a single DisplayPort 1.4 connection.
  • Adaptive-sync support for variable refresh rates from both NVIDIA and AMD systems, including NVIDIA G-sync Compatible certification.
  • VESA DisplayHDR 1000 scheme including a 1000 cd/m2 peak brightness. This should also therefore include local dimming support (edge lit almost certainly), a wide >90% DCI-P3 colour gamut and 10-bit colour depth support.
  • 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0
Full spec from Asus: https://www.asus.com/Monitors/ROG-Swift-PG43UQ/specifications/
 
The Acer CG7 aka CG437KP has been confirmed to have BGR subpixels so I expect this will too. Out of all these 43" models the PG43UQ looks to be the best in terms of performance and practical factors like a good PbP mode that allows a lot of options for splitting the screen.

The manual seems to be the same for XG438Q and PG43UQ so I expect the feature set to be pretty much equal. Unless the manual is a work in progress, doesn't seem like you need to enable DSC or anything like that, should just work plug in and play.

The spanner in the works is the upcoming LG 48" OLED. It is not massively larger and is better on pretty much every image quality metric except max brightness and burn-in possibility. However it does not have any kind of PbP functionality which has become important at least to me and is perfect for working on large displays with multiple computers.

But with the lackluster performance of the XG438Q I don't have much confidence in the PG43UQ. If Asus has managed to get its overdrive working better so it does not have massive overshoot and if AUO has managed to develop a panel with better dark transitions, then this could be a contender. However the PG43UQ seems to be launching at 1800 euros based on Overclockers UK preorder which puts it squarely in the same price bracket as LG's OLED, again reducing the PG43UQ value proposition significantly.

It's really annoying because Asus could have had a hit on their hands if they only had a better panel to work with. The feature set and specs otherwise hit a very good sweet spot for a mixed gaming/work use display. Make the same thing with a faster responding RGB VA or IPS panel and this becomes a more viable option if you don't want to deal with TV quirks, OLED burn-in or wait for HDMI 2.1.
 
DSC still won't get you 4:4:4 on dp1.4 with 144hz. Fuck off Asus with this VA black crushing smearfest junk. Probably same cost as the 48cx, dead out of the gate.

Half assed shit like this year after year, cheaping out on interface chips is why the monitor industry will be confined to 30"~ and below by next year. Good riddance.
 
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The Acer CG7 aka CG437KP has been confirmed to have BGR subpixels so I expect this will too. Out of all these 43" models the PG43UQ looks to be the best in terms of performance and practical factors like a good PbP mode that allows a lot of options for splitting the screen.

The manual seems to be the same for XG438Q and PG43UQ so I expect the feature set to be pretty much equal. Unless the manual is a work in progress, doesn't seem like you need to enable DSC or anything like that, should just work plug in and play.

The spanner in the works is the upcoming LG 48" OLED. It is not massively larger and is better on pretty much every image quality metric except max brightness and burn-in possibility. However it does not have any kind of PbP functionality which has become important at least to me and is perfect for working on large displays with multiple computers.

But with the lackluster performance of the XG438Q I don't have much confidence in the PG43UQ. If Asus has managed to get its overdrive working better so it does not have massive overshoot and if AUO has managed to develop a panel with better dark transitions, then this could be a contender. However the PG43UQ seems to be launching at 1800 euros based on Overclockers UK preorder which puts it squarely in the same price bracket as LG's OLED, again reducing the PG43UQ value proposition significantly.

It's really annoying because Asus could have had a hit on their hands if they only had a better panel to work with. The feature set and specs otherwise hit a very good sweet spot for a mixed gaming/work use display. Make the same thing with a faster responding RGB VA or IPS panel and this becomes a more viable option if you don't want to deal with TV quirks, OLED burn-in or wait for HDMI 2.1.


All these 43" panels are really poor. They may have a brightness advantage, but so what... in every other respect OLED utterly destroys them. Sure there is the burn-in concern, but outside of that, there's no contest. I've seen the XG438Q and CG437K in person and text reproduction alone is a good enough reason to stay clear. If you are ONLY gaming, there is an argument given the high refresh, but not at the price they're asking. The 48" OLED is going to be about the same, and you can already get a 55" C9 for less. I have the B9 myself and that runs rings around any LCD I've ever seen.

The fact they are selling this sub-standard panel for such an insane price really does indicate where the industry is at... they are simply not interested in making top quality products. It's all about selling at the highest price off the back of marketing hype, and at the cheapest production cost for them. Of course, there's always the option to spend $4K on the upcoming 32" MiniLED... yeah, no thanks.

I'm so fed up with LCD quality that I will sooner get a bigger desk and make the 48" work for me than go the LCD route again.
 
DSC still won't get you 4:4:4 on dp1.4 with 144hz. Fuck off Asus with this VA black crushing smearfest junk. Probably same cost as the 48cx, dead out of the gate.

Half assed shit like this year after year, cheaping out on interface chips is why the monitor industry will be confined to 30"~ and below by next year. Good riddance.
Yes, it will. Uncompressed it's just outside of DisplayPort 1.4's bandwidth limit at 8 bpc (26.7 Gbps vs. 25.92 Gbps). It's even possible with 10 bpc and HDR, as DSC 1.2 offers compression ratio up to 3:1.
 
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Yes, it will. Uncompressed it's just outside of DisplayPort 1.4's bandwidth limit at 8 bpc (26.7 Gbps vs. 25.92 Gbps). It's even possible with 10 bpc and HDR, as DSC 1.2 offers compression ratio up to 3:1.
1.2a... If it's got it.

It might just squeak through. Either way this thing is DOA.
 
This is finally selling, no reviews yet so holding off on purchase. The BGR thing can be fixed in Windows in the registry thankfully. Panel quality is another thing. It checks every box I need just waiting on reviews.
 
This is finally selling, no reviews yet so holding off on purchase. The BGR thing can be fixed in Windows in the registry thankfully. Panel quality is another thing. It checks every box I need just waiting on reviews.


It can't really be 'fixed'... it's still BGR and this is obvious vs an RGB panel. There won't be much discernible difference between this and the other 43" models... only you'll pay more for this one for the DSC functionality (whoop whoop... not). It's nothing at all to get excited about, and everything negative about those other two models will apply to the PG43UQ.

If you MUST have a high refresh 43" TV (sorry, 'monitor'), then just get one of the other cheaper models.
 
It can't really be 'fixed'... it's still BGR and this is obvious vs an RGB panel. There won't be much discernible difference between this and the other 43" models... only you'll pay more for this one for the DSC functionality (whoop whoop... not). It's nothing at all to get excited about, and everything negative about those other two models will apply to the PG43UQ.

If you MUST have a high refresh 43" TV (sorry, 'monitor'), then just get one of the other cheaper models.
What are you smoking? You can literally tell windows it is a BGR display and it renders text accordingly even with correct subpixel hinting. DSC gives you hihg refresh rate at high resolution WITH higher color depth. And this has HDR1000 versus lower specs from previous panels. I'm pretty sure after an entire year they are simply using the exact same panels and magically added 400nits extra through the backlight alone without bothering to get a new panel type even though im sure someone is pumping them out and not just selling old inventory.

Just to make sure I cite my references:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/wpf/advanced/cleartype-registry-settings

And the panel being used is the third revision of the 43inch AU Optronics panel. Not the first like the HDR600 model.

M430QVN02.2
 
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What are you smoking? You can literally tell windows it is a BGR display and it renders text accordingly even with correct subpixel hinting. DSC gives you hihg refresh rate at high resolution WITH higher color depth. And this has HDR1000 versus lower specs from previous panels. I'm pretty sure after an entire year they are simply using the exact same panels and magically added 400nits extra through the backlight alone without bothering to get a new panel type even though im sure someone is pumping them out and not just selling old inventory.

It is a different panel model but pretty much the same thing as the XG438Q but with higher brightness capability. There was already someone posting an early review on YouTube and complaining about motion blur so it does not seem like that is much improved from the other models either.

This whole lineup went into a weird place where they are not a great desktop display due to BGR subpixels (which become an issue if you connect a Mac and you have to know how to change the subpixel rendering on Windows/Linux) and not a great gaming display because of the VA panel and possible overdrive issues. Last year I was really looking to go 4K with one of these screens but just too many issues to make them a good option.
 
What are you smoking? You can literally tell windows it is a BGR display and it renders text accordingly even with correct subpixel hinting. DSC gives you hihg refresh rate at high resolution WITH higher color depth. And this has HDR1000 versus lower specs from previous panels. I'm pretty sure after an entire year they are simply using the exact same panels and magically added 400nits extra through the backlight alone without bothering to get a new panel type even though im sure someone is pumping them out and not just selling old inventory.

Just to make sure I cite my references:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/wpf/advanced/cleartype-registry-settings

And the panel being used is the third revision of the 43inch AU Optronics panel. Not the first like the HDR600 model.

M430QVN02.2


No it doesn't render text correctly... yes it's better, but an RGB panel will always be superior. I've tried the XG438Q and CG437K and it's obvious text suffers, no matter what you do. For gaming though, this obviously isn't an issue, but these make for very poor general use monitors, and anyone considering one for anything other than gaming is accepting a very poor solution. Even for games, it's only average... all this brings to the table is 4K at high refresh, but at a PPI equivalent to a 1440p monitor. The new iteration of the panel won't mean diddly squat in the grand scheme of things, just slightly brighter (but the same as the as CG437K), and with DSC functionality. I'm not sure what you think they've done in a year, but many panels go through multiple iterations over a far longer period with very minimal improvements.

But hey, don't take my word for it... reviews and user experience will tell all.
 
If there are text rendering issues on the monitors you mentioned, they have nothing to do with BGR. As long as the font rendering software (such as ClearType) supports BGR, text rendering will be as good on BGR as RGB, and it is indeed fine on many BGR monitors and TVs.
 
Well I guess I'm waiting on the next round again. Just wish they'd make a monitor that meets all these check-boxes on paper in reality.
 
If there are text rendering issues on the monitors you mentioned, they have nothing to do with BGR. As long as the font rendering software (such as ClearType) supports BGR, text rendering will be as good on BGR as RGB, and it is indeed fine on many BGR monitors and TVs.
Have you not read the reviews on the other BGR 43" monitors? Most of them specifically call out the font clarity as sub par every after ClearType. I'm sure I'm principal it's "just as good" but that's not how it's been in practice
 
Have you not read the reviews on the other BGR 43" monitors? Most of them specifically call out the font clarity as sub par every after ClearType. I'm sure I'm principal it's "just as good" but that's not how it's been in practice

What reviews exactly? I actually own such a 43" BGR monitor (the Z43), and I'm extremely picky about text quality. It's perfectly fine, and as good as my RGB monitors and TVs with ClearType. The PG43Q and CG437K may have issues with text (I don't own them), but those wouldn't be caused by BGR.
 
What reviews exactly? I actually own such a 43" BGR monitor (the Z43), and I'm extremely picky about text quality. It's perfectly fine, and as good as my RGB monitors and TVs with ClearType. The PG43Q and CG437K may have issues with text (I don't own them), but those wouldn't be caused by BGR.


Well it's a different panel tech entirely, with these new 43" monitors all being VA. The Z43 is IPS. So is the LG 43UD79 though, but I've seen people complain about text on that monitor too. You are the only person I've seen actually talk directly about text on the Z43. There's no VRR on your monitor though, so it's really not a viable alternative for anyone considering these new Acer/Asus 43" models. There is actually nothing else that compares. If someone just wants a big screen for desktop work and no gaming though, then there are many options with TV's.
 


This guy has one. In the comments he says it's BGR, and it seems to be the same panel as the Q.

Eh. At this point I might as well wait for the LG OLED and see how the market pans out. This display isn't going anywhere and can only come down in price.
 
This guy has one. In the comments he says it's BGR, and it seems to be the same panel as the Q.

Eh. At this point I might as well wait for the LG OLED and see how the market pans out. This display isn't going anywhere and can only come down in price.


There was never any doubt it would be the same. Panelook indicates it's just a new iteration with a brighter backlight. It still puzzles me with they even bothered with the XG438Q and didn't just go straight in with this model at a lower price point. I can see plenty being suckered in by it thought.
 
There was never any doubt it would be the same. Panelook indicates it's just a new iteration with a brighter backlight. It still puzzles me with they even bothered with the XG438Q and didn't just go straight in with this model at a lower price point. I can see plenty being suckered in by it thought.
It’s not clear whether he even tried DSC- I’d be interested to see if it even works with Nvidia RTX cards ootb. It’s supposed to, but we just don’t know.
 
This guy has one. In the comments he says it's BGR, and it seems to be the same panel as the Q.

Eh. At this point I might as well wait for the LG OLED and see how the market pans out. This display isn't going anywhere and can only come down in price.

I can't take anyone seriously that leaves the advertisement stickers on the bezel and covering the screen.
 



Ah, interesting how two reviews can be so different.

Looks like the display is way overpriced for gaming. So who’s this for?
 
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I've noticed that it has gone out of stock/backordered just about everywhere over the weekend. Either this segment is just that damned starved, or they are re-evaluating their inconsistent panels.
 



Ah, interesting how two reviews can be so different.

Looks like the display is way overpriced for gaming. So who’s this for?


Dang, as disappointing as the rest of the displays using the same panels. It's a real shame because this has pretty much everything except good HDR. I hope that Asus gets some better panel variant and makes another stab at this format or has a smaller 40" model made because that would be even better. As it is nobody should buy these and wait for the LG 48" OLED instead and deal with the larger size.

It never stops amazing me how panel manufacturers can have decades of expertise making them yet manage to fuck things up on a panel by panel basis. You would think it would be mostly an iterative process.
 
I've noticed that it has gone out of stock/backordered just about everywhere over the weekend. Either this segment is just that damned starved, or they are re-evaluating their inconsistent panels.

I'm thinking they just don't have that much stock yet and demand is out stripping it. Probably have to give them another 6 months to get supply up. Just my guess anyway.
 
I'm thinking they just don't have that much stock yet and demand is out stripping it. Probably have to give them another 6 months to get supply up. Just my guess anyway.
People will probably see the shit reviews and then there will be plenty in stock.
 



Ah, interesting how two reviews can be so different.

Looks like the display is way overpriced for gaming. So who’s this for?

"Overpriced for gaming."
Seems right in line based on scaling with size compared to monitors with similar feature sets.
 
"Overpriced for gaming."
Seems right in line based on scaling with size compared to monitors with similar feature sets.
If it’s a shit display it’s overpriced, doesn’t matter what feature sets it has.
 
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