Got my ROG Swift!

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PatchRowcester

Limp Gawd
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Link for pictures and gameplay video below

Purchase Process

I ordered the ASUS Rog Swift (PG278Q) from B&H Photo on January 17, 2015 for $799.

At the time, my only options were B& H Photo and BestBuy. I did not like the shipping options on BestBuy and decided to see what B&H has to offer.

I was very pleased with their free expedited shipping, but having never purchased anything on this website, I hesitated. It also appears that it is only possible to check out items at specific times during the day. This is the first time I've ever encountered a website have some kind of business hours for purchasing items. Attempting to check out during "non business" hours would result in a cryptic error.

At this point, I sent out a tweet to the company, and a representative informed me that check out resumes at 6:15PM on Saturday.

I thought this was very odd, and decided to wait for the item to be available on Amazon. However, my patience ran out by that evening, so I decided to take a chance and purchase it from B&H Photo.

Once I completed the purchase, it was the usual routine. I was given an order confirmation, and soon enough my item was shipped and it was delivered on time.

General Impressions

I am very satisfied with the monitor. The pixel density is obviously higher, and this makes makes everything in Windows look really sharp.

Also, one feature I thought was very nice was the response when the power button is pressed to turn on the monitor - the image comes up almost immediately. I have not seen this in any of the other monitors I have previously used. This may not mean much, but I like the fact that exists.

Games look absolutely amazing. I would recommend turning off anti-aliasing because at this resolution, I do not find any noticeable difference in games (this is of course subjective), and the performance gains with AA off is fairly significant. I am using EVGA GeForce GTX980, and this card struggles to keep up at times in BF4 multiplayer (64p conquest). Turning off AA gave me much better frame rates.

On certain maps like Operation Firestorm 2014 and Pearl Market, the frame rate dips into the 40s when playing with AA on. So now I run the game with all settings on Ultra except with AA and Ambient Occlusion, which are turned off. This is giving me excellent performance with frame rates going up to 120 on certain maps.

GSYNC

I noticed the biggest impact of GSYNC when frame rates tend to drop between 50-60 fps. When the fps drops below that, GSYNC doesn't really do much, at least from my experience.

Final Thoughts

I personally feel this monitor is worth the money I paid for it. The reason for buying a new monitor in the first place for me is because I needed to setup a work machine. I thought about buying a very cheap monitor from craigslist, but on second thoughts, I decided to buy a new monitor instead. The reason for this being, my Acer P243WAid monitor which I purchased in March 2009 is still functioning perfectly. So I figured if I purchased a high end monitor and if it lasted me for the next 6 years, I would absolutely get my money's worth. Therefore I started researching monitors late last year, and the general consensus in the gaming community is that the ROG Siwft is about as good as its going to get for gamers right now.

After having used the monitor for a few days, I think I agree. This is an excellent monitor, and I think my money is well spent.

If you are looking for a high end gaming monitor, and price is not particularly an issue, then I definitely recommend the ROG Swift. If you are not particularly discerning about refresh rates etc., but want the extra real estate, then I wouldn't recommend this monitor, instead one of the Korean made monitors which cost probably less than half the price will do the job just fine.

Blog post with pictures - http://patchrowcester.blogspot.com/2015/01/asus-rog-swift-pg278q.html

Battlefield 4 on Ultra Settings (Frame rate counter on the upper left) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJBHubkd-eI
 
That is one nice video I'm waiting for the perfect 24" Gsync monitor which isn't the BENQ =) Unless the BENQ goes cheaper =)
 
That is one nice video I'm waiting for the perfect 24" Gsync monitor which isn't the BENQ =) Unless the BENQ goes cheaper =)

Yes, definitely wait until the prices go down. I got impatient and just went with it, but otherwise, waiting is the best option.

Damn Battlefield 4 looks bad ass....

Thank you, I appreciate it. It took a while for me to get good clips that I can put together. The video is actually rendered at 4k resolution.
 
Glad you are enjoying your monitor. They are very nice, I've been happy with mine over the past few months I've had it.
At least B&H put your monitor in a box, I ordered mine from newegg on release day, and all they did was slap a shipping label on the box and send it.
 
I got mine from Amazon, great job with the shipping, double boxed and lots of stuffing.

Interesting thoughts about G-sync below 50hz. I should try pushing the settings on some single player games. For multi-player, I usually keep it > 90hz and there, G-sync is great.
 
I loved the refresh rate and general construction, brightness, stands, features etc. I hated the washed out colors. After using a decent color profile for it all my issues were basically solved.

People who praise these monitors have never seen a glossy high contrast VA :D

I've seen pretty much every type of monitor. I fucking hate glossy displays. Unless your playing in complete darkness they aren't worth a shit in my opinion. Especially not for any productive work. Tons of people bitch about anti-glare coating issues but my feeling is that you might as well smear penguin shit all over the monitor if your going to go glossy. I can't see a fucking thing through the reflections and a side effect of having my eyes and brain decipher the image underneath the glare is a massive headache. The pain in my eyes from looking at such a display is comparable to shutting the car door on my dick.
 
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I loved the refresh rate and general construction, brightness, stands, features etc. I hated the washed out colors. After using a decent color profile for it all my issues were basically solved.



I've seen pretty much every type of monitor. I fucking hate glossy displays. Unless your playing in complete darkness they aren't worth a shit in my opinion. Especially not for any productive work. Tons of people bitch about anti-glare coating issues but my feeling is that you might as well smear penguin shit all over the monitor if your going to go glossy. I can't see a fucking thing through the reflections and a side effect of having my eyes and brain decipher the image underneath the glare is a massive headache. The pain in my eyes from looking at such a display is comparable to shutting the car door on my dick.

Then you are doing something wrong because my glossy TV doesn't have any annoying reflections even with some light shining at it. You can only see reflections on black and dark gray which isn't a big deal and only makes for better depth and contrast perception.
 
My TV is glossy as well and at least once a week I silently freak out, wondering it there is burn-in only to realize that its the reflection of my home's interior.

Glossy is horrible unless you're working in a completely dark room. There, I said it.

This is a gaming monitor aimed at high refresh rate, no-tear awesomeness and not color accuracy. It excels at what it was designed to do. There were trade-offs in it's design to realize the goal but if you can absorb the relatively high barrier to entry you'll end up with an FPS player's dream monitor. RTS/MOBA players and everyone else should wait for the g-synch/freesynch IPS monitors.

Color professionals would never look at a Swift, ever.
 
Well, then it's just subjective, maybe some people just have really low tolerance for reflections and would gladly trade much higher contrast for a matte film.

Then again the coating on this asus is a strong 3h film, the same that was applied on the u2711. There was literally no excuse to use it over a light semi-glossy, which doesn't have any reflections but retain most of the contrast.

Also, if picture quality doesn't matter, why even bother with mid-high settings in games?
 
Also, if picture quality doesn't matter, why even bother with mid-high settings in games?

I've seen you write this in other topics on this forum and I don't understand it at all. Please elaborate.

You seem to infer that a anti-glare TN panel in incapable of rendering high quality textures/effects. From my perspective, even though color isn't great on the Swift texture and effects quality comes through without issue; how could they not?
 
This is a gaming monitor aimed at high refresh rate, no-tear awesomeness and not color accuracy.
it's actually relatively adept at color accuracy since they chose to use an 8 bit panel rather than the more common 6 bit panels cheaper monitors use.
 
From my perspective, even though color isn't great on the Swift texture and effects quality comes through without issue; how could they not?

Well, of course it can render things without issues but those textures and effects are rather washed out and duller than they should be thanks to the AG and the factory calibration to the 1.8 gamma on some units (as it's been reported).

I use my TN laptop with heavy anti glare coating right now and it renders my desktop without issues, doesn't meant my glossy VA tv won't render it at least 100 times better. :D


it's actually relatively adept at color accuracy since they chose to use an 8 bit panel rather than the more common 6 bit panels cheaper monitors use.

Except it doesn't make much if any difference if you aren't looking extremely close you won't see the dithering effect on the 6bit panel. The crappy TN viewing angles actually offset any kind of color accuracy improvements introduced by the 8bit panel.
 
Well, I haven't seen any of those issues and I'm comparing it to the IPS next to it.

Once you actually have one in front of you and compare it to your VA panel in person then you'll have a better idea of why those of us who own one are excited about our purchases.
 
Not sure what to look at, only seeing individual pixels, not overall picture.
 
I have my Swift (landscape) sitting right next to a 30" Dell U3011 (portrait). And as Dan_D experienced, after applying a decent color profile to the Swift, my issues with it are gone. In fact, the colors are nearly as good as the 30" Dell IPS.

There I said it. The people dissing the Swift have never seen it in person. This is one hell of a nice monitor. It's overpriced, but that's because there's really nothing like it.

Also, my K/D ratio is way up in games vs. the Dell. And no quality control issues so far (6 weeks in, knock on wood). I'm really happy with the Swift.
 
Unless your playing in complete darkness they aren't worth a shit in my opinion

Bias lighting (bright light behind the monitor) illuminates rooms, increases the perceived black depth and eliminates reflections.

You might as well smear penguin shit all over the monitor if your going to go gloss.

Some people spend a few seconds thinking about how and where they should place their displays and room lights before setting them up. Macro photos prove that the opposite is true, and many people have actually described monitors with grainy matte coatings (Dell U2711) appearing to have a thin layer of Vaseline smeared across them, plus your opinion contradicts both logic and the available evidence.

Macro photo compilation from =DEAD='s PG278Q Review. The EA304 (and most 1440p monitors) next to the PG278Q uses an equally effective, but far lighter semi-glossy or nearly grain free matte coating which is why people wonder why Asus went full retard with the PG278Q's coating.


Digital Microscope photo
(A=glossy monitor B=matte monitor)

I have my Swift (landscape) sitting right next to a 30" Dell U3011 (portrait). And as Dan_D experienced, after applying a decent color profile to the Swift, my issues with it are gone. In fact, the colors are nearly as good as the 30" Dell IPS.

Except the 3011 is one of the worst IPS panels available now (supreme IPS glow, low contrast, grainy matte coating, poor sRGB mode with locked colour controls), and most 30" owners do not know they own a wide gamut monitor or use the sRGB mode which makes comparisons like yours highly questionable. Maybe you do know you own a wide gamut monitor and use the sRGB mode, but I have to ask.
 
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lol please quit posting that ridiculous example of missing the forest for the trees
 
lol please quit posting that ridiculous example of missing the forest for the trees

The examples I think you are referring to are only ridiculous to people who have not objectively compared monitors and like to defend their purchases.
 
NCX, have you reviewed VX2770SMH before? I used that IPS as my basis for comparison for Swift (it was the monitor I owned before Swift)
 
The examples I think you are referring to are only ridiculous to people who have not objectively compared monitors and like to defend their purchases.
well I'm sitting it next to my IPS and it looks awesome but with deeper blacks, faster refresh, and faster response times.

I have no doubt that if I pulled out a jewelers loupe and compared them pixel to pixel I would see the "problem" you're harping on. however, since I don't play games while wearing a jewelers loupe I'd much rather look at the screen in its entirety and repeatedly posting a picture of someone who did so in a thread about someone happy with the monitor he just bought would seem like thread crapping
 
Bias lighting (bright light behind the monitor) illuminates rooms, increases the perceived black depth and eliminates reflections.



Some people spend a few seconds thinking about how and where they should place their displays and room lights before setting them up. Macro photos prove that the opposite is true, and many people have actually described monitors with grainy matte coatings (Dell U2711) appearing to have a thin layer of Vaseline smeared across them, plus your opinion contradicts both logic and the available evidence.

Macro photo compilation from =DEAD='s PG278Q Review. The EA304 (and most 1440p monitors) next to the PG278Q uses an equally effective, but far lighter semi-glossy or nearly grain free matte coating which is why people wonder why Asus went full retard with the PG278Q's coating.


Digital Microscope photo
(A=glossy monitor B=matte monitor)



Except the 3011 is one of the worst IPS panels available now (supreme IPS glow, low contrast, grainy matte coating, poor sRGB mode with locked colour controls), and most 30" owners do not know they own a wide gamut monitor or use the sRGB mode which makes comparisons like yours highly questionable. Maybe you do know you own a wide gamut monitor and use the sRGB mode, but I have to ask.

I've often had to deal with glossy displays in office buildings where I have zero choice in the ambient lighting or the placement of light sources. I do think about where I'm going to place monitors to avoid glare. Anti-glare coatings do not make monitors immune to glare entirely. I am very sensitive to glare and find it more annoying than the AG coatings. Not everyone feels as you do which is why the glossy vs. matte display debate gets as heated as it often does. I find the anti-glare coatings on some monitors a worth while trade off to avoid glare. I understand that AG coatings reduce image quality but I have to pick and choose what I find more annoying and go with the solution that I find more pleasing. For me AG coatings are the better way to go. I don't have to be as careful about where displays or light sources are placed in the house. In some rooms you'd be hard pressed to find a good spot to avoid glare during the day time without drawing all the blinds and curtains. I would simply prefer not to have to deal with that.
 
Alright, let's compare not the individual pixels but the whole picture:
http://img1.lesnumeriques.com/test/92/9212/EW2470L_situation_1600.JPG
http://www.pcper.com/files/imagecache/article_max_width/review/2014-08-09/IMG_9328.JPG
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/540/ba0cd7.jpg
http://s18.postimg.org/abb4bdt7t/home.jpg

The dell is a bit on a reflective end due to the use of a glass coating, but no one preventing monitor manufacturers to apply a toned down plastic like on all todays tv's or semi glossy coatings, especially to the 1000$ monitors.

You can kind of see the difference in contrast even though the asus's black levels might be exaggerated by the camera.

But this is exactly what I see when I compare my laptop to my glossy tv.
 
So now we've established that NCX hasn't ever used a ROG Swift or a Dell U3011 :p
 
So now we've established that NCX hasn't ever used a ROG Swift or a Dell U3011 :p

No, I think we've established that the ROG Swift owners do not know how to interpret review information and make actual comparisons of their monitors outside of their 'feels.'

P.S. Why did this topic require another thread?

P.P.S. Why did this require another thread that essentially promotes a blog post?
 
Every monitor has trade offs. Right now I don't think any LCD display on the market is a "perfect" monitor. The Swift isn't perfect or even necessarily close to it but the Swift does what I wanted it to do and does so very well.
 
Every monitor has trade offs. Right now I don't think any LCD display on the market is a "perfect" monitor. The Swift isn't perfect or even necessarily close to it but the Swift does what I wanted it to do and does so very well.

:cool:
 
Every monitor has trade offs. Right now I don't think any LCD display on the market is a "perfect" monitor. The Swift isn't perfect or even necessarily close to it but the Swift does what I wanted it to do and does so very well.

It would cost literally no effort for asus to make it a much better monitor. i.e. not applying anti glare coating and implementing actual gamma slider in the osd instead of some gimmicky features.

It's just ridiculous how out of touch monitor companies are, especially seeing how most of the tv's have really decent reduced reflection glossy coatings and full fledged color management systems.

It's not really an excuse that it was meant just for gaming, it's a 1000$ product after all.
 
Every monitor has trade offs. Right now I don't think any LCD display on the market is a "perfect" monitor. The Swift isn't perfect or even necessarily close to it but the Swift does what I wanted it to do and does so very well.

I don't think anyone has actually ever said that the swift doesn't do what it's supposed to do. However, a grainy matte coating is totally excusable when there's much lighter alternatives that offer the same glare protection, like NCX said. -IF- they would've opted for a lighter coating then myself and many other users may consider the ROG Swift to be less of a first-class POS, as the gamut coverage and color presets are actually decent.

It would cost literally no effort for asus to make it a much better monitor. i.e. not applying anti glare coating and implementing actual gamma slider in the osd instead of some gimmicky features.

It's just ridiculous how out of touch monitor companies are, especially seeing how most of the tv's have really decent reduced reflection glossy coatings and full fledged color management systems.

It's not really an excuse that it was meant just for gaming, it's a 1000$ product after all.

This is a bit off; even if TV manufacturers wanted to apply a thicker matte coating they couldn't because of how large TV pixels are (low ppi). TV manufacturers, barring Sony, are out of touch in a completely different way - particularly in regard to high input-lag and use of PWM. I would say monitor manufacturers are very apt at listening to their consumers, but the type of person to buy the ROG Swift in the first place has very low standards in regard to quality, as you can see from this thread.
 
the type of person to buy the ROG Swift in the first place has very low standards in regard to quality, as you can see from this thread.
you've transitioned from annoying to insulting
 
This is a bit off; even if TV manufacturers wanted to apply a thicker matte coating they couldn't because of how large TV pixels are (low ppi).

Nope. My old TV from 2006 has a semi matte coating. The full gloss on tv's I guess is just a new trend.:D
 
you've transitioned from annoying to insulting

Ah, I see you removed the "Can you get the fuck out of the thread" before I had a chance to quote you!

If you find that users presenting evidence that may shine your purchase in a bad light makes you angry, then I don't know what to tell you. You're refuting a claim that's been well-documented among multiple reviewers (=DEAD=, TFTcentral). I will, however, stop posting in this thread because you've done well enough at proving my point.

Nope. My old TV from 2006 has a semi matte coating. The full gloss on tv's I guess is just a new trend.:D

You can't compare the TV industry of 2006 to the TV/Monitor industry of now. Every TV I've seen past 2008 (when I bought my first LCD TV) has been glossy/semi-glossy.
 
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