ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQ 4K UltraHD G-Sync Monitor Review

Gaming monitors are plenty nowadays but the shift towards ultrawide resolutions has created a void where professionals and gamers who prefer the traditional 16:9 ratio are left with few options and most of which are not gaming models. There’s at least one or two initial models from major competitors but most brands have simply abandoned they’re older models in their shift to becoming “gaming” brands. ASUS, for the most part, has been heavily focused on its ultrawide ROG monitors and currently its faster 240hz 1080p offering but the Ultra HD 4K task has been left to the original flagship, the ROG Swift PG27AQ. Basically the same build as its Quad-HD 165hz twin, the ROG Swift PG279Q, both set the bar for what has become ASUS’ dominance in the upper-end of the gaming display spectrum.

Today we take a look at the reigning and defending 4K 27″ G-Sync monitor from ASUS, the ROG Swift PG27AQ featuring UltraHD resolution up to 3840×2160 at 60hz with G-Sync allowing smoother visual fidelity given the demand of 4K reso on your resolution making it a more pleasant and smoother experience. Read on!

Features

• 4K/UHD 27″ IPS panel delivers superior resolution and color, maximizing immersion while eliminating the need for anti-aliasing in games.
• ASUS Eye care technology with TUV certified Flicker free and Blue Light Filter for less Eye fatigue; Ergonomically-designed stand with Tilt,Swivel,Pivot,Height adjustment plus wall-mount capability for comfortable viewing position
• NVIDIA G-SYNC Technology synchronizes display with graphics card for the smoothest gaming visuals available.
• Robust Connectivity with DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, dual USB 3.0 ports, and Audio I/O
• ASUS Rapid Replacement 3 years warranty service with free cross shipping is included, so you can game on, worry-free.

Official product page

Closer Look

The ROG PG27AQ is a 27″ glossy screen panel. The bezel is quite minimal for the rest of the frame with a slight increase at the bottom but the entire frame is only a few milimeter thick, enough for those planning to go portrait, multi-monitor… if you do have the budget for that. Also to note, the ROG PG27AQ comes pre-assembled out of the box so there’s no need to setup a stand, a base, etc. Everything comes off from the box. In the package, there’s plenty of cabling included including HDMI, DisplayPort, USB3.0 cables, etc.

At the back of the monitor, we see the display stand with the ROG badge in the stand. ASUS did some good tooling work in the back where the ASUS name is placed and the symmetrical venting grills are well done. There’s a Kensington lock notch on one side for security purposes and the OSD keys are see on the other side. 

One of the key features of the ROG Swift PG27AQ monitor is its ergonomics and the monitor is a really dextrous thing thanks to its adjustable stand. The monitor screen can tilt up and down a couple of degrees with the monitor base allowing the neck stand to swivel left and right freely. There’s a bit of friction for precision panning which is a great touch from ASUS.

Most gaming monitors that are not widescreen will almost always have a sort of portrait mode and the ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQ is no exception, it can easily rotate its display for a portrait mode for vertical display perfect for browsing, coding or a multi-display setup. Given the screen real-estate already present from the 4K panel, its going to be a challenge to drive 5 of these things let alone the financial barrier.

Another point of articulation for the PG27AQ is the vertical height adjustment allowing the monitor screen to be adjusted to lower or higher viewing angles to compensate for many viewing scenarios.

Here are the OSD buttons at the right-edge (when facing front of screen) of the PG27AQ. The joystick serves as the general navigation control while the rest are access buttons allowing a slew of features to be accessed at the press of a button. The PG27AQ features a built-in OSD display of timers, FPS, and a crosshair reticle. While that last one may not play well with some people competitively, it can be a godsend to others who prefer a more pronounced view of their reticle without the noticeable in-game shake that realism imposes.

Connectivity-wise, there’s only a few option in terms of input with only a single HDMI or a single DisplayPort for input. Do note that to run 4K at 60FPS you need to use the DisplayPort as the monitor will only run at 30hz when running in HDMI. USB3.0 ports are present and you can use the cable included to hook your ROG PG27AQ to your PC to use the built in USB3.0 hub. An audio output port is also here for audio via the HDMI or DisplayPort device. An external power brick powers the ROG PG27AQ. Note that the covered slot at the far right, that is a service panel only visible to test models and are not found on retail models.

Once powered on, the base of the ROG PG27AQ lights up and this is the reason why its pre-assembled out of the box, due to the wiring for the lighting base. This option can be turned off in the OSD panel.

Screen Quality

As an IPS panel, the screen is noted to have some visible bleed and from the image above we can see there is some slight bleed on the lower-right corner with hints on the bottom edge and upper left corner being the most prominent. Otherwise, screen looks quite uniform and the bleed blends well, not looking like splotches that ruin uniformity.

Out of the box, the monitor is calibrated for racing mode which provides a more vibrant highlight on some colors but is the most normal out of all the OSD settings barring sRGB. Ultimately. colors are defined and rich, providing good reproduction of images making it quite a capable monitor in both gaming and production work.

Spyder5 Analysis

User Experience & Conclusion

The Spyder5 monitor analysis in itself already speaks volumes for the picture quality of the ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQ and there’s really no complaining about the display, color and visual offering of this screen. But with a $900 price tag, the PG27AQ is more than just a pretty screen. There’s plenty of features that make it quite a stand-out for gaming like the ergonomics which we’ve discussed before, not to mention the built-in speakers are of good quality and the gamer OSD add-ons are quite the extra as they are but the ultimate test here is the 4K G-Sync experience. 

Given the price and specs, its a given that the buyer would be fully aware of the requirements of 4K gaming and in this era at least a GTX 1080 is a minimum so barring the system requirements, the ASUS ROG PG27AQ delivers quite the fluid experience thanks to G-Sync. There’s no going around the fact that 4K is hard to drive and you’ll be hard-pressed to be able to get anywhere past 60 frames per second on the latest AAA titles even on a GTX 1080 Ti but thanks to G-Sync, the ROG PG27AQ can make the experience a much more acceptable experience.

As 4K is more of a cinematic experience rather than a competitive one, fluidity isn’t as high as in faster panels but ASUS’ picture quality coupled with the frame-rate syncing capability of the monitor give it the edge in delivering much more fluid cinematic experiences without the choppy experience not to mention the occasional tearing. In gaming alone, this puts you in a great spot to experience the vast worlds of today’s modern games and in production applications, the screen real-estate is a god-send for large projects. Whatever your usage is, the ROG PG27AQ delivers excellent results end-to-end.

As mentioned, there’s a bit of compatibility issues with the HDMI but since DisplayPort is a standard present in all Pascal graphics cards and with the cable already bundled by ASUS on the PG27AQ, you have no excuse not to experience the 4K 60hz spec of this monitor.

At $900, this monitor is a premium screen. There’s only a few like it and the likes of the Viewsonic VX 4K screen is oftentimes priced close enough due to its rarity not to mention that driving a Freesync screen with AMD solutions is quite the costly affair in itself. The primary competitor for the ROG PG27AQ is the Acer XB321HK which is also quite rare and has been supplanted by plenty of Acer’s other options to which ASUS has also sent in their monitors to contend with.

All in all, the ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQ is the only sensible choice if you’re after the best 27″ G-sync panel capable of 4K resolution. Its got a lot of good things going for it and while the entry price is quite steep, if you’re already interested in a 4K screen you are well aware of this and the only thing we have to tell you is that the PG27AQ is a great screen with great colors, response and features as well as ergonomics that make it all worth it.

ASUS backs the ROG Swift PG27AQ with a 3-year warranty and once you qualify for RMA, you get a new replacement monitor. No repairs and no refurbished screens. Get a new monitor thanks to ASUS Rapid Replacement service.

We give the ASUS ROG PG27AQ our B2G Gold Award!