cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

*WARNING* PG279Q current issues - Bad QC, terrible panel quality

phatec
Level 7
Hello Folks,

IT Systems Consultant here.

Asus has always been my go to for PC products, whether it is the ROG Asus mobo's, ROG Asus front panel, ROG Asus RaidR ETC.

Computer specs
---
• i7-5930k
• ROG Rampage V Extreme
• ROG RaidR
• Corsair Dominator Platinum 64GB DDR-2400
• Corsair AX1500i PSU
• EVGA Titan X - SLI
• Windows 10 Pro

Had recently purchased the PG279Q from Memory Express (memoryexpress.com)

In canada the purchase price is $1200, $1260 with GST, $1380 with a 2yr IPR.

I have to admit the OS for the monitor and the build quality for the chassis is amazing, far more superior than most on the market.

Unfortunately the monitor both my friend and myself were faulty, so were the others we replaced with.

First, IPS glow is present in minor cases usually around the edges of most IPS monitors, i Agree.

Image blur/pixel response is slower regarding the ms response times between 1ms (tn panels) and 4ms (this monitor)

---

Now this is what got me very angry...

I've provided roughly 6,000 LG 24MB35PU-B Widescreen LCD Monitor
1) Cheap (roughly $150 CA ea)
2) No IPS bleed or backlight glow within light or dark rooms

I've also deployed 8,000 HP Z Display Z23i 23-inch IPS LED Backlit Monitor
1) 8ms, Cheap (roughly $250 CA ea)
2) No IPS bleed or backlight glow within light or dark rooms

And i ask myself, how is a $1200 monitor having so many issues?

Reasons i think there is issues -

1) QC is not testing the monitors within a dark room
2) Panels are only being tested to make sure they function only
3) QC only tests 1 out of every 100 monitors for functionality
3) QC is more concerned with the structure build quality rather than the panel quality
4) Panels are faulty
- Reason i think it is faulty is due to the Pixel response and heavy blur - more on that later
5) Monitor structure around the edge of the monitor is pressure fitted to tight which also cause the issues
6) Asus didn't do enough planning or testing for the panel before building the final product
7) Asus purchased a cheap panel

---

Now lets start with the issues I've found regarding the issues above

1) Most gamers (the ones buying this monitor) play games in a dark or dimly lit room.
That being said, while QC tests the monitors in a bright florescent lit factory such as - https://youtu.be/uq9pZbqflGs?t=415
Asus QC is flawed and outdated for this type of IPS panel.

2) Although the build of the stand and frame is great, what we use and what we look at the entire time is the monitor panel/screen itself, it almost seems Asus was too concerned with the look of the entire chassis such as the unnecessary Red LED ring and red LED logo on the base stand.

3) Regarding the faulty panels, im not sure but it seems this way for the batch Asus received.

I've tested both the Predator Acer XB271HU and the Predator Acer x34 monitors.
• Both have nearly no IPS glow.
• Both has no light bleed except for the x34 on each of the 4 corners, which was due to how the curve of the monitor is, if you sit at the perfect distance from the monitor you cannot see the 2mm of light bleed which was not noticeable anyways.
• No motion blur! oh my goodness, i cannot stress this enough, if you play world of warcraft, bf4, Witcher, SC2, H1Z1, anything really, and you for example on SC2, use your arrow keys left to the right, there is nearly no pixel blur, or in world of warcraft if you hop on a mount and strafe left to right it is so smooth on both the XB271HU and the X34 montior, no ghosting at all!

On the Asus PG279Q, if you do the same as above, the image is extremely blurred with a huge amount of ghosting, if you turn on OD extreme or normal, same issue. OD Extreme makes the color and sharpness of the image more vibrant yet does not affect or fix the blur or ghosting of the image, on the acers i just keep this setting at off or normal because it is so smooth.

4) The screen of the Asus is terrible, there is an anti-glare matte finish which does affect the image quite a bit.
You look at the screen of the Acer, and it is a 50/50 anti-glare/gloss finish which does not affect the image quality.

Asus take notes.

5) Asus did not hire real life hardcore gamers who spend most of their hours of the day on a computer look at the screen.
If Asus had hired 100 gamers tossed them in a dark room to test these monitor before they are mass produced, they would not have made it off the floor.

They would then be able to test almost all games which most people are playing, whether it is -
• Killing floor
• H1Z1
• Battlefield 4
• Starcraft 2
• League of Legends
• World of Warcraft
• Star Citizen

ETC.

Instead, Asus hired a few older fellows who do not use the monitor for which ROG is intended.
This makes me feel like I'm buying a name such as a $5000 suite from Hugo boss, when you can get a suit of the same quality from Tip Top or Moores for $250.

---

IPS panels are becoming more and more the go to panel due to the versatility of the panel,
The clarity of the image, low failure rate, yet slow in terms of pixel response etc.

TN, the older generation has a faded color contrast, not versatile in structure.
Both the TN and VA panels are nearly similar, although the VA panel is a bit higher quality.
Yet both are subject to damage with higher heat and failure rates.
Both TN and VA can achieve higher pixel response times and higher refresh rates.

---

The only reason which makes the Asus good is the build quality of the stand, OS functions and aesthetics, the controls at the back bottom right with the finger switch is amazing, this should be placed on all monitors for every company, and the man/woman who came up with this idea should receive a huge raise and promotion.

Other then that, the PG279Q fails boundlessly.

I do not recommend this monitor to anyone, i hope they are all re-called and vendors request clients to return the monitor for a refund until the issues are resolved.

Note: I've spoke to Tech support multiple times now for each monitor that i purchase.
• The Tech support is not knowledgeable of the product.
• The Tech support has never used or seen the monitor physically.
• The Tech support confirmed he has never use the PG279Q (Why the heck is he supporting it then)
• He had requested i send the monitor in, which i will not do as replacing the monitor many times from the store and having the same issue was enough for me. What will me sending a product back to them, and waiting 3 weeks to receive it back accomplish? when i can return it to the store in minutes, I can understand 1 lemon of the bunch but not many in a row.
• Most companies will send a refurbished product instead of a new product, unless you purchased from them directly as this will count as your RMA for the item past 30 days.

I would love it if a manger of the company, or the head manufacturer was to contact me and explain the issues with this monitor and why Asus is ripping people off.
38,320 Views
10 REPLIES 10

Juston_Gold
Level 7
Yes, even today the Asus PG279Q continues to ship with defective AU Optronics LCD panels. The PG279Q is a disaster for Asus and it's quite sad.

Also, I agree the anti-glare coating on the PG279Q is far too aggressive and creates a less sharp image.

phatec
Level 7
Indeed you are correct.

Yes, If Asus would change the screen cover or coating to be that of the same material which Acer has currently been using, there would be a lot more happy customers.

Funny fact, the reason I will no longer purchase the Asus Swift monitors anymore, is not only because of the BLB and IPS glow, it is mostly because of the screen cover and coating they are using is much too aggressive, on the Acer monitors; Whites are white... on the Asus monitors; Whites are grey which is unacceptable, please refer to this page to test this fact - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZBSXsPwOgs.

Further, aside from the fact the screen cover and coating was the worst choice for this product, the motion blur or "ghosting" and "pixel capture" is probably the worst I've ever seen in my life. I usually test the pixel response by going into World of Warcraft, find a quest giver, and strafe left to right with the yellow quest ! in the center of the screen, this allows me to track the motion blur the best out of any other game.

On the Asus PG279Q, the ghosting is very noticeable and you will get a headache after a short time due to the ghosting. While using the Acer XB27HU, there is nearly no ghosting, which does not make sense as both Asus and Acer are using the same panels which tells me that there must be a defect in the software?

I hope that Asus buy an XB27HU and product tests this item to compare the difference between their own and see what I am talking about.

It is very sad that the fact Asus cannot pull this item off the shelf is because of the countless millions which went into the research and productivity of their product. Logitech spends millions on product research before releasing a product (http://kotaku.com/how-one-company-spent-millions-on-a-gaming-mouse-1672124862), I am sure Asus does the same. Unfortunately they are unable to pull the item off the shelf until they have made enough money to cover the cost of producing the product.

---

I have also since returned both the Acer X34 and the Acer XB27HU as I am fully aware of the hardware/software defects such as the x34 not being able to max at 100hz instead only maxes at 95hz, there is also issues with the "gaming mode settings" which disable Gsync, removes the overclock settings, and the hardware issues on the device itself such as the display ports. This is also present in the Acer XB27HU, screen tears or glitches on the screen while opening a game and the screen adjusts or the game going in and out of a load screen causing these glitches are very present, I've also noticed a few of the similar issues with the software where enabling the gaming settings will disable Gsync or disable the overclock (I'm still not sure if this is intended, but does not make sense if it is).

I'll be waiting for Asus to release a more reliable product.

Everyone should also go here to test their monitor - http://www.passmark.com.au/products/monitortest.htm

I am currently using a Samsung SA950 27" monitor, this is a 1ms TN panel, Settings allow you to adjust the sharpness and blur of the screen to allow for a more vibrant or softer image. This to me has been a very difficult monitor to contest with. Also the color vibrancy is similar to that of an IPS panel, not bad for a 120hz TN panel I must say.

Minsekt
Level 7
ive had a PG278Q before with no issues and im having the PG279Q now since its release, ive got a fairly good sample with almost no BLB and IPS Glow bad the ghosting is sooo bad.. im going crazy over this. in games like world of warcraft is SOO BAD its unbelievable, even tho im at 144hz capped its looks like its laggy as hell... i even thought my system was buggy until i realised its the damn monitor. and it gets even worse the lower your frames are (lets say 80fps, which feels like youre playing a choppy 30fps game)

id like to use the gsync pendulum tech demo from nvidia to check ghosting. thats the best example.. even tho gsync is catching the frames togheter it looks like **** on this screen. wow.. gonna sell it asap.

InfernoStorm
Level 10
Hey Phatec,

From what I've seen so far it's not just the PG279Q, right now it's just not a good idea to be buying 27"+ IPS 144Hz+ panels. The bleeding issue occurs more often on high refresh rate IPS panels. My friend bought the Acer XB271HU and returned 5 monitors already and still same issue. My friend now has reverted back to a TN monitor (PG278Q) and he's loving it.

Without doubt if you get a bad monitor or in other cases like other people like my friend who has exchanged a few already and still have a problem and then of course it's a QC problem. There are people on the forum here who have gotten perfectly working PG279Q with very minimal bleeding.

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-XB271HU-27-inch-Widescreen/product-reviews/B0173PEX20/ref=cm_cr_...

Same thing that Juston Gold is referring to, lots of people have gone through 3 or in some cases like one of the review (8) replacements and still have the same issue.

I agree with you that it is not just the PG279Q.

Backlight bleed is a more common issue with the following monitors -

PG279Q
MG279Q
XB270HU
XB271HU
Predator X34

Backlight bleed is a least common issue with the following -

LG 31MU97
LG 27MU67-B
BenQ BL2711U
BenQ SW2700PT

IPS TV's are also not having the apparent issues with IPS bleed.

Such as the following IPS 4K tv's -

Samsung - JS7000 – 60Hz panel with Motion Rate 120 - size 60"
LG 79UF9500 - 240hz - Size 79"

Neither TV's experience Backlight bleed.

I've seen the following issues many times with monitors -

1) Not enough pressure behind the panel (IPS glow).
2) Edges of the screen are not properly sealed which allows white light to bleed (Blacklight bleed).

These are both hardware Quality issues which still need to be address properly by companies such as Asus and ACER.

Fortunately companies such as Samsung, LG, and Sony have already corrected these hardware issues.

Higher hz frequency monitor such as 120. 144, 165 does not increase the chance of these hardware defects.

Reasons -

1) The higher hz refresh rate value allows the monitor to register information more fluently with your graphics card, most graphics cards these days run at 240hz frames. With your monitor being a higher refresh rate this allows the image synchronization to capture a smooth image rather than the screen tares you would notice while using a graphics card that allows up to 240hz and the monitor running at 60hz, the reason you get tares, is unfortunately due to the hardware and software of the monitor not being able to sync the data fast enough.

2) Despite people thinking this way, higher refresh rates of the monitor does not increase the brightness of the monitor causing backlight bleed or IPS glow.

Again Backlight bleed and IPS glow are hardware defects of the product.

Unfortunately Asus and Acer are still in the learning stages for IPS panels, whereas Samsung and LG have had experience with IPS for many years and know how to prevent the issues.

Unfortunately Asus and Acer are still in the learning stages for IPS panels, whereas Samsung and LG have had experience with IPS for many years and know how to prevent the issues.

Does not justify buying such an expensive display with assembly defects.

Hertz wrote:
Does not justify buying such an expensive display with assembly defects.


Agreed, they should be recalling the monitors asap.

phatec wrote:
Agreed, they should be recalling the monitors asap.


Only signed up to post. Not really a social media/Forum kinda guy, but with my HND Mech & Elec background along with extensive experience of Networking deployment & Lan campus environments, I felt compelled to state my recent events.
Having started with the first purchase in Nov 2015 (Birthday pressy from me to me) I am now sending the 3rd one back to my supplier for a refund tomorrow. All of these IPS Panels have seem to have huge & varying amounts of Back-light bleed which I feel is unacceptable for such a high value commodity. The current one going back tomorrow has light bleed along the entire bottom edge with huge glow in the corners. In certain light situations, the bottom edge has really bright spots in the overall glow of the bleedage. Of the four I've had, the first was probably the best & yet on each occasion, my supplier has insisted the Back-light bleed was very excessive.


55416 55417 55418 55419

Unfortuantely, after speaking with Asus Support on the phone & then entering their world of "It Doesn't Work" system, all they are willing to do is exchange it for a refurbished one. After spending £750 GBP for a faulty product, I really do object to having a re-furbished one.

If ever there was a time for a Re-call, this is it Asus!

So we're all on here, expressing concern and disappointment with these "top tier" Asus PG279Q monitors.. Yet, they fail to acknowledge it because even with all of these issues, they are flying off the shelves and are never in stock for more than a hot minute on Newegg and Amazon.

I already have two good samples in possession and shooting for a 3rd to complete my triple setup but my recent December build was among the worst i've seen to date. Brown IPS corners and hot spots.. My good samples have normal IPS glow in the color of silver.. IPS should never have yellow/brown glow anywhere.. it's noticeable in normal usage (even against bright backgrounds it looks like stains on the screen.

How many units do I need to try before I get a good one Asus? Can you answer me that? Are you going to tell us yellow/brown spots all over the screen is "normal and within spec" ?

Why isn't there a classaction lawsuit going on yet? Asus is doing nothing to replace or fix these units... In fact, when I submitted a RMA, they wouldn't respond to my e-mails and when I called in to check on RMA status they kept roundaboutely saying "We have no idea" and promptly got me off the phone.