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
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• 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)
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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
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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https://youtu.be/uq9pZbqflGs?t=415Asus QC is flawed and outdated for this type of IPS panel.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.
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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.
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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.