"Given the fact that the monitor is a pretty unique combination consisting of a curved IPS panel, high resolution, G-Sync technology and up to 100 Hz refresh rate"
Shipping 5 months after the Acer X34, which has the exact same specs (and about the same price), I wonder what took them so long.
It does 100hz, they even advertise it as such "Boost your refresh rate up to 100Hz with built-in overclocking. Minimize motion blur and enjoy more frames per second." Of course they don't guarantee 100hz which is why so many get returned and can then be picked up for 30%+ off from their outlet store.
not a fan of bezels that aren't uniform all around, the bottom is needlessly thick so as to provide space for branding, and of course the branding is necessary there because of the absurd "l33t g4m3r" stand design
although I won't argue too much about aesthetics if the performance is there
Not a fan either, but, I own the 1440p 271hu from Acer and it has a 'blingy' lower bezel and stand with red accents.
I would wait for user accounts of this monitor's quality control standards. The Asus PG279Q has been plagued with horrible quality control; backlight bleed, dead pixels, bright pixels. The reason I went with the Acer model, the aesthetics of whitch I did not like at all compared to the Asus, is - because while some samples have issues - overall they have done much better with QC for what they've put on shelves.
Asus has a poor track record with quality control on these screens, the original ROG swift had issues, the PG279Q has had issues as well. Both reviewed well, and reviewers obviously got cherry picked samples, but end-users had notably high bad experiences with QC.
It's interesting that the higher number for the radii is marked as a feature, since the higher the radii the flatter the screen is. Which in essence means that this monitor is less gimmicky than the competition. If you really want each pixel of the screen to be equidistant from the users eye, the radii of the screens curvature should be about an arms length, ie less than 1000 mm.
Well, if you sit 3.8 m away from the screen the apparent pixel density will beat regular 4k screens and you can see the entire contents of the screen at one glance, i.e. it's not too big ;)
At this point, I'm pretty sure the curve is to reduce flexing of the screen causing warping of the diffusers, not to make the pixels equidistant from the eyes. I see the temporary uneven lighting this warping causes every time I grab my laptop lid by the corner to close it, and I wonder if it's going to cause long-term damage. Yes a monitor is not handled as much, but the problem is compounded by having a larger screen size.
One of the things I noticed with another 34" ultrawide monitor was that the LCD itself appeared to "float" from where my mind thought it should be. That is, if I looked at the edge, part of the image would be more or less unviewable because the backlight from that angle wasn't shining under it.
"The ultra-wide 34” monitor features 21:9 aspect ratio and 3800R screen curvature, which is larger than a number of 3000R panels that are currently on the market."
When you say "larger", would it make sense to your readership to say "less curved"?
End-users are unlikely to be engineers or involved in manufacturing design to understand such a pernickety definition. THEY are who the review is for. Therefore a common-sense ("clear English") use of language should prevail. I also read (perhaps you would argue misread) "larger" curvature as being a MORE curved screen - "larger" is a common synonym for "greater". Use of unclear language is therefore disseminating misinformation in this situation, however technically "correct" you can argue it is if you happen to be one of the few people aware of that proper usage.
It absolutely makes me mad that asus did not put HDMI 2.0 in this display.. What would that have cost them? a extra $3 per monitor?
They sell a next gen monitor, with cutting edge features and a amazing chassis, and gimp it by not putting in at least Display Port 1.3, and at least HDMI 2.0 (which is backwards compatible with older GPU's who dont have HDMI 2.0)
I expect the MSRP to be much higher than $1200.. $1200 is what the Acer 34" Curved IPS costs.. No doubt asus will demand a small premium for the 100hz feature and metal chassis.
because monitors are not commodities like graphics cards, and tend to stay in your collection for years. All of the GPU's launching this summer will have either 1.3 or 1.4 and are both backwards compatible. it's a free open standard, so they should include it to lock in those consumers on the fence, who are worried a even better monitor is right around the corner.
If this monitor is anything like the Asus PG278Q stay away - far away. I have purchased this monitor and it has been nothing short of a complete nightmare. 3 monitors were returned to newegg due to dead pixel issues (clearly asus just doesnt QA anything). The fourth monitor developed a severe backlight bleed. I sent the monitor in for repair and what I got back was a damaged monitor and missing parts. They failed to reconnect the baseplate of the monitor and ripped the ribbon cord. To add insult to injury, they basically ignore me now and have done nothing to rectify the situation.
In summary if you don't care about your Asus hardware breaking, they sure make cool looking products. Just expect nothing when it comes time for warranty service.
This thing is begging for a wall mounted extended arm. I have one by Ergotron and I love it. Especially since that stand is butt ugly. The panel I bet is super nice though.
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mrvco - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Will there be a FreeSync version?Slaanesh - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
"Given the fact that the monitor is a pretty unique combination consisting of a curved IPS panel, high resolution, G-Sync technology and up to 100 Hz refresh rate"Shipping 5 months after the Acer X34, which has the exact same specs (and about the same price), I wonder what took them so long.
kpxgq - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
They were probably waiting to see how well the Acer sold (and also the QC yields) before investing in the panels.jasonelmore - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
The acer x34 only does 60hzthreeclaws - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
It does 100hz, they even advertise it as such "Boost your refresh rate up to 100Hz with built-in overclocking. Minimize motion blur and enjoy more frames per second." Of course they don't guarantee 100hz which is why so many get returned and can then be picked up for 30%+ off from their outlet store.bunnyfubbles - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
not a fan of bezels that aren't uniform all around, the bottom is needlessly thick so as to provide space for branding, and of course the branding is necessary there because of the absurd "l33t g4m3r" stand designalthough I won't argue too much about aesthetics if the performance is there
Grooveriding - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
Not a fan either, but, I own the 1440p 271hu from Acer and it has a 'blingy' lower bezel and stand with red accents.I would wait for user accounts of this monitor's quality control standards. The Asus PG279Q has been plagued with horrible quality control; backlight bleed, dead pixels, bright pixels. The reason I went with the Acer model, the aesthetics of whitch I did not like at all compared to the Asus, is - because while some samples have issues - overall they have done much better with QC for what they've put on shelves.
Asus has a poor track record with quality control on these screens, the original ROG swift had issues, the PG279Q has had issues as well. Both reviewed well, and reviewers obviously got cherry picked samples, but end-users had notably high bad experiences with QC.
Grooveriding - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
of which*MrSpadge - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
Is it needlessly thick? They've got to mount the backlight at some edge, and given the screen area they better not skimp on this part.threeclaws - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
To be fair the extra thick lower bezel is most likely accommodating the down firing speakers, I'm sure the extra space for branding doesn't hurt.joos2000 - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
It's interesting that the higher number for the radii is marked as a feature, since the higher the radii the flatter the screen is. Which in essence means that this monitor is less gimmicky than the competition.If you really want each pixel of the screen to be equidistant from the users eye, the radii of the screens curvature should be about an arms length, ie less than 1000 mm.
MrSpadge - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
Well, if you sit 3.8 m away from the screen the apparent pixel density will beat regular 4k screens and you can see the entire contents of the screen at one glance, i.e. it's not too big ;)Solandri - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
At this point, I'm pretty sure the curve is to reduce flexing of the screen causing warping of the diffusers, not to make the pixels equidistant from the eyes. I see the temporary uneven lighting this warping causes every time I grab my laptop lid by the corner to close it, and I wonder if it's going to cause long-term damage. Yes a monitor is not handled as much, but the problem is compounded by having a larger screen size.xenol - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
One of the things I noticed with another 34" ultrawide monitor was that the LCD itself appeared to "float" from where my mind thought it should be. That is, if I looked at the edge, part of the image would be more or less unviewable because the backlight from that angle wasn't shining under it.AndrewJacksonZA - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
Is there going to be a FreeSync version?R3MF - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
"The ultra-wide 34” monitor features 21:9 aspect ratio and 3800R screen curvature, which is larger than a number of 3000R panels that are currently on the market."When you say "larger", would it make sense to your readership to say "less curved"?
Smaller the radius, tighter the curve.
Solandri - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
In engineering and manufacturing, curvature is defined by the radius of curvature. Not by the "tightness" of the curve.asmian - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
End-users are unlikely to be engineers or involved in manufacturing design to understand such a pernickety definition. THEY are who the review is for. Therefore a common-sense ("clear English") use of language should prevail. I also read (perhaps you would argue misread) "larger" curvature as being a MORE curved screen - "larger" is a common synonym for "greater". Use of unclear language is therefore disseminating misinformation in this situation, however technically "correct" you can argue it is if you happen to be one of the few people aware of that proper usage.Murloc - Sunday, March 20, 2016 - link
I agree that it's not immediately clear until you look at the numbers.T1beriu - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
Please ASUS, make a Freesync version! :)ToTTenTranz - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
On the long run, it's irrelevant if there's no freesync option.euler007 - Tuesday, March 22, 2016 - link
Last figure I saw Nvidia has a 71% market share for the discrete GPU market. Yeah, quite irrelevant...JeffFlanagan - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
> Anyone still want VR?Of course. A nice monitor is still just a monitor.
xenol - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
When can we get monitors like these without the useless gaming trims?jasonelmore - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
It absolutely makes me mad that asus did not put HDMI 2.0 in this display.. What would that have cost them? a extra $3 per monitor?They sell a next gen monitor, with cutting edge features and a amazing chassis, and gimp it by not putting in at least Display Port 1.3, and at least HDMI 2.0 (which is backwards compatible with older GPU's who dont have HDMI 2.0)
I expect the MSRP to be much higher than $1200.. $1200 is what the Acer 34" Curved IPS costs.. No doubt asus will demand a small premium for the 100hz feature and metal chassis.
Kylis - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
I dunno, the x34 looks to be 1300 bucks or greater everywhere I am looking. The PG348Q is looking to be 1300 bucks in the US as well.Kalost - Saturday, March 19, 2016 - link
Please tell me what current video card comes with DP 1.3? None, so how would they make money selling a monitor without the support for it.jasonelmore - Sunday, March 20, 2016 - link
because monitors are not commodities like graphics cards, and tend to stay in your collection for years. All of the GPU's launching this summer will have either 1.3 or 1.4 and are both backwards compatible. it's a free open standard, so they should include it to lock in those consumers on the fence, who are worried a even better monitor is right around the corner.dcompiled - Sunday, March 20, 2016 - link
If this monitor is anything like the Asus PG278Q stay away - far away. I have purchased this monitor and it has been nothing short of a complete nightmare. 3 monitors were returned to newegg due to dead pixel issues (clearly asus just doesnt QA anything). The fourth monitor developed a severe backlight bleed. I sent the monitor in for repair and what I got back was a damaged monitor and missing parts. They failed to reconnect the baseplate of the monitor and ripped the ribbon cord. To add insult to injury, they basically ignore me now and have done nothing to rectify the situation.In summary if you don't care about your Asus hardware breaking, they sure make cool looking products. Just expect nothing when it comes time for warranty service.
akula2 - Tuesday, March 22, 2016 - link
Today is World Water Day. Don't you think Power Consumption is important anymore?Please mention that parameter in all reviews because many are interested to know about it.
jonainpdx - Wednesday, May 11, 2016 - link
This thing is begging for a wall mounted extended arm. I have one by Ergotron and I love it. Especially since that stand is butt ugly. The panel I bet is super nice though.