ASUS PG279QM Review: 1440p 240Hz 1ms G-SYNC IPS Gaming Monitor

The ASUS PG279QM is a 27" 1440p 240Hz 1ms IPS gaming monitor with a dedicated G-SYNC module and a wide Adobe RGB color gamut.

Bottom Line

The ASUS PG279QM is one of the best 27″ 1440p 240Hz 1ms IPS gaming monitors thanks to its G-SYNC module and wide Adobe RGB color gamut. However, it’s too expensive.

Design:
(5.0)
Display:
(4.9)
Performance:
(4.8)
Price/Value:
(2.0)
4.2

The ASUS ROG Swift PG279QM is a 27″ 1440p 240Hz gaming monitor based on an IPS panel with a fast 1ms GtG response time speed and a wide 100% Adobe RGB color gamut.

It features a dedicated G-SYNC module, ensuring flawless variable refresh rate performance, but it comes at a cost. Here’s how the PG279QM performs and compares to its alternatives.

Image Quality

For a lot of gamers, 27″ 1440p high refresh rate gaming monitors offer the perfect balance between immersion and responsiveness.

The screen size is neither too big nor too small, and the 1440p resolution offers sharp details and text while being a lot less demanding than 4K UHD.

You also get plenty of screen space and you don’t need to use any scaling thanks to the 108 PPI (pixels per inch) pixel density.

Further, the monitor’s IPS panel offers 178° wide viewing angles and a wide 100% Adobe RGB gamut coverage (97% DCI-P3 coverage, ~150% sRGB gamut size) for vibrant and saturated colors, especially when it comes to blue, cyan and green colors.

Interestingly, the ASUS PG279QM has the sRGB emulation mode applied by default, so you won’t get any over-saturation when viewing regular content made with the sRGB color space in mind.

This ensures professional-grade Delta E < 2 factory calibration right out of the box. On top of that, the sRGB mode doesn’t lock you out of any picture settings. So, you can adjust brightness, color channels, etc.

To get the full Adobe RGB colors, you just have to manually enable the ‘Wide Gamut’ option in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.

Moving on, the ASUS PG279QM monitor supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) and even though it only carries VESA’s entry-level DisplayHDR 400 certification, it actually has 16 dimming zones and a peak brightness of up to 550-nits.

While you do get a meaningful improvement in HDR image quality as opposed to SDR, this is still far from the true HDR viewing experience.

Since there are only 16 dimming zones paired with the standard IPS contrast ratio of 1,000:1, only HDR scenes with dark and bright objects far apart will look significantly better. Other, more demanding scenes, will look similar to SDR.

Another thing to keep in mind about IPS monitors is IPS glow, though this varies from unit to unit.

Performance

g sync compatible vs native g sync

When it comes to performance, the ASUS PG279QM boasts a rapid 1ms GtG pixel response time speed for zero ghosting behind fast-moving objects.

Moreover, thanks to its dedicated G-SYNC module with variable overdrive, ghosting and overshoot are eliminated regardless of your refresh/frame rate. Make sure you’re using either the Normal or Esports overdrive mode for the best results.

G-SYNC provides a variable refresh rate (VRR) for tear-free gameplay up to 240FPS if you have a compatible NVIDIA graphics card, but the monitor also supports Adaptive-Sync for AMD FreeSync GPUs over DisplayPort.

The G-SYNC module of the ASUS ROG Swift PG279QM also supports NVIDIA Reflex Latency Analyzer which allows you to measure system latency if you have a compatible mouse.

Moreover, unlike most G-SYNC module implementations that use a cooling fan that can be noisy and fail over time, the PG279QM uses a heatsink instead, which is more silent and reliable.

Further, the backlight of the monitor is flicker-free and there’s an integrated low-blue light filter.

Features

ASUS PG279QM OSD Menu Layout

At the rear of the monitor, you’ll find a directional joystick for OSD menu navigation as well as three additional hotkeys (used for shortcuts) and a power button.

The power LED also indicates the monitor’s state (red means G-SYNC is enabled, green is for HDR or HDR + G-SYNC, and amber is for standby).

Noteworthy gaming features include various picture presets, crosshair overlays, on-screen timers and Dark Boost (improves visibility in darker scenes).

Besides the standard settings (brightness, contrast, input source, etc.), the PG279QM also offers advanced image adjustment tools, such as gamma (from 1.8 to 2.6, both sRGB and BT.1886 gamma curve), 6-axis saturation and 8 color temperature presets.

AuraSync is supported for the RGB LEDs at the back of the monitor, allowing you to synchronize the lighting with the rest of AuraSync-compatible peripherals.

Sadly, the monitor doesn’t support Motion Blur Reduction.

Design & Connectivity

ASUS PG279QM Monitor Design

The design of the monitor is robust and versatile with up to 100mm height adjustment, -5°/20° tilt, +/- 25° swivel, 90° pivot and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4, three HDMI 2.0 ports (limited to 144Hz), a headphone jack, dual 2W integrated speakers and a dual-USB 3.0 hub.

Keep in mind that the DisplayPort 1.4 of the ASUS PG279QM doesn’t support DSC (Display Stream Compression), so you’re limited to 144Hz with 10-bit color depth and full 4:4:4 uncompressed color format.

With 10-bit color + chroma subsampling or just 8-bit color depth, you can get 240Hz at 1440p. We recommend setting the monitor to 8-bit color as the difference isn’t noticeable in video games unless you’re looking at gradients.

The monitor supports Input Auto Switch (it automatically switches to a new input source once detected) as well as 1080p 120Hz on the PS5 and 1080p/1440p 120Hz on the compatible Xbox consoles.

Price & Similar Monitors

The ASUS PG279QM goes for $750, which is too expensive. You can find 27″ 1440p 240Hz OLED gaming monitors in that price range, such as the ASUS PG27AQDM.

You can also find a 27″ 1440p 240Hz monitor for just $400, such as the HP Omen 27qs. It doesn’t have quite as good overdrive implementation or as wide color gamut, but it offers a lot better value for money.

If you want a model with an Adobe RGB color gamut, the ASUS XV272UX without the G-SYNC module can be found for $500 on sale.

The LG 32GQ850 is another excellent 1440p 240Hz (260Hz OC) model with a 32″ IPS panel and an A-TW polarizer that helps with IPS glow.

There are plenty of great gaming monitors around this price range, so be sure to visit our comprehensive and always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide for more information.

Conclusion

All in all, the ASUS PG279QM is one of the best 1440p 240Hz gaming monitors available, but it is too expensive.

Specifications

Screen Size27-inch
Resolution2560×1440 (QHD)
Panel TypeIPS
Aspect Ratio16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate240Hz
Response Time1ms (GtG)
Adaptive-SyncG-SYNC (30-240Hz) + Adaptive-Sync
Speakers2x2W
PortsDisplayPort 1.4, 3x HDMI 2.0
Other PortsHeadphone Jack, 2x USB 3.0
Brightness350 cd/m²
Brightness (HDR)400 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio1000:1 (static)
Colors1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC)
100% Adobe RGB
HDRDisplayHDR 400
Local Dimming16 zones
VESAYes (100x100mm)

The Pros:

  • G-SYNC up to 240Hz
  • Low input lag, quick response time
  • High pixel density, local dimming
  • Wide Adobe RGB color gamut, flexible sRGB mode
  • Fully ergonomic design and rich connectivity options

The Cons:

  • No DSC
  • No MBR
  • Expensive
  • IPS glow and inferior contrast ratio to VA panels

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Rob Shafer

Rob is a software engineer with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver. He now works full-time managing DisplayNinja while coding his own projects on the side.