ASUS VG278Q Review

There are tons of monitors in the market with high refresh rates but most of them will cost you a good amount. If you’re looking for something cheaper, then your job only gets tougher; till now. The ASUS VG278Q is a monitor from ASUS that comes with a 144Hz refresh rate and a reasonable price tag. This monitor should be the answer for those who seek a high refresh rate gaming monitor with a cheap price tag.

In this ASUS VG278Q review, we’ll be discussing the good, bad, and the ugly of this TN panel monitor. Being a monitor made for gamers, the ASUS VG278Q ticks most of the checkboxes without any problems. But how well does it perform under real-life load? Is the display worth your hard-earned money? Let’s find that out.

Design

The ASUS VG278Q takes a leaf out of ASUS’s design book and comes with a proven, successful design. The monitor comes in a matte black coat with a nice texture and design that stops you from thinking that this is a budget monitor for gamers. The first impression of the monitor is impressive and you do get a feel for ASUS’s aesthetics.

The build quality of the monitor is excellent. The plastic they’ve used is high quality and it looks capable of standing the test of time. The casing can handle rough handling without any issues. Even when you move the monitor or adjust it, there is no creaking sound from the monitor which confirms the solid build quality.

The front face is quite clean and doesn’t bring any distractions. The bezels are not the thinnest you’ll see but it doesn’t disturb you when playing or working. In fact, they are thinner than your average monitors and blend well with the rest of the monitor.

You only see the markings of the buttons on the front. The actual physical buttons can be found on the back. You get a joystick for controlling the on-screen display. The joystick is easy to use and it grows on you even if you’re new to this type of input controller.

The stand we have here is a solid one. The aluminum stand comes with excellent durability and doesn’t cause any wobble. This is because the stand is well-weighed at the bottom. The stand also contributes to the ergonomics by providing every adjustment possible. You can adjust the height of the display for about 5.1″. The monitor can be tilted front and back and can also be swiveled right and left.

Another nice touch is that you can pivot this display into a vertical one. The vertical display can be useful in so many cases and will come in handy for coders, designers, and other professionals. You can also mount the display on your walls as this is a VESA compatible. Overall, a very ergonomic monitor that comes with a practical design.

ASUS VG278Q Performance

The ASUS VG278Q is a 27″ display that comes with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Full HD resolution doesn’t sound that great in the age of QHD and UHD monitor but at this price, it makes sense. The resolution of the monitor also means that pixel density is not as good. The monitor sports a TN panel as opposed to an IPS panel. There is also an IPS counterpart to this model but is significantly more expensive.

The monitor comes with a contrast ratio of 1000:1 and a refresh rate of 144Hz. The display has a maximum brightness of 400 nits which is exciting at this price range. So even when you’re in a well-lit environment, this monitor can show you its contents without any problem. At 30% brightness, you can see the contrast going down. But most users won’t make a big fuss about this.

The picture quality is more than impressive. You get good contrast in colors and can enjoy deep blacks. However, in a dark environment, you can the blacks looking more like grays. The grayscale performance of the monitor is also adequate. As this is a TN panel, the viewing angles are not that great. Since you can adjust the monitor with ease, that’s not much of an issue.

When you’re going to use the preset modes, the gamma values can be meddled with. In the sRGB mode, the gamma value is around 2.2 which is neat. In other modes, the gamma is around 2.3 which is not that shabby. Unfortunately, you can’t adjust the gamma settings when you’re using a preset.

The quick response time is one of the best features of the ASUS VG278Q model. Thanks to the 1ms response time, the monitor manages to keep ghosting, motion blur, and tracing to an absolute minimum. The input lag is also around 11ms which compares well with other competitive monitors.

Connectivity and Other Features

The ASUS VG278Q monitor comes with several connectivity options. The monitor has an HDMI port, a DVI port, and also a Display port. There is also a headphone jack and an audio-in jack as well. These ports are located on the side so you don’t have to make any effort to use them. Also, this is an advantage when you plan to mount the monitor on the wall.

The ASUS VG278Q comes with support for G-Sync and AMD FreeSync. This feature improves the fluidity in your gameplay as it matches the frame rate of your GPU with that of your monitor. The ASUS eye care technology takes care of your eyes if you sit long hours in front of the monitor. The monitor controls the amount of blue light emission and also minimizes the flicker to almost zero.

Bottomline

The ASUS VG278Q is an excellent gaming monitor at this price. It comes with impressive picture quality and a refresh rate that will put a smile on the faces of gamers. Though the TN panel comes with its share of problems, the monitor makes up for it in other areas. The ergonomic stand is another thing you’ll love. If you’re looking for an inexpensive gaming monitor with high-end gaming features, then this is a solid choice.