Asus ROG Strix XG279Q review

HDR and extended color are now important things to think about when looking for the best monitor for gaming. But adaptive sync and speed are still the two most important things. Even if a still image looks great, the experience quickly falls apart if the motion isn’t smooth and the response isn’t quick

The Asus monitors ROG Strix XG279Q is made for speed-oriented players. It has a 1ms IPS panel, a refresh rate of 170Hz, and support for FreeSync and G-Sync. It is also DisplayHDR 400 certified, supports HDR10, and shows more than 92% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

When paired with a good graphics card, its QHD (2560×1440) resolution means that frame rates will be high. Many different video cards will have good performance. A new feature is that you can run blur-reduction and adaptive sync at the same time. Asus calls it ELMB Sync, and this is the first time we’ve used it.

Asus ROG Strix XG279Q review: Design

The XG279Q has Asus’s standard ROG game-inspired design, with the Light In Motion logo projector, AuraSync RGB lighting on the back, and thin bezels on all three sides. The stand is strong, has many ergonomic features, and is compatible with 100x100mm VESA mounts. The screen has a matte anti-glare coating and a slightly grainy surface, but the picture is clear overall.

You can only see the rough effect on a completely white background. There are many ways to connect, including two HDMI ports (up to 144Hz at 1440p), DisplayPort, two USB Type-A downstream ports, a headphones jack, and a dual-USB hub (upstream and service-only USB).

The XG279Q has a few design features that make it stand out in addition to the standard ones. For example, the stand has a built-in handle that makes it easy to move the monitor from one place to another. The monitor also has thin bezels, which is great for gamers who want to see as much of the screen as possible. You can buy this gaming monitor from its official website

Asus ROG Strix XG279Q review: Features

In SDR mode, all of the screens have enough light, but the XG279Q has a peak brightness of 434 nits. Its backlight has a wide range that goes all the way down to 76 nits, which is a bit too bright for gaming at night. When the ELMB Sync is turned on, the peak only goes down by 17%, which is hardly noticeable. It’s one of the best flashing backlights we’ve seen so far. The XG279Q has the lowest black levels of the group because it has a bright backlight and an IPS panel.

Asus ROG Strix XG279Q review: Controls

All of the image controls on the XG279Q are accessible when GameVisual (picture modes) is set to User. There are three color temp options in the user mode with RGB sliders. There is a color saturation slider and three gammas presets (1.8, 2.2, and 2.5).

All visual options for HDR signals are grayed out, but two new modes, Cinema and Gaming, are available. They differ slightly in how they handle the brightness curve and how accurately they represent grayscale. They cannot be calibrated, yet they offer excellent HDR images. On page four, we’ll display their numbers for you.

Asus ROG Strix XG279Q review: Refresh Rate

If you’ve been looking for a 4K display with refresh rates higher than 100 Hz, you probably already know how difficult it is to find one. But that does not obligate you to give in. The Asus ROG Strix XG27UQ provides a balanced combination of excellent performance, breathtaking visuals, a fantastic design, and a tough build.

The necessity for a DSC-supporting graphics card to fully utilize its capabilities is very disappointing, but you’ll still need a powerful GPU to play recent games at 4K and above 100 FPS regardless. It could cost a little more than some of its competitors, but you won’t be dissatisfied if you have the extra money.

Asus ROG Strix XG279Q review: Connectivity

The screen is matte and has a slightly grainy surface, but the picture is very clear overall. Basically, you’ll only be able to see the slightly grainy effect on a completely white background if you’re looking for it.

There are many ways to connect, including two HDMI 2.0 ports (up to 144Hz at 1440p), DisplayPort 1.2, two 2W speakers, a headphone jack, and a dual-USB 3.0 hub with two downstream, one upstream, and one service-only USB ports.

Asus ROG Strix XG279Q review: RGB Lightning

In the Racing mode of the XG279Q, the grayscale is cool and the colors are too bright. The gamma curve is also a little off. Most of these problems can be fixed by moving the RGB sliders and setting the gamma preset to 2.5. In fact, after calibration, the grayscale tracking is very close to perfect.

The change in gamma also gives the image more depth and truer colors. Using the settings we’ve listed below should help you get the most out of your XG279Q. If you want a sRGB mode, GameVisual has one, but it disables all calibration options and sets the brightness to more than 300 nits. All the other modes use the monitor’s full native DCI-P3 color gamut, which covers more than 92% of that standard.

Asus ROG Strix XG279Q review: Performance

It has a faster response time and less ghosting and overshoot (thanks to a better implementation of overdrive). It also has a wider Adobe RGB color gamut and a sRGB/DCI-P3 mode that lets you change the brightness.

Visit our complete and always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide to learn more about monitors and ensure you get the best model that fits your needs.

Asus ROG Strix XG279Q review: Price

It’s a great option for gamers who want a fast and responsive screen. With a price tag of around $600, the Asus Rog Strix xg279q is one of the more expensive options. But its features and how well it works make it worth the money.

If you want a less expensive option, we suggest the MSI MAG274QF-QD, which costs about $450. It has a faster response time and less ghosting and overshoot. The Adobe RGB color gamut is also bigger. The XG279Q is the way to get a sRGB/DCI-P mode with adjustable brightness and no color banding.

Final Words

The ASUS ROG Strix XG279Q is a great gaming monitor with a lot of extra features. It has support for Adaptive Sync variable refresh rate (VRR), which works with both FreeSync and G-SYNC to stop the screen from tearing. Its native refresh rate is 144Hz, but it can be overclocked to 170Hz. It has a great response time and low input lag, but it gets much worse at 60Hz.

With VRR turned on, you can use the Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature, which is a nice addition. The IPS panel can be seen from a wide range of angles but has a low contrast ratio and uneven blacks, so it’s not the best choice for use in dark rooms. Last, it meets the DisplayHDR 400 standards it claims to meet because it shows a wide range of colors and has a good peak brightness in HDR.