Amazon.com: Customer reviews: ASUS 27" 1440P Gaming Monitor (MG279Q) - QHD (2560 x 1440), 178° viewing, FreeSync

CG

I am so glad I gave up on 4K and went down the 144hz path instead. If you're thinking of going 4K or 144hz, hear my story...

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2015

Verified Purchase

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My Story
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All my gaming life, I have been ultimately disappointed by gaming. Whether that is poor performance despite spending so much money (remember the horrible performance of games back in 2007? Even worse than now-a-days!) or discovering I got hardware that wasn't as good (monitors that were crappier) or went in the wrong direction (4K vs 144hz).

A year ago I bought a Samsung U28D590D, which is a 4K monitor. A week after the warranty expired (1 year warranty) it got two vertical lines on it. Thankfully, I had insurance on it at BestBuy. I took it back, got a full $700 store credit. Still obsessed with getting 4K resolution for gaming, I purchased a LG 55" 4K HDTV that was one sale for a great deal.

Well, what a mistake. Apparently all 4K HDTV's except a few panasonic ones (very, very expensive) are HDMI only. As of this review, there is no HDMI 2.0 adapter, so unless you have very specific NVIDIA cards, you can't get 4K @ 60hz on them.

So there I am- stuck with three monitors. a LG 55" HDTV w/ 4K @ 30hz, a Monoprice IPS 28" w/ 1440p @ 60hz, my memory of the Samsung UD590 TN panel w/ 4K @ 60hz, and this purchase from Amazon at 1440p @ 144hz. All compared side by side (except the Samsung in memory).

When I bought the Samsung UD590, which was $100 more than this Asus monitor- the TN panel was awful compared to my $300 monoprice IPS (cheapo IPS screen). For $700, it was a disappointment. But 4K was an even bigger disappointment. Although I love the extra workspace for working in Unity to make games (a full 1080p "Game Tab" in the Editor was awesome.) that was it.

4K gaming is non-existent. I have a R9 295X2 and struggled to get a stable 40fps on most games. That is, if the game even supported more than 1 GPU. So I mostly got a choppy 4K @ 30hz - 40hz.

4K television/media content is a joke. Upscaling? Whatever. Console gaming? Impossible. TV? Not for another 5+ years. So a 4K HDTV is basically a huge scam that does nothing, 4K monitors are for gaming at really low resolutions, and the extra workspace 4K gives is negated by the eye strain and incredibly small text you will get. I have amazing vision, but even I struggled at 4K. Up the Windows DPI? Then why even have 4K? On the Samsung, anything but the native resolution (4K) looked horrendous. Unplayable, unusable. Even in games. Worst $700 I ever spent. Not even worth $300. That cheap monoprice IPS kicked that $700 Samsung UD590's butt in ALL WAYS!

The 55" 4K HDTV was cheap enough to justify keeping it for TV watching, and maybe as a second/third monitor when they finally release a HDMI 2.0 to DP1.2 adapter. I use that to watch movies, which is awesome because this monitor's stand is amazing and the monitor as a whole is very easy to move. (I keep it infront of the TV- all on my computer desk, and just move it to a stand when I want to watch TV.)

Very disappointed, until...

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My Review
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In comes the Asus MG279Q.

One of the first 144hz IPS panels.

I just hate TN panels. The color is so bad compared to IPS, and the viewing angle is horrific. But TN's usually have amazing response time and high refresh rates.

This Asus MG279Q brings with it the best of both worlds. Amazing color and viewing angle of IPS, combined with the gaming response time and high refresh rate- all alongside FreeSync. Something I've read may become the new big thing in future monitors.

Skyrim, even when it dips to 35-40fps, feels a lot smoother with this monitor than with others. It just is. I don't know if that's the response time / not as much ghosting or the FreeSync. It is just smoother. When it goes above 60fps though? Oh my goodness that is awesome.

Even surfing the internet is better @ 90hz or 144hz. The mouse on the desktop is smoother. It's an amazing experience.

I have read online that once you go high refresh rate, you can't ever go back. This is true for me as it was for them.

4K was a huge letdown and content & hardware are years behind it. With this monitor, you still get an amazing picture (1440p) but you get even better a smoothly animated, silky smooth gaming experience- even when you dip!

With 4K, you struggle to get 30-40fps. With 1440p, you always get 40+, and on most games 60+. Although it isn't easy to get 80+ on many games. (That is why IMO it's fine that FreeSync caps at 90hz with this monitor).

Even better, this monitor has tons of features that turn out to be awesome. It has ADC which automatically calibrated the monitor when I hooked up my X-Rite i1Display Pro to it. I didn't have to manually do ANYTHING! So awesome!
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TIP
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According to a detailed tech review, it is best to set the "Trace Free" option to 80, not the default 60.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/asus_mg279q.htm

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My Settings, After Professional Calibration
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(RACING MODE)
Brightness: 30
Contrast: 73
R: 100
G: 94
B: 91
TraceFree: 80
FreeSync: On (Have not tested if this is best ON or if 144hz is any different. It is noticeable on the desktop with the mouse 90hz vs 144hz, but it's not that noticeable.

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My System - Finally Satisfied
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ASUS MG279Q
Calibrated by: X-Rite's i1 Display Pro
R9 295X2

The GPU pushes Skyrim w/ 1440p @ 90hz, and with all my graphical mods I get no lower than 35fps, average 55fps, and indoors 90+ fps. (Although Skyrim is CPU bound, so that is partially why I get some of the lower fps). No other game so far has given me low framerates. With 4K, the 295X2 wasn't enough. With 1440p, it is. The refresh rate limit of 90hz when using FreeSync is fine, because few games go above 90fps even with a R9 295X2.

The color calibrator is not required, but IMO if you're already spending this much money (295X2, $600 monitor, etc.) and you have the money- it is worthwhile to get the absolute best experience. Although that tech article I linked to can give you some good settings (but every monitor will be different).

47 people found this helpful

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Irving

WOW!!!!

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2015

Verified Purchase

WOW!!! All I can say is this monitor is fantastic! The one I ordered from Amazon arrived today with a small bit of backlight bleed on the lower right corner. When I initially powered it on, it was not noticeable. But, once the monitor warmed up, I started to notice it while gaming. I tested the monitor with GTA V and it looks amazing!!! 2560 X 1440 is the sweet spot for gaming. This IPS monitor made the game look superb! It is a freesync monitor, but I did not buy it for that. I am using twin GTX 970s on a FX 8350 CPU (in the event I end up getting two AMD Fury X cards). I am sending this one back for a replacement (I'm hoping the replacement will be flawless, if not, at least tolerable for my needs/wants) as Amazon returns are superb! I am blaming ASUS for this one....the crazy thing is, the seal on the box (the one you have to peel off before you open the box) says "Quality Control Passed". Evidently, ASUS did not do a good job. So, here is my list of pros and cons:

Pros:
2560 X 1440 looks great!!!!
Ran GTA V very smoothly; no tearing (almost felt like Gsync)
144hz and IPS!
Great viewing angles (not that anyone would game from staring at the sides of it rather than the center)
Gives ROG Swift a run for its money! (in my opinion)
The menu toggle joystick (easy for navigating the OSD)
Colors are mouthwatering and jaw dropping

Cons:
backlight bleed in the bottom right corner (This monitor would have been PERFECT if it wasn't for that)
Quality Control Passed Sticker (this was placed on the box stating it passed QC, however, the backlight bleed in the corner is was very noticeable)

Overall, I am not giving up on this monitor. I think the price is fair for what you get. If my next one is bad, I am going to ask for a refund and get the Acer 144Hz IPS Gsync monitor instead. ASUS could have a winner on their hands with this one if they decide to do a Gsync variant and address the backlight bleed issues. But I love this monitor!

UPDATE: 7/7/15
I just received my replacement monitor from Amazon. Amazon shipped this thing out very fast. The first monitor I purchased from them is enroute. Regarding the second monitor....WOW!!!! No dead pixels, absolutely NO backlight bleed and the IPS glow is Very Very minimal. I played the Asus lottery (I wasn't giving up on this monitor) and ended up getting a good one. Once I properly calibrated the monitor, it is great! If this monitor ended up like the first one or worse, I was going to give up. Thank you Amazon for helping me get my replacement. This is by far the best monitor for the money. You can't beat the 144hz IPS panel for 599.99. I am coming from the Acer TN Gsync panel which has a 1ms response time. This panel has a 4ms response time and I don't even notice the difference. Consider this monitor, if you get one that does not function, Amazon will work with you. The returns are quick. I am stationed overseas and I got this monitor in 5 days.
Please see my photo below. There is absolutely no bleed and very very very little glow. In fact, you can almost see reflection in the screen.

53 people found this helpful

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Penn

better than Adaptive Sync

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2016

Verified Purchase

I'm not impressed with the Free-sync, it seems to be marginally, if any, better than Adaptive Sync.

But monitor itself is fantastic. Amazing build quality, very nice looking, it even comes with display port and HDMI cables, both of which work for me at 4k 60hz. The colors are beautiful, the pixel density is insane. Surprisingly the scaling of 4k at 24 inches isn't that bad, maybe it would be worse for someone with worse eyesight. No complaints about the monitor itself.

2 people found this helpful

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Dan Middleton

First impressions extremely positive

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2015

Verified Purchase

I just received my MG279Q yesterday so as you read my review keep in mind that it is based only on unboxing and the first few hours of use. However, my first impressions of this display are extremely positive.

My home PC sees heavy gaming use in addition to normal web-browsing duties, and in addition I sometimes work from home as a freelance social media specialist. I have been looking (and looking ,and looking) for a new monitor since last fall (2014) when my HP Pavilion 27xi died completely with no warning (nice looking screen, short on bells and whistles, unacceptably short lifespan). I was torn by indecision. If I wanted to get another 27" monitor, should I prioritize 1440p resolution (since my old display was only 1080p), or game-oriented optimizations like refresh rate and response time? On the other hand, I had always wanted a triple-head setup, but would it be worth the hassle of constantly adjusting my settings for games that don't play nicely with three screens? On the "other other hand," I was intrigued by the ultrawide (21:9) displays hitting the market and saw real benefit to them for productivity and multi-tasking.

I hemmed and hawed over all these considerations for months, "making do" in the meantime with a 24" Asus display I had reclaimed from my fiancee (who wasn't using it with her laptop anyway because her desk was always a mes... love you sweetheart). In the end I settled on the MG279Q, even though it was at the upper end of my price range, because it appeared to offer the best balance of size, display quality, performance, and quality-of-life features. So far I feel my estimation of this display has been completely validated.

PROS:

+ First and most importantly: the screen is beautifully crisp, smooth, and vibrant! Coming back to an IPS panel after months using a TN display, it's immediately noticeable how much more vivid colors are.
+ No excessive/noticeable backlight bleed (at least on the display I got).
+ No dead pixels (again, at least on mine).
+ USB ports for my mouse and keyboard are nice for reducing the cable rat's nest behind my desk.
+ Mini-joystick on the back is very nice for navigating the OSD settings menus.
+ Height and swivel adjustment is smooth and easy.
+ Stand arm allows you a convenient place to store your headphones on the back of the monitor out of the way when not in use.

NEUTRALS:

+/- Physical design is nothing to write home about. It's a dark gray color rather than the black like most monitors (and as it may appear to be in some photos), with spare red accents (branding on the base, cable-management bracket on the back, etc). There is no in-your-face branding or garish decoration, but aside from its size the monitor won't attract attention at first glance just for its physical characteristics. It looks like a monitor, and it looks like it was designed for function rather than aesthetics. I will say the bezels are nice and slim, it's not an "edge-to-edge" screen but the bezels are slim enough that they don't make the monitor seem bulkier.
+/- Base of the stand takes up quite a lot of area on your desk. This is to be expected as it has a heavy panel to balance and the monitor isn't wobbly when in use but it's something to consider if desk space is at a premium for you. Of course you could always use a VESA mount.
+/- Speakers are adequate and that's all. Thin and tinny sounding. OK for web browsing and watching some YouTube videos but not really up to the task for immersive music listening or gaming. I use headphones for that sort of thing so for me this is not a big deal, and what do you expect from monitor speakers anyway? If a monitor has speakers at all, they're all going to sound like this (odd ducks like the HP Envy 32" aside).

CONS:

- Had to fiddle with settings to correct sleep behavior... at first the monitor wouldn't properly wake up - it would lose the signal from the mini display port and stop providing power to the mouse and keyboard through its USB ports. Changing the monitor settings to charge USB devices on standby and making a couple of adjustments to Windows' power options seems to have corrected this but it was disconcerting the first time it happened, when I had to disconnect and then reconnect the Mini DisplayPort cable to get the monitor to respond.

One thing I can't comment on is the monitor's AMD FreeSync capability. I have an nVidia card in my system (Asus STRIX GTX970) which is of course incompatible with FreeSync. I considered the Asus ROG Swift (PG278Q), which is compatible with G-Sync, nVidia's proprietary system for accomplishing the same thing as FreeSync. However, I was put off by the high price tag of the Swift and the many reviews reporting serious build quality and panel quality issues. I have never had a serious problem with screen tearing while gaming and so neither G-Sync nor FreeSync are particularly compelling features to me.

To me, unless you have your heart set on being able to utilize G-Sync, this display is a much better value than the ROG Swift. It features a very similar design, similar performance specs in most/all respects, the same Asus gaming features, more connectivity options, and perhaps most importantly an IPS panel versus the Swift's TN panel. Furthermore, while the MG279Q hasn't been on the market as long and it may be too soon to tell, so far the MG279Q doesn't appear to suffer from the same thing of QA problems which have plagued the Swift. Now consider the fact that all of this comes at a price tag which is, depending on which retailers you compare, about $100 less than the Swift, and in my opinion the MG279Q is a "no-brainer" superior choice... again, UNLESS G-Sync is a critical consideration for you. For anybody with an AMD card, or for whom variable refresh rate technology isn't a major consideration, the MG279Q is an outstanding choice for a large, high-performance gaming monitor.

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Erick

... that I would receive a monitor with minor defects like a couple dead pixels

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

I ordered this monitor from Amazon Warehouse Deals thinking that I would receive a monitor with minor defects like a couple dead pixels, and a bit of IPS glow(which is normal), and maybe some backlight bleed if I was unlucky. Instead, I received the perfect monitor, no dead pixels, little to no IPS glow, and no backlight bleed. This monitor is absolutely amazing, it features 186.69 PPI(The product description states 157 PPI but this is for the 27" version) which means you will see a retina display at a viewing distance of 18 inches from the 23.6" monitor. At this viewing distance it is physically impossible for your eyes to distinguish any pixels, and a higher resolution,such as 5K, would be unnecessary(this is assuming you have a normal visual acuity such as 20/20). The monitor stand itself is has great rotation angles, and the monitor settings menu is extremely easy to navigate. The 4K resolution itself is amazing, and coupled along with the IPS display it is just surreal. I got this monitor at a good discount from the Amazon Warehouse Deals, but even at the $350 full price this product is a steal. I recommend this monitor to anyone who is looking to find an affordable,yet amazing, 4K monitor.

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Adam

Has Potential, but you better send me a brand new monitor for over $500

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2015

Verified Purchase

On paper it's an amazing monitor. In person it had excellent color reproduction right out of the box, 144hz and IPS is great, and the OSD menu was intuitive. Came with a decent amount of cables, but a regular male DP to DP would have been nice instead of the mini DP to DP.

That being said I obviously received a refurbished monitor. There was a "QC Passed" sticker over the original Asus tape with new tape on top of that. The "A" in the silver Asus logo on the front bottom of the bezel was chipped off, it had a dead pixel, and the monitor sometimes flickered whilst using free sync on my 260X. I could have probably lived with it if the monitor didn't have the flickering\blanking out issue, but either way it's pretty ridiculous to pay over 500 bucks for a monitor and get something that was already returned by someone else. Even if I get a monitor that has a couple of small issues it better be brand new for that much money.

If you are reading this then you've probably read a lot of similar reviews like it. I took a chance to see if I could get a new one but looks like I lost the monitor lottery. I decided to return it and wait to see if Asus starts actually shipping out new monitors that don't have these obvious defects instead of going through what could be several returns. What's sad is from the sound of the other reviews (from both Amazon and the 'egg) it seems like I didn't even get the worst of the issues. (some had smears on the BACK side of the glass of theirs, broken bezels, etc.). I own several other Asus products including another monitor, ultra-book, phone, etc., they are all amazing and I've never had issues with them. I'm truly surprised that everyone is having horrible QC issues and Asus is really not acknowledging them publicly or doing anything special to address them.

If you are patient you can try your luck and then possibly keep returning them for replacements until you get a good one. I'll settle for wasting only enough time to try one and write this review :)

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mack

--Summary-- Overall I'm disappointed in Asus's quality control

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2015

Verified Purchase

--Summary--

Overall I'm disappointed in Asus's quality control: this could have been an excellent monitor, but it is marred by multiple QC defects. My unit came with 1 dead pixel (in the upper left corner), about 7 partially occluded pixels (randomly dispersed in the lower middle right), unacceptably high amount of back-light bleed from the bottom right and left edges of the screen (about 2in in from each corner), and most annoyingly of all, it intermittently goes dead (black screen of death) for no apparent reason (I've never seen this problem and I've been an IT guy for around 10 years). Assuming I got a bad unit, which I hope is the case, most of these issues shouldn't be of concern, however, after reading through most of the reviews here on Amazon I'm amazed at how poor Asus's QC has been with the MG279Q monitor: Many other people have gotten monitors with similar problems (bad pixels, partially occluded pixels (AKA "dust" in between panel layers), and bad back-light bleed) leading one to believe that the chances of getting a good MG279Q monitor are slim to none. I really wanted this purchase to work out, but sadly, with all the defects and the low likely hood of getting a good unit I'll probably be going with a different model or brand. Seriously, for a $600 monitor the above problems are unacceptable.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly/Mediocre: Highlights of both

--The Good--
Medium sized 2560x1440 resolution (1080p isn't very HiRes, let's not kid ourselves), excellent for both movies and games. Has a crisp and bright display, feels good on the eyes. Color representation appears top notch for a non-professional monitor. IPS panel has excellent viewing angle range, as well as top class refresh rate, up to 144Hz! Has FreeSync 35-90Hz capability, making gaming a more enjoyable experience. Option to turn power LED off (a 1000 thanks to whoever implemented that in the OSD)! Excellent display mount with good height adjustment and rotational capabilities. All plastic parts have a matte finish to avoid annoying reflections. Screen has excellent anti-glare coating, doesn't make it too grainy and not mirror like either. Display has excellent input options: mini DP, full-sized DP, HDMI x2 and a USB 3.0 hub. Comes with one of each type of cable: mDP-DP, HDMI v1.4, and USB 3.0. Final assembly is a snap, you simply attach the screen/arm to the base and turn a hand screw and your done. Over all these features would add to a potential 4-5 star purchase (assuming back-light bleed is minimal and there are no bad pixels).

--The Bad--
Monitor will intermittently go black during use for reasons probably related to the epicycles of the inferior planets. I've yet to try a different connection between my video card and the display, but as it stands, using the mDP-DP cable to connect the monitor to my PC (which has a 7800 AMD video card) the screen will randomly go black for arbitrary amounts of time--sometimes a few seconds sometimes minutes or longer. Soft power cycling the monitor off/on via the power button doesn't help, unplugging the display-port cable and reinserting it seems to possibly help but not every time. It's frustrating to say the least, especially when I'm working on spreadsheets or about to print something or even while watching a movie it just randomly happens. I hope this isn't a common issue with this panel, if not, may god have mercy on any who dare buy this monitor. (As a heads up, all cables are firmly inserted, I'm using Win8.1, have the latest AMD video driver, there is no strain on the video cable between the monitor and the PC, I've set the refresh rate to 60Hz (as there isn't a real point for 144Hz with my older system), FreeSync is disabled on the monitor, monitor is set to DP v1.2)

--The Ugly/Medicore--
The display has one dead pixel near the top left of the panel, not really in the way but I do notice it when sitting back in my chair and it nags at me considering I paid $600 for what I thought would be a pretty awesome monitor. The next issue is more of a WTF problem, how do you get partially occluded pixels? Dirt in the layers of the panel? I don't really know, but what I do know is that this monitor has at least 7 splotches that are not on the surface of the screen which are partially blocking light from the pixels behind the derbies imbedded in the panel layers. It's something you will notice when looking very closely but when sitting back in your chair its not that big of a deal, but it nags at you when you see them. Finally back-light bleed--the mortal enemy of all human kind. The pixel issues above, while annoying are certainly a notch below the annoyance of the back-light bleed that's emitted from the bottom left and right edges of the display. Its enough that you can't help but be distracted when watching a movie that doesn't quite fill the screen. A real buzz kill.

--Score--
Three Stars, decent but not great. QC problems eat at your conscience; eliminate the back-lighting and weird pixel discrepancies and you would have yourself a solid 4.5 star monitor (FreeSync range really needs to be extended, both lower and to the max refresh of the display to really deserve a full 5 stars).

---Conclusion--
You are probably better off buying a different monitor, at least until Asus gets their assembly and QC problems ironed out. Otherwise you risk having to play Russian roulette on getting a decent panel. (Note: my monitor was purchased on the 16th of July 2015 and delivered on the 24th after Amazon got a fresh stock of MG279Q panels. So it doesn't seem like Asus has even noticed or accepted that the outlined issues, that I and other reviews have pointed out, either exist or should be of concern to them.)

22 people found this helpful

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Zachary Wright

If you read text, this is not a good monitor

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2019

Verified Purchase

I think everyone reads text on a monitor, so I can't imagine this is a good monitor for anyone.

Everyone knows about the "panel lottery" issue with these panels, so let's disregard that and assume you win the lottery and get a fantastic panel.

This monitor is still bad.

Here's the issue:
The default "mode" the monitor is in is called "racing mode." If you look around on review and calibration websites you will find that this is the "best" mode because it has the most accurate colors. It's the only mode with accurate gamma - every other mode on the monitor is wrong.

There is *no* way to adjust the gamma in any mode.

Now here's the real issue: For some unknown reason the monitor will not let you adjust the Sharpness in racing mode, and the preset sharpness is a smidge too low. It gives the picture a soft, slightly blurry look. This would be bearable if it weren't for text: text is blurry and will strain your eyes and give you a headache to read for extended periods.

There are some other modes on the monitor that unlock Sharpness, but they all have wrong colors and the gamma isn't configurable at all.

I was able to confirm sharpness was the issue by switching to one of these modes and turning up the sharpness by 10 on my mac, and 20 on my Windows machine. At that point, on windows, everything else was actually too sharp, so there was no "perfect" setting for both computers I would use this monitor for.

Even more peculiar is that you shouldn't have to adjust the sharpness: it should be 1:1 with the output signal, but for some reason on this monitor it isn't.

At the same time, who decided to lock down certain settings on certain modes? The world may never know.

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Andrew F.

My extensive experience and review of the MG279Q

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2015

Verified Purchase

First off, let me explain how big of an upgrade this is for me. I've never known or even seen a display more than 1080p @60hz, and I've been used to this cheap Samsung T24B350 for over 3 years now. I've been looking for an upgrade for a while and Gsync seemed really important to me since obviously I have a GTX 770, however after seeing the price being only $580 (with freesync) compared to the insane prices of similar Gsync monitors, I was pretty much sold.

I've read and seen all the reviews about how terrible the quality control is, but I had higher hopes than that, I mean, when people get something and their satisfied, most of the time they're going to just enjoy it, and forget about writing a review. So only the crazy enthusiasts write reviews and my theory was that they are just too picky.

I ordered it on Sunday, and on Monday I saw that it was on it's way, hurray! Except I realized I accidentally ordered it to my parents' house, oops. So long story short, it got there first, and my sweet, beautiful mother had it sent to me the same day, while Amazon was kind enough to refund me the amount it cost to deliver from there to here (in college), thank you Amazon :)

I got it yesterday, Thursday, all standard shipping of course, and I couldn't be more satisfied and excited about how quickly I got it. I finally brought it back and opened the package, set it up, plugged it in and turned it on. I almost instantly devastated by a few things. Aside from seeing an expected amount of IPS glow around the corners, most notably the bottom right, there was a terrible little dent up top where an unforgivable amount of backlight was completely ruining the top right portion.

I was sure that I had to return it. I figured I might as well test it out in the meantime. Although I knew there was going to almost certainly be a little backlight bleed, the most obvious problem up top was unforgivable! I tried pushing the frame down and messing around with it with my hands, alas, no avail.

I started using it with my computer and sweet baby cakes it was deliciously beautiful. I was blown away by the sheer picture quality, and when I finally turned it up to 120hz in Nvidia settings, I was blown away again. It was smoother than a baby's bottom. I didn't want to let go, I couldn't part with this glorious angel of a display. I tried fixing the obvious problem with my hands again. Nothing. I thought to myself "clearly there's a crack in there somewhere," right? I didn't think pushing the frame down would completely fix it. I figured I might as well keep trying, I was desperate. I tired again this time using a paper card, but I couldn't squeeze it in. I used a different card, a credit card, still not getting it. I tried a different spot, the card snapped in between the clean matte bezel, and precious crystal display. I slowly and carefully slid it over towards the problematic spot, and SNAP. The bezel returned to it's proper alignment and since I had a black picture in fullscreen I instantly realized that it was fixed 100%. Returned to it's former glory!

I knew that the IPS glow or AKA back-light bleed wasn't ever going to be fixed, since it's more of a core design flaw. At least at out-of-box settings, it was obvious, but I used TFT Central's review to change it to optimal settings, and it was hardly noticeable. I could not have been more satisfied. Keep in mind I'm still looking at the display with a black picture in fullscreen.

I also ran some other colored pictures by to make sure there were no dead pixels, faded pixels, dust, scratches, hair, or anything else that previous owners' review had so viciously claimed.

I am currently typing on this monitor now, and the text isn't too small like people have warned, Windows 10 works perfectly with it as well. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I fired up a few games and they are astonishing. Dark Souls II looks okay. I tried GTA V, and it quite the experience, although I am only running a GTX 770, and getting past 100 fps is quite the challenge at 1440p, the fps was able to lock around 72, and I was fully satisfied.

In terms of work related... What can I say? Photoshop is much easier to use, more pixels, amazing color accuracy. So much screen real estate as well.

Adobe Premiere Pro works fine, looks amazing, however I will post later once I finished setting up the dual monitors. Don't worry, I'm using the old Samsung monitor as a timeline, and media bin space, and the Asus as the main preview monitor. I can't wait to get used to it and see how my workflow increases, since I'm already pretty fast using just that one 24" monitor 1080p.

When it comes to having a freesync monitor, yet I have an Nvidia card. I don't care. Gaming is honestly secondary for me, but very important nonetheless. Although considering what I've been used to, I think I can live with having an immense upgrade of a monitor that I was able to afford rather than not be able to afford others or say, the upcoming PG279Q which I know for sure I won't want to spend that kind of money on. The biggest thing for me was IPS, 1440p and 144hz. Although I'm still trying to figure out how to increase it from 120hz to 144hz, I've been trying everything and even contacted Asus and after talking where we could both hardly understand each other, all I got was that he thought I was trying to overclock the monitor, which, as far as I know, is not considered overclocking since it's rated at 144hz, after that, I was on hold for 10-20 minutes just get hung up on, and asked for customer feedback, which I gave mostly low, in all honesty. I'm not too worried though.

This is such a joy to use. It swivels with little to no effort, it tilts up and down to any degree that anybody could ever want. The height adjustment is absolutely superb. It sits snug, and stays very fixed, and tight. When you try to move it up and down, it feels like an expensive desk drawer from Ikea but a little bit less grease. I can imagine after a couple years it will loosen, so starting it out a little tight was a very smart move. The bezel is tiny, especially compared to my old monitor. This MG279Q is a massive upgrade in every way possibly imaginable.

I love playing with settings, especially display settings, and getting the right settings for optimal use, as well as personal preference is really important to me. It provides extensive customization and it will suitable for almost any environment/lighting situation. It gets very very bright, from rooms with windows, and it gets very very dim, for the dark rooms. The optimal settings I used (thanks to TFT Central) was Racing mode at 24 brightness, and RGB, at 100 96 96 respectively.

The built in sound is okay. I think it's important to have that for people who are just browsing, need to hear notifications, etc.. But I would definitely recommend headphones if you don't have any other desktop speakers. I have both, thankfully.

Anyway, it didn't take long for me to fall in love with the MG279Q, and hopefully, others out there that are reluctant to spend $700+ on a similar Gsync or a similar freesync monitor that's affordable... Rest assured, I am happy with my purchase, and I'm glad I didn't wait to spend an extra $350-450 on the upcoming PG279Q.

I have posted a before and after pictures of when I first turned it on, to when I fixed the bezel defect up top. Also note that the IPS glow is exaggerated in the after picture, since my room is completely dark, and the monitor is displaying full black, after changing the settings, it is hardly noticeable.

For those of you in a similar situation (big upgrade) I posted a few pictures comparing my old generic Samsung monitor to the new one. You can see obvious differences instantly in terms of contrast (on the ground) and color reproduction. It's even obvious after trying to match the lighting and white balance, etc. Enjoy :)

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Matt Crouse

I wanted to love this monitor but lack of QA wouldn't let it happen

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

First off, I am not someone who write reviews often but the arduous experience of trying to find a quality monitor for gaming, work, and photography much harder than it should be for spending this much money.

TLDR: I tried 4 IPS monitors and this is the one I ended up keeping. I tried two ASUS MG279Q WQHDs, one Acer XF270HU 27-inch WQHD and finally the NIXEUS 27' Edge

About me: I am a software developer who's hobbies are gaming and photography. Which means I look at a screen all day every day. It means I understand technology, demand performance, and need visual accuracy.

Why IPS: There are really two main technologies out right now IPS and TN. There are variations of these technologies. The Nixeus uses AHVA which is a variation of IPS panel. TN is arguably better for gaming because of the minuscule response time (usually 1ms) and lack of ghosting. Low response time = no input lag, No ghosting = no blur or jitter when you move around in the game. I chose an IPS variant because as a photographer I want 100% or near 100% sRGB spectrum. The main issue I have with IPS panels is the slower response time ~10ms (even if they say 5ms is closer to 10ms) and "IPS GLOW" I HATE IPS GLOW. This is an unavoidable characteristic (not a flaw) of IPS screens.

Monitor 1: ASUS MG279Q
Of the monitors, this was the best looking visually. The colors were vibrant, accurate and pleasing to look at. The screens menu system was the best of the three, and I like the build quality the most out of the three. Why did I return two of them? Backlight bleed. and a lot of it. IPS glow is often mistaken for backlight bleed. Backlight bleed will cast a yellow hue over the edges of the screen while IPS glow affects the luminance of the area, making the edges of the screen seem slightly brighter and almost a blue hue. I can deal with a little backlight bleed but it bleed through a good 8 inches from the lower right corner and about 3 inches from the upper right.

Monitor 2: ASUS MG279Q
This monitor was pretty much the exact same as the first. less backlight bleed but still present in the same locations.

Monitor 3: Acer XF270HU 27-inch WQHD
More money, better screen right? not really. This screen had NO backlight bleed, but the IPS glow was very strong. Which I was willing to deal with but I had a few issues with the screen. 1) the box arrived with the box obviously opened (Acer security tape cut and box all beaten up) 2) the screen didn't have as much punch when it came to the colors. 3) the monitor had difficulties syncing with free sync. The free sync wasn't as smooth as the Asus screen, and some games like destiny would only sync up to 60 fps, where the Asus would sync up to 72 fps (these were settings just in Destiny 2). So I ultimately returned it.

Monitor 3: Nixeus 27' Edge
Now I had my reservations with Nixeus. I had previously owned a Nixeus and wasn't that impressed. The speakers were tinny, the colors were meh, and the black were horrible and "crushed", that was the old Nixeus. The new Edge looks GREAT. The colors aren't as good as the Asus but on par with the Acer. The menu system is meh, and the stand is a bit ... silly. (It looks like one of Batman's throwing stars). But there was ZERO blacklight bleed, and the IPS glow was the best managed of the three screens I tried. The screen synced at 144hz (freeSync) in Destiny two and all implementations of freeSync must not be created equal because I was taken aback by how much smoother and crisp the image was in games compared to the other two monitors (each around $100+ more than the Nixeus).

Back To Back Comparison:
ASUS MG279Q: Best overall picture, best menu structure, and great build quality. Best features (I loved its in-game features including the sharpening boost) I would recommend for someone that was only using the screen in a bright room and who cares about the best color representation.
Color: 5
Stand: 5
FreeSync: 4 (smaller sync range)
Dark Room Viewing: 2

Acer XF270HU 27-inch WQHD:
Great picture, ok menu structure, best speakers of the group. The stand was meh, the features were ok, and an overall a good performer, but since this screen was the MOST expensive of the group I was expected great. not 'OK' I would recommend for someone that is squeamish about going to an 'off-brand' like Nixeus, but wants a screen with decent quality control.
Color: 4
Stand: 3
FreeSync: 3 (smallest range of the group and it didn't work that well;
Dark Room Viewing: 3

Nixeus 27' Edge: Great picture (although requires calibration), worst speakers of the group, the stand is ok, the menu structure is not great, but the lack of blacklight bleed and controlled IPS glow is amazing. Top it off with a noticably smoother and crisper freeSync performance and you have a winner.
Color: 4
Stand: 3
FreeSync: 5
Dark Room Viewing: 4

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