ASUS 43" 4K 144Hz 1ms Gaming Monitor - ROG Strix, HDR1000, FreeSync Premium Pro

PREVIOUS MONITORSince 2016 I've used the Acer XB271HU 1440p, 165Hz, IPS, G-SYNC Module, 27" monitor for everything I did. That includes gaming, 3D modeling (Rhino3D, Maya, ZBrush), 3D rendering (Maxwell, VRay), photo editing (Photoshop, Lightroom), 2D graphics (Illustrator), and it did great for everything. I never calibrated it and colors were still decently good (not perfect) when printing physical copies of my work. For gaming, it was great and I could not have chosen a better monitor when I did for the various things I needed it for.NEW MONITOR (ASUS XG27AQM)To preface this, I've also used the Acer XB273U GX and the ASUS TUF VG259QM for several months each and at separate times each. Purchased them at Micro Center just for testing purposes (to see which I liked more) and not for ownership. I know some people prefer 24" monitors for gaming, but I personally can switch between 24" and 27" monitors just fine.It's only been one day since I received ASUS XG27AQM in the mail, but listed below are my PROS and CONS. Personally, it's worth the upgrade from my previous monitor (especially since I'll be looking to sell my XB271HU now). The ability to feel and play at frames higher than 165fps (especially if sustained and with a crisp frame time graph) is very noticeable and makes fast paced games much more enjoyable. I have not overclocked it to 270Hz because there's currently really no need to in my opinion (refer to CONS).SIDE NOTE (UPDATED)I'm also a bit cautious of the OC function because on my previous experience with the Acer XB273U GX and the ASUS TUF VG259QM. Both screens would go black for a few seconds and then the picture would come back. Granted, it also warns you when enabling the OC. I honestly didn't mind it, but it'd happen in the middle of a game which was annoying at times. I purchased an iVANKY DP1.4 cable (since the reviews were great) and the black screen still happened even when trying different ports on the monitors and graphics card. The OC function on my Acer XB271HU never caused the screen the go black, ever. Update: Since writing the review, I've overclocked the XG27AQM to 270Hz, and at least for my unit, the screen does not flicker or go black for a few seconds. Keeping it overclocked for the foreseeable future.PROS- 1440p- 240Hz (270Hz OC)- Very Responsive (Slightly quicker input lag than my previous monitor, but that's probably due to the increase Hz)- Good colors (Will most certainly calibrate this monitor though)- Arrived with zero dead pixels- No perceptible overshoot at Overdrive Setting 4 (I tried OD-5 as well, but I visually preferred OD-4)- Motion clarity at OD-4 with ELMB disabled is noticeably improved from my previous monitor- I have G-SYNC Compatible enabled and it works great (I personally don't notice a difference from a physical G-SYNC Module, and many well documented reviews for monitors only show an input lag increase of <1ms when enabling a Variable Refresh Rate technology) so it's worth itCONS- When enabling ELMB, the brightness is too low for me even in a very dark room. Update: I've since enabled ELMB. What I did to combat the brightness drop is set it to 100% brightness first, then enabled ELMB, and finally set Shadow Boost to Level 2. It was plenty usable after that.- I don't have an RTX 3080 yet to push more frames haha :'( My RTX 2070 Super is great, but an upgrade is definitely needed for this type of monitor. Maybe I'll wait for an RTX 4080 to pair with my i9-10850K @ 5.0GHz.FINAL THOUGHTSIf you haven't purchased a monitor in several years and have been looking for a proper upgrade, here is your monitor, the ASUS XG27AQM. These specs will not become obsolete any time soon. The 1440p resolution provides improved visual clarity from 1080p, the increased refresh rate of 240Hz Native/270Hz OC from 165Hz is noticeable, and the motion clarity improvement is great for the enjoyment of fast paced video games.If I were asked, "Would you return your ASUS XG27AQM and instead purchase the Acer XB273U GX or ASUS TUF VG259QM?", my answer would be, "No."But if I were asked, "In hindsight, which would you purchase, the ASUS XG27AQM, Acer XB273U GX or ASUS TUF VG259QM?", my answer would be, "The ASUS TUF VG259QM is 100% out of the question because of the noticeable decrease in resolution and visual clarity. For the ASUS XG27AQM and Acer XB273U GX it would depend on availability. Both 1440p 270Hz monitors are great each with their own pros and cons. The Acer XB273U GX has two usable Black Frame Insertion modes (Off, Normal, and Extreme) vs the ASUS XG27AQM's (On and Off). Colors, motion clarity, and input lag are all comparable. Ultimately, I'd be hard pressed to say one is better than the other, so I'd be happy purchasing either the ASUS XG27AQM or the Acer XB273U GX. But from my own personal experience, there was some noticeable overshoot on my copy of the Acer XB273U GX which is why I did not repurchase it and instead went for the ASUS XG27AQM. No overshoot to be seen on my copy of the ASUS XG27AQM which is why I will be keeping this monitor and not returning it."Games I Play: Witcher 3, PUBG, Rocket League, Battlefield (4, V, 2042), Apex Legends, Risk of Rain 2, Dragon Quest XI, Ori Series, Trine Series, and Resident Evil 2 Remake.

After looking at some top reviews and picks for a 1440p gaming monitor, the XG27AQM was the pick.I was impressed from the first boot! ROG logo pops up! So crisp. So clean! Installed chipset, video card, mouse drivers etc... and was up and running. Turned on HDR. Didn't like the HDR function. Darkened the screen way too much. Reverted back.Installed Call of Duty Warzone first. Graphics were preset to high. Getting about 140+ fps. The game looked good or so I thought for about 8 months! Uh oh! Added some filters to bring out the dynamic colors (streamers do it). Adding the filters dropped my frames! Too taxing on my PC. Unacceptable. Reverted back.After a bit more research I found how to OC the monitor in order to get 270hz. That helped tremendously with dsync. Died way too times in high combat situations. The 270hz is choice!Reading up on HDR and stuff, I decided to go back to the HDR setting. It was tough. Still didn't like how dark it made the screen! But the graphics are primo! The contrast between dark and light is beautiful! Call of Duty Warzone 2 looks killer and still getting 120+ fps with graphics on high.No additional cable needed.No screen bleed.No nothing!100% satisfied with this monitor.$600 & worth every penny...

Few bullet points regarding the advertised features:270hz:-Had a few times where the monitor flickered, but I think it was due to the DisplayPort cable being an issue. I'm also using a dual monitor setup, this one and another with actual GSYNC module (PG27UQ). If I enabled Adaptive Sync on this monitor before turning on GSYNC in Nvidia's control panel, this monitor sometimes went completely black and wouldn't turn on unless I restarted the PC. But again, it's possible this could be related to my dual monitor setup. So what I do from now on is just enable GSYNC in the Nvidia Control panel first, then enable Adaptive Sync on my monitor.Monitor design:-I really wished ASUS changed the design of the monitor ports for these monitors so the cables weren't so bent going in. It goes up vertically and if your displayport is too bulky, the wires will get really bent going in. I've had to purchase separate ones, ones labeled "DisplayPort 1.4" from Maxonar Store on Amazon.-Flickering @ 270hz stopped when I got the DisplayPort 1.4 cable. This is a different sort of screen-black-out that occurred without Adaptive sync turned on. Keep in mind there is a disclaimer when turning on 270hz that screen-flickering may occur. But so far, I've used it for 2 months now and havent had it happen after the week.ELMB Sync-I don't use ELMB/GSYNC for competitive games, but I can confirm it does work fine. 'Just keep in mind that the following occurs when ELMB Sync is enabled:-HDR can not be enabled-Screen brightness is also dimmed as a result-Overdrive setting is locked out when ONLY when ELMB Sync is enabled.. In other words, Adaptive Sync On + ELMB Sync off = Overdrive is unlocked. Adaptive Sync + ELMB Sync on = Overdrive is locked and cannot change.You can technically also use only ELMB by turning on ELMB Sync on + Adaptive Sync Off. This is only advisable if the game is running at fixed FPS (120hz = game is constnatly 120fps, or 240hz = 240fps) If the game's FPS fluctuates during this mode, you'll experience double-images/artifacting.Personally, I haven't noticed any flickering/eye-strain with ELMB Sync, but as with strobe-based motion blur reduction, some people may be sensitive to it. ELMB sync will turn off by itself if it reaches below 80fps, FYI. It will turn back on once it goes back up. Someone also mentioned increasing brightness before turning on ELMB but it didn't make a difference to me. The only thing you can change is Contrast and Shadow Boost levels with it on.-I've used NVIDIA filters to increase the brightness to compensate, but again, I really only bought this to play competitive games at a high refresh rate. I switch to my PG27UQ 4K monitor for proper GSYNC/visual fidelityHDR400:-In comparison to my PG27UQ HDR1000 certificiation, my PG27UQ blows it out of the water obviously.If this is your first HDR monitor, you'll still be impressed by the visuals in games that do support it. Just keep HDR disabled in Windows until you're ready to play a game.-Windows 11 is also going to be changing how HDR looks when it's enabled by default so that it doesn't look washed out when you're not playing a game or not playing an HDR-capable videoTL;DR:+Buy it for competitive games, especially if you want ELMB. Buy it if your card can achieve 240fps+-Don't buy this if you're looking for GSYNC compatible features. Most would argue native GSYNC monitors, while expensive, are worth it if you're a stickler for it. Otherwise, know that you are getting something that is "good" but not as good as actual GSYNC.-For GSYNC Enthusiasts, look up PG279QM for an actual 1440p 240hz (not 270hz) GSYNC monitor with similar features). Keep in mind, the PG279QM does NOT have ULMB despite having a native GSYNC module. But most reviews seem to praise it despite it and looks good without it.-Dont buy this for the HDR400. The lowest I recommend is HDR600 for any noticeable difference. It's still better than nothing, but if you can afford to buy something better, then buy something better.