Asus ROG Swift PG258Q review

240Hz, G-Sync and ULMB in one awesome monitor

Asus ROG Swift PG258Q review

The first 240Hz monitor that I had the chance to review was the AOC AG251FZ, and mighty impressive it was.

However, it wasn’t the first 240Hz display to be available. That honour goes to the Asus ROG Swift PG258Q, a monitor that I’ve finally got my hands on.

It uses the exact same 25inch, 1080p TN panel that’s made by AU Optronics as the AOC but combines it with a slim-bezelled design and instead of Freesync you get G-Sync.

Asus ROG Swift PG258Q video review

What’s more this monitor also has an ultra low motion blur mode that flickers the back light on and off.

All told, it should be the ultimate monitor for elite competitive gamers that use an Nvidia graphics card. But, does it deliver.

Well, first impressions are mostly good. The slim and low-profile bezel immediately makes this feel like a more premium monitor than most. This is also true of the overall attention to detail of the design. Where with some gaming monitors the little design extras can feel a bit tacked on, here the whole design feels cohesive.

The highlight is the all metal base that stands up on its tip toes. It gives the whole thing a sense of lightness.

However, for all that the design is cohesive, it may not be a look that appeals to everyone. The copper highlights and the circuitboard pattern on the back aren’t exactly neutral so it may be difficult to fit this monitor into the look of the rest of your gaming system or room décor, as compared to a more typical black and silver combo.

And then there’s the downward firing red light. By default this shines an Asus ROG logo onto your desk, which quite frankly isn’t something I, and I suspect many, people are interested in.

However, no doubt following feedback from some buyers of the PG348Q, Asus has made the cover removable so you can add in your own logo instead, making it a far more tempting feature to leave turned on.

Moving onto more practical considerations, Asus has fully decked out this monitor with all the stand adjustments you’d expect, so you can change its height and tilt angle, rotate it on its base and tip it into portrait mode.

The latter makes it easier to plug in your cables, if nothing else, but otherwise that’s about the only thing I can praise this monitor for when it comes to connectivity. That’s because, being a G-Sync display, it’s limited to just two inputs: one DisplayPort and one HDMI.

Not a problem if you’re just using it for one PC, but it limits the potential of this monitor as a multimedia hub.

You do also get a USB 3.0 hub but there are only two ports and, along with the rest of the connectivity, they’re hidden behind a plastic panel and oriented at an odd angle. Fine if you’re leaving a mouse and keyboard plugged in permanently but no good if you want to just plug in a USB stick.

There’s also a headphone jack which can be used to hear any audio coming in over the two video connections. However, there are no speakers.

So, not a perfect showing so far, but one thing Asus always seems to get right is its onscreen display controls. The little joystick makes navigation really intuitive and the menus respond nice and quickly.

You also get loads of options. In fact, arguably too many. The mass of gaming presets is actually rather confusing, especially as the default mode is Racing. As though people will be buying a 240Hz gaming monitor for racing games?

Nonetheless, right out of the box, this is a very nice looking display. Just as with the AOC AG251FZ, Asus has clearly made the effort with ensuring such a premium display comes out the factory looking as it should.

From its accurate colour temperature to its high contrast and dazzling maximum brightness, this display impresses on every front. What’s more quality hardly changes, moving from 60Hz to 240Hz.

The display is also reasonably uniform and viewing angles are a touch better than many TN panels. The AOC maybe just sneaks it for overall subjective image quality but it’s close enough it could easily be down to natural variance in the panels.

Is it good enough for content creation? No, the step up to an IPS display is still clear, but there’s far less of a compromise here than with many gaming displays.

Moreover, compromise isn’t a word that applies when it comes to gaming. This monitor is fantastic. The step up from 144Hz to 240Hz is clearly noticeable both using more synthetic tests and when gaming. It’s definitely more subtle than the jump from 60Hz but any truly competitive gamer will feel it straighawy.

Practice and skill will always trump technology, but for that final last little advantage 240Hz does feel like it delivers.
As for the ultra low motion blur, it only works at up to 144Hz, which somewhat defeats the object of having it. But, for some games 144Hz with blur reduction may prove more advantageous than 240Hz without, so at least you’ve got the option.

Either way, G-Sync works flawlessly all the way up to 240Hz making for a fantastic-looking, stutter free image.

So, in the end, this is a great gaming monitor. If you’re an Nvidia graphics card user who focusses mainly on competitive FPS then it’s absolutely worth considering.

The only problem is price. Costing around £520 or $600, its incredibly expensive for what is still a 1080p tn gaming monitor. As such, it’s hard to give it a full, glowing recommendation, especially as there are a few issues with the design and connectivity and the AOC AG251FZ can be had for around £100 less yet it comes with a few extra features.

But, for Nvidia gamers, if you simply must have the ultimate gaming monitor then the PG258Q is the one to get.