Asus showcased the ROG Swift PG43UQ monitor back at CES 2020. This 43-inch monitor is an important milestone for Asus, as it delivers 4K content at up to 144Hz refresh rates, thanks to VESA Display Stream Compression (DSC). As a high-end monitor you can expect other picture quality niceties too, such as; high dynamic range (HDR) and wide colour gamuts from a 10-bit palette, VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification, plus FreeSync and G-Sync support.
As we get a foothold into August 2020, Asus has started to distribute the ROG Swift PG43UQ to retailers in North America and has published a blog post to remind everyone about this stellar monitor. Asus ROG Swift PG43UQ specs:
- Panel size: 43-inch diagonal
- Panel type: VA, with 3840 x 2160 pixels
- Peak rightness: 1000cd/m2
- Contrast: 4000 :1
- Colour gamut: 90 per cent DCI-P3
- Refresh rate: 48 - 144Hz with FreeSync and G-Sync support
- Response time: 1ms MPRT
- I/O : HDMI 2.0 x2, DisplayPort 1.4 x2, audio in/out, USB 3.0 x2
- Stereo Speakers : 10W x 2 Stereo RMS
- Lighting: Aura Sync lighting effect
- Stand; +10° to -5° tilt adjustment, or use a 100 x 100mm VESA mount
As you might expect with a high-end display like this Asus has shoehorned quite a few video features into it. For gamers there are the GamePlus modes like Crosshair/Timer/FPS Counter/Display Alignment, and there are GameVisual presets available too with 8 modes; Scenery/Racing/Cinema/RTS/RPG/FPS/sRGB Modes/MOBA Mode/User Mode. GameFast Input technology is said to help reduce input lag, and Shadow Boost is here to help you catch characters lurking in the shadows. Other notable features are the PbP mode, multiple HDR mode, and the option to use Asus DisplayWidget to fiddle with monitor settings instead of the OSD.
The Asus ROG Swift PG43UQ will be available shortly, and the latest Asus blog post provides links to various US and Canadian retailers. Having a quick look it seemed that it wasn't possible to purchase right now with 'stock expected shortly' etc. Micro Center flagged this monitor as Store Pickup Only and the store selector did indicate stock available at some of its locations but I have no experience of the accuracy of this information. Pricing is US$1,499, buyers get a three year warranty.
New Asus ROG monitor coming with HDMI 2.1
There are simultaneous reports that Asus ROG has got a similar 43-inch gaming monitor to pass all compatibility and validation tests for HDMI 2.1 certification at Allion Labs, Inc. This is claimed to make it the "world's first HDMI 2.1 certified gaming monitor," according to a press release shared by VideoCardz..
"ROG is the first partner to provide a HDMI 2.1 gaming monitor for certification. As a leading test lab in the world, it's our mission to assure products or services before they are launched. We are thrilled to be part of the success of ROG and this groundbreaking gaming monitor," said Brian Shih, Vice President of Logo & HW Validation Consulting at Allion Labs.
Now is a good time to look at what HDMI 2.1 technology delivers to the new breed of monitors that are about to become mainstream high-end offerings with new GPUs arriving for PCs later this year and the next gen console generation rolling out. HEXUS looked closely at HDMI 2.1 back when the spec was announced in Nov 2017.
The standard's increase in bandwidth, up to 48GBps, enables higher resolutions and refresh rates than available previously (with and without stream compression) boasting up to 4K 120Hz without DSC tech being required. There are other attractive qualities to HDMI 2.1 delivered alongside this performance, like standardised VRR support, quick frame transport, auto low latency mode, and quick media switching.
At the time of writing we don't have pricing/availability details for the new 43-inch Asus ROG monitor with HDMI 2.1. Asus says that it will be just one of an HSMI 2.1 certified range which will include 27- and 32-inch models too.
