ASUS Details Its Blistering-Fast 540Hz ROG Swift Pro PG248QP Monitor For Pro Gamers
For such a fast gaming monitor, ASUS sure is taking its sweet time releasing its ROG Swift Pro PG248QP, which it unveiled at CES earlier this year. Now nine months later, ASUS has anointed the fastest gaming monitor it's ever built with a product page, bringing the 540Hz display one step closer to an eventual launch. When will it release, though?
ASUS still hasn't revealed that detail, nor has it said how much this monitor for gamers with a need for some serious speed will cost when it does land at retail. However, we can surmise that a retail release is coming soon, and that it will cost a pretty penny—a lot of them, if being literal. That being the case, we'll have to discuss the value proposition another day.
In the here and now, we can pass along confirmed specifications, some of which are new and some we already knew about. This is a 24.1-inch display with a newer generation E-TN (esports twisted nematic) panel. Over the years, TN displays have largely been shoved aside in favor of in-plane switching (IPS) and vertical alignment (VA) panels, both of which offer better image quality than TN. However, TN displays have still found a home among gamers due to their lower cost and sometimes faster refresh rates.
"The latest E-TN technology panels are 50% faster than traditional TN panels, giving the PG248QP the fastest response time when it comes to LCD gaming monitors. It crushes motion blur and provides unprecedented clarity even in heat of competition," ASUS states.
The ROG Swift Pro PG248QP is not likely to be a budget display even with a TN panel and 1920x1080 refresh rate, but it is extraordinarily fast. It has a 360Hz native refresh rate, though the spec that draws attention is the overlocked 540Hz refresh rate, which qualifies it as the world's fastest gaming monitor.
Another indication that this won't be a budget monitor is its G-Sync support. Not to be confused with the crop of FreeSync monitors that are G-Sync Compatible, this one goes all-in on Team Green with a G-Sync hardware inside and Ultra Low Motion Blur 2 (ULMB 2) support).
Other pertinent specs include a 0.2ms gray-to-gray (GtG) response time, 400 nits brightness, HDR10 support, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 170-degree/160-degree viewing angles, and 125% coverage of the sRGB color space. As for connectivity options, it serves up a DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC (x1), HDMI 2.0 (x2), 3.5mm headphone jack, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports.
Gamers will need to utilize the DisplayPort input to achieve a 540Hz refresh rate, otherwise it tops out at 240Hz (which is still really fast). Why forgo HDMI 2.1 connectivity? Only ASUS knows, though aside from the optics, it's not really a big deal—this is intended for PC gamers who have the hardware to push ultra-fast framerates, and they're not lacking a DisplayPort on their GPU.
As you might expect, NVIDIA's Reflex Analyzer technology is supported as well. Also nifty is an adjustable base with retractable claws, as shown in the video above.
Fingers crossed ASUS releases the ROG Swift Pro PG248QP soon.
