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[JEMC]

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I have two pieces about the Nvidia 4K HDR 144Hz monitors... and neither of them are good :

 

What We Know About the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ So Far
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/news_archive/39.htm#asus_pa27uq_update
It's been over a year now since Asus officially announced their ROG Swift PG27Q gaming display, which was then showcased at CES 2017. In fact it's been even longer since the prototype was shown off in June 2016! We bring you some updates on what we know so far about this display below.

Key features

We know from the original press release material and also Asus' website what to expect from the key specs and features. As a reminder, the PG27UQ is a 27" screen with an IPS-type panel from AU Optronics (M270QAN02.2 AHVA technology). It features a 3840 x 2160 Ultra HD resolution and will be the first panel of its kind to pair that "4K" resolution with a 144Hz native refresh rate. Not only that, but the screen has been produced in conjunction with NVIDIA as part of their "G-sync HDR" range, and will feature a high end 384-zone Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) backlight for optimal LCD HDR performance. Apparently Asus have added an option to the OSD menu to control the speed of the FALD operation which could be useful, especially since early FALD adoption such as that on the Dell UP2718Q was pretty slow - and probably not suitable for fast 144Hz gaming. It remains to be seen of course how fast the FALD can operate, but this is likely to be a key consideration for this as a viable HDR gaming display. It's also likely to be one of the causes for the long delay we believe.

More details spec notes

Quantum Dot screen coating then provides a boost to the colour gamut of the screen, allowing it to extend beyond the typical sRGB and achieve >90% DCI-P3 (125% sRGB coverage). An Asus rep has confirmed that the 1.07b colour depth is (not surprisingly) achieved through an 8-bit+FRC panel. Not that this will really make much real difference in practice for the target uses.

This high bandwidth requirement is supported through the latest DisplayPort 1.4 interface. HDMI 2.0 is also provided for console connectivity although that will be limited to 60Hz for those devices. An Asus rep has confirmed that 4K HDR consoles like the PS4 Pro and X-box One X will support HDR @ 4K on this screen over HDMI as well.

Release Date

This has been frequently pushed back as it was originally expected to arrive in Q3 2017 based on a panel mass production date of July 2017 from AU Optronics. Several delays to panel production have meant that the date has slipped on several occasions. The latest information we have obtained from sources in the UK is that the screen is expected now around Q3 2018, something that our friends over at Blurbusters have also confirmed with sources in the USA.

More recently NVIDIA started to tell some reporters that they firmly expected a release before the end of April, although we don't put a massive amount of faith in that personally as it's not NVIDIA who are ultimately producing, releasing and selling this Asus screen (or equivalents from Acer and AOC). At the end of March an Asus representative posted in the ROG forums that they expected production would start in May. A rather adventurous "mid/late May or early June" was then forecast.

 

 

Acer and ASUS G-Sync HDR Displays Listed & Priced In Europe
https://www.anandtech.com/show/12637/acer-and-asus-gsync-hdr-displays-listed-and-priced
Select European retailers have begun to take pre-orders on G-Sync HDR-supporting monitors from Acer and ASUS that are expected to hit the market as early as late this month. Pricing of the Acer Predator X27 and the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ displays appears to be between €2500 and €3000 with VAT, which looks expensive even when European prices and VAT are taken into account.

According to Geizhals.eu, a price-search service, there are a number of retailers in Austria, Denmark and Germany, who are accepting pre-orders on the the Acer Predator X27 and the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ. The displays are expected to ship in late April, or in May, but their prices look rather extreme.

 

Monitor	Retailer	Local Price with VAT	Price in USD with VAT	Price in USD without VAT
Acer Predator X27	Komplett.dk	18,495 DKK	$3,068	$2,455
ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ	XITRA.de	2,442 €	$3,017	$2,535
"	I-CS.at	2,604 €	$3,218	$2,682
"	Built-Direkt.de	2,646 €	$3,270	$2,748
"	K&M	2,919 €	$3,607	$3,031
"	Bora Computers	2,919 €	$3,607	$3,031

Last edited by JEMC - on 10 April 2018