Does your monitor overclock? This one from Asus does (to 165Hz)

Asus is adding another "overclockable" monitor to its lineup, the latest entry being the ROG Swift PG278QE. Not to be confused with the ROG Swift PG279Q, which we consider to be one the best gaming monitors, the PG278QE trades an IPS panel for a TN display, and is (presumably) cheaper.

Like its IPS counterpart, the PG278QE is a 27-inch monitor with a 2560x1440 resolution and G-Sync support. It has a slightly faster response time at 1ms (versus 4ms), and offers the same 165Hz refresh rate when overclocked (it's likely 144Hz out of the box).

The trade offs with a TN panel are typically lower image quality and more restrictive viewing angles (170 degrees horizontal and 60 degrees vertical in this case) compared to IPS, for a lower price. Asus has not revealed any pricing info on this new display though, and it's not available to purchase that we can see.

From what we can tell, this is essentially another updated version of the ROG Swift PG278Q. Further confusing matters is the release of the ROG Swift PG278QR, but some users complained of color banding issues with that monitor. That could be where the new PG278QE comes into play, assuming Asus was able to sort that out.

Max brightness checks in at 350 nits. For reference, 400 nits is the lowest max brightness setting that VESA will consider for its DisplayHDR certification program. This is not an HDR monitor though, and 350 nits is about average for a regular display.

While there is no information on pricing yet, for reference, the aforementioned PG278QR is currently listed for $566.99 on Amazon. The PG278QE will probably end up in the $550-$600 ballpark.

Paul Lilly

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).