1080p resolution remains the most popular in Steam’s hardware survey, but higher resolutions have steadily grown to 15 percent of the pie. Large monitors are frequently out of stock as demand from gamers continues to outpace supply.
Asus’ ROG Swift PG329Q represents the cutting edge of 32-inch gaming monitors. It touts 1440p resolution, a refresh rate that can overclock to 175Hz, Nvidia G-Sync support, and HDR 600 certification, all for $699. That’s not cheap, yet finding the PG329Q in stock at MSRP is a struggle.
Does this 32-inch monitor deserve to be at the top of your list?
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Asus ROG Swift PG329Q – Design
The Asus ROG Swift PG329Q is part of the Republic of Gamers sub-brand and unsurprisingly embraces its design language. That means a large, bold stand with a dramatic twist and asymmetric legs. The monitor has bright RGB backlighting that supports Asus’ Aura Sync for synchronization with other compatible peripherals.
Asus’ ROG monitors tend to remind me of Michael Bay’s Transformer movies, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. They seem desperate to make a dramatic statement with busy design and odd angles that never look quite right. I prefer the sleek Space Odyssey vibes of Alienware’s monitors, like the AW2721D.
Functionally, however, there’s not much to complain about. The monitor’s divisive design is easy to ignore because the large screen, which is surrounded by thin bezels, hides the stand. Adjustment options include 100 millimeters of height, 25 degrees of swivel and 25 degrees of tilt. There’s no option to pivot the display into a vertical orientation because the stand isn’t tall enough to allow it.
Asus ROG Swift PG329Q – Features
Asus tends to go overboard with features, and the ROG Swift PG329Q is no exception. It has a long list of gaming-focused options including a built-in crosshair and time, an FPS counter, a sniper mode (which zooms a small portion of the display), gobs of genre-specific image quality presets, a black equalizer (called Shadow Boost), and Aura RGB backlighting.
I think competitive shooter fans will be happy with what’s offered. The combination of a crosshair, zoom, timer, and black equalizer makes for a sweet setup if you want to maximize visibility and situational awareness.
Connectivity is excellent. The monitor packs two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.2, a USB 3.0 upstream that powers two USB 3.0 downstream ports for connecting peripherals, and 3.5mm audio jack. While some gamers will be disappointed by the lack of HDMI 2.1, especially given this monitor’s size, it’s only really necessary if you plan on hooking up a PS5 or Xbox Series X.
The PG329Q provides a handful of detailed image quality settings. These include three specific gamma presets, three vague color temperature presets, and the option to tweak RGB color and overall color saturation. This is fine for a gaming monitor but not ideal for content creators craving a monitor for both gaming and work.
A joystick is used to control the monitor’s on-screen menu. It’s paired with four physical buttons that are hidden along the right flank. The buttons aren’t labeled aside from the on-screen menu, but they’re large, so I rarely hit the wrong one. Asus’ menus are easy to navigate, though the sheer number of options is sure to overwhelm some gamers. The default settings are great for most games, so owners don’t need to spend much time in the menus.
There is one feature completely absent: built-in speakers. This is surprising given the PG329Q’s size and price. Plan to use external computer speakers or a gaming headset.
Asus ROG Swift PG329Q – Performance
The Asus ROG Swift PG329Q packs surprisingly excellent color performance. It’s a wide color gamut display that, in my testing, can display 100% of the sRGB and AdobeRGB gamuts, as well as 95% of DCI-P3. Its color accuracy can rival the very best professional monitors, and it even supports true 10-bit color. The PG329Q notably defeats the Alienware AW2721D, which also advertises a wide color gamut, and trades blows with the BenQ EX2780Q.
It’s interesting, refreshing, and a bit confusing to see this level of color performance from the PG329Q. On the plus side, the monitor can serve content creators who want accurate color despite its slim image quality customization. However, I’m not sure everyone will be happy with 2,560 x 1440 resolution on a 32-inch display.
The monitor’s pixel density works out to about 91 pixels per inch, which is identical to a 24-inch 1080p monitor. This is fine for day-to-day productivity and web browsing. Distracting aliasing is noticeable on fonts and interface elements, but I didn’t find it uncomfortable or annoying. It’s less impressive when editing photos and images, as the lack of sharpness and resolution means you’ll have to zoom in more frequently to see fine detail in large images.
Many streaming platforms, especially those focused on movies and television, don’t stream at native 1440p. This underscores the lack of alignment between the monitor’s color accuracy and its resolution. Blockbuster movies benefit from realistic color but can also look soft compared to a smaller 1080p display or modern 4K TV.
Asus ROG Swift PG329Q – Gaming Performance
Asus’ ROG Swift PG329Q looks good straight out of the box. It delivers a vibrant image that relies heavily on the strength of its wide color gamut and precise color accuracy. You’ll enjoy the monitor in games that lean heavily on bold color and flashy presentation, like Final Fantasy XIV or Overwatch.
The monitor’s 2,560 x 1,440 resolution is a good fit for PC gaming. It of course lacks the ultra-sharp look for a 4K gaming monitor, but you may find the difference hard to appreciate in modern titles, especially if the monitor is placed more than three feet away from you or the game has a quality anti-aliasing feature.
On the downside, 1440p isn’t great for console gaming. The PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch lack native 1440p support, so games and menus will look softer than you’d expect.
Dark scene performance is a problem. IPS monitors always struggle in this area, but the PG329Q looks especially hazy and bright when displaying scenes that should look dark and foreboding. This hurts games that lean towards a realistic look. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I noticed that forest scenes lacked a sense of depth because shadows were foggy instead of deep. Objective tests returned a contrast ratio of 590:1, which is very low for a modern gaming monitor.
The PG329Q is VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified, and I was pleased by the monitor’s overall HDR performance. Image quality is sharp and colorful with the feature turned on in Windows. I recorded a maximum sustained luminance of 529 cdm/2, which is incredibly bright for a display. You’ll likely need to turn down HDR brightness in Windows for comfortable use.
Brightness becomes key to the PG329Q’s overall presentation. Because of its poor black levels, the PG329Q relies on brightness to provide a sense of contrast and depth. It looks great in brilliant outdoor scenes, like those found in many open-world games, but falls short after dusk or in tight, dimly lit corridors.
Local backlight dimming is provided by 16 edge-lit zones. My review monitor, like most modern edge-lit monitors, had several hazy spots that were obvious with local dimming off. Local dimming improved on them by turning off the backlight entirely in areas where it didn’t need to be on.
The ROG Swift PG329Q left me with mixed feelings. It looks outstanding in bright and colorful games, especially those that support HDR, but games that aim for a gritty look are muddled and muted.
Asus ROG Swift PG329Q – Motion Performance
Refresh rate is the Asus ROG Swift PG329Q’s headline feature. It defaults to 144Hz out of the box and can overclock up to 175Hz with the flick of a few settings. This is excellent for a 32-inch display.
Gameplay looked smooth at 144Hz, as expected. Ramping the monitor’s overclocking feature up to 175Hz didn’t make gameplay more fluid but also didn’t introduce distracting halos or trails behind moving objects.
Asus offers six levels of Variable OverDrive that decrease response times. It’s set to “Level 3” by default, and I’d recommend sticking to that, as I noticed bright streaks behind some moving objects at higher settings. I saw no improvement with less aggressive settings.
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The monitor offers Asus’ ELMB Sync, a backlight strobing feature that is compatible with G-Sync. It reduces motion blur by pulsing the display on and off at a frequency higher than your eye can see.
The clarity of ELMB Sync will help you track fast-moving objects and fine details, like the motion of an enemy in a distant window. ELMB Sync shows a distracting “double image” effect that is common to all backlight strobing features. With that said, the “double image” effect is more subdued than on competing monitors, and you may prefer playing with ELMB Sync on.
Backlight strobing features like ELMB Sync reduce perceived brightness, which can be a problem in bright rooms. This isn’t an issue with the PG329Q. ELMB Sync darkens the display, but it remains bright enough to use even in a sunlit room.
The PG329Q is officially certified for G-Sync. FreeSync support isn’t advertised, and I wasn’t able to test the monitor with an AMD video card. However, other reviewers and owners have noted the PG329Q works with AMD FreeSync.
The monitor’s variable refresh range is from 50Hz to 175Hz. This is better on the low end than competing 32-inch monitors from LG and Samsung. You’ll appreciate this if you own an older graphics card that can struggle to deliver high framerates in demanding games.
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Purchasing Guide
The Asus ROG Swift PG329Q should retail for $699 at Amazon and Newegg.
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