Latest news with #ROGStrixAceXG248QSG
Mint
5 days ago
- Mint
The refresh rate race got hotter with three new gaming monitors
The refresh rate race in gaming monitors is like the megapixel race that has always dogged smartphone cameras, with the latest releases from companies like Asus and Acer at the recently concluded Computex 2025 event in Taiwan upping the ante in terms of ever-expanding refresh rates. But first, let's, err, refresh our understanding of its significance: For gaming, an ideal refresh rate falls between 144Hz and 200Hz. Higher refresh rates (like 240Hz or beyond) can offer even smoother and more responsive gameplay, especially in fast-paced competitive games. However, a 144Hz or higher refresh rate is generally considered the sweet spot for most gamers, offering a significant improvement over the standard 60Hz refresh rate. You'd think that would be enough, right? No. In 2025, manufacturers are pushing the limits with unprecedentedly high refresh rate monitors. Two of them, from MSI and Acer, are 144p displays with a staggering 500Hz refresh rate—it's a bit puzzling actually because even if you have the top-of-the-line Nvidia RTX 5090 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) with multi-frame generation, you'd be unable to utilise all of it. But, one other monitor has blown even these two out of the water: the ROG Strix Ace XG248QSG (yes, that's a mouthful), from Asus with a 1080p display and an astounding 610Hz refresh rate. But, do we really need super-fast gaming monitors? With these kind of refresh rates, you're not only going to need a powerful graphics card (like Nvidia's RTX 5090) but also a top of the line CPU to support it (the CPU helps feed the GPU with data). Most games won't even be rendered this quickly, though. And yet, the refresh rate arms race is a live and kicking. Let's check out the three monitors unveiled at Computex and see what they have to offer beyond crazy refresh rates: Gaming guru The ROG Strix Ace XG248QSG, a 24.1-inch FHD monitor from Asus is going global. It's a Super TN panel, which has lower colour accuracy than IPS panels but is known for its incredible speed. Asus claims that this monitor has 90% DCI-P3 color coverage. One other advantage of this monitor over other high refresh rate models is the support for Extreme Low Motion Blur 2. This means that, according to the company, the panel is 65% brighter than its competitors. The highlight of the monitor is the absurdly fast 610Hz refresh rate. It's native refresh rate is 600Hz and it can be overclocked to 610Hz. It's got a 0.1ms response time, support for FreeSync Premium and G-Sunch. There's also the ROG Strix OLED XG34WCDMTG (yes, another mouthful). This is a 34-inch WQHD (3440×1440 resolution) QD-OLED monitor. This one features a 240Hz refresh rate and DCI-P3 99% color gamut, It vibrant, immersive, and enhances the gameplay visuals. This monitor has Google TV (based on Android 14) embedded. The Predator For 2025, Acer has unleashed the Predator X27U F5. This 26.5-inch WQHD QD-OLED gaming monitor has a 2560x1440 resolution and a 500Hz refresh rate. On top of that, it's got a 0.03ms response time and comes with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro (to reduce screen tearing) technology. It's VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 500 certified and has a whopping 1,6000,000:1 contrast ratio. In HDR mode, the peak brightness is 1000 nits (the native brightness is 300 nits). There are 2 DisplayPort 1.4 ports, 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, a USB-C port (with 65W charging), two USB 3.2 ports and an audio out port. Additionally, two 5W built-in speakers can be tilted, swivelled, and pivoted, with a height adjustment of up to 120mm. Acer also unveiled some other models alongside the Predator X27U F5. First up is the Predator X27 X. This is a 4K UHD QD-OLED gaming monitor with a more modest 240Hz refresh rate. Next up are the Nitro GA321QK P and GA341CUR W0 smart monitors. The Nitro GA321QK P is a 31.5-inch 4K UHD (3840×2160 resolution) display with an even more modest 165Hz refresh rate. Then comes the Nitro GA341CUR W0, a 34-inch ultra-wide QHD (3440×1440 resolution) display featuring a 240Hz refresh rate. The MSI MAG 272QP X50 MSI (aka Micro-Star International, a Taiwanese company) is billing the MPG 271QR QD-OLED X50 and MAG 272QP X50 as the world's first 27-inch WQHD (2K) QD-OLED gaming monitors with a huge 500Hz refresh rate. The mainstay of these monitors are that they feature Samsung Display's latest 3rd-gen QD-OLED panel. The advantage of this is an ultra-smooth motion for a truly immersive gaming experience. They've got a 2560x1440 resolution for crisp text, vivid colours and twice the pixel density of Full HD. The difference between them is that the MPG 271QR X50 gets a sensor, at the bottom of the display, that detects when you're away from the screen and automatically turns it off. - MPG 272URX: This 27-inch monitor has a 3840x2160p resolution, runs at 240Hz refresh rate and has comes with a 4th-gen QD-OLED panel. - MPG 322URX: Identical to the 272URX except that it has a bigger 31.5-inch screen. - MAG 272QPW: A 280Hz gaming monitor with a 3rd-gen QD-OLED panel. - MPG 274URDFW E16M: A 27-inch Rapid IPS monitor. This one offers a dual-configuration mode, meaning it can display UHD at 160Hz and FHD at 320Hz, so you can choose between better visuals or fast-paced gaming. - MPG 242R X60N: This one is for esports professionals. It's made using a Rapid TN panel, comes in a 24-inch size and offers a 600Hz refresh rate.
Stuff.tv
20-05-2025
- Stuff.tv
This esports-grade monitor is absurdly fast, but comes with one big downside
These days, the top gaming monitors offer crazy fast refresh rates. After all, in lots of games, whether you win or lose can come down to how fast your reactions are – and a super fast monitor helps with that. Asus's latest esports-grade monitor is absurdly fast, unlike anything I've ever seen before. Asus's new ROG Strix Ace XG248QSG offers a 610 Hz refresh rate display. That's not a typo, it really is 610Hz. It marks the brand's latest entry into the great refresh rate arms race, with a name as ridiculous as the specs. It's got a native 600Hz refresh rate and can be overclocked to 610Hz, just in case your reflexes are faster than the speed of light. Asus is clearly aiming this thing at the esports crowd – the kind who twitch headshots into existence. But it comes with one really big downside, and that's the panel tech on the inside. Read more: Best gaming laptops in 2025 reviewed and ranked This kind of speed comes at the expense of panel quality, because Asus has decided to dust off TN technology for this monitor. Not just any TN panel, but a Super TN panel. That's marketing speak for 'it's still a TN panel, but we pinky promise it looks a bit less pants now.' You seen, TN panels are known for pretty poor colour accuracy (a tendency to yellow, to be precise) and viewing angles that don't tend to cooperate. So that's characters that look jaundiced that you can't see unless you're facing dead-on. Apparently, this Super TN panel offers better brightness at 370 nits, and covers 90% of DCI-P3. While that's impressive if true for a TN panel, it's a far cry from the best gaming monitors kicking around. Asus also packed in ELMB2 (Extreme Low Motion Blur 2), AI visual boosts, and dynamic crosshairs, to try and compensate for the lacklustre image. Now, don't get me wrong – there's clearly some proper engineering muscle behind this thing. A 0.1 ms response time, input lag under one millisecond, and support for both FreeSync Premium and G-Sync is nothing to scoff at. And the 24.1-inch FHD panel size is right in the sweet spot for serious competitive play. But still, it's hard to ignore that TN panel. A really fast one, sure, but TN nonetheless. The monitor's design is fairly muted – a matte black affair with no RGB nonsense. I'm a little surprised by that for something in the ROG line-up, but I guess the lights would have been too much to cram in. You do get decent ergonomics though: height, swivel, and tilt adjustments are all here. Connectivity is handled by two HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4, headphone jack, and a USB-C port. If you're eyeing up one of these beasts, Asus hasn't revealed details yet. We don't know how much it'll cost nor when you'll be able to order it. But it's safe to assume this won't be a bargain-bin special.
