ASUS - ROG Strix 27" Dual Mode (4K 160Hz, FHD 324Hz) IPS 1ms Gaming Monitor with FreeSync Premium and HDR (DisplayPort, HDMI) - Black

The Asus ROG monitor is crisp clear and amazing for gaming. I had a 49” monitor for quite some time and it is pretty awesome for the right game, but it has some definite disadvantages if your monitor has a double work use case and you share your screen quite a bit. On the gaming side, some games, an extra wide monitor doesn’t help or hinder, but other games an extra wide monitor can almost hinder your experience. There are a few that look really awesome, but for me the benefits of dual monitors outweighed the benefits of a single extra wide monitor. So, I’ve switched back to two 27” monitors. For that I am rocking 2 27” ROG monitors, one is the newest 4k monitor which I am reviewing here and the other is the slightly older 2k monitor. For my gaming setup I do all my gaming on my 4k monitor as everything just looks and works that much better, for work I scaled down my 4k monitor to 2k to match the other one as I shift between monitors constantly and 2k is plenty for work. I was really interested in utilizing the display port alt mode just to see if it was good, it is, of course this is really dependent on if you have a device capable of it dp alt mode, which the Zenflow13 supports. So I was able to run USB C cables to the Zenflow13 and have just as good of a gaming experience versus utilizing HDMI or Display port, as my Zenflow13 only supports on HDMI connection this was extremely useful. Now one thing to note which I was initially excited about is the power delivery leaves something to be desired. It delivers 15W so if you are thinking about plugging a phone it and utilizing Dex or maybe just gaming on a bigger display than the iPad mini provides this is more than enough power, but for my Zenflow this wasn’t close to enough power, even with both plugged in, granted the power supply for it is 200W so this does make sense. I have a little laptop that only needs 30W, both plugged into that actually do provide enough power. My work laptop wants 60W and doesn’t have a power input besides USB C so I can’t utilize just the two USB C for all my solutions sadly. I think the design was to be able to utilize. I wish the USB C with DP alt mode supplied 60W of power, this would enable you to utilize many normal laptops as well as phones. The 4k makes everything look just that much more crisp over 2k which I am enjoying and of course the refresh rate just makes every game just flow. I installed the display widget center and I can switch between modes such as FPS, racing and so on with ease as my setup doesn’t make it the easiest to get to the buttons with as little room as I have to spare in my desk space. Though I love how big the buttons are on the back and when I do need to get to them they are extremely easy to figure out without having to see them. Horizon5, cyberpunk, and of course Fortnite all look amazing. I think the Aux port on the monitor finally made some sense to me when I plugged the iPad in as this enabled me to plug a set of headphones in to the monitor but for the most part the Aux ports are just annoying as they change to the default output when I switch computers and I have to remember to fix that. Pros: USB C powered input USB C DP Alt mode (display port over USB C) Amazing Screen Easily adjustable Cons: USB powered input is only 15W Aux output (This might not be a con for some people)

This 4K monitor from Asus is solidly built and very easy to assemble. It features a 27-inch display with a 160Hz refresh rate, capable of boosting up to 324Hz. On the back, you’ll find one DisplayPort, one HDMI, and one USB-C port. It also supports VRR, G-Sync, Freesync, and ELMB-Sync. The panel is flat, slim, and lightweight, and the rear design has a nice touch that reminds me of my older TUF gaming monitor. Setup is essentially plug-and-play. You can navigate the monitor settings using the buttons on the back right side, or through the Asus Display Widget Center. I especially liked how simple it was to attach the stand, no tools required. It just locks into place, and removing it is as easy as pressing the latch release button behind the panel. As for image quality, the colors are bright and vibrant. After exploring the different settings, I did notice that some color profiles appeared slightly oversaturated, but that’s easy to adjust with a bit of tweaking. By default, the monitor runs at 60Hz in 4K resolution, you need to adjust the refresh rate to 160 manually at least I had to. To reach 324Hz, you also have to enable the Frame Rate Boost setting, and it only works for 1080p. During gaming, the monitor performed exceptionally well at its highest refresh rates. Gameplay was smooth, with no noticeable ghosting or lag. I paired it with a gaming laptop running an older Nvidia graphics card, and it still handled everything impressively. I was able to play in both 1080p at 319hz and 4k at160hz. The monitor also includes hotkey features. While it’s a nice addition, the one I was most interested in, switching refresh rates. To do that you have to press the middle button behind the monitor. The screen will go black for a second but then switch the resolution between 4K to 1080p 324hz. That was pretty cool. Make sure to enable Frame Rate Boost before launching the game, as turning it on during gameplay may cause the game to crash. Overall, I’m loving this monitor, it looks and performs great. It’s well-built, delivers vivid and bright beautiful colors, and is an ideal size for gaming. It is easy to set up and also includes useful gaming features like a crosshair overlay and others. In the box, you get the monitor, stand, power cable, DisplayPort cable, cable carrying case, and manuals.

As both an IT professional and avid PC gamer, I was very excited to experience the new ASUS - ROG Strix 27" Dual Mode (4K 160Hz, FHD 324Hz) XG27UCSR monitor! The promise here is a monitor that can serve as both a high image quality 4k 160Hz display, or a super fast 324Hz low res 1080p display for esports or competitive gaming. Simply put, ASUS delivers on both of these very well. Overall, the construction of this monitor falls in like with other ASUS ROG displays. It has standard bezel thickness, plastic body with typical ROG gaming style. The display itself is IPS and rocks typical matte finish. Very sturdy metal base with extremely low rocking. Adjustable height. x1 DisplayPort 1.4, x1 HDMI 2.1, x1 USB-C that supports Alt DP mode and 15w of power delivery and headphone jack. It covers all of the basics, it well made and meets expectations for anyone familiar with this product line. This is built and marketed toward gamers, not professional business environments or those looking for sleek or overly modern hardware. The display itself is successful on multiple fronts. The color accuracy out of the box is stellar. It defaults to "racing mode" which essentially boils down to the most accurate preset out of the box and the one most people should stick with. It's set to the proper white point of 6500k and covers 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut with ASUS advanced gray-scale tracking technology ensuring smoother color gradation delivery and uniformity. There is no tweaking needed here. The display is sharp and vivid in it's 4k 160Hz mode. My PC easily picked up the G-Sync, VRR, HDR, and 160Hz capabilities. Gaming in this mode was excellent. In addition to it's 160Hz mode, which is already impressive, the XG27UCSR rocks the best ELBM (Extremely Low Motion Blur) I've ever seen to date on a monitor. There is literally, no motion blur, stutter, or any undesired motion issues of any kind. This is not the case for all high framerate monitors, especially using IPS panels. Most people who has PCs that can support 4k at 160Hz will be happy with this setup and won't ever look to change it. There is however, a secret gaming weapon this monitor holds that makes it even more unique, well beyond the best in class ELMB, which by itself, it enough to justify the purchase of this monitor. For those extreme gamers looking for maximum FPS over image quality, you can toggle an "FPS Mode" which sends a native 1080P signal to your graphic card, instantly changing the resolution from native 4k to 1080p. Doing this results in a super fast 324Hz/FPS capability! In this mode and playing games that you can run at the full FPS, coupled with the amazing ELMB precision is at an all time high. Games like Counter-Strike 2 now present a competitive advantage by allowing pint point smooth accuracy. I want to be clear with folks tho. This is still a 4k 1920 x 2160 display, even in 1080p mode. That means you are not getting a true, 1080p native display. While ASUS has done an excellent job incorporating technology to upscale this image to nearly native 1080p sharpness, it still offers a slight blurriness compared to it's 4k mode. You may also notice the different due to the fact you're switching from super sharp 4k down to 1/4th the resolution, and that in itself is very noticeable as well. Turning on either FPS mode or any of the other various gaming features, such as FPS counter, static crosshairs, sniper (which zooms the display) or stopwatch and timer, those are all triggered by the OSD menu (on screen display) by clicking the rear navigation button at the top of the button menu, which are on the right side of the display. Toggling FPS mode has it's own dedicated button making switching between 4k and 1080p extremely easy. Some systems may react differently to sudden display change so ensure your OS is configured correctly for each mode initially before relying on switching, as Hz may not be set correctly instantly. ASUS also has a method to control settings via a desktop app called "ASUS Display Widget Center. This offers the same controls in the OSD but much easier to navigate. I found most of my tweaking was nicer to perform using this companion app vs the OSD menu. The only real flaw this monitor has is the typical limitations of IPS panels. Blacks are not pure black and more of an 80% grey or even bluish at times. It does have some clouding, but halo effect is minimal to non existent. For most use cases, esp gaming, this doesn't matter so much and I found all the other benefits outweighed this one limitation, which I also had full expectation of. Overall, this is a very unique monitor offering abilities not many other offerings provide. ASUS has really considered the hardcore gamer's needs with the XG27UCSR and I truly believe this is "one to beat" for everyone else. I highly recommend this to any gamer and especially to any gamer who also doubles their monitor as a workstation display. It's the best of both worlds approach and should be on everyone's consideration list.

Why not both? If you are struggling to pick out a monitor, then having something that can do both 1080p and 4K while STILL giving you a high refresh rate is a great feature. It’s also perfect if you don’t currently have a PC that can handle 4K gaming but are planning to upgrade later. Capable monitors like this are becoming more inexpensive, and at $399.99 MSRP this pretty much slots into the mid-range category. 4K = 160Hz 1080p = 324Hz (weird number but it doesn’t matter) Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1 1x DP 1.4 (included in the box) 1x USB-C (DP mode) 1x Regular power (which you don’t have to use if you are using USB-C DP) Using the 27” ASUS ROG Strix dual-mode monitor felt on point, and I did not find myself missing my much more high-end 2K 480Hz OLED. The 4K resolution was much appreciated for any type of movie content, especially since I tend to sit pretty close to the screen. When switching over to 1080p the panel was obviously less sharp but can be made to look better if you tweak the OSD settings. Out of the box the color calibration is outstanding, though, and it’s usually something I see in more expensive monitors, so I like that ASUS takes the extra step here to ensure it’s good as is. In terms of color space (gamut), it covers 130% of sRGB and 95% of DCI-P3. HDR is supported and looks fantastic as well (going up to 565 nits, according to Windows 11) There is also an anti-glare surface and it does the job. Fast-IPS may not be the most exciting display tech but for me it’s more than good enough especially with this panel. Most FPS players will prioritize performance over resolution, and going into CS2 I dropped the res down to 1080p while increasing the refresh rate to 324Hz. Even though I’m used to even higher refresh rates, I was totally happy being in the 300 range. While I don’t have a scientific rig to test exact response times, the 0.3 ms advertised time felt great, though I probably wouldn’t be able to tell a difference between 0.3 and 1 ms for example. Colors again did not need much tweaking in-game, and I had no problem with the game bugging out—it always stayed at the resolution I wanted and stayed smooth. I only have a few small critiques when it comes to this monitor having to do with the 5 buttons on the rear. It’s confusing having them laid out the way they are—the very top is the OSD joystick, and the very bottom is the power. That’s fine, but on top of all that, there are 3 more buttons all mashed together, and the switch that you will be using a lot to change the resolution <1080p–4K> is right smack in the middle. In future models it would be nice to simply have the dual-mode switch be placed somewhere else and have a different texture. The overall design of the monitor is nice with minimal bezels, though, and there is a ROG logo, which you may or may not like. Lastly, I did not use the original stand that much, as I just VESA mounted, but it’s certainly good enough and doesn’t take that much of a footprint. You get all your tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments. Pros: - Calibrated out the box - Easy to setup - Good brightness levels especially in HDR - Fast response times when using 1080p - Value Cons: - Button layout

The ASUS ROG product line is known for offering top-tier hardware, and this 3840 x 2160 Fast IPS monitor is no exception. The base is sturdy and offers adjustments for height, tilt, swivel, and pivot. Additionally, it allows for standard VESA wall mounting and includes a ¼” tripod mount and a Kensington lock port. While the monitor does not have built-in speakers, it does feature a 3.5 mm audio jack. Other ports include a USB-C DP Alt Mode rated for 15 W power delivery, DisplayPort 1.4, and HDMI v2.1. There is a DisplayWidget Center that can be downloaded for macOS or Windows built in, where you can generate a color calibration report as well as tweak monitor settings, including the built-in AI features, including OLED care that includes pixel cleaning and reminders to prevent burn-in. These settings are saved directly to the monitor, so you don’t have to reconfigure your setup if the monitor is disconnected. For all the useful tools, they are secondary to the fantastic visuals provided by this monitor for everything from intense gaming to videos or business uses. There is a hotkey functionality on the monitor to take advantage of the dual-mode display option. This allows you to change the resolution and refresh rate from 4K @ 160Hz to FHD @ 324Hz for esports depending on your gaming needs. It’s flicker-free with a variable refresh rate built in with an added feature of extreme low motion blur. I don’t believe there’s a better 27” monitor in this price range available, and considering how well it performs and the built-in features, I’m surprised at the price point!