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00:00Hey guys, I'm Tom the Tech Chap and this is not your ordinary PC gaming monitor because it's 4k
00:06144 Hertz, but also HDMI 2.1
00:09So if you've got one of these snazzy new consoles, then it also doubles as a bloody good console gaming monitor
00:15Which is not something you see very often and while arguably
00:18TVs are still a better option particularly for HDR and also they're a whole lot bigger
00:23That is one of the issues if you want something that also works well with your PC and can sit on your desk without
00:28Completely destroying your eyesight then this is definitely worth considering
00:32So this is the Asus tough gaming VG 28u and it's one of just a handful of monitors
00:38Sporting one of these swanky new 2.1 ports two of them
00:41In fact along with a couple of normal HDMI 2.0 and a DisplayPort 1.4
00:46so this is just as much for the PC master race as the
00:51Console master race and if you do find this video helpful, then a cheeky little like and subscribe would be lovely
00:57Okay, let's talk specs and it makes a good first impression because we're getting 4k at 144 Hertz via DisplayPort or
01:04120 Hertz via HDMI 2.1
01:06We also get a great-looking IPS panel fast pixel response and AMD FreeSync premium and G-Sync compatible
01:14Adaptive sync tech but it's 700 pounds or about
01:17$750 you are paying a bit of a premium for that HDMI 2.1 as there are better quality panels out there for less money
01:25Now this isn't your only option when it comes to 2.1 monitors
01:28But it is the only one right now at least that claims to support fully uncompressed
01:3310-bit 444 chroma color and without getting too much into the weeds here because this can get very
01:40Complicated and also very boring quite quickly
01:42But in theory this means you're getting more true-to-life colors on PC and Xbox
01:46Because actually the PS 5 is limited to 422 color, but the difference between them you really can't tell
01:55To be honest
01:55it's the panel quality and the color accuracy that really determines how good this screen is and
02:00The good news is that color accuracy is actually pretty high for a gaming display like this
02:05It's not professional level
02:06but it's great for most apps and even photo and video editing and in my tests asus's own claim of
02:1290% coverage of the DCI p3 color gamut is pretty close which is impressive and don't forget that this is a full 4k
02:20Resolution and with this 28 inch screen size
02:22It means whether your console gaming or using a PC
02:25Everything is super sharp and crisp and paired with that 120 or 134 Hertz refresh rate
02:31Everything's buttery smooth as well
02:33The thing is though while there are a handful of PS 5 and series X games that support 4k at 120
02:39Usually it's one or the other but when we do get high refresh rates, it makes console gaming feel a lot more like PC gaming
02:47Having said that there are some advantages to the consoles
02:49For example, we get an automatic boost up to 60 or 120 Hertz
02:53Thanks to game boost and FPS boost on the PS 5 and the Xbox
02:58However from a purely PC gaming perspective
03:01I think there are better options out there for less money and realistically 4k is still a bit overkill
03:06Especially at 28 inches where unless you're so right here
03:10I don't think you're fully appreciating that full sort of higher pixel print density
03:14But the issue is 4k just destroys your frame rating games
03:17I mean, I'm getting 60 FPS now without ray tracing cyberpunk on a
03:223090 so you're not taking advantage of that high refresh rate unless you're playing older less demanding games
03:27So really I think the sweet spot for a PC game monitor is quad HD 144 or 240 not 4k
03:35But on the other hand you can always reduce the resolution if you want
03:38Although it won't be quite as good as native and you do have the benefit of being able to run these consoles at full 4k
03:45But regardless of how you use your monitor, one of my biggest issues with this tough is the HDR performance
03:51It's rated for display HDR 400
03:54Which is the entry-level visa standard for HDR and it means it has to exceed at least 400 nits of brightness
03:59Which it does I've measured around 520
04:02So while it is displaying HDR content correctly arguably, it's nowhere near bright enough for a proper HDR experience
04:10Contrast performance also isn't fantastic
04:12So blacks can sometimes appear grayish and we do get a little bit of blooming
04:17I think given the price as I say around 700 pounds
04:20I was expecting a little bit better having said that SDR performance was good
04:25Even though it's a little bit dimmer at around 350 nits
04:27Which is just bright enough to show off the punchy colors
04:30And while we're not talking mini LED OLED or even VA panel levels of contrast
04:35It's not bad and there's only minimal IPS glow
04:38More impressive though is the pixel response because Asus claims just one millisecond greater gray response time
04:44Which is what you get in the fastest of the five overdrive modes
04:48And while I did see some noticeable inverse ghosting on the highest setting
04:52Knocking it back a couple of levels still gave me a fast pixel response and also less pixel overshoot around fast-moving objects
04:59Now design wise it's your pretty typical gaming monitor from Asus. There's nothing really that interesting about it
05:05I like the fact that we have nice flush bezels except for this slightly chunkier chin at the bottom
05:09But overall it looks and feels a little bit plasticky and there's a distinct lack of the usual RGB nonsense
05:15Usually reserved for their top-of-the-line ROG products
05:18We do get a ton of flexibility though loads of tilt and rotation
05:22Including be able to put it into full portrait mode and you can even bring it right down to almost desk level and there's barely
05:28Any wobble the on-screen display is nice and easy to use
05:32We have this little joystick at the back with a few buttons and there's the usual array of options for you to have a tinker
05:37with
05:38So the big question should you buy it? Well, it's sharp. It's got fast pixel response times. It's pretty color accurate
05:45We're not getting any fancy OLED or mini LED levels of color or contrast here
05:50But for an IPS, it does a good job
05:51And also if you are a console gamer then having HDMI 2.1 while not strictly necessary
05:57And actually I made a whole video talking about whether it's worth buying a 2.1 monitor
06:02Which I'll leave a link to at the end of the video
06:04That's definitely worth watching because you don't need one right now
06:07But it certainly does make it more future-proof and there are a few advantages to it beyond just having the high refresh at 4k
06:14So outside of using a 4k HDR TV
06:17Which would still probably be a better bet for these consoles if you do want a monitor that fits on your desk
06:22But you can also use with your PC and also maybe do some work on then
06:26This is a really good option. And while it certainly isn't cheap
06:28It is one of the more affordable 2.1 monitors
06:31And of course, it has that secret weapon of the 444 10-bit color
06:36The only issues really is that slightly iffy HDR performance. It just doesn't get quite bright enough for that proper HDR experience
06:43Also, I kind of wish we had a 32 inch option, which I appreciate would reduce the PPI
06:48So it's not quite as sharp as this but I think 4k at 32 inches is a much more reasonable size
06:54And of course this does have some competition
06:56You've got Asus XV282KV and also Gigabyte's Aorus FV43U
07:03Which obviously is a lot bigger and if money is no object
07:06Then the Asus ProArt 32 inch display is fantastic
07:09If you want pro levels of color accuracy with a nice 4k 120Hz screen
07:14But for me the best TV slash monitor slash display
07:17Whatever you want to call it for a console is probably the LG 48 inch C1
07:22Which will cost you about a grand or so
07:24The HDR experience is far better
07:27You get true blacks because it's OLED also 120 Hertz also HDMI 2.1 and also actually faster pixel response times
07:34Although it is pretty big for a desk. Believe me. I've tried
07:37So I'm crossing my fingers for that 42 inch version which LG teased last year
07:42But what do you reckon? Would this be a good fit for your gaming setup right now?
07:46Or well just a bit of a waste of money
07:48Let me know what you think in the comments and also if you've got any questions at all
07:52Thank you so much for watching guys
07:53I will leave a link to this below if you want to check it out and I'll see you next time right here on the Tech Jam