ASUS ROG Swift 41.5” 4K OLED Gaming Monitor (PG42UQ) – UHD (3840 x 2160), 138Hz, 0.1ms, HDMI2.1, True 10 bit, DCI-P3 98%, G-SYNC Compatible, DisplayPort, USB, Console Ready,…

If you are considering the Asus PG42UQ, you first should ensure this is the right size for your space. A 42” flat screen is exceptionally large on desktop, but it is more than simply a big screen in your face. At this size you will see substantial distortion on the outer 1/3 of the screen due to differences in eye to screen distance when it is placed at the back of a typical 30” deep desk. You need a minimum of 36-40″ viewing distance to make this tolerable. That likely means a wall mount unless you have one of those super deep executive desks. The ideal distance for me is about 44”. That may not be possible for a lot of installations. This is going to be a big adjustment if you are coming from a 34 or 38” curved ultra-wide.

Coming from a 38” UW 3840×1600 I was worried about losing the width and ‘gaming immersion’. The later turned out to be untrue and the very tall screen makes up for a lot. However, it is mostly wasted space when it comes to apps and productivity. Increased distance and sub pixel layout encourages scaling over 100%. I can’t fit more on this screen compared to the 38” UW and it is in less useful places. Using Windows snap tools can help, but that again puts the viewing distance at the forefront. You cannot read a page if half of it is distorted for perspective and color. The PG42UQ does come with some smaller aspect ratios you switch to, but the obvious 3840×1600 is not among them and they all come with strong limitations. No VRR/Gsync in apsect mode. I have a hard time believing any competitive FPS gamer is shopping for 42” 4K screens with a 120Hz max, just so they can shrink the screen to 1920×1080 in the center and lean way in.

If you are convinced you need a 42” 4K OLED, then the next question is if it should be this one. My unit was a March 2023 purchase with a Dec. 2022 manufacture date. It arrived with FW v033 and multiple problems. HDR was extremely washed out over DP 1.4 and moderately affected over HDMI 2.1. The monitor would often fail to turn on after a restart or wake. The 138 Hz OC mode caused multiple games to either shrink in perspective or outright crash. There were severe problems with any game using Windows HDR instead of it’s own implementation. Fortunately, you can go backward on FW with this monitor and I reset to the Aug 2022 launch v028. That eliminated all the problems above, but over-extended colors and made the ABL too aggressive. You’ll see both noted in most early launch reviews. Moving up to the v031 that came a month after that, the colors snap back in line, the ABL follows expected behavior, but a peculiar problem with the LED power light was introduced. But hey, it is a simple power on light. How hard could that be to fix?

Apparently quite difficult. The Asus FW 033 version lists the following notes. Optimize Console HDR, Improve power indicator issue, Fix 138 Hz wake up issue. Instead it looks like this:

Optimize Console HDR -> Caused the previously mentioned HDR washout, resolution, and compatibility issues in all other PC HDR modes. They made HDR extremely difficult to use and while I can offset the color issues with detailed settings in the NVCP, I cannot stop the crashes, make the DP 1.4 work, or prevent the Windows HDR from going bananas after exiting the game. None of these were present on the previous firmware.

Improve Power Indicator Issue -> Yup, they fixed the light. At the expense of preventing the monitor from waking or turning on. Make sure you can reach the electrical plug.

Fix 138 Hz wake up issue -> Nope. 138 OC mode is broken on 033. Works fine on v031.

So Asus managed to turn a couple of minor issues into several usage breaking bugs. The real problem is that was 6 months ago and there has been no effort to address any of it since. So I while I can sit on v031 and manually manage my power light with the remote every time, I have to consider that Asus has abandoned this product and has no intention of addressing the issues. 5 firmware versions in the first 3 months. 2 of them pulled. The last is the most damaging and difficult to use. It doesn’t seem like that is the point where you take 6 months off and work on something else. This is also probably the moment to mention the Asus PG42UQ is NOT certified by the Display Port organization, unlike their prior 43” and 48” 4K monitors. If you do not have a GPU with a HDMI 2.1 output, you should not be considering this. Neither the DP 1.4 included in the box nor the half dozen others I have around provide consistent performance at the specified values.

So all of this leads to the very obvious question of why should you buy the PG42UQ instead of a LG 42” C2 with the same panel and a glossy screen? The LG C2 is nearly universally praised. The PG42UQ is decidedly mixed. The PQ42UQ has a special text clarity algorithm, which most professional reviewers feel looks worse than the C2 without it. The PG42UQ has a very large heatsink on the backside which in theory could maintain higher brightness levels during prolonged use, but it comes with increased thickness and an extra 10 lbs. It’s not easy to assess if the heatsink has any value without a side by side test. I do find the matte screen on the PG42UQ to be useful for my home office that gets some strong indirect light in Summer. I’ve had no issues with it during daytime use and have plenty of brightness to spare. The SDR color vibrancy is leaps and bounds above my LG 38” UW. This monitor does have some merits, but is that worth a substantial increase in price over what a 42” C2 sells for now? For most people that should be a no unless you are like me with a house full of LG screens and looking for a different twist. It remains to be seen if that was the right decision or not.

First, for all of the people who have mentioned the latest bios having issues. Yes, it does. Their website clearly states that you might run into these issues depending on what video card you are using. A new bios will be released later this month that will not have these problems.

This monitor is incredible. Deep rich blacks and vibrant colors. Unlike the LG C2, it was designed for gaming and isn’t a TV that can substitute for gaming. It uses the same panel as the C2. Also, I prefer the antiglare coating on this to the C2. It is much better for computers. Having HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 is great. Use DisplayPort 1.4 if you have the option and get a cable that you know will work with 1.4. The onscreen menu is simple and easy to use.

The speakers are OK, but not as good as the ones I have, so I don’t use them.

You need to understand that this thing is *BIG*. You will need a desk that allows you to sit a decent distance away from it. I probably sit about 30 – 32″ away from mine and it’s still a little close, but I love how it maintains the 16:9 ratio and yet takes up my entire field of view. Gaming on this monitor is a whole new experience. I have never had such an immersive experience gaming as I have with this monitor. Working with spreadsheets is a joy and browsing the web makes you feel like you have tons of extra space. I can easily open multiple pages on my monitor and read them all. It’s fantastic and a heck of a time-saver!

Don’t get me wrong. This is an expensive monitor, but you will fall in love with it if you have the space and a computer that has a powerful enough videocard to run this beast.

I wanted an Oled monitor but I did not want a tv or an ultrawide. This was the next best thing. The colors and picture quality just blew my expectations out of the water. I’m not a monitor expert, serious gamer, or anything like that, just a regular person who just knows he’s happy with his purchase. The games I ply and things I watch just look amazing, and the colors really pop. I was worried about the anti-glare coating from what I read but it honestly just doesn’t bother me. In the day time, in my fully lit room there might be a difference but not enough to bother me at all, and at night time in my dark room, its just amazing.

For my playstation 5, I was originally disappointed with how faded it looked and washed as I was expecting the same pop of colors as my PC, and thought it was the monitor but realized it was actually my playstation’s HDR setting. I turned it off, and BOOM! The colors were jumping out of the screen and I couldn’t be more happy and thrilled.

I only have a few complaints. One is that sometimes I do feel like the saturation on skin color and yellows in dark scenes on the shows and movies is a lot. When the scenes are fully lit like a day time scene everything looks great. Its just those dark scenes with lots of yellow that seem too saturated. I also feel like the stand it came with is very large, and takes up a lot of room. I bought a tv stand with a flat base, that game me much more room to work with, and I like this set up a lot better. Also its very heavy, I was surprised by heavy the monitor was.

Sometimes 42inch is a bit too big, especially for everyday computer tasks like surfing the web, writing emails, just basic reading but when it comes to consuming content like youtube, or streaming, or gaming is where this monitor really shines, and why I wanted it in the first place.

Overall, I’m very happy with my purchase.