So before I begin, I represent the unfortunate crossroads of that guy that wants a single monitor that does *everything* well. First of all, I game (quite a bit), and want a monitor that games well (low input lag, fast refresh, and hey, HDR would be nice these days). If it stopped there, I'd be in luck... there are *fantastic* gaming monitors these days, even huge curved ones, that are really reasonably priced! Sadly, the next bit is the wrench I like to throw... and super critical for my work. I also happen to be a professional photographer/artist/developer that demands color perfection for my graphics work.
With this in mind, I switch between two systems (OSX for my normal work) and PC for pure gaming. This gives me a few key requirements:
- easy input switching (I'll leave the PC on. DisplayPort and the Mac on HDMI)
- no unbearable issues (e.g. backlight/IPS glow, black smearing, etc)
- fast/responsive (less of an issue as I've always had slow monitors due to the color requirements)
- easy to calibrate
- more real estate than I previously had on my 27" Eizo CS2730 (really need the side-by-side space for graphics and programming)
So with that in mind, I began the quest to upgrade my Eizo, which, while *fantastic* for color, was falling behind in terms of all the rest. Plus everything looked a bit... "flat".
My first choice was the newly released 38" LG 38WN95C. It was a beast, an IPS panel (typically far better for color reproduction), and $1000 cheaper than this one. I got it in, set it up, and was immediately underwhelmed. The IPS glow was even worse than my Eizo (which I was also extremely frustrated with in this regard), to the point that I couldn't even take a phone snapshot of artwork on the screen (which I often to for BTS shots to Instagram). The bloom was simply way too bad for this! Secondly, the LG controls were *terrible*. A single joystick on the bottom was supposed to do everything, but in practice was really fumbly, slow to respond, and was no longer a simple process to switch inputs (nothing beats the double tap of a single button on the Eizo, to be fair). On top of this, the monitor would regularly "blink" during games, or cut out entirely. Simply not cool for a monitor that costs as much as it did.
So what did I do? Sent it back immediately, and decided to throw even more money at the problem... with this unholy beast of monitor, the ASUS PG25VQ. While super-not-excited about the cost outlay, I figured it was worth the experiment, if nothing else... and if I wasn't happy, I'd return it too, and just wait it out with my trusty, but aging Eizo...
Spoiler Alert: I may be keeping this one.
So here it is... this will be a direct comparison of the 38" LG 38WN95C and the 35" ASUS PG35VQ.
BLACK LEVEL/GLOW:
ASUS wins handily. The IPS glow on the LG was extremely evident, especially in a dark room (which I'm usually in while working/gaming). The ASUS VA panel has blacks that truly disappear for an incredible experience. It's very close to the best of the HDR LED TVs I've been seeing lately...
SIZE:
Obviously the LG wins here. The extra 3" of diagonal was noticeable for sure, AND thanks to the lighter weight of the screen itself, and the better stand design (IMO), the LG was able to sit back further on my desk. It just felt great.
SCREEN SURFACE:
ASUS comes ahead again here, with a much better matte surface that seems to be a fair bit better at combating screen glare (I have a couple French doors directly behind me which is challenging for light glare/reflections). On top of that, and this one is a little hard to describe, but the ASUS image just appears painted on the surface of this matte screen, as opposed to the LG that almost seemed to have a slightly "recessed" image (think: early iPhones that had that thick glass layer above the actual pixels). The ASUS just looks better here, hands down.
CONTROLS & OSD:
ASUS wins again, easily. Their joystick is fast and fluid for navigating menus, compared to the spongy, clunky one on the LG. On top of that, the menus on the ASUS are just much easier to navigate, and much more intuitive. As a UI designer myself, there's no excuse for a crappy OSD on a monitor over $1500.
INPUT SWITCHING:
ASUS wins (the OSD and menu is just much faster to get to the input switching selection), but really neither are as fast as the Eizo. I really just want a single button somewhere that cycles the inputs. Ideally, with the ability to remove unused inputs via the OSD. I guess most people don't even have the need for multiple inputs? Dunno.
HDR CONTENT:
Both are way better than my non-HDR Eizo, but the ASUS wins again thanks to it's where-the-heck-did-my-screen-go black levels, and eye-scorching flashes possible with its backlight array (this was Full Array Local Dimming/FALD, but now called Variable Backlight in the OSD). All last night I was literally just pulling up HDR videos on YouTube and watching in awe. Plus a few HDR games I've tested so far (Ori, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Deep Rock Galactic) have looked absolutely stunning. I think HDR might be too distracting for competitive play (the flashes would actually "shock" your eyes in a not-helpful way), but looks stunning otherwise!
CALIBRATION:
To be frank, I never got that far, as I'm on a new M1 Mac Mini, and everyone's having trouble calibrating those at the moment (displays aren't being recognized by the calibration software in Big Sur right now)... so I had to pack my spectrometer up and wait a bit. I'm sure it would be fine in Windows, but I only use that for gaming, so I'll hold off for now unless desperate. I will say this though: From digging through the OSDs, I’m nervous about achieving proper calibration, period. The ASUS seems easier in this regard thank to the OSD not being complete trash, but they both appear to be very limited, and certain "visual modes" seem to lock/unlock certain features. For instance, in sRGB mode (which I would expect the most control on), there are zero color controls I can mess with. That would be fine, if there were at least a "Custom" mode that gave me full control. I'd use this to calibrate, and it would be my default for color work. Unfortunately it looks like I'll have to hijack one of the modes that allows for more control, like "Scenic" or something.
PRICE:
Let's be real... this monitor (PG25VQ) is stupidly expensive for a gaming-first monitor. I won't begin to argue that it's a great value, but it probably isn't - straight up. That said... I'd rather spend a grand more on this monitor than anything at all on the LG. It was just that disappointing (sleek ergonomics and screen size aside). If you don't mind IPS glow (and you should absolutely know what this is before you assume it's not a big deal), and you never intend to mess with the OSD/settings, maybe the LG is worth the price. Personally, I'd probably explore the cheaper monitors instead, as it's just a hard pill to swallow, spending $1500 on something that's not amazing. This $2500 monitor, on the other hand *does* appear to be amazing at least, so at least you feel like you're getting something incredible for the money... even if it's a pretty irrational figure to justify.
Finally, I want to address a couple concerns that potential buyers of this panel may have:
First of all, the variable backlight can be turned off completely (in about 3 seconds) for desktop work - this eliminates the concerns about glowing blobs around high contrast areas. In games/video, leave it on and set to "fast", as you'll never see it, but it will definitely help this monitor shine (pun intended).
Secondly, as a longtime buyer of IPS panels (despite having a hate-hate relationship with IPS glow, I'd heard plenty of folks trashing VA panels for black "smearing". This is easily tested in any white-text-on-black-background scenario. Grab the window, and move it or scroll. In many VA panels, the text will fade to black until you stop moving it, then quickly brighten back up once you stop. It's really quite horrible. However, by setting the ASUS Overdrive (OD) to "Extreme", this completely goes away. I'd heard that this then introduces halos around items in movement, but I haven't noticed any (even while looking for them). I'll be leaving this on full time.
UPDATE: I will not be leaving this on full time... in fact, haloing is a very real thing, and quite evident in games and videos. I leave Overdrive completely off now (or if anything would consider the lowest setting), UNLESS i'm looking at nothing but the dragging-windows-with-white-text-on-black-background scenario (at which point Overdrive Extreme would be the easy win).
To wrap things up, if you happen to be in the market for a sick monitor that'll be pretty future proof for awhile... AND can afford this one, I can definitely recommend the PG35VQ. Skip the LG completely.
I'll try to update this review once I actually make it through calibration, as I'll be holding onto the Eizo as a reference monitor to compare it to. Stay tuned!
@kevinrwhitley
@slickdotaf
| Standing screen display size | 35 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 3440x1440 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 3440 x 1440 Pixels |
| RAM | 24 GB |
| Wireless Type | 802.11ac |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 6.5 Hours |
