In 2020, whether it is gaming in all its forms, players need to aim for the maximum – or for excellent compromises – both in terms of the performance of their devices, and in terms of the various peripherals. It is well known that in terms of graphics the possibilities to aim for are absolutely the best ever, but very often just a video card worthy of the name is not enough, because it must necessarily be accompanied by a monitor that speaks the same language. And it is precisely in this case that, as we have already become accustomed to over the years, Asus takes the field, offering players a qualitatively important monitor designed to guarantee dizzying performance. We are not talking about a real breathtaking graphic rendering, since this allows us to more fully embrace the world of competitive gaming . This is the Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM , one of the fastest gaming monitors in the world with a refresh rate of 280 Hz , obviously activated through the Overclock.

We are talking about a TUF ( The Ultimate Force ) branded product , which in addition to the well-known quality of Asus is therefore proposed as very resistant and perfect to last over time. As already mentioned, we are dealing with a premium article , which does not aim to compromise for those who want the most from their competitive sections , while offering a little side on some graphic aspects of traditional gaming and other operations related to the PC world. We have had the opportunity to test it thoroughly, so let’s find out all the details about it in the next lines!

Let’s discover the Asus TUF Gaming VG279QM

The TUF Gaming VG279QM comes with a black box in full Asus style, which in the front part presents the monitor in all its aggressiveness, on the screen of which the TUF Gaming logo clearly stands out . Once opened, it is possible to extract the product safely, as it is protected by a thick sheet of polystyrene created ad hoc. With these, there are also various brochures containing warranty and instructions, clearly accompanied by the necessary cables : power supply , HDMI 2.0 (which unlike version 1.4 is able to withstand the potential of the monitor), and the Display Port cable.. This time you can choose which one to use without incurring a bottleneck of performance, also based on the attacks of your video card and the possibility of connecting one or more consoles.

The monitor we tested has a size of 27 inches , perhaps not the best format for competitive gamers, especially when you consider the resolution of 1920 × 1080 which is obviously not able to provide excellent results in 16: 9 , with this configuration the low pixel density is in fact noticeable. To please everyone, the company has also thought of an identical 24-inch version, which however has a slightly higher cost. The band that frames the whole is quite thin, with the Asus brand that responds present right in the band at the bottom, in the center. On the sides we find the five keys for the various functions, from the ignition, to the sources, up to the more specific settings. The monitor, as mentioned at the beginning, is thick enough to guarantee the solidity of the TUF brand , and together with the footprint of the base (solid but wide) it will require a fair amount of space on your desk, in line with the 27 inches of other brands. and absolutely capable of holding the total weight. It is really possible to place the TUF Gaming VG279QM any way or direction you want, turning it up to 90 degrees to potentially get a 9:16 view. The panel also houses some speakers , rather poor as is now tradition, obviously nothing serious since they are only used for emergencies. We also note the absence of a charging port, since the USB used is not compatible.

Perfect for eSports?

Analyzing the panel proposed by Asus and its functions, it turns out that this does not want to pay particular attention to the graphic aspect. The biggest criticality lies in the resolution , placed on Full HD even at this price, but it must be said that the company has still structured the product to make it versatile. In fact, we find some goodies such as HDR , perfect if we also consider the potential maximum brightness of the panel, Freesync (adaptable to Gsync for owners of an NVIDIA video card) and a Fast IPS display , which provides a rather accurate color range. Last icing on the cake is ASUS Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync ( ELMB SYNC), which allows you to activate Freesync and ELMB together to avoid ghosting and tearing at high frequencies, however, sporadically bringing some graphic artifacts to the screen and decreasing the brightness. The settings are not particularly intuitive, but already with the factory settings the result is more than satisfactory . However, their gem lies in the possibility of activating the Overclock for 240Hz , reaching the unimaginable peak of 280Hz .

The real point of the experience lies in the very high refresh rate, which through some compromises in the settings can also be accompanied by a delay of only one millisecond . This is a technology that certainly does not in any way equate the known difference between 60hz and 144hz, but which can still be noticed for those who can boast a more acute and attentive sight. This is a very high frequency, which even the best video cards struggle to sustain solidly , which is why in part justifies the Full HD panel. We can confirm that for competitive gaming it is certainly a gem, which in some particular titles (mainly frenetic FPS) can provide a real advantage for those who aim for the best of the best.