Journal #8503

Depends on what you need it for, if its just gaming then i would say go for PG278Q and see how g-sync works for yourself, i heard people talking it was amazing.
However PG278Q has a TN panel that means image quality and view angles are going to suffer compared to an IPS/PLS panel and quite a bit.

G-Sync is pure marketing crap. Don't fall for it.
As for the 144Hz spec, well... if your hardware is capable of driving intense graphics games, you can say it's justified. But the G-sync crap is more intended for lower frequency displays( image tearing appears if you GPU outputs more FPS than the screen, and most of the screens are only capable of showing 60FPS - Gsync supposedly compensates for that - I never actually detected tearing in games that can run more than 60FPS on my pc, like HL2).

For the time being, after 60-70 FPS, you can't really notice the difference.

I say you'd better invest your money in a low time response IPS panel.

Never heard of this fancy G-sync thing. But there's a review on the PB that says it fails to wake up after sleep and it needs to be manually turned off and back on. That's about the only thing I can have an opinion on

I'd focus on frequency and response time, Archie.
Other than gaming, you also do video and 3D rendering, so the choice is up to you.

The PB278Q has 5ms response time like a standard monitor (though I can't seem to find the frequency, could be 75 Hz max?), and the PG278Q has 1ms response time and 144 Hz frequency, which is much better, especially if you want to do serious or competitive gaming (indeed the PG278Q is a gaming monitor).
If you are a V-Sync user, you can limit your FPSs to 144 to avoid tearing, then you're ok to go.

So, for the frequency and response time, I'd purchase the PG278Q. That's all that matters (IMHO!).

There is a trade for speed you lose quality. If this is not your only monitor then yes get a fast panel and enjoy the smoothness, if not then you want an IPS panel for sure.

Ive got a similar setup, 120hz for gaming and an IPS monitor for work. The difference in color and view angles is like night and day.

Very interesting, thanks!
Striker, you're the first person I've seen speaking negatively about G-Sync. PC Gamer, who I usually trust on these matters described it thusly: "If your attached gaming rig is capable of delivering over sixty frames per second at this 1440p native resolution, then Nvidia’s synchronization tech can make your real-time PC gaming experience look like a pre-rendered animation.
Therein lies the beauty of G-Sync."

That does sound very appealing to me.

However, I will be getting two of these monitors, as mismatched colour between monitors pisses me off no-end and I've never managed to perfectly match colours between two differing monitors despite spending hours calibrating.

I'm never going to get into serious competitive gaming - I'm much more interesting in great contrast, colours and viewing angle, so the only thing really swaying me is G-sync. 5ms 60Hz would suit me just fine otherwise.

Do you think I should go for the PB278Q, or does anyone know of a better alternative? I'd like to keep the cost of the two panels under £1000

G-sync is a thing you have to try for yourself, i bet its as amazing as it sounds.

@Striker tearing occurs even if you have more Hz available then the actual running framerate, for example: game is running at 79 fps and say ive got a 120hz panel i will still get tearing because a GPU might spit a frame out while the monitor is refreshing the screen. If you want no tearing you need to lock your fps to multiples of the Hz you have available 30 60 120, that way you ensure that a frame comes out of the GPU when the monitor is about to start a refresh cycle, basically V-sync at 120hz which lessens the mouse lag you get from V-sync at 60hz, but its still V-sync. What G-Sync does is lets the GPU decide when to refresh the display, its similar to having V-sync at random rates (86, 65 etc...) but without the annoying mouse lag. By now your brain just ignores tearing when it happens, you just notice it when you look for it, but its always there it happens very very often.

And the other monitor is 60hz, 75hz panels are rare these days.

@Archie If you can't stand 2 different monitors then your'e in a really bad spot, from personal experience i can say ive survived with a 120hz monitor, but when you get to use a proper IPS its very hard to not notice how bad the colors are on the fast TN panels. If you are doing graphical work (which you are as much as i know) get good quality IPS panels, you will be far more happy in the long run.

So the high-end gaming panels are still sacrificing overall image quality for refresh rates?
Cool, that's what I wasn't sure about.
Rufee, this has been really helpful, thanks! Just overall then, based on my preference of image quality and viewing angle, do you think I'd be happy with the PB278Q? I know very little about the actual tech, so reading the description and numbers on ebuyer doesn't help me much, but I'm quite a visualphile (audiophile but for visuals? That makes sense, right? :P) so I absolutely do notice the difference between bad displays and good ones.

What about this Samsung or this Viewsonic?

Yes, but its not sacrifice its just how the technology works.
To put it simply:
TN (Twisted nematic) panel = High speed, bad color/angles.
VA (Vertical alignment) panel = Moderate speed, good color/angles.
IPS/PLS/S-IPS and any other IPS (In plane swtiching) panel = Slow, great color/angles.

You simply cant drive an IPS panel at 144Hz.

The PB278Q falls into a more professional category, to me it looks better than any Samsung or Viewsonic, but that's a taste thing. Dell makes great displays that many prof's use, if you are not yet set on getting the Asus'es id recommend taking a look at Dell's lineup something like U2713H.

Hmm, the U2713H is quite a bit pricier and from using it at work I've encountered all sorts of niggling issues with it, although not in a while. It definitely is a beautiful image, though, and is definitely one I've considered in the past.

Choices... Choices...

g-sync may look good for you but most people wont have it so i wouldnt trust such a thing when developing stuff

As far as I know, Samsung makes the best screens out there, by far. This is most obvious in cell phones, as it's a fast changing market, but if you look, you can see it everywhere. They're shit at firmware though, so try to avoid anything "smart" by them. It's just the hardware they're good at, or "dumb" devices.

Don't take my word on this, but from what I've heard in the past, Viewsonic is a bit like Mac. They're good, but they're not outstanding, yet they have a devote, almost cult-like following customer base that pretend they're better than they are.

Wow that Dell monitor is $850USD!!! I could get 3 monitors for that price.
Is it really worth the cost?

Color calibrated and everything, probably even a 10bit panel, you need a Quadro to take full advantage. For most its not worth it though, just an option.

I think that Archie should change basing his decision on what he really want to do with his computer, since he don't just play videogames.
Archie, tell us why you want such a big monitor and what do you want to do with that one, then we will probably be able to help you pick a better decision. That's my two cents though.

Editing 1080p video on a 1080p monitor is absurd, there's a reason

Probably buy a good gaming monitor with shit colour reproduction but all the fancy gaming related quirks, and use\buy a IPS panel for your colour sensitive material, with some sort of a video signal switcher so that you don't have to have some convoluted driver related dual monitor setup that works for both.

Think I might go for two of these. It seems to be a good all-rounder at a very commendable price.

And yeah, it's primarily for screen real-estate for After Effects and Premiere.

Welp. At least it has a good image quality. Too bad that it's 5ms response time.
Happy for you Archie. :3

I died a little inside when i saw AOC

Are they shit? I've never gotten anything from them before, I was just going on reviews.
I haven't purchased yet, though, and you seem to know your stuff!
No to the AOCs?
PC Pro had this to say about them:

"Not content with serving up a 27in, 2,560 x 1,440 panel for less than £400, AOC has defied expectations by throwing in a fully adjustable stand and a three-year warranty as well. The combination of features and image quality is positively brilliant for the money, and only Acer’s K272HUL comes close at this price, with ever-so-slightly superior colour accuracy" (Source)

Well to be honest, im only going on them since they were crap some time ago, pretty much get one if you need to see an image from your pc. That was 5-6 years ago. Since then they really have never popped up on my radar, maybe they are no longer the cheap-o monitor brand.
Looking at the price difference it seems you are getting the same monitor for less money. Im not discouraging you from getting them.