ASUS ROG SWIFT PG258Q: Crazy Fast Gaming @ 1080p 240Hz

Introduction, Availability, & Price

ASUS has been at the very peak of the gaming monitor market for years now with its always evolving ROG Swift range of monitors. Its new uber-enthusiast ROG Swift PG258Q, a 24-inch monitor with a native 1080p resolution and massive 240Hz refresh rate, continues that trend.

ASUS has its ROG Swift gaming monitors at the heart of some of the biggest eSports games, played by hundreds of millions of gamers - right down to the desks of gamers, with gamers flocking to the ASUS ROG Swift gaming displays. If 1080p isn't your thing, ASUS offer 27-inch 2560x1440 displays at 165Hz - so you'll be okay at higher resolutions, but nothing beyond 60FPS at 4K... yet.

You can grab the ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q from Amazon for $600 (and free shipping) at the time of writing.

Test System Specs

Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z170X-Designare

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K (stock clocks)

RAM: 16GB G.Skill DDR4-4000MHz

GPU: NVIDIA Titan X (Pascal)

SSD: Kingston HyperX Predator 480GB M.2

PSU: Corsair RM1000X

CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H110i

Chassis: Corsair Carbide Air 540

Detailed Specs & Technology

Tech Inside the ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q

Some of the best gaming displays on the market are still the older 120Hz refresh rate panels, but the new 240Hz display from ASUS is the leader of the pack.

We also have NVIDIA's G-Sync technology on offer with the ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q but don't forget the inclusion of Ultra Low Motion Blur (ULMB) technology, which improves the image quality while maintaining the fluidness of 240FPS.

ASUS have used a 1ms panel, which eliminates virtually every speck of motion blur, so for super-fast twitch shooters and fast-moving games like Rocket League, that 1ms @ 240Hz becomes incredibly smooth.

There are some unique features that ASUS include such as GamePlus Technology that provides hotkeys for in-game enhancements like a crosshair overlay, onscreen timer, FPS counter, or display alignment function.

The navigation joystick and hotkeys on the ROG Swift PG258Q are one of the highlights of the attention to detail ASUS put into their flagship gaming displays, with a 5-way OSD Navigation Joystick making the entire OSD process super intuitive.

The buttons below it are easy to get used to, with Exit, GamePlus Hotkey, GameVisual Hotkey, and the Power button easy to access.

There's an awesome little cable management hole in the stand itself, making the monitor look nice and clean on your desk.

240FPS Gaming Is INSANE

I'm surrounded by super-fast, high-res gaming monitors. The last one that I had before the ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q was the ViewSonic 27-inch 1440p 165Hz G-Sync display. Bumping down to 1080p is going to be hard, and it's something I don't think I'm going to like.

So my full attention is on that 240Hz refresh rate, which requires some serious GPU horsepower with my choice on the graphics card to use to hit 240FPS in games being the NVIDIA Titan X. The Pascal-based Titan X is an incredible piece of technology, fueling the 240FPS performance I will need in games. With enough GPU horsepower, we can easily drive the 1920x1080 resolution - but at 240FPS, we need some help.

Even in games like Overwatch and Team Fortress 2, I'll drop the in-game visual settings to ensure that I'm pushing 200FPS+ at all times - and it's worth it. In a game as fast-paced as Overwatch, or even CS:GO for some of my friends and my brother that are addicted - noticed a big difference at 240FPS, the increased 240Hz over the 165Hz I'm used to can be felt. But, it's not the same with other games - which can sometimes not benefit from the 240Hz panel, and actually suffer.

Overall, the 240FPS was a great achievement for games that can scale incredibly well to 240FPS - like CS:GO and Overwatch, as well as many driving games so that you can enjoy nearly 1FPS for every 1MPH in the game. 240FPS really is an amazing achievement.

Desktop Use & Final Thoughts

Desktop Use

I didn't use the ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q on the desktop as much as I had liked, as ASUS only had a 2-week loan on the monitor - but in my brief time using it, I wouldn't recommend it for the desktop. Pure gaming monitor with desktop use on the side? Great. Gaming monitor on the side with a permanent second monitor? Even better.

ASUS didn't build the ROG Swift PG258Q for desktop use, so the 240Hz refresh rate is absolutely wasted. I'm not going to give it negative marks for that, though - as it's built as a hardcore gaming display. Tuning the colors, brightness, and profiles did improve things - but it doesn't compare to a proper IPS panel, or higher 1440p/21:9 display for desktop use.

Final Thoughts

ASUS has crafted one of the most balls-to-the-wall gaming displays I've ever used, simply because it has a 240Hz refresh rate. If you're a competitive, or super-serious FPS gamer, then the ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q could be for you.

It has some serious speed behind it, but you need to be equipped with a graphics card capable of keeping up. Anything less than the GeForce GTX 980 Ti, or GTX 1070/1080, and you're fooling yourself.

This monitor is for the top breed GPUs and nothing else. Driving 240FPS in games like Overwatch might sound easy, but it's not. Some games don't even scale up to 240FPS, they might have 60/100FPS limits - meaning you're stuck with a far more capable display, limited by software.

CS:GO/Overwatch/FPS-style speed freaks: ASUS has built your monitor. The only thing that could get better is the resolution - moving up to 2560x1440, and the screen size to 28-inch would be absolute gaming perfection. 240FPS at 2560x1440 requires an even beefier graphics card, something doesn't exist yet, I'm afraid.

Don't even get me started on 4K at 240FPS. You'll be waiting for the GeForce GTX 3080 Ti or the Radeon Navi graphics card. Until then, the new ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q is a premium 1080p gaming monitor with a mind-boggling 240Hz refresh rate.

If you're happy with 1080p gaming, and you want nothing but the fastest frames on the market, you know what to do.