Asus MG248Q 144Hz Adaptive Sync Display Review

1. Introduction2. Asus MG248Q3. On Screen Display Menu System4. Asus MG248Q Analysis—>5. Closing Thoughts—>6. View All Pages

Our first test involves using a DataColor Spyder Elite 5 Colorimeter to assess a display’s image quality. The device sits on top of the screen while the software generates colour tones and patterns, which it compares against predetermined values to work out how accurate the screen is.

The results show:

• A monitor’s maximum brightness in candelas or cd/m2 at various levels set in the OSD.
• A monitor’s contrast ratio at various brightness levels in the OSD.
• The brightness deviation across the panel.
• The black and white points.
• The colour accuracy, express as a Delta E ratio, with a result under 3 being fine for normal use, and under 2 being great for colour-accurate design work.
• The exact gamma levels, with a comparison against preset settings in the OSD.

We first run this test with the display in its default, out-of-the-box state, with all settings on default. We then calibrate the screen using the Spyder software and run the test again.

We always test the display subjectively on the Windows desktop, using it for general tasks such as browsing and word processing, and with games as well, even if the display is not intended solely for that purpose. We pay careful attention to any artefacts, ghosting or motion blur, and enable any gaming specific features, such as adaptive-sync settings like G-Sync, using a compatible graphics card in our test PC.

We also measure a display’s power consumption at 100% brightness.

As the Asus MG248Q is a gaming display, we're not expecting the best possible colour accuracy. The 144Hz refresh rate is already the star of the show.

100% sRGB coverage is fairly standard on IPS screens, and modern TN panels hit this level too, so it's good to see Asus following this trend with the MG248Q. The Adobe RGB coverage is roughly average as well. But as we said, superb colour accuracy is not what we're looking for here…

… which is s good thing, since the brightness uniformity is quite uneven.

But the overall brightness levels make up for it. At 100% brightness in the OSD, the Asus MG248Q achieves around 380 cd/m2 brightness, and good contrast of 740:1. At default settings, the white point is considerably higher than the 6500K target. Probably a deliberate move by Asus.

The visual presets show the sRGB mode dims the brightness considerably, as does the Cinema mode.

We measured the default gamma of 2.0, when our target was 2.2. Not a major concern for a gaming display.

And likewise, the colour accuracy shows a Delta E under three. A merely passable result but of no major concern for gaming.

After calibration with Spyder 5 Elite colorimeter we measured the gamut again.

With similar results.

Calibration get the gamma spot on at 2.2

And improves the colour accuracy.

Subjectively, we had little to complain about with the picture quality, with the exception of the TN viewing angles. IPS screens are everywhere now, and more affordable than ever, so colour banding is like a step back in time, and is something we lived with for years. It's noticeable, but it's up to you whether it's something that might put you off.

Finally, we can't review a gaming display without trying some games on it.

But before we could, we had to manually set the Asus MG248Q to work at 144Hz in Advanced Display Properties in Windows and enable adaptive sync in the OSD. After that, we played some Battlefield 4 multiplayer, and the 144Hz made a big difference to the illusion, resulting in the same smooth animation we're used to seeing on displays with refresh rates beyond 60Hz (as well as pricing that's far beyond £279).

The power consumption result was 25.7W, a result that's roughly average for most 1080p diplays, although it's impressively low for a screen with such high brightness.

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