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As usual we used a Spyder4 Elite Colorimeter to test the picture quality, measuring its out-of-the-box brightness, screen uniformity, gamma, colour gamut and accuracy (Delta E). We then calibrated the screen and took some measurements again. Unless otherwise stated, all the tests were run in the default ‘Racing’ OSD preset.
100 per cent sRGB and 77 per cent Adobe coverage puts it in the same region as the M279Q.
375 nit maximum brightness is comparable with the M279Q, although its contrast is slightly reduced. By default, the white point hovers around 5800k.
The black point of 0.55 is a good result, although again not quite as impressive as the M279Q and its IPS screen.
As with the M279Q, it hits a gamma of 2.1 exactly.
We tested the brightness, contrast, white point, black point and colour temperature of all the presets. The results confirm what our eyes tell us – that some presets are a bit darker, while others look brighter, and warmer.
As with all gaming screens, absolute colour accuracy is not a major concern unless the screen is set to sRGB mode. In the default ‘Racing’ mode it’s not a terrible result though.
After calibration the M278Q looked a little less saturated, and richer to our eyes, a definite improvement.
When calibrated, sRGB and Adobe coverage remains unaffected.
Brightness and contrast likewise are almost identical.
And again, the gamma remains the same.
The Delta E results improve greatly though, with a result below 2.
Overall, these scores indicate great TN panel quality, far superior to TN panels of the past. In terms of measured brightness and contrast there is nothing to complain about.
Subjectively, a TN panel isn’t quite as nice to look at as IPS. Even a great example of TN technology such as this doesn’t look quite as sharp as an IPS screen. But that’s the price you pay for 1ms response times.
We also tested the sound, and as with most display speakers, the volume (and particularly the bass) wasn’t very loud, but it wasn’t at all tinny. Music sounded fine playing through it, but you would probably want something better for a party.
And lastly we measured its power consumption as 40.7 watts on 100 per cent brightness.
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How can a TN be better for gaming comparing to mg279q? IPS is always better with its image quality.
TN is better for competitive gaming because of it’s 1ms response time, such as FPS or RTS.
IPS is better for cinematic experience because of its wider range of colors, such as RPG.
Too expensive for TN. These TN panels need a price drop, they’ve been stagnant for years. A 24″ 1080p 144hz TN should be $199 and a 27″ 1440p 144hz TN should be $299.
I also encounter the issue where the monitor occasionally goes black for a few seconds. For me it seems to be indirectly related to GPU load, and more specifically to GPU voltage (they scale together). As soon as my 290X reaches ~ 1.25V, the screen goes black. This happens periodically in GPU intensive games, but can more easily be triggered by offsetting the VDDC voltage +50mV in any overclocking utility.
Could someone who owns this screen verify this?
“or whatever refresh rate the screen is set to” What other refresh rate settings can you use? I know a few other monitors have the options for 144, 120 and 60. what does this one do?
I ended up getting one of these on sale for $399 :p It’s a really good monitor as stated in this review, i really am impressed with this top tier 8bit TN panel which looks amazing. I’ll be good with this monitor for another 6-7years till 4k becomes mainstream 🙂
dude it pisses me off that im trying to find a new monitor and these old ass monitors are still so high priced, then i see your comment from a year ago on the one monitor i thought might be right. great.
Ya i know, i commented a year ago on its high price and wished it cost $299usd. I ended up finding this monitor on sale for $399usd and just made the jump cause my eyes needed a treat and were getting wrecked with a normal monitor. The low blue light and no flickering is amazing and helps tremendously with long sessions. GL with your decision, i don’t think monitors will go down in price anytime soon as they keep tweaking a tiny feature and keep the price high and then discontinue the older models.
im struggling to find anything that can compete for price to be honest. from an owner perspective is it good? might have to just bite the bullet
Ya its great, i have no real complaints. It even has a great freesync range of 35-144hz
Do you like anti-glare coating on this monitor (MG278Q)
ya it works and it doesn’t dull the screen or colors at all. For comparison the BenQ xl2411Z seems like a grainy overlay on top of the screen vs this one which you can’t notice at all unless you put your face to the screen.