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To test today, we are using a LaCie calibration gun along with specific software to accurately measure the readings. We analyse the 2D elements of the monitor via this test system featuring a reference Nvidia GTX780 Ti graphics card.
We measured Gamut out of the box and the ProArt PA279Q returned a reading of 2.20 which is excellent. We manually adjusted the Gamma to 1.8 and the panel returned a 1.8 result.
The PA279Q incorporates a 27 inch AH-IPS display which presents exceptionally rich colours and excellent grayscale performance. The DisplayMate 64 step Grayscale test returned a perfect result, with all steps accurately produced.
The 10 bit colour accuracy rated at the highest levels with no hue bias available to the naked eye. We analysed the colours and the blue, green and red aspects of the image were close to perfect. In real world terms, the images look vibrant, clean and sharp.
Panel Linearity rated as superior, with only minor deviation on the edges. This rated in the top 10% of panels we have tested to date.
The sRGB colour gamut rated at 100% of the full range and calibration didn't improve the results at all.
Viewing angles are very good, thanks to the IPS technology. When viewing from both horizontal and vertical angles we didn't notice any drop in luminance, right up to 178 degrees.
Asus rate the panel at 6ms Gray to Gray and we didn't notice any artifacting or smearing when playing fast motion first person shooters such as Battlefield 4. The images looked great – very high contrast with superb colour definition. Again if you are a hardcore gamer with a susceptibility to noticing lag then you might want to aim for a non-IPS screen in the same price zone.
It is worth pointing out that a native resolution of 2560×1440 will place a higher demand on the graphics card, so it is important to factor this when considering a purchase. That said, even modern sub £200 graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD will easily power the latest Direct X 11 games without a hitch.
Black Definition rates in the top 10% of panels we have tested in the last year. Viewing high definition BluRay discs was very enjoyable. There is minimal light leakage across the full width of the panel, rising to around 12% in the extreme corners. One of the best monitors we have tested in this regard actually.
Contrast rated highly on the PA279Q, at almost 1000:1, and this gives high definition movie files a lot of depth, dynamic punch and impact.
There is little pooling at the edges, with bottom corners showing only minor susceptibility. This is very difficult to notice at all with the naked eye. The only negative point we would make is that if you use the PA279Q at maximum brightness then the blacks in the three quarter range will be slightly more gray. We don't think there is a need to use this screen with an excessively high brightness setting thanks to the excellent contrast capabilities, so it can be reduced easily.
White purity is excellent, dropping to between -5 and -10 between the center and corners of the panel. Rating at 310 cd/m2 puts the PA279Q into the top zone of panels.
In real world terms, all the images we viewed looked very clean and it is a perfect partner for a photographer who frequently edits a lot of high contrast images, such as those taken outdoors. Colours are accurately reproduced, green grass looks realistic and blue skies are accurately reproduced with smooth gradients throughout.
The ASUS ProArt PA279Q demands 46 watts under load, dropping to 0.5 watts when idle.
