Comparison Asus ROG Strix XG258Q 25 " black vs Asus ROG Swift PG258Q 25 " black

The size of one dot (pixel) on a monitor screen. This parameter is related to the maximum resolution of the monitor and its diagonal size — the higher the resolution, the smaller the pixel size (with the same diagonal) and vice versa, the larger the diagonal, the larger the size of one pixel (with the same resolution). The smaller the size of one pixel, the clearer the image will be displayed by the monitor, the less grainy it will be noticeable, which is especially important on large monitors. On the other hand, a small pixel size creates discomfort when working with fine details and text — this mainly applies to monitors with a small diagonal.

The vertical refresh rate supported by the monitor.

Initially, the term "sweep frequency" was used in the characteristics of CRT monitors that work with an analogue signal. By tradition, it continues to be used for LCD matrices, however, for such screens, the refresh rate is actually the frame rate. See above for more on frame rate; here we note that in this case it is not the maximum frequency that is indicated, but the frequency range supported by the monitor — from the minimum to the maximum. This allows you to evaluate compatibility with certain video cards and operating modes: the frame rate of the video signal must match the frame rate of the monitor (or at least be a multiple of it), otherwise twitches and other unpleasant phenomena are possible.

It is worth noting that the monitor usually does not support any refresh rate from the range given in the specifications, but only certain standard values — for example, 50 Hz, 60 Hz and 75 Hz for the 50 – 75 Hz model.

The horizontal refresh rate of the image on the monitor screen.

This parameter was relevant for CRT monitors, in which the image was formed by an electron beam that "ran through" each individual line on the screen and illuminated the pixels. The horizontal refresh rate described the number of lines drawn per second. However, modern LCD matrices do not use a scan, but a full-frame image. Therefore, today this parameter is rarely given in monitors, and it describes the maximum horizontal frequency in an analogue video signal (for example, via the VGA interface), with which the screen can work normally.

The colour gamut of the monitor is based on the NTSC colour model.

Any colour gamut is indicated as a percentage, however, not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the monitor's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.

Specifically, NTSC is one of the first colour models created back in 1953 with the advent of colour television. It is not used in the production of modern monitors, but is often used to describe and compare them. NTSC covers a wider range of colours than sRGB, which is standard in computer technology: for example, coverage of only 85% in NTSC gives about 110% in sRGB. So the colour gamut for this model is usually given for advertising purposes — as a confirmation of the high class of the monitor; a very good indicator in such cases is considered to be 75% or more.

— KVM switch. The presence of a KVM switch in the monitor - Keyboard, Video, Mouse. This module allows you to control two or more computers using one monitor, one keyboard and one mouse, quickly switching between different PCs (for example, a desktop computer and a laptop). A KVM switch improves productivity when you need to use multiple computers at the same time or one at a time and eliminates desktop clutter. To switch from one computer to another, just one click of the mouse in the proprietary software or a programmed button on the keyboard is enough.

— Light sensor. A sensor that monitors the brightness of ambient light. It is mainly used to automatically adjust the brightness of the monitor itself to the specifics of the situation: for example, if the room gets dark, the image on the screen can also be made dimmer, and under sunlight for normal visibility, the brightness should be high. This provides additional comfort for the user and also contributes to energy savings.

— Presence sensor. A sensor that detects the presence of a person in front of the screen. Most often used to automatically control sleep mode: if there is no one in front of the monitor for a certain time, the screen backlight turns off, and when the user returns, it turns back on. This contributes to energy savings and increases the life of the matrix. In addition, the sensor can b...e useful for more specific tasks — for example, to control the presence of an employee at the workplace.

— PBP (Picture by Picture). Possibility to display two "images" on the monitor at the same time — from two different sources, each of which is connected to its own video input. This feature can be very useful in cases where you have to work with two devices at the same time — for example, with a laptop and the main system unit. The image from both devices is usually displayed side by side. Note that for PBP to work effectively, the screen must be quite large, so this function is found mainly among monitors with the appropriate diagonal — from 27 "and above.

— Flicker Free. Brightness control technology that eliminates excessive screen flicker. The idea of this technology is to reduce the brightness of the image directly by reducing the brightness of the backlight (whereas in monitors without Flicker Free, the brightness is adjusted by turning the backlight on and off at a high frequency). Due to the absence of flicker, the load on the eyes and nervous system is reduced, and working with the monitor (especially for a long time) becomes more comfortable.

— AMD FreeSync. Monitor compatible with AMD FreeSync technology. As the name suggests, this technology is used in AMD graphics adapters — so it's worth looking for a monitor with this compatibility if your computer has an appropriate graphics card. And the general idea of FreeSync is to match the frame rate of the monitor and the frequency of the video signal from the graphics card. Such a need arises in the light of the fact that in some cases the frame rate of the video signal can “float” (this is especially true for modern games and other resource-intensive tasks); and a mismatch with the monitor's refresh rate can result in jaggies, jerks, and other artifacts. FreeSync avoids this.
Note that in this case we are talking about the original version of this technology — support for FreeSync Premium and Premium Pro is indicated separately, for these versions, see below. A similar solution from NVIDIA is called G-Sync; it is also described below.

— AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. The most advanced (at the beginning of 2020) version of the FreeSync technology described above, formerly known as AMD FreeSync 2 HDR. As the first name implies, one of the features of this version is HDR support. In addition, FreeSync Premium Pro claims a frame rate of at least 120 fps at Full HD resolution, as well as low frame rate compensation (LFC). The essence of this function lies in the fact that when the frame rate of the source video signal falls below the minimum frequency supported by the monitor, the same frame is displayed on the screen several times, which allows you to maintain the maximum smoothness of the “picture”. According to the creators, FreeSync Premium Pro works especially well in games; and many modern games are originally designed to work with this technology.

— AMD FreeSync Premium. An intermediate option between the basic AMD FreeSync technology and the advanced FreeSync Premium Pro. Both of these versions of the technology are described in more detail above; and FreeSync Premium does not have HDR support (unlike the Pro version), but works at the same frame rate (at least 120 fps at 1920x1080 resolution) and also uses LFC low frame rate compensation technology.

— NVIDIA G-Sync. A technology for matching the frame rate of the monitor and the frame rate of the video signal used in NVIDIA video cards. The need for such coordination arises due to the fact that in some cases the frame rate of the video signal can “float” (this is especially true for modern games and other resource-intensive tasks); and a mismatch with the monitor's refresh rate can result in jaggies, jerks, and other artifacts. A similar technology from AMD is called Freesync (see above).
Note that in this case it means support for the original G-Sync technology, which was originally incorporated during production. Support for the more advanced G-Sync Ultimate, as well as G-Sync Compatible compliance, are listed separately (see below).

— NVIDIA G-Sync Ultimate. A variation of the G-Sync technology described above, which provides not only for matching the frame rate with the graphics card, but also for a number of improved characteristics of the monitor itself. So, models with this marking necessarily support HDR (and according to a very high standard — not lower than DisplayHDR1000), and also have an extensive colour gamut, often measured by DCI P3 (see above for both). Most of these monitors are gaming monitors (see "Type").

— NVIDIA G-Sync compatible. This feature is indicated for monitors that were not originally designed for use with G-Sync technology (see above), but according to the results of testing, they turned out to be compatible with it. All such devices are models with the AMD FreeSync function (also described above), which were tested by nVIDIA and showed the ability to fully work with G-Sync as well (however, we emphasize that FreeSync support by itself does not yet guarantee compatibility with G-Sync) . Anyway, from the user's point of view, the difference lies in the fact that G-Sync Compatible monitors are much cheaper than their counterparts with G-Sync, but may be inferior to them in picture quality. This is due to the fact that these monitors do not undergo additional image quality tests that are required for devices with native G-Sync support. In addition, in G-Sync Compatible models, correct frame synchronization when working with NVIDIA video cards is guaranteed only if the graphics card is based on the GeForce GTX 10-series and GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs — these are the adapters that compatibility testing is carried out on. .

— CalMAN certification. The monitor has a CalMAN Verified certificate. This certification is given to high-quality screens after they have been tested and calibrated using CalMAN, a professional suite of software tools used for colour manipulation and sensor colour adjustment. The accuracy of these tools is such that even Hollywood filmmakers use them; and in the case of monitors, CalMAN certification is an additional sign of high quality — it means that the colours on such a screen will be displayed as faithfully as possible. Such models are intended mainly for professionals working with colour, as well as for connoisseurs of high-quality video content.

— Pantone certified. The presence of the monitor certificate "Pantone Validated" — that is, a certificate of compliance with the Pantone colour system (PMS). This is a professional colour system created by the company of the same name and widely used in design and printing. One of Pantone's basic ideas is that each colour should remain the same at all stages of work — from agreeing on a general idea to printing / releasing the final product; To do this, all shades covered by the system are assigned code names, which are used in the work. In the case of monitors, Pantone certification means that when working with materials and software tools that use a given colour scheme, the colours on the screen will match the actual Pantone hues as closely as possible. We emphasize that there is no question of perfect correspondence (LCD matrices are not physically capable of adequately displaying some shades); in addition, monitors with such certification may have different colour gamuts — both in percentage and in the systems used for designation (sRGB, Adobe RGB, DCI P3 — see above). However, even if the colour is beyond the capabilities of the screen, it will be displayed as accurately as possible. Therefore, for professional tasks associated with intensive use of Pantone, it is worth choosing monitors with official certification; An example of such tasks is the printing of image printing.

The presence of a swivel stand in the design of the monitor allows you to change not only the angle of the screen (of course everyone has it), but also its rotation to the right and left. The angle of rotation depends on the model, but anyway, even a slight deviation allows you to quickly adjust the position of the monitor to your needs.

The monitor has a USB hub with USB 3.2 connectors.

A USB hub is a set of additional USB ports on the monitor case, to which you can connect various peripherals (provided that the monitor is connected to the computer's USB port with a special cable). This equipment performs two useful functions. Firstly, the hub increases the number of ports available for connection: the USB cable from the monitor occupies only one port on the computer, and in return the user receives several connectors on the monitor. Secondly, these connectors are located in close proximity to the user, literally at arm's length. This is especially useful when working with classic PCs, where the system unit can be located under the table or in another hard-to-reach place, and it would be inconvenient to reach for it every time in search of USB ports.

As for version 3.2, it combines all versions of the third generation. In fact, this standard includes three specifications: USB 3.2 Gen 1 (formerly USB 3.0) with speeds up to 5 Gbps, USB 3.2 Gen 2 (formerly USB 3.1) with speeds up to 10 Gbps and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 with speeds up to 20 Gb /with. The USB 3.x hub in the monitor can meet any of these specifications, such details should be clarified separately.

Availability in the monitor USB port with function of fast charging. This connector is used to charge batteries in various gadgets (smartphones, tablets, etc.). It differs from conventional USB ports in increased power supply; in addition, this connector may not support any other functions at all, except for charging.

Note that in modern technology various special technologies can be used to speed up the charging process. So before buying a monitor with this feature, it doesn't hurt to check if it supports any of these technologies and whether they will be compatible with devices that you plan to charge.

Availability in the monitor of external backlight RGB.

Such lighting is in the form of LEDs or LED strips embedded in the frame and/or back panel. It performs mainly a decorative function — it gives the monitor an interesting appearance, which is especially appreciated by gamers and modding enthusiasts. The abbreviation RGB means that the backlight can change colour; at the same time, the matter is usually not limited to three basic colours (red-green-blue — red-green-blue), lighting can take on almost any shade. In some models, it can even automatically adjust to the image on the screen — in such a way that the backlight visible to the user improves the overall impression of the picture. There are also backlight systems that can synchronize with other system components (see below for more details).