High-speed OLED gaming monitors have finally become legitimate. This is thanks to Alienware's impressive AW324DW QD-OLED (opens in new tab), and many other brands are following suit. Among them, Asus unveiled the ROG Swift PG42UQ OLED. This 41.5-inch behemoth will be the only monitor needed in gaming for the foreseeable future. The Swift PG42UQ uses the same panel as the LG C2 OLED TV and adds gaming monitor features such as a higher refresh rate, anti-glare coating, and DisplayPort 1.4. The result is the best 4K gaming monitor available.

The biggest question is whether it is worth the $1,399 price tag. At this price, it is more expensive than LG's 42-inch C2, but for that price, it is superior in several ways. First of all, it behaves like a proper monitor, not a smart TV. One of the major irritations with smart TVs is that they cannot sleep or wake up in conjunction with a PC and must be operated manually. Not so with the Swift PG42UQ, which works just like a regular monitor and also has USB upstream; combined with the four USB downstream ports, it makes connecting peripherals very easy. Let's try that C2.

Very importantly, however, the C2's refresh rate of 138 Hz is better than the C2's 120 Hz. This is a slight improvement, but appreciated by those with the best graphics cards today (open in new tab); add 0.1ms response time (2ms on GTG) and G-Sync compatibility, and Asus is on to a winner.

It should be noted that FreeSync is not mentioned anywhere in the official specifications. However, since it is compatible with G-Sync, one would assume that VRR would work on the Red Team.

Of course, the Swift PG42UQ is also OLED, giving it an edge over the competition in terms of color accuracy, contrast, and response; the 1,500,000:1 contrast ratio is no joke, making 10-bit color pop and sizzle. The matte display is a bit duller than the glossy C2, but still looks great and does a great job of eliminating pesky reflections. And with a DCI-P3 of 98%, sRGB color space of 133%, and delta of E<2, it's pretty good for professional content creation and color work, too.

, colors are already great out of the box, with rich saturation, vibrancy, and contrast. Several color profiles are selectable from the OSD, including dedicated DCI and sRGB modes; diving into the OSD makes it easy to calibrate the monitor to your liking; SDR brightness peaks at about 450 nits, up to 750 nits for HDR. Not the brightest, but with perfect blacks, who needs more brightness?

And HDR is truly stunning in Swift PG42UQ. HDR is very effective in dark, moody games like "Resident Evil Village" (opens in new tab) and "Plague Tale" (opens in new tab): in a dark, moody game like "Requiem" (opens in new tab), it is impossible not to feel genuine fear in the dark hallways. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (opens in new tab) explodes with rich, vibrant colors. Indeed, in Throne World, you are momentarily blinded when a solar grenade explodes.

At 42 inches, it is not the largest panel ever made, but it fills the field of view completely, enough to peer into the pixels. However, this size stretches the limits of pixel density, and I noticed that text and icons were not as sharp as I would have liked. Color fringing around text, especially on white backgrounds, is a typical problem with LG OLEDs, but it's not as bad here. Windows Clear Type helps remedy this problem, as does sitting a little further away from the screen. I found about 3-4 feet to be sufficient, but if you do a lot of reading and writing, stick to dark mode to avoid eye strain. However, if you don't have a lot of desk space, this may be difficult.

The stand of the PG42UQ is not much different from a TV stand. It is wide but not very deep, leaving plenty of room in front of the monitor; it can tilt 5 degrees but not adjust for height or swivel, so if you want more range of motion, a VESA mount is your only option. Since this monitor is positioned low on the stand, Asus wisely placed the port panel on the back left for easy access: two HDMI 2.1 ports, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and one DisplayPort 1.4 port. There are also four USB upstream and four USB 3.2 Type-A downstream.

Asus has added a 1/4" threaded thread on the top of the monitor for mounting a streaming camera and an adjacent USB port for connecting it. However, the power port is on the opposite side of the monitor, making cable management a bit tricky.

Sound-wise, the PG42UQ has the best speakers I've ever heard in a gaming monitor; it uses Harman-Kardon speakers, which are loud without distortion, and a 15W subwoofer provides delicious bass.

The OSD controls are located on a large tab (or jaw; see below) on the bottom of the center of the monitor. It bears the red ROG logo and is operated with a touch-sensitive joystick and buttons. The menus are clear, easy to understand, and not confusing. There is a dedicated gaming section for overclocking, black equalizer, and the usual gaming enhancers. There are also periodic pixel shifts, refresh, and an automatic brightness limiter to prevent the dreaded burn-in. Of course, only time will tell, but if you take care of the basics, burn-in should not be a problem.

The Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ is a really great product and I have enjoyed using it very much over the past few weeks. The main drawback, however, is that it is expensive; it is hard to recommend the Swift to the average movie watcher simply because the LG C2 42 is $300 cheaper and offers a similar experience. But a standard C2 is not a gaming monitor, and the Swift brings all the good things about the C2 into the gaming space and improves upon them in many ways that will make gamers more satisfied. Sure, there are limited tweaks, but the ROG Swift PG42UQ is a gamer's ally in important areas and is definitely another champion for the OLED cause.