Computex monitor madness: 500Hz, 48-inch OLED and more

Computex 2022 has been a bit of a mixed bag so far. We learned about AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 7000 processors, which is quite exciting, but on the other hand, things have been pretty quiet on the graphics cards front.

When it comes to monitors, though, that couldn’t be further from the truth. At the show this year, we’ve gotten a taste of the future of gaming displays, ranging from next-gen panel technology to unheard-of refresh speeds.

The king of speed

We’ve already gotten big monitor announcements from Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, LG, and Samsung, and there might be more to come.

But Asus seems to steal the crown so far, at least where gamers are concerned. Alongside Nvidia, it has introduced the first G-Sync-enabled gaming monitor with a refresh rate of 500Hz. For context, many people still use a 60Hz display, even for gaming, and 144Hz is currently considered one of the more affordable sweet spots that lets you play all kinds of games. Of course, the numbers also go up higher, to 240Hz and 360Hz. Now, the Asus ROG Swift arrives with 500Hz, ready to steal the spotlight.

Aside from the awe-inducing refresh rates, the monitor comes with a 24.1-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1080) e-TN panel, which according to Asus, should offer up to 60% better response times than a standard TN. It offers Nvidia’s Reflex Analyzer and G-Sync built-in, working in tandem to further reduce input lag. This is the kind of monitor you’d choose for fast-paced esports games, such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, PUBG, and the like.

Beautiful visuals are just around the corner

Moving on from Asus, we have a slew of displays that might be capable of delivering supreme visual experiences. While Asus went all out on the refresh rate, other brands, such as MSI, LG, and Samsung, chose a more balanced approach. In some cases, that balance sways in the other direction, where deep colors and immersion are prioritized over swift refresh rates. There’s something for everyone.

MSI has introduced a new display, as well as a host of other hardware, including new X670 motherboards for AMD’s upcoming Zen 4 processors. Although it has talked about the motherboards, MSI has kept tight-lipped about this display, but you can see it in MSI’s Computex virtual booth. The screen is labeled “MSI MEG 342C QD-OLED,” implying that it features quantum-dot OLED technology.

So far, MSI has yet to release the specifications of this monitor, but knowing that it’s a QD-OLED panel, it’s bound to offer a satisfying user experience due to the depth and brightness of the color palette. The monitor is clearly curved — WePC predicts an 1,800R curvaturen as well as a 175Hz refresh rate topped off with several desirable gaming features, such as smart crosshair.

Samsung’s upcoming Odyssey Neo G7 is also curved, but unlike the MSI MEG, we know a fair bit about the Samsung monitor already. Also known as the Samsung S32GB75, it has been introduced during Computex 2022. This is a 32-inch VA monitor with a 1000R curvature that supports 4K outputs. It’s beautifully bright, rated at up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness, all thanks to the 1,196 mini LED local dimming zones. It also features a high contrast ratio and a refresh rate of 165Hz.

LG UltraGear serves up a first for the brand

The trend of stunning visuals is likely going to continue with three new entries to LG’s UltraGear lineup: The 32GQ950, 32GQ850, and 48GQ900. These strings of numbers and letters translate to two 32-inch models with Nano IPS panels and one gigantic 48-inch OLED display. All three were made with gamers in mind, which is why they balance things like color depth, contrasts, and brightness with refresh rates that can be overclocked for a bit of an extra speed boost.

The 48-inch UltraGear 48GQ900 is LG’s first OLED gaming monitor. It offers access to 4K gaming, a 0.1-millisecond response time, and a refresh rate of 120Hz that you can bring up to 138Hz. Much like the other two screens, it supports HDMI 2.0, variable refresh rates (VRR), and it is compatible with both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium. It’s worth noting that the other two entries support AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.

The remaining two screens are the same size (technically 31.5-inches) and both have flexible stands with pivot, tilt, and height adjustability. They also have Nano IPS panels with ATW Polarizer tech, which is another first for LG and should make for a great improvement in terms of color reproduction. Both have a response time of 1ms, but they vary in terms of brightness, resolution, and refresh rates.

The UltraGear 32GQ950 is a 4K gaming monitor that can reach a brightness of up to 1,000 nits — it’s VESA Display HDR 1000 certified. It has a slightly higher refresh rate of 144Hz that can be brought up to 160Hz. Its closest sibling, the UltraGear 32GQ850, is a QHD monitor with a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution and delightfully high refresh rates of 240Hz/260Hz OC. However, the speedy performance comes at a cost: The brightness is brought down to a maximum of 600 nits.

Lastly, although this isn’t a new monitor per se, Gigabyte has announced that its recent Aorus FO48U large-scale gaming monitor has received Computex’s 2022 Best Choice Award. A size of 48-inches may seem enormous for most gamers, but Gigabyte’s screen does have a lot to recommend it: Decent 120Hz refresh rates, OLED panel, and a wide 98% DCI-P3/130% sRGB color gamut. Unlike the other displays, it’s already available for sale, so if you’re into gaming on a humongous screen, you know what to do.

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