The ROG Swift OLED PG49WCD ultrawide gaming monitor is a 49 inch curved display with a 5120 x 1440 resolution, a 0.03 ms response time, 144 Hz refresh rate with G-Sync and FreeSync compatibility. It also features a 90W USB-C input that can power and charge the ROG Ally.
ROG Swift OLED PG49WCD
The PG49WCD is easily the best and biggest display I’ve come across. The massive 49 inch monitor takes up almost the full width of my desk while the curvature of the display keeps everything immersive.
The picture quality of the display is breathtaking, the monitor features top of the line Quantum Dot OLED technology that provides sharp details with vibrant colors and deep blacks. It also features 1000-nits peak brightness with 99% DCI-P3 gamut.
Ease Of Use
If you’re tired of using monitor buttons to navigate through display settings, ASUS created the DisplayWidget Center app that let’s you change color setting settings, multi screen settings and OLED related functions.
Smart KVM
Smart KVM is a feature built into the PG49WCD that allows you to control two devices connected to the monitor with one keyboard and mouse. It’s an absolute game changer that provides a seamless work flow between the monitor and your ROG Ally.
You no longer have to switch in between inputs or use a separate keyboard and mouse for each device. Easily move your mouse to the screen you want to control and the keyboard and mouse will automatically work instantly. You can even drag files from one side of the split screen to the other device. This made my ROG Ally coverage for the site so much easier.
How To Setup Smart KVM with the ROG Ally
-
- Open up the OSD settings on your monitor.
- In the Gaming tab, turn off Variable Refresh Rate. (This needs to be off for Smart KVM to work.)
- Go to the PIP/PBP tab, select PIP/PBP Mode and choose your preferred screen layout. I chose the 50/50 screen split.
- Go down to the System Setup tab, go to USB setup, KVM, turn on Smart KVM and select USB-C.
- Go down to the System Setup tab, go to USB setup, Type-C Bandwidth, select USB 2.0.
- Connect your ROG Ally to the monitor with the supplied USB-C cable.
- Connect the supplied USB 3.0 cable from the monitor to your PC.
- After connecting the USB 3.0 cable you should get a pop up on both your computer and your ROG Ally with a Smart KVM software that needs to be installed on both your ROG Ally and PC.
- After the SMART KVM software is installed on both the PC and ROG Ally, it should begin to connect.
- Now you can seamlessly control both your PC and ROG Ally on one screen with the same mouse and keyboard.
90W USB-C Port
The PG49WCD features a USB-C Power Delivery of 90W, powerful enough to charge and play the ROG Ally at 30W Turbo Mode. When connected via USB-C the ROG Ally also supports 120hz and AMD FreeSync making this one of the rare monitors to support the ROG Ally’s full power via the USB-C port.
Gaming
Playing at 144 Hz refresh rate with a 0.03 response time on a 49 inch ultra wide display is something that needs to be experienced in person to see how beautiful and immersive it looks. I tested dozens of games but swinging around New York city in Spider-Man and racing around Mexico in Forza were some of my standouts I had to record. Going from this back to my standard size monitor is night and day.
The monitor also features a setting to change the aspect ratio to 16:9, making it compatible with consoles like the PS5 so your picture isn’t stretched out. Plugging in your console to the HDMI 2.1 port will allow you to enable 4K 120HZ on supported games on consoles like the new Spider-Man 2 and Warzone.
The ROG Swift OLED PG49WCD monitor is slated to release soon at the price of $1499.99, you can purchase it here.
ASUS ProArt PA348CGV
The ASUS ProArt PA348CGV is a 34 inch ultrawide monitor with a 3440×1440 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, designed for creative professionals and gamers who need a high quality, color accurate monitor. The PA348CGV features a beautiful display that comes factory calibrated, with 100% Adobe RGB, calman verified and a 98% DCI-P3 color space coverage. This makes the monitor a perfect option for those that work with photo or video editing and need accurate colors.
The 120Hz refresh rate with a 2ms response time paired with FreeSync and G-Sync to eliminate screen tearing and stuttering make this not only a work monitor but a pretty legit gaming monitor as well. Games run and look incredible on the 34 inch ultrawide monitor.
ROG ALLY
The PA348CGV has a 90W USB-C port that’s strong enough to power your ROG Ally at 30W Turbo mode and charge your Ally at the same time while outputting at 120hz with AMD FreeSync VRR technology. This makes for an excellent second screen as you can experience the full power of your ROG Ally on a bigger and better display with the use of only one cable.
Simply connect the supplied USB-C cable from your Ally to the back of the monitor and switch the input to USB-C. You can choose whether you want to have your 34 inch monitor duplicate your ROG Ally display or be an extended screen. You can also split the screen in half and showcase two separate sources on one screen with it’s picture by picture feature, just make sure to set your ROG Ally display to 60hz as picture by picture doesn’t work with anything above that.
The ProArt PA348CGV monitor mixes the best of both worlds with a great accurate display for productivity and a high refresh rate monitor to fit your gaming needs at the price of $729. You can buy it at the ASUS store here.
ASUS is currently running a limited time promo bundle with Adobe. Users that purchase these monitors can receive a complimentary 3-month subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud & Substance 3D (Adobe’s new software). You can read more about it here: https://www.asus.com/us/content/asus-offers-adobe-creative-cloud/
Thank you to ASUS for sending this monitor over for review.