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- Stunning OLED panel
- Lightning fast refresh rate
- Effective True Black HDR
- Premium pricing
- No built-in speakers
The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM is the latest high-end gaming monitor from the manufacturer aimed at providing a higher level of visual fidelity to a competitive gaming market. With some impressive specs, a stellar display, and some intuitive features it does more than enough to be considered not only one of the best 1440p gaming monitors but one of the best gaming monitors overall. However, it certainly doesn’t come cheap.
Price and Availability
The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM is available now in territories such as the US and the UK for $1,299 / £1,369 respectively. That positions this top-end 1440p display at the premium end of the pricing spectrum given its ultrawide form factor, resolution, and refresh rate. Whether it’s worth the price of investment will ultimately depend on your use case, if you’re an enthusiast level gamer then it could be best case melding high resolution, panel fidelity, and high refresh rate together, but it doesn’t come cheap for more casual users.
ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM
Resolution
3440 x 1440
Panel type
OLED
Refresh rate
240Hz
HDR
400 True Black
Features
USB-C with power delivery, Nvidia G-SYNC, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, 800R curve
Design and Features
As its pricing may indicate, ASUS has spared no expense in packing leading hardware into the Swift OLED PG34WCDM. It features a 3440x1440p resolution (QHD) with a refresh rate of 240Hz and a response time of just 0.03ms. It’s backed up by VESA DisplayHDR 400 and a 99% DCI-P3 color saturation. As expected from an OLED model, it features a strong peak brightness of 1,300 nits, making it one of the brightest displays on the market, too. This is compounded by an impressive contrast ratio of 1,500,000:1.
In terms of its physical design, the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM is a 34-inch ultrawide gaming monitor with an 800R curvature. It’s compatible with Nvidia G-SYNC, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA AdaptiveSync 240Hz. There’s also a dedicated USB-C port which can be used for power delivery or data transfers as well. The monitor features a quarter inch tripod socket and a VESA mount adapter so you can use the stand provided or a dedicated arm for use in your gaming setup.
Through either the dedicated menu button on the bottom of the monitor or through ASUS’ dedicated DisplayWidget Center you can tweak the expected settings but also enable some of the company’s own proprietary tech. This includes what the manufacturer describes as “Dynamic Crosshair” which will appear on screen for use to practise in shooters and “Dynamic Shadow boost” which tweaks the black and white levels using AI. The “GamePlus” functionality also includes a Timer, FPS counter, and Display Alignment.
There are some smaller details which I enjoy, including the brightly illuminated badge just under the middle of the display, the red lighting underneath the asymmetric stand, and the RGB badge adorning the back of the monitor. It helps to sell the aggressive style of the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM as a monitor for competitive play. Considering the premium pricing, it certainly looks expensive, and is built with a similar level of care. It definitely doesn’t feel cheap. There are no built-in speakers here so you’ll need a dedicated set of stereo speakers, a soundbar, or one of the best gaming headsets.
Performance
Starfield on the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM
Cyberpunk 2077 on the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM
OXTO on the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM
I’ve been using the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM as my main monitor for both work and gaming over the last few weeks and it’s been a transformative experience. While I’m used to both OLED displays and high refresh rate monitors, I’ve never used a panel that combines both so effortlessly. This has meant enjoying the most demanding games at high framerates in the 3440 x 1440p resolution, but it’s not something that’s going to come easy for some people.
For reference, my gaming PC features an RTX 4090 and an AMD Ryzen 7900X3D which are respectively one of the best GPUs and best CPUs for gaming on the market today. If you want to take advantage of the wider resolution at these higher framerates then ideally you’re going to need at least an RTX 4080 to be able to push titles to their limits without the fear of bottlenecking. If your rig is more on the humble side then this isn’t going to be the monitor for you.
Particular gaming highlights with the gaming performance of the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM have been with Cyberpunk 2077 and Mortal Kombat 1. The former of which looks absolutely stunning, fully maxed out in 4K with path tracing enabled. The deep, inky blacks and vivid colors truly make Night City come alive in a way I haven’t seen from any other gaming monitor before, especially when bolstered by the 240Hz refresh rate. Everything is silky smooth with no screen tearing or ghosting to speak of.
In Mortal Kombat 1 especially, I was taken back by just how strong the color saturation was when playing competitive matches locally. It was especially apparent on stages which burst with color such as The Great Hall with its bright lighting piercing through the arches of the architecture and purple banners flowing in the breeze. Sun Do also highlighted the strengths of ASUS’ Shadow Boost combined with the deep blacks offered at baseline which were particularly gorgeous when fireworks lit up in the sky in the background. Just as strong were the shadowed portions of The Tea House with the Chaguan’s illumination by lantern producing a particularly pleasing picture.
Then we get onto the HDR performance. The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM is equipped with VESA Certified HDR 400 True Black and when enabled this can really make those shadows and darker areas really pop. In the two games I’ve mentioned above, it helped to bring out the darkness more organically, it was particularly noticeable in the Dead Space remake, Starfield, and Alan Wake 2 with the dingy real-time ray traced lighting appearing accurately against the harsh blackness. If you want a gaming monitor that can deliver on the atmosphere then this one has it to spare.
A major advantage this ASUS monitor has is its 21:9 aspect ratio which makes it perfect for movie playback. When hooked up to a soundbar or a set of stereo speakers, you can get a nice cinematic experience, especially when watching higher resolution video. In my testing I enjoyed Blade Runner 2049, an especially dark and vivid film alongside Dune (2021) and John Wick Chapter 4, all of which highlighted the strengths of the ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM’s color reproduction. It’s a cut above a majority of 21:9 monitors I’ve used in the past from rival companies, albeit an expensive way to watch films for 1440p when 4K is available at around the same price or less.
Should you buy the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM?
If you’re after the ultimate 1440p gaming monitor and you have deep pockets then the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM is sure to satisfy. It features an incredible panel and is armed with a fast enough display to enjoy both competitive and more casual gaming experiences. However, its high price point and reliance on high-end hardware means that the experience isn’t going to come cheap. If you want any hope of hitting 1440p at 240Hz then you’ll ideally need either an RTX 4080 or an RTX 4090 to really take advantage of what this display can do.
