Usually the monitors that arrive at the our laboratory are for gaming or for daily use. Rarely do we receive monitors that focus on just one thing like office productivity or for editing artists. Recently the ASUS ProArt PA279CRV has arrived.
Monitors in the ProArt series are for professional artists or colorists dedicated to creative work only. The selling price is also usually expensive and towards a premium because they want to ensure natural colors, a wide color gamut and many more color-conscious features that can be displayed. But the ProArt PA279CRV is an affordable professional monitor and we've given video editor test run of it as the primary monitor for producing our videos.
Does it work for you or do you feel other monitors like PRISM+, RedMagic are better?
INFO Prism+ PG320 Ultra Review – Fast 4K Monitor For Gamers
DESIGN & SPECIFICATIONS
ASUS ProArt PA279CRV
27″ IPS screen, 3840×2160 pixels, 16:9, 60Hz
HDR10
Color Support 99% DCI-P3 wide color gamut
99% Adobe RGB
Calman Verified
Contrast Ratio 1500 : 1
Brightness 400 cd/m²
Response Time Reaches 5 ms
Adaptive Display Support Adaptive Sync 48Hz-60Hz
VESA mount 100×100 mm
I/O 1x USB-C, 2x DP 1.4
2x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB-C 96W
3x USB-A 3.2
Audio 3.5mm Audio Jack
Webcam No
Price RM 2388
This monitor comes with a 27-inch IPS LCD 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 pixel screen with HDR10 display support. As it focuses on color 99% DCI-P3 wide color gamut support and 100% Adobe RGB are also available. Brightness however is limited to 400 cd/m² only and the response time is 5ms. For adaptive display support, it only supports 48Hz to 60Hz.
Interestingly ASUS ProArt PA279CRV also supports Calman recognition which ensures color calibration is according to international standards. Calman recognition also means the monitor is suitable for editing work such as Photoshop for photos or Premier Pro for video.
ASUS also did not forget to include a number of interesting connection ports. The monitor is equipped with 1x USB-C that supports connection to laptops as well as USB-PD 96W fast charging. Then also has 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 and 1x 3.5mm audio jack.
The USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port on the bottom of the monitor serves as a hub that allows accessories such as keyboards, mice and more to be connected to the monitor to be used on the computer it is connected to.
While the included DisplayPort issue also supports MST which allows more than one ASUS ProArt PA279CRV (or other monitors that support MST) to be connected to each other in a daisy chain. This will reduce the issue of tangled cables having to be connected to a single graphics input source.
Since this monitor is for work use and professionals you won't see RGB lights anywhere. ASUS ProArt PA279CRV is designed to look neat, minimal, simple and uncluttered. It is also suitable to be placed in an office or studio. Although this ProArt monitor is placed in the affordable price category, the build quality is quite strong unlike PRISM+ which feels soft and flexible.
The bezels on the screen are also thin except for the chin due to technological constraints for IPS panels. ASUS also ensured that the monitor's viewing angle can be changed such as height, sideways or looking up or looking down. The legs on this monitor not only have a place to organize cables and pay but are also sturdy so that they don't shake.
USAGE EXPERIENCE
When this monitor first arrived at our video editing desk the first thing to do was change the color settings. Because usually the color that comes out of the box is not very satisfactory and needs to be in line with what is seen on the computer screen and on the monitor.
The good thing about this monitor is that the system settings control provides analog to easily select various types of settings. In addition, there are six physical buttons below that are easy to access. But because there are no labels on the buttons and the user has to guess what each button changes.
In the settings there are also color profiles provided for users to press and hold, which are sRGB, Adobe RGB, DCI-P3 and Rec 709. The color palette menu is also included for users to change the level of brightness, contrast, hue, gamma, black level and many more. This gives the user the freedom to adjust the color to suit their taste and the content they want to edit.
The On-Screen Display or OSD is also smooth and there is no time delay issue. The Asus ProArt PA279CRV is another monitor that exemplifies the best OSD menu or should be used. Ehem-ehem, listen to that PRISM+!!!
The ProArt PA279CRV is also equipped with a built-in speaker that uses 2x 2W audio drivers. Anyone using speakers on monitors? Our editors only use a set of headphones or a set of earphones to get clearer audio. Its built-in speaker is soft, not loud and not pleasant to listen to.
DISPLAY QUALITY
One aspect that makes this monitor look different from other monitors is the name "ProArt" itself. “Pro = Professional” + “Art = Art”, monitors for the use of art by professionals. From the factory, each monitor has gone through a calibration process and users will also receive a report confirming that the monitor's color has been recognized by Calman.
In the our laboratory we do not have any tools to prove the accuracy of the displayed colors. Are the claims of wide color gamut true? But what we can do is explain to you what we saw with our own eyes. What ASUS advertises about the color of this monitor is true. ProArt PA279CRV clearly has colors with good saturation. Unfortunately, the contrast is not very bright because it looks a little faded.
It appears faded so that the content is easier to use as a reference when doing video and photo editing. It's just that making this monitor a second display when used together with a MacBook Pro is a bit difficult because both display different colors. This also means that this monitor is not suitable to be used as a place to watch movies and play video games but is limited to professional work only.
The sharpness of the 4K resolution of this ProArt monitor is clear. It is not overly processed with software and the content looks natural. The eyes are also pleasant to look at when you have often seen content with bright and bright colors on a smartphone, looking at this monitor seems to allow the eyes to rest.
The brightness of 350 nits also means that this monitor is limited to use in offices that are not exposed to sunlight. HDR content will also not look interesting due to the relatively low brightness level. Exposure to sunlight also makes the display difficult to work with due to the glare effect which makes the colors appear to fade. It would be nice if ASUS included a light barrier on the sides and top like the BenQ SH240.
Although this monitor is recognized with VESA DisplayHDR 400 and users can use it to edit HDR videos. This monitor is not capable of displaying HDR content well. This means that after the editing is done we should play the video on the MacBook for a more satisfying viewing experience. This is also the reason why this monitor is not recommended for use with Netflix or PlayStation.
CLOSING
Don't get me wrong when I say the colors that this monitor produces are beautiful and attractive, you will think it is suitable to use as your daily monitor when you want to enjoy entertainment. The color produced is beautiful and attractive for professionals to use as a reference.
Since this monitor was used some of the videos we published on YouTube all used this monitor for editing purposes. If you realize that the color is consistent, it is always consistent and maybe on some people it will look more prominent. This monitor helps make our production process smoother and easier.
Just don't be surprised when you see the colors are less consistent because we have to return this monitor (just kidding). We will always ensure the best quality for our readers and viewers. After using this monitor we already understand more about color and from now on no matter what monitor is used we will know the best color settings to try to match with ASUS ProArt PA279CRV.
PRO
Great color for editing work.
Satisfactory build quality and solid feel.
Eyes feel comfortable and not tired when working.
Helps improve the quality of video production.
User-friendly prices.
CONS
Not bright enough and sometimes makes the colors look washed out.
Not suitable for second display settings.
Inappropriate colors for entertainment.
A button without a label.