Computex, the second largest expo for computer hardware, is less than a week away but its influence tends to bleed over a little bit. And, since we know our readers love 4K displays, we thought we might pass along a leak we found for a new ASUS monitor.
Image source, ASUS via TechPowerUP
And yes, that is a 32"
The Asus PQ321 is both a relatively easy-to-remember model number and a 31.5" computer monitor with 4K2K resolution. Connect it to your computer with DisplayPort or, for at least some US models, dual HDMI to have the same resolution as IMAX Digital as well as have a legitimate reason to pick up multiple GeForce Titan graphics cards.
The raw specifications are:
- 31.5 inch display size (16:9 aspect ratio)
- Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) panel, LED backlit
- 3840×2160 resolution (140ppi)
- 1.07 billion colors (10-bit RGB)
- 176 / 176 (H / V) degree viewing angle
- 350 cd/m2 brightness
- 8ms (gtg) response time
- Color temperature and gamma adjustments
- I/O: DisplayPort, 2x HDMI ("optional"), RS-232C, 3.5mm audio in and out
- 2W stereo speakers
- Tilt, swivel, height adjustments; VESA mount (no landscape/portrait pivot)
- 750mm x 489mm x 256mm with stand, 13kg net weight
- Comes with DisplayPort 1.2 cable and an RS-232C conversion cable (???)
Looking at these specifications, it certainly feels like an IPS-equivalent technology with some very telltale characteristics: the relatively slow response time for seemingly no reason, the 1.07 billion colors, the very wide viewing angle, and the relatively high pixel density per inch. This prompted me to look over at the ASUS website for some tea leaf reading. It looks as though all P- or M-series monitors utilize some form of IPS technology, the M-series referring to thin-bezel options and the P-series to relatively image quality-focused products.
So as best as I can tell, the PQ321 is a 31.5" 4K IPS monitor.
ASUS is expected to display this at Computex 2013 in Taipei along with a 39" 4K monitor. No word on pricing or availability, at least not yet.
Why can’t I just have a 24
Why can’t I just have a 24 inch 2560×1600?
That’s what I’m saying.
That’s what I’m saying. Affordable, smaller screen sizes with higher resolutions. Is it really that hard? They say, “well you only get benefit from higher resolutions with bigger screens blah blah blah”, which is mostly bullshit and partially true. We’ve been stuck with 1080p monitors since 2006/7 since the HDTV craze with no real attempts to push PC screens higher without paying 3-5x the price.
I mean for FFS phones are now supporting 1080p resolutions at 5″ so don’t feed us this bullshit that 24″ is too small for it to be worth a damn to push 2560×1440, 2560×1600, or even 4K. I haven’t seen such gouging in the monitor segment since the switch to CRT > LCD over 10 years ago.
Materials costs and the lack
Materials costs and the lack of percieved demand. IZGO is being pushed as a cost efficient solution to high res.
This is the smallest 4K panel
This is the smallest 4K panel I’ve seen! That’s awesome.
Gaming in 4K, here I come!
Hi,
I wonder if the panel is
Hi,
I wonder if the panel is made by Sharp?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/13/sharp_begins_production_of_igzo_retina_display_tech/
From Wikipedia:
“Sharp announced in mid-April 2012 that they were producing bulk volumes of 32-inch 3840×2160, 10-inch 2560×1600 and 7-inch 1280×800 IGZO panels.”
Time to turn those tea leaves into a cuppa 🙂
Regards
Simon
Nice catch.
It’s possible
Nice catch.
It's possible even though ASUS apparently also manufactures their own panels too. But yeah, entirely wouldn't surprise me if they just bought a Sharp.
This is looking every
This is looking every promising! Hopefully we’ll see some “cheap” versions of these monitors soon! I’m ready to jump the 1080 ship!
So is this still running at
So is this still running at 30HZ though? while I can’t wait for this standard of resolutions get higher, I really don’t see myself gaming at anything below 60hz.
I don’t see myself going back
I don’t see myself going back to 60hz, regardless of resolution.
Temporal resolution >>> spacial resolution
As much as I love gaming, I
As much as I love gaming, I can do more than fine at a solid 60fps and going 120hz doesn’t help me in anyway outside of gaming. So I’ll take higher response rate and better quality build over that, I think.
DisplayPort should be able to
DisplayPort should be able to do 60Hz although I’m not sure how that dual HDMI option is suppose to work and what its cable of.
The bigger question for me is one of price. A 4K monitor like this is great to see from a company like Asus but that doesn’t mean it will be what people widely consider to be reasonable or affordable.
I wouldn’t even want to guess what the MSRP and street price would be upon release. However, if I had to then 4K may be the main feature but could also very well be the price ~$4k (AKA $4,000 USD). Even if I were in the market for a 4K monitor like this I wouldn’t want to spend more then ~$2000 USD for it but I suspect most people eyeing the Asus PQ321 are thinking under ~$1000 USD. Maybe even under ~$800.
I’m guessing anyone that was thinking about buying dual GTX 780 cards can afford the Asus PQ321 without worrying about the price but anyone else is likely in for a rude awakening when they look at the sticker price.
Yeah sticker shock is a very
Yeah sticker shock is a very good point. Until Monoprice and Qnix really changed the game on 2560×1440 resolution monitors. I thought they were overpriced, however with a retina displays and manufacturing lines, the market is getting saturated, and hopefully cheaper. /ramble
I suspect the real driving
I suspect the real driving force behind lowering the price on such 4K hardware would be in media. Even though that might not be what the vast majority of people using 4K monitors have them for now, a shift to 4K media as a consumable product is likely IMO to drive the demand for such high resolution displays for people outside of the know now.
Thats what it will probably take for the average consumer to see 1080p as inadequate. Sort of like pushing people off of component to HDMI, you need an entire industry behind it to push the change.
Once the demand is created and people start buying in large (or at least larger) quantities the prices can start to come down.
For what its worth, seeing 27″ 1920×1080 monitors for ~$200 or less from name brand companies isn’t unheard of these days so I see such monitors as budget.
Specs seem to be an almost
Specs seem to be an almost exact match the for Sharp PN-K321. Which supports 60hz on Displayport but only by pretending to be two monitors connected via a multi-stream transport. Hopefully Asus fixes it because I think nVidia surround only supports combining three monitor into one – not two – and people buying this will probably want to use Titans to power it.
I am excited about this,
I am excited about this, except for the 8ms response time. If that’s what it actually is, it’d be fine, but I suspect the real measured response time in operation is drastically worse.