We’re no strangers in reviewing Republic of Gamers (ROG) monitors. The last ASUS ROG monitor that we reviewed was the XG27VQ, which sports a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio and FreeSync. If you want, something wider, however, you’d want a 21:9 display for a much more immersive gaming experience.
Enter the ASUS ROG Strix XG35V, a 34-inch VA gaming display with a 21:9 aspect ratio, a resolution of 3440 x 1440, and support for FreeSync. Before we review this behemoth of a monitor, let’s take a look first at its specifications from its product page:
ASUS ROG Strix XG35V
| Display | Panel Size: Ultra-wide Screen 35” (88.98cm) 21:9 |
| Color Saturation : 100%(sRGB) | |
| Panel Type : VA | |
| True Resolution : 3440×1440 | |
| Display Viewing Area(HxV) : 819.4 x 345.9 mm | |
| Display Surface Non-glare | |
| Pixel Pitch : 0.2382 mm | |
| Brightness(Max) : 300 cd/㎡ | |
| Contrast Ratio (Max) : :/ | |
| Viewing Angle (CR≧10) : 178°(H)/178°(V) | |
| Response Time : 4ms (Gray to Gray) , 1ms MPRT | |
| Display Colors : 16.7M | |
| Flicker free | |
| Curved Panel : 1800R | |
| Trace Free Technology : Yes | |
| Video Feature | Color Temperature Selection : 4 Modes |
| GamePlus(modes) : Yes (Crosshair/Timer/FPS Counter/Display Alignment) | |
| Low Blue Light : Yes | |
| HDCP support : | |
| GameVisual :8 Modes(Scenery/Racing/Cinema/RTS/RPG/FPS/sRGB Modes/MOBA Mode/User Mode) | |
| FreeSync™ technology supported | |
| Display Widget | |
| Extreme Low Motion Blur | |
| GameFast Input technology | |
| Convenient Hotkey | GamePlus |
| 5-way OSD Navigation Joystick | |
| GameVisual | |
| I/O Ports | Signal Input : HDMI(v1.4), DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI(v2.0) |
| Earphone jack : 3.5mm Mini-Jack | |
| USB Port(s) : 3.0×2, 1 x upstream | |
| Signal Frequency | Digital Signal Frequency : DisplayPort：30 ~175 KHz (H) /48 ~100 Hz(V) |
| Power Consumption | Power Consumption: <43W* |
| Power Saving Mode: <0.5W | |
| Power Off Mode: <0.5W | |
| Voltage : 100-240V, 50 / 60Hz | |
| Mechanical Design | Chassis Colors : Dark gray, Red |
| Tilt : +20°~-5° | |
| Swivel : +50°~-50° | |
| Height Adjustment : 0~100 mm | |
| VESA Wall Mounting : 100x100mm | |
| Super Narrow Bezel Design : Yes | |
| Aura Sync lighting effect |
A closer look at the ASUS ROG Strix XG35V
The ASUS ROG Strix XG35V shares the same design as its predecessors. The monitor’s motif is largely dominated by angled lines and sleek matte black coating. Of course, it also comes with ROG’s traditional Mayan-inspired lines to unite the design of all ROG peripherals and components.
The screen is composed of a curved 34-inch Vertical Alignment (VA) panel with an 1800r curvature, a 4ms gray-to-grey response time, and a 1ms Motion Picture Response Time (MPRT). The large panel also comes with a relatively large resolution at 3440 x 1440 with a refresh rate of 100Hz.
It’s nowhere near UHD but at 34-inches, there aren’t any problems in terms of pixel density. You’d be hard-pressed to see individual pixels at a reasonable viewing distance. The panel is also lightly coated with anti-glare coating to reduce any light behind you that may bounce from the monitor.
The XG35V’s stand comes with the same design as other ROG monitors in the market. A set of tripod legs hold the monitor upright while the column comes with 100mm height adjustment, tilt adjustment, and swivel adjustment.
In our experience, the tripod-like legs takes more space than needed. It seems that ASUS can reduce the footprint of the monitor by sticking to a more traditional base design. The ergonomic adjustments on the center column works just fine although we would have liked to have a certain click whenever we reach dead center on the swivel adjustment so we know that the screen on the middle.
As an added bonus, the base also comes with a small cut out at the middle to act as a cable management hole for your mouse, keyboard, and even your headset.
If you don’t want to use the stock monitor stand of the XG35V, it can be mounted via its 100 x 100mm VESA mounts at the back. At 8.7kg, however, you’d want to double check if the monitor stand you have can support that weight and size of this monitor
Below the column is an illuminated ASUS ROG logo in red. You can also create your own badge with the extra plate that comes in the packaging.
There’s also an ROG logo at the back that lights up in red at the top rear of the pillar. The lighting at the back is pretty weak in our experience so if you want the full RGB/Bias lighting experience, you’d probably want to get a set of LED strips. Both lighting effects can be enabled or disabled via the OSD controls that we’ll discuss later on in this review.
In terms of ports, the XG35V has a few that would satisfy most of its users. At the back are two HDMI ports (1.4 and 2.0), DisplayPort 1.2 port, and a 3.5mm jack. The monitor can also act as a USB hub with two USB 3.0 ports that can be activated by plugging in the USB cable included in the box to your rig.
If you don’t want to ruin the sleek rear of the XG35V, the I/O ports at the back can be hidden by placing the included rear plate on top of the I/O ports.
The controls are easily located at the right-hand side of the rear. The OSD controls are also of traditional ROG design. There are four buttons with the bottom button acting as power on/off while the other three are shortcuts to screen presets, FPS counter, timer, and the screen’s built-in crosshair. The easiest way to navigate the OSD, however, is via the 4D joystick at the top.
Once you’ve pressed the 4D joystick, the full range of options that the XG35V can offer can be controlled from your fingertips. Options such as Blue Light Filter, Picture-in-Picture, Colors, different presets, and even FreeSync can be toggled on or off or adjusted. You can even set different presets as favorites so you can quickly change settings depending on your workload.
Our experience with the ASUS ROG Strix XG35V
We’ve played a ton of games with our time with the ASUS ROG Strix XG35V. Having a large 34-inch 21:9 curved monitor is just a ton of fun to use. From slow, methodical games such as Battletech to fast-paced games like Warframe, the XG35V can handle them all provided that you have enough horsepower to push the 3440 x 1440 resolution at 100Hz.
Like its smaller brother, the ROG Strix XG27VQ, the XG35V has minimal ghosting with its 4ms panel. Blur is mostly non-existent even in its default settings. If you want to totally remove blur from your games, you’ll need to turn on ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur) from the OSD. With FreeSync thrown in, you’ll be completely immersed in games. Once you experience this, you’ll probably have second thoughts going back to a traditional 16:9 display.
Despite being technically a slower panel compared to Twisted Nematic (TN) panels, the VA panel found on the XG35V produced exemplary images. VA panels are also known to have one of the best contrast ratios compared to IPS panels, and it shows. The images displayed by the monitor have deeper blacks compared to other IPS screens we’ve had before.
Although IPS panels have better color reproductions in a higher price range, the screen on the XG35V is nothing to scoff at. Colors reproduced are bright and fairly accurate although we needed to tweak a few settings via the OSD to get the best possible color on the screen. Viewing angles, meanwhile, do not have any kind of discernable color shift at odd angles.
Conclusion
You would probably expect that a 34-inch 3440 x 1440 curved display with a 100Hz refresh rate is not cheap. Well, you’re right. Priced at around PhP 59,000, the ASUS ROG Strix XG35V isn’t exactly the cheapest gaming monitor you’ll find in the market.
Despite the price, you’ll be getting a lot of features for the money. First off is the gorgeous curved 34-inch screen with a massive 3440 x 1440 resolution (not as massive as UHD though), and 100Hz refresh rate. You also get an impressive VA panel with good color reproduction as well as low motion blur. You even get FreeSync with the XG35V, which you could fully utilize provided that you have an AMD card that can handle the monitor’s resolution.
In our opinion, the ASUS ROG Strix XG35V is one of the best displays that ASUS has come up with. The price is hefty at PhP 59,000. If you want almost the same feature set with a no non-sense design, you can also check out the ASUS Designo MX34V, which sports the same curved 34-inch 3440 x 1440 screen at 100Hz as the XG35V.
If you, however, are serious in immersing yourself in gaming goodness. Then look no further, the ASUS ROG Strix XG35V is going to be your best friend in the years to come.
