The ROG Strix XG349C is a gaming monitor released by ASUS under its Republic of Gamers line. With its brand name, you’d definitely be right in expecting something premium. In a way, it’s a bit different from what they usually offer as it’s a 34-inch ultra-wide display. Thankfully, the guys at ASUS lent us an ROG Strix XG349C to play, test, and review. Is it a good monitor? Should you even consider it? Is it worth the price? Read this review to know more.
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Apologies for the dust. We’ve been using this monitor for months to thoroughly review it.
The ports of the ROG Strix XG349C are located just behind the display itself. On the right are the ports for power, DP, and HDMI. Across the isle are ports for the USB hubs, the 3.5mm earphone jack, and USB-C Power Delivery. The ports can be covered up with a removable plastic panel.
You can also make use of the hole near the bottom of the stand to bundle cables for a clean setup.
The ROG Strix XG349C adds more lights to the party as it comes with RGB lighting. You can configure the color and the behavior of its lighting via the on-screen menu. If you also have other ASUS products with RGB, you can have the XG349C go in sync with the other colors via the ASUS Armoury Crate app.
For performance and calibration, we used the X-Rite i1 Display Pro. Data and tables displayed below were taken using the aforementioned tool. Below the Color Gamut are various tests for refresh rates, MPRT, etc. You can test your own display’s capabilities using the handy tools provided on www.testufo.com.
| Target | Achieved | |
|---|---|---|
| White Point | CCT: CIE Illuminant D65K u’: 0.198, v’: 0.468 | CCT: 6527K u’: 0.198, v’: 0.468 |
| Black Point | Unique Value | 0.442cd/m2 |
| Brightness | 400 cd/m2 | 397 cd/m2 |
| Gamma | Unique Value | 899.643.1 |
The ROG Strix XG349C is advertised to run with 180Hz but you have to tweak it a bit to get this refresh rate. Out of the box, the monitor comes with only 144Hz and you have to overclock it to get the promised 180Hz. Cranking the settings up allows you to stably enjoy the 180Hz refresh rate but at the cost of additional power.
You can test your own monitor’s frame rate and refresh rate using BlurBuster’s UFO Motion Tests.
Results after overclocking to 180Hz. The monitor was able to display straight gray cells without any gaps.
You can test your own monitor using BlurBuster’s Frame Skipping test.
The result of the MPRT is near to the 1ms response time being claimed by ASUS for the ROG Strix XG349C.
You can test your own monitor’s MPRT using BlurBuster’s MPRT test.
When it comes to brightness and color, the ROG Strix XG349C is a champ. Images are incredibly crisp and there’s nothing left to want especially if you set it to its highest resolution. However, the brightness can be too much for the eyes. To counter this, I used the built-in Blue Light Filters to make the colors warmer and the eye-strain more manageable.
The ROG Strix XG349C comes with the familiar ROG tripod-style stand. It looks cool if you have the space for it, but for one with limited space, it’s a nightmare. Each front-facing foot is 32cm (12.6in) long and can really obstruct a cramped desk. While I can still use it without any problems, the feet are so long that it somewhat restricts my mouse movement. Again, this monitor is not friendly to those with small tables.
With its wide-screen orientation, the ROG Strix XG349C offers a large workspace for its user. You can definitely use this while having two browser windows open at the same time without having to sacrifice text size and readability. It also helps that you can edit spreadsheets while browsing or watching videos on Youtube. If you prefer a monitor with a large enough space and without you buying an extra one, then the ROG Strix XG349C is something to consider.
Although I admit to hating ROG stands, they do offer a lot of options when it comes to orientation. You can easily adjust the ROG Strix XG349C’s screen height and angle without expending too much strength to do so.
Contrary to most gaming monitors, the ASUS ROG XG349C is not a hot display. You can touch its backside and you won’t feel any heat even if the settings are set to the highest and the refresh rate overclocked.
If you are looking for a monitor to be the be all end all type, the audio side of the ASUS ROG Strix XG349C is not something to write home about. To put it bluntly, it’s weak. Even if you run it in a quiet room, the thing’s audio reproduction is just bad. Best get a headset or speakers if you plan on playing with this monster.
The ROG Strix XG349C is capable of producing superb colors and bright images without need for much configuration. It does so immediately out of the box and you do get more with its built-in features. The screen is incredibly bright and images are highly detailed and crisp.
Unfortunately, the downside is that it can be incredibly harsh to the eyes after lengthy periods. The brightness can cause strains that can hurt if you stare at anything white for too long (just like writing this review!) Thankfully, ASUS has equipped this monitor with Blue light filters that you can configure should you find yourself using it for extended periods of time.
If you have an Nvidia Graphics Card, then the XG349C’s G-Sync capabilities are at your disposal. On the other hand, if you have an AMD graphics card, then you’re better off with other gaming monitors that take advantage of FreeSync, like the ASUS ROG Strix XG32VQR.
One thing I’m pretty particular about is the stands of these ROG monitors. Although cool looking, they’re not practical as they take up too much space. This problem is why I prefer the simpler and more practical stands that come with TUF monitors. If you do not have much desk space, then you’d be scrambling for space if you use this monitor. Should you find yourself thinking of buying the ROG Strix XG349C, then best get a tape measure and start taking into account your the size of your desk first.
There’s no doubt about it. The ROG XG349C is an incredible gaming monitor that can deliver for both play and work. The large workspace allows you to have enough space for working on two windows concurrently. Also, the refresh rate is not something to scoff at. 180Hz at this size is definitely something worthy of praise. For brightness and color reproduction, I’ve asked friends to come and see and all were amazed by how crisp and detailed things can be despite this monitor’s size. All in all, if you’re looking for a wide-screen experience for gaming without having to compromise on certain qualities, then the ASUS ROG Strix XG349C is your best bet.
While this monitor may look wide and more than enough, I’ve been told that there’s something bigger. Perhaps ASUS has something wider and larger than this one? That review will have to wait.
The ROG Strix XG349C is a pretty pricy gaming monitor and is available here in the Philippines. It has an SRP of PhP 69,690. In my opinion, it’s worth the price given that you get space enough for two gaming-quality monitors.
Visit the official ROG Strix XG349C product page here.
For other monitor reviews that we’ve done in the past, check out the reviews below:
