49-inch gaming monitors like the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG49WCD aren’t common but they certainly are getting to a point where paying the premium for it actually gives you your money’s worth in ultrawide display real estate. With a horse’s cart of features designed to make your viewing experience as pleasurable as possible, here’s what we can tell you about this monitor.
What Am I Looking At?
If my opening wasn’t already clear, the PG49WCD is curved ultrawide gaming monitor. Specifically, it measures in at 49-inches from corner to corner. More importantly, this gaming monitor is fitted with Samsung’s Quantum Dot OLED (QD-OLED) panel for a more true-to-life contrast ratio, as well as brighter colour representation. To that end, the monitor has a peak brightness of 1,000 nits and a DCI-P3 colour gamut of 99%.
Oh, and the curvature of the PG49WCD is rated at 1800R, and it has a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. That is honestly more than plenty for a monitor and resolution of this size because, let’s be realistic here: if you’re buying this monitor, you’re certainly not doing so to enhance your CSGO or DOTA experience.
Physical features on the PG49WCD include a nipple-style joystick that is accessible directly in the rear of the monitor’s base, accompanied by the usual number of navigational buttons to make operating the monitor as seamless as possible. The monitor also comes with a built-in KVM Switch, aptly named the ROG Smart KVM, allowing users to switch between two devices simultaneously.
And while you won’t see it, the PG49WCD is fitted with a custom heatsink that drives out the heat generated by this gargantuan curved ultrawide gaming monitor through the top of the shroud. Lastly, it comes with one DisplayPort 1.4 port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a USB-C port with support for 90W PD, and a USB hub with support
What’s Good About It?
Thanks to its ultrawide nature, the PG49WCD provide more than ample amount of space, and it allows me to keep three separate browsers open and apps uniformed and snapped to take up an even amount of space.
Because it is also a QD OLED panel, the PG49WCD does come with individual dimming zones, ensuring that blacks stay inky and deep, while whites stay snow-level bright. Further, colours pop out at your face, while also maintaining a consistent brightness level throughout. Oh, and because this is a curved gaming monitor, there is a greater level of immersion the moment you get to gaming.
As it is technically presenting a resolution that is greater than 4K (width-wise, at least), texts and fonts on the PG49WCD are tight and extremely readable, with no blurriness in sight. That is, unless you’ve decided to activate Motion Blur in your games, in which case, have at it.
What’s The Catch?
The last time I reviewed a 49-inch ultrawide monitor, it was the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9. Back then, I alluded to it being too large and ridiculous, among other things. That feeling is mutual with the PG49WCD – as gorgeous as the QD-OLED panel on this thing is to look at, I still do not enjoy having to crank my head from side-to-side, just so that I can view the browsers, video, or any other media content that has been snapped to the edges. Seriously, my neck gets stiff just having to turn it either way having it stay in that position for protracted periods.
In terms of gaming, the PG49WCD doesn’t always play nice with all games but to be fair, that’s really an issue with the game’s developer. What I mean by that is that certain titles, such as Diablo IV and Starfield, aren’t able to take full advantage of the ultrawide resolution, which results in the dreaded black bars on both sides of the monitor.
Moving on, while this isn’t technically an issue that bothers me, it’s far from the lightest gaming monitor I’ve set up. Because of its larger-than-average nature and all the extra added features in the back of it, you’re going to want to make extra sure that whatever VESA monitor arm is strong enough to support its weight, should you choose to go the route of eliminating the provided spine and base.
Stating the obvious here, it’s far from affordable as well; Off the shelf, you’ll be forking out RM8,900 for it. That said, it’s quite likely you’ve already spent a chunk of that bonus of yours on that chonky, top-shelf NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series card already, in which case, the PG49WCD is just another run-of-the-mill purchase for you.
Should I Buy It?
As a general rule of thumb, recommending consumers to purchase an ultrawide gaming monitor is not for the general consumer, the layperson, or for the not-quite-as-productive multitasker. To that end, the PG49WCD is no exception to the rule. Given the nature of this curved monitor and how it is most certainly going to take up a hell of a lot more space on your desktop, this isn’t something you’re going to purchase just for bragging rights.
Having said that, the PG49WCD is undoubtedly a purebred, pedigreed gaming machine, designed for the gamer that desires the display real estate of two monitors in one sexy, futuristic package. Neck strain notwithstanding.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.
