ROG PG27AQWP-W Reddit Verdict: Stunning Panel, Real Banding Risk

The borders being white... idk

I love the back clear panel design, do they make this in a 32" variant?

am i the only weirdo who would just want this monitor because of the white edges lmao

i really can't stand the stand thought

Those borders make it an instant fuuuuuuuck no for me.

I have the monitor. Extreme grey banding, vertical banding, grainy grey and occasional black screens (proximity sensor), this monitor is extremely overhyped and totally not worth the asking price. Search in this subreddit for people's experiences with it and other tandem oleds

The lack of any focus on the negative of this monitor doesn't make this review very encouraging and makes it seem more like an AD.

Those bezels ruined the aesthetic of the monitor.. It's so distracting. At least they made it somewhat right with the XG27AQWMG.

same. people in the comments are going crazy completely ignoring the issue that have started to show up in the past few days, since lots of us got our hands on it.

White border and that stand is horseshit

Damn there must be a crazy panel lottery. I have the LG UltraGear 27GX700A (the 280Hz 1440p Tandem WOLED) and mine didn't look anywhere near this bad even when new.

Best upgrade I've ever done IMO, even more so than the new build I have 9800X3D and a 5070!

The image is as sharp as any other 1440p.

Maybe you could wait for the pg27ucwm. 4k 27 inch 240hz with a 1080p 480hz dual mode for your competitive games. It should also look a lot better than the current 32 inch dual modes since it's a 27 inch.

I wonder if the delay for NA had something to do with the banding reports. Maybe they've 'fixed' them or binned them more aggressively for the AQWP which caused the shipping delay for NA.

PG27UCDM user here. What about the downsides of WOLED like the crazy banding? No thanks, I'm really happy with my endgame monitor.

Text fringing is pretty minimal from what I can see on various color backgrounds. Unless you are really putting your eyes up to the monitor I don't see it. The only standout flaw to me is the gray dirty screen effect which is there for sure. Maybe it's a little overhyped as a problem but for $1100 I can see how it could be a make or break for people.

I hit 538 fps in the CS2 workshop map with this monitor. Absolutely love it.

Update. After updating to firmware MCM102 DSC can be disabled at 540Hz and 10-bit making for a compression-less signal.

this is what im saying, all these people claiming tandem oled is a non issue for color uniformity and banding and that its just 'fine' for every day regular use have no clue what the hell they're talking about and spreading false information.

With the white border, it's always going to look like there's a box around it when the scene goes dark. One of the coolest things about using OLEDs in a dark room is that when the scene goes dark and something shows up it's like it's popping out of nowhere — that effect is ruined here.

Personally I like XG27AQDPG the best currently at 27 inches. But I greatly prefer QD-OLED over WOLED for the color volume and HDR pop. For me the choice should be made on your lighting environment — if it's controlled, QD-OLED wins.

I don't notice any banding. I did the 95% grayscale test, and I see some that look like the waiting screen burn in, but I don't see it any other time unless I actually grayscale the max and look for it. I really love this monitor, and I don't see any banding while using it for everything. Your results may vary, but I have no regrets. It has a 3 year warranty, so you can always keep the box and send it back if you're seeing things that bother you.

Vertical banding on my panel is very minor and hard to spot with the naked eye. Greyscale 5–10% looks perfect, and I can only notice slight banding around 90–95% greyscale if I really try to see it. With the naked eye the banding is barely visible, but the camera can reveal it.

Could you add some photos to see the grey banding at 95% and how it looks like on dark desktop theme?

I have it too and it's amazing

Do not buy that monitor over the ASUS I bought both and the Asus is light years better. I returned the LG.

I have this monitor and an ASUS OLED 4K 32" connected to my 5090. Productivity sucks on the 27" because of the lower resolution, but holy hell, when gaming the 27" is my preferred screen. Even though I can run 4K at 240hz on the 32", the 27" picture is just so nice, and the super high refresh rate is fantastic.

Awesome review! Very detailed and informative. Seeing the banding issues is just disappointing... I see it on almost every new Tandem WOLED monitor review! It's wild to hear that the 500Hz QD-OLED performed better than this 540Hz WOLED, while costing less!

The fact that they let the front of the monitor be silver at all is heinous, I'd love to use this monitor but that alone is enough for me to not use it. It's just too ugly

I got mine a few days ago, currently have a pg27aqd-p at home to compare it to. It looks stunning, no competition from the under matt panel. The only issues I have so far are that the lower end of the panel has a fairly noticeable gap to the frame.

Just sent mine in service, the oled panel is probably dead, or the Tcon. Enjoyed it for a week R.I.P. Low key regret it. Otherwise great monitor if you do the firmware update. I was unlucky.

It is absolutely possible if you use the supplied DP cable or buy one of the very few (expensive) certified ones. I am running at 1440p@540hz, 10 bit, ycbcr444, limited range with DSC off.

I love my PG27AQWP-W even if it came at a premium. The stand is huge lol!

In 2024 I was playing on an 8700k and a 1070GTX with alienware 2521H 25 inch 1080p 360hz IPS on DSL internet. Now I'm on a 9800x3d a 5080 and this monstrous beast of a monitor. I thought I was blown away by just the computer but with this monitor I can finally take full advantage of its power. This is my first OLED.

i've been debating between this and the MPG 271QR QD-OLED X50 over the past week. Not unlimited budget but happy to pay for premium if it's worth it. However, been reading a lot of mixed reviews about this monitor and banding + dirty grey screens so that put me off it for a while, mostly positive review for the MSI. My heart says get ASUS but reviews point to the MSI.

seeing the dirty screen effect on that 2nd pic reassures me that returning it and going for the MSI was the right choice. There've been quite a few people posting pics of their PG27AQWP-W over the past few days and it's been visible on every one of them. I genuinely don't understand how people are OK with that on a $1100 monitor.

Yeah, I saw it in person and saved ~$400 and went with the XG27ANGV with G Sync Pulsar. Great monitor but I couldn't justify the price.

I have this monitor since early december 2025 in germany. The first one I got was defective with constant black screens happening from time to time. After 3-4 weeks of usage it died. I immediately contacted the asus support and they replaced it within 5 days. Huge props to the asus support. They sent me a brand new one. Since then no issues. The monitor is brilliant imo. And I had luck with the banding on both monitors, for me it's not noticeable. I mainly play FPS shooters and it's great for it.

It's worth it. The bad reviews about grey banding? It really depends on the type of content. I barely notice it but it's there in some places sometimes. I think people over react. I love all the other features the monitor has, the pros pretty much outweigh the cons.

My first impressions: it doesn't turn on sometimes — have to unplug then replug. When powered on it makes a slight ticking noise so I leave it on all the time. Coming from a 45" Corsair Flex it's a little small, wish it was 32". Banding on mine is not bad, that's the only reason I'm keeping it and not replacing it.