A well spec’d and designed monitor is one of the most important peripherals for gamers. Gaming monitors are meant to be fast, responsive, and provide the clearest images to gamers so that they can react to the world around them. Today I’m going to review the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A gaming monitor. I’ll discuss its set-up, design, performance, and of course sharing my final thoughts.
ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A specs
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Unboxing and setting up the ASUS TUF VG30QL1A
The unboxing and set-up process for the ASUS TUF VG30QL1A is straightforward. Inside the box you will find the monitor, base, power supply, 1x HDMI cable, and 1x display port cable.
After removing the packaging, setting up the monitor is surprisingly simple. In my test unit the monitor arm was already attached to the back of the monitor, all I needed to do was connect the base. What I really appreciated in ASUS’s design is that assembly doesn’t require any additional tools. The base is connected to the monitor arm using 2x pre-installed thumb screws. Once you tighten both screws the base is securely attached.
Overall the set-up process is quick and simple, you can have the monitor on your desk and ready to use in less than 5 minutes.
ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A monitor ergonomics and adjustments
Something that’s often overlooked is the quality and design of a monitor stand. In the case of the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A, this monitor has a well designed stand with plenty of adjustments. Fine tuning is simple and the stand allows you to adjust the monitor height, tilt, and swivel. The stand also allows you to pivot the monitor 90 degrees from landscape to portrait mode.
Plentiful connectivity on the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A
Connectivity is plentiful on the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A. For video input there are 2x HDMI 2.0 ports and 1x Display port. There’s also 2x USB-A 3.0 ports for users to connect peripherals. Given that USB-C is becoming the new standard for many devices it would’ve been nice to see ASUS include a thunderbolt port for audio/video or at least a regular USB-C port to connect peripherals.
A monitor designed for gamers in mind
The ASUS TUF VG30QL1A sports a 30 inch VA panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1080. ASUS’s decision to use a VA panel reflects their target demographic of gamers. VA panels provide faster refresh rates, higher brightness, and better viewing angles. Gamers that need a fast monitor will definitely appreciate the ASUS’s 200Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time.
The ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A also comes with Freesync premium ensuring that the monitor will match the frames per second (FPS) produced by your graphics card. Adding to this the monitor also comes enabled with Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) which is meant to eliminate ghosting of on screen images. With these features gamers should experience near flawless images while playing any games.
The ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A also has a 1500R curve. Given how wide the monitor is I like the decision to make the screen curved. The curve adds more immersion to your games giving you easy visibility to the corners of your monitor without having to turn your head.
Gaming and media performance of ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A
In my testing with the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A I played some of my favourite games including Call of Duty and Tomb Raider. The monitor is HDR-10 compatible and looks amazing while playing games and watching movies, the colors are punchy, the contrast provides deep blacks in dark areas, and the image is sharp.
The high refresh rate of the monitor and ELMB really came through while playing both games. I’m able to clearly see what was happening during fast action sequences and the ELMB ensures that I’m not distracted by ghosting.
What I’ve really come to love with the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A is the ultra wide curved panel. Having an ultra wide panel gives you a wider field of view allowing you to see more of the game in your peripherals. When you add the curved nature of the screen it greatly improves your immersion, spatial awareness, and allows you to react more quickly to the environment.
Watching movies is equally enjoyable on this monitor. On traditional monitors with 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, when watching movies you will see black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. However, with the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A the 21:9 aspect ratio means that when watching movies the image fills up the entire screen.
Average built-in speakers
I’m surprised to see that ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A also comes with built-in speakers. These speakers are on the average side, they have a slightly hollow sound and lack bass. If your computer doesn’t have speakers then the ASUS VG1A’s speakers will do in a pinch.
When comparing the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A speaker quality to my 2019 MacBook Air, the MacBook speakers are superior. The MacBook speakers produced clearer sound, more rich audio, and stronger bass.
Overall, the built in speakers of the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A will be adequate for general use. Hardcore gamers and movie enthusiasts will want to use dedicated headphones or external speakers to better enjoy their content.
ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A and productivity
The ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A performs equally as well when it comes to day-to-day productivity. As someone who’s working on multiple spreadsheets, video calls, and building PowerPoints throughout my day I can’t say enough good things about this monitor. The wide viewing angles, curved screen and adjustable stand make it easy for me to swap between applications, and comfortably multitask. I find portrait mode is most helpful when working on vertical designs or reading long documents.
Overall, the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A brings a lot of comforts and features that productivity professionals would like in their day to day workflow.
Easy to use controls
Using the ASUS VG1A’s controls is simple and easy to use. On the back right hand side of the monitor you will find 4x buttons and a navigation joystick. While this is a standard layout ASUS made two key design decisions that made this style of navigation more user friendly. The first change is that the buttons are much larger than other computer monitor buttons. Secondly, ASUS staggered the buttons which improves the tactile feel and prevents accidental presses.
Aside from the standard computer monitor options the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A offers some gamer centric features. For example the shortcut menu allows users to select game specific presets including racing, real time strategy, and first person shooters. Another feature that’s offered is the ability to enable a frames per second counter and the ability to have an on screen crosshairs for first person shooter games.
Overall, I found the controls on the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A to be easy to use, navigate, and offer helpful features for gamers.
Final thoughts on the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A
The ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A is a great monitor for gaming, media, and productivity. I love the flexibility of the monitor stand, the 1500R curve, its fast 200Hz refresh rate, and the 1ms response time. These features add up to a fantastic monitor that will satisfy even the most hardcore gamers. The only disadvantage I can find with the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A is it’s average speaker. This is a minor complaint in an otherwise feature rich and quality monitor.
If you’re in the market for a new monitor I strongly suggest checking out the ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A. If you’d like to see what other gaming accessories are made by ASUS you can check them out here.
curved and ergonomics, so that it can be set up for any space/room and seat arrangement
The easy to use controls really appeal to me. The buttons are larger and are staggered so I wouldn’t press them by accident. This would be a great advantage to me.
The ASUS monitor feature that stands out for me is its 200 HZ refresh rate for spectacular motion performance.
I would appreciate the high refresh rate which would improve the game playing experience.
I actually like the flexibility of the stand. Many nice monitors come with cheap, rigid stands and are disappointing.
The curved feature is nice. I use two right now and have them tilted to the centre but this would help with eye strain.
I like the high refresh rate that this monitor has. Thanks for the opportunity.
I like that this monitor is HDR-10 compatible and will look great for HDR games and HDR streaming content
I really like the high refresh rate to improve the game playing experience.
The 21:9 aspect ratio of this monitor stands out for you as the most interesting because now when I watch movies, the image fills up the entire screen!
I like the idea of the curved screen. I never thought about it before, but the curve would add more immersion into the games and would help with visibility to the corners of the monitor. Great idea!
The Extreme Low Motion Blur because for gaming this gives a nice clear picture and helps when your playing a game.
I think the most interesting feature of this monitor is . . . the stand!?
The fact that it offers so many ways to customise the position of the monitor, including changing it from landscape to vertical, means that everyone in my family will be able to use it in the way that makes it comfortable for them.
The feature that stands out the most to me is the 29/5 inch display – i use a 13′ display laptop currently so this would be a literal game changer!
It’s feature to rotate the display into a vertical position seems like a very interesting feature because this could be very useful when reading email or ebooks or even when writing.
It being a 1500R curved monitor is my favourite feature because this gives you better visibility and it’s more immersive.
This monitor’s Freesync premium and Extreme Low Motion Blur are the most interesting to me because I look for crisp yet smooth images when I shop for a gaming monitor!
I love the easy use controls and the image quality.
The ASUS ROG Strix 27″ 4K Ultra HD 144Hz 1ms GTG IPS LED G-Sync Gaming Monitor (XG27UQR) is the one that caught my eye with all the specs! My son is a gamer and this would make him so ecstatic to get something like that for Christmas
200Hz refresh rate is my fav; this is quiet high.
I like the 200Hz refresh rate; this is quiet high.
For me, it’s the high refresh rate of the monitor that stands out which means I can play my video games without it lagging and watch my action movies as well.
The most interesting feature that stands out is that it can stand on its side which looks weird at first but I think it would be visually beneficial for writing columns in a magazine to help you visualize the context in its entirety on a page.
i think the curve would be great to really feel in the game and improve your line of vision to the sides
The 1500R curve stands out. I like the curve adds more immersion to your games giving you easy visibility to the corners of your monitor without having to turn your head.
The curved design is so attractive !
I like the 200Hz refresh rate awesome… that would be nice.
Love the curved feature of this monitor
The feature that I like is the curved screen giving you easy visibility to the corners of your monitor without having to turn your head.
Easy to use controls is the best feature
The built-in speakers of ASUS TUF VG30VQL1A is the most interesting feature because stand alone speakers will not be required.
monitor ergonomics and adjustments because it’s so easy to make adjustments since we have multiple users to accomodate
The wide monitor with the screen curved will give me a much better gaming experience. I will be able to see the effects better and have a better overview of the action.
The HDR10 support should allow for good HDR in gamins/movies.
1500R curved VA Panel is the most interesting feature to me.
The most interesting feature to me is the cure of this monitor because it would make games more fun to play on a curved monitor.
The curved feature really stands out to me. I’d have the same distance from my eye to the screen no matter where I am looking.
The feature that is the most interesting is Shadow Boost, because it makes the darker areas brighter and easier to see.
The 90 degree turn is an amazing feature also the curve of it.
I like the the 1500R curve aspect
A quality gaming monitor with a curved screen with a wide viewing angle is a major bonus.
I like the connectivity options that allow for the peripherals I use.
The immersive ultra wide 21:9 aspect ratio on a curved screen is next level.
I think my husband will appreciate that is curved and you can turn it. He is a quite a gamer so he will really enjoy it.
I like the VA panel which provide faster refresh rates, higher brightness, and better viewing angles.
The stand is great for using this monitor in whatever position is most comfortable for you! Paired with the 200hz screen I think a comfortable experience is gaurenteed
stand make it easy for me to swap between applications,
The fact that you can turn it! Great for gaming, and also great for work. Love it.
I like the 21:9 wide aspect ratio for watching movies or running 2 apps side-by-side.
I love the look, the fact that is curved and that you cand turn it.
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