Asus ProArt Series PA246Q LCD Monitor Review

1. Introduction2. The Asus ProArt PA246Q (1)3. The Asus ProArt PA246Q (2)4. Menu Interface5. Testing the screen6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

If you are fortunate enough to have just bought one of the new series of AMD or Nvidia discrete graphics solutions then today's review product might be of interest. Asus have released a new 24 inch IPS screen, set to target discerning users who want to move up from their current mainstream TN monitor. Are you flush with cash and wanting an upgrade? then read on.

The Asus ProArt PA246Q is a hell of a screen on paper. It boasts a 10 bit P-IPS panel with 98% coverage of the Adobe colour space (100% RGB coverage and 102% NTSC coverage), an adjustable stand, six way colour adjustment via R,G,B and C,M,Y and a plethora of connections.

Additionally, they have incorporated a 12 bit look up table to enhance the overall image quality, specifically for colour purists.

Manufacturer:	Asus		Speakers:	no
Panel Type:	P-IPS		Response Time:	6 ms
Screen Size:	24.1″		Brightness:	400 cd/m²
Pitch Size:	0.270		Web Camera:	no
Connectors:	1 x D-Sub 1 x DisplayPort 1 x DVI-D 1 x HDMI		Power Usage (Switched on):	75 W
HDCP:	yes		VESA:	yes
TV Tuner:	no		3D Support:	no
Resolution:	1920×1200		Widescreen:	yes
Refresh Rate:	50Hz – 76Hz		Monitor Colour:	Black
Viewing Angle:	178 / 178 (°H/°V)		Dimensions (with stand):	558.4 x 380.8 x 235 (WxHxD)
Contrast Ratio/DCR:	50000:1

The Asus ProArt Series PA246Q arrives in a big box with vector style images on the side, highlighting the rotational capabilities.

Inside, the screen is protected between two thick blocks of styrofoam, ensuring no damage can occur during shipping.

The bundle includes a VGA cable, DisplayPort cable, USB cable, quick start guide, power cable, support CD and warranty card. There should also be a DVI cable included as far as we can tell, but it looks like a previous reviewer felt they needed to keep a spare. Asus also include a colour analysis chart detailing factory results.

We were surprised to see that the screen comes pre assembled, with the stand already attached.

The PA246Q is certainly not a slimline model and it appears that Asus have opted for a chunky, almost ‘industrial' style appearance for this particular design. It does however feel really strong, especially the stand mechanism. The adoption of IPS technology with subsequent internal electronics upgrades can demand the use of a thicker chassis.

Along the upper and lower bezel is information, highlighting the resolution capabilities and HDMI support. We aren't sure the ‘sporty' red stripe will prove popular with everyone, but it certainly stands out.

Good ‘old fashioned' buttons on this screen, none of that capacitive nonsense. There is a row of seven buttons which allow for a plethora of fine tuning options, thankfully Asus have had the common sense to space them far apart to ensure that people with big fingers won't be accidentally pressing the wrong button.

Along the side is a 7 in 1 card reader (no compact flash support unfortunately) and dual USB 2.0 ports.

The stand really does deserve a special mention because in the past we have found that even more expensive screens such as this can be hampered by a woefully inadequate support mechanism.

This stand rotates 90 degrees to allow for a portrait style implementation. There is 100mm of height adjustment and -5° to +20° tilt adjustment available. The panel can also be rotated 60° from left to right, which gives the screen a huge variety of both vertical and horizontal adjustment. The metal base of the stand is extremely well made, being totally supportive under a huge variety of tilt and height settings.

Along the rear is a power button with connector and along the right a DVI, Displayport, HDMI 1.3 and VGA input. To the far right is a USB 2.0 hub port and 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack.

The onscreen display is one of the best we have seen, to date. Everything is well laid out within submenus and there is no fighting with unresponsive capacitive buttons on the front of the panel either. The tactile feel ensures that moving around the various menu sections is both intuitive and straightforward.

Two of the buttons are used for ‘up' and ‘down' which makes the whole navigation system almost second nature within the space of a few seconds. We were surprised however to note that some of the settings were not available in Adobe RGB and Adobe sRGB modes. There is no way to select colour temperature, gamma or even saturation. Colour correction is also disabled. Therefore we enabled the ‘user mode' and fine tuned the screen to our liking. Not really ideal, especially as the adobe settings can often be ideal for specific environments.

Thankfully, for the most part, the Asus settings out of the box were incredibly accurate, negating the need for a plethora of fine tuning options in the panels, or via software settings. This is because the screen leaves the factory pre-calibrated with a certification printout in the box, much like the Dell U2410.

The PA246Q has a nifty option via onscreen quick fit style grids. By pushing one of the buttons on the panel the screen can display various grids with photo layouts overlaid over the image. We aren't sure a lot of people will use this, but it might be handy within a design bureau or graphics related environment.

As we mentioned earlier in the review, this screen features a 10 bit H-IPS panel which is technically capable of rendering 1.07 billion colours. This P-IPS panel has 98% coverage of the Adobe colour space (100% RGB coverage and 102% NTSC coverage).

IPS panels have been long capable of rendering true 8 bit colour depth which many people will refer to as ’24 bit colour’, this is an 8 bit design on a sub pixel level across the blue, green and red planes. This realistically means that an 8 bit colour depth screen can render the full 16.7 million colours without having to dither the image, which can cause subtle ‘stepping’ of the images.

When looking at other panel technologies such as TN, they are limited to 18 bit colour, or 6 bit colour depth and will use FRC to generate more colours to reach the final 16.2 million scope. In regards to image quality it is clearly apparent that the bit precision of a panel will be directly related to the steps of brightness which are possible.

The more steps, the better the overall image quality, as less apparent stepped banding will be noticeable. Smoother gradients, less banding will result in a higher quality image, especially for people who need critical colour accuracy, such as web designers and photo editing professionals.

While this sounds like everyone should jump immediately into purchasing a more expensive 10 bit IPS panel, in reality it doesn’t always translate into a ‘must have’ situation. People who render images for a living would notice less banding between the 10 bit and 8 bit panels, especially with subtle swatches of constant colour tones. Of course you also have to ensure that the software and complimentary hardware are capable of 10 bit colour and depending on your specific configuration this might not be the case.

This is a prime factor as to why DisplayPort is becoming more and more adopted within the professional industry, because a DVI interface is limited to 24 bit colour. The vast majority of people today will be using DVI, and even aging VGA technology. Some panels even have extended internal processing – 12 bit LUT for instance, which can help improve colour accuracy, but they should really only be used on 10 bit panels, not 8 bit panels.

Out of the box this screen is very well calibrated, a distinct advantage over purchasing a cheaper screen. We use a LaCie calibration gun (Blue Eye Pro) and their software to measure specific findings. As we already expected the colour gamut is noticeably wider over a standard panel we would normally review. A larger colour gamut gives advantages as it will enable the panel to display colours which a lesser gamut limited panel could never display.

Gamut registered at 2.2 out of the box which is classified as a perfect setting for a computer monitor. We switched the gamma to 1.8 and it read exactly 1.8 with our testing equipment, showing pinpoint accuracy. There is some panel variance with a difference of up to 12% from the center rating of 120 nits. This is hard to register with the naked eye however, so it isn't a huge issue, even for a professional user. Colour ratings are excellent and our equipment measured very close to reference results. The colour definition from the screen is excellent and falls into the same class as the Dell U2410. We did notice a very slight red cast depending on the setting, but it is easily dialed out via the interface or with software.

Viewing angles are class leading with only a slight contrast shift horizontally. The IPS panel can display very wide fields of view and is one of the biggest selling points of this technology. It is basically free from off center contrast shifting which can plague lesser panels.

Black definition is fairly pure with only minor shifting, there is about a 10-14% leak at the bottom corners which is not that noticeable under real world conditions. This makes the panel very good for high definition movies and gaming.

Purity of the screen is good across the full area, with approximately 5-8% shift across the width reaching around between 9-13% at the edges. In real world situations we were extremely impressed with the purity of the screen, making it ideal for a variety of design duties. There is very little colour fluctuation, measuring 0.8% via the R channel. We dialed this out via software.

For gaming, we didn't notice any lag, however those with hyper sensitive eyes may want to look elsewhere. A rating of 6ms falls short of the 2ms class leading gaming panels, but we can say that several people who spent time with the screen didn't notice any problems when playing fast action 3D titles such as Dirt 2, F1 2010 and other games such as Dragon Age 2 looked fantastic. It is worth reiterating that a panel such as this focuses entirely on colour accuracy, not class leading response times. For watching movies it is worth bearing in mind that this is a 16:10 panel (not 16:9), so images will either be slightly stretched, or have black bars along the top and bottom of the display.

Viewing angles for an IPS screen are excellent, measuring just under 180 degrees, far in advance of any TN screen on the market.

The power drain is slightly higher than an ‘average' TN panel, which we expected beforehand. The improved circuitry in an IPS panel tends to demand more power under similar conditions. Under normal circumstances however and with some modest calibration settings a power demand around 40-45 watts is feasible.

There are certainly no shortage of 24 inch screens, but there are only a handful which I would be willing to use 24/7 with my own design oriented system… the Asus ProArt Series PA246Q is one of them. While from the outside, the design is almost a retro throwback to the 80's, it is a very sturdy unit with metal support and a wide array of connectivity options to cover every demand. Technically it rivals the excellent Dell U2410, another class leading IPS design in the same price bracket.

The quality of the screen is really without question, scoring well with colour accuracy and saturation, black definition and white purity. On a technical level, it is more than a match for the Dell U2410.

With the wealth of 16:9 panels saturating the market, it is refreshing that Asus have released a formidable high end screen for design and rendering duties, but also one that is capable enough to double up for gaming and high definition movie duties. It is rather difficult to find a great 16:10 screen now in the sub £500 sector, specifically one in a higher league than the masses of TN screens available.

TN screens are certainly great value for money but when you spend time with a well calibrated IPS panel there really is no going back. The PA246Q is a capable and diverse product which offers very high levels of performance without breaking the bank.

Scan are stocking the Asus ProArt Series PA246Q in the UK, for £425 inc vat.

Pros:

• Great image quality
• good connectivity
• very customisable
• great cable bundle
• covers all output demands
• comes pre assembled
• 16:10 resolution

Cons:

• clunky chassis and red stripe might not appeal to everyone
• some colour options are only available in specific modes

KitGuru says: an excellent all rounder with class leading image quality, it is also built to last.

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