Asrock has entered the gaming monitor market with two Phantom Gaming models. The most interesting of these is the 34-inch PG34WQ15R2B, which follows in a long line of inspirational monitor names.
The PG34WQ15R2B boasts a 3,440 x 1,440 resolution on its curved (1500R) VA LCD panel, a 165Hz variable refresh rate, AMD FreeSync Premium, and a typical luminance of 550-nits, earning it VESA’s DisplayHDR 400 badge—though we know that isn’t exactly a guarantee of quality.
What might make the monitor especially attractive to some gamers is the integrated Wi-Fi antenna. Asrock says this is the first-ever gaming monitor equipped with such a feature, which connects to a PC to increase a wireless signal’s peak gain by up to 7 dBi, improving the online gaming experience. Asrock notes that the antenna is designed for PCs that sit beneath desks and often have their signals hampered by the furniture. Those whose rigs are on top of the desk or use high-end Wi-Fi adaptors (or ethernet, obviously) aren’t going to find much benefit, if any.
As for the rest of the monitor, it offers 115% coverage of the sRGB color gamut and 91% coverage of the DCI-P3 space, a 1ms MPRT response time, and a 3,000:1 contrast ratio. Port-wise, you get an HMDI 1.4 port, two HMDI 2.0 inputs (no HDMI 2.1), two 2W speakers, and a 3.5mm jack. It’s available now for $430.
The second monitor, the PG27FF1A, has a flat 27-inch IPS screen (1,920 x 1,080). It shares some of its big brother’s specs, including the 165Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium, dual speakers, and 1ms MPRT response time, but no built-in antenna. The color gamut coverage is slightly higher—94% DCI-P3/123% sRGB—while brightness is 250nits, and it comes with DisplayPort 1.2 instead of 1.4. This smaller monitor has a fairly low price of $190.
