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To bring up the OSD, press the joystick once. The other keys take you straight to GameVisual (picture modes) and GamePlus, which we’ll describe below.

There are six picture modes designed to be game specific. Racing is the default and allows full access to all calibration options. In our tests, it required a fair bit of tweaking to achieve optimal accuracy. sRGB, as you’ll see in our tests, closely matches Racing but locks out all the image adjustments. Cinema looks good for video but defaults to a cool color temp that makes white and gray areas look a little blue. Your best bet is to select Racing and use our recommended settings below, or calibrate it yourself.

At the top right of every OSD screen is signal information that includes the monitor’s operating mode. You can also check that by the color of the power LED. Red is G-Sync, green means 3D, and yellow indicates ULMB. Different modes cannot be combined so we suspect most users will be seeing red during gameplay. Also shown is resolution, refresh rate, input, and picture mode.

First up is the Overclock menu. The PG248Q’s default rate is 144Hz but turning this option on allows operation up to 180Hz. The monitor will reboot, then you’ll find the extra rates in Windows’ Nvidia control panel. Our sample worked flawlessly at its top speed.

The Blue Light Filter has five levels of increasing compensation. Each one warms the color temp more and reduces eye fatigue. We recommend leaving this off for gaming.

The Color menu contains a decent array of calibration controls. Aside from brightness and contrast, there are three Color Temp presets plus a fairly precise User mode. Three gamma options are available: 1.8, 2.2, and 2.6. We discovered that 1.8 matches a measured value of 2.2, and an indicated 2.2 setting is closer to 2.7.

The Image menu has overdrive options (off, normal, extreme) which really aren’t necessary at high refresh rates. Anything over 100Hz pretty much eliminates any perceived motion blur, and there is no ghosting to speak of either. You also get an adjustable dynamic contrast option and a dark boost feature that helps bring out shadow detail in low-brightness content.

Like all premium G-Sync monitors, the PG248Q includes ULMB with a variable pulse width. In this case it covers 100 steps. At the brightest setting of 100, you’ll see about half the light output and a slight flicker. Compared to simply running at a high frame rate, there is little benefit to this option. And you’ll have to give up G-Sync and throttle back the refresh rate to 120Hz or less.

After the input selector is the System menu, which contains all the remaining options. You can choose one of 21 languages for the OSD and specify up to a 120-second timeout. Light In Motion refers to the effect surrounding the swivel point of the PG248Q’s upright. It’s a glowing ring that remains steady when the monitor is powered up and pulses gently in standby mode. Tou also find the factory reset here.

We’ve reviewed a few Asus monitors in the past that were pretty good out of the box in Racing mode. The PG248Q requires a few tweaks to achieve optimal quality. The biggest issue is gamma, which is skewed from a contrast control that's too high. And once you calibrate, the tracking is straight but at an incorrect average value. Fortunately, changing a few settings can solve all these problems and take color accuracy to a very high level. We strongly recommend using our settings below for best results.

GamePlus is featured on all the Asus gaming monitors we’ve reviewed lately. Each implementation is slightly different depending on model. The PG248Q includes four reticules, a countdown timer, an FPS indicator, and a multi-screen alignment tool.

Activate GamePlus by pressing the second control button. You can only use one tool at a time. Once the aiming reticule is on-screen, it can be moved around with the joystick. A countdown timer can be placed on the screen and moved to any position. It starts running as soon as you cancel the GamePlus menu. The FPS counter appears as a large yellow font in the upper-right corner. It cannot be moved or sized. As you can see, its yellow color can be hard to see against bright content. The alignment guide helps with both horizontal and vertical setups. To remove any of the tools, double click the first control key marked with an X.

Current page: OSD Setup & Calibration

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Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

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