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ASUS unveiled the ROG Swift 500Hz on May 24, and it will be the fastest monitor designed for competitive gaming in 1080p. It is quite a big jump from the previous fastest refresh rate of 360Hz, which was already extremely fast.
The company has not yet revealed the price and release date of the 24″ panel, but it is speculated to be released this year, with its price being no less than $500. Nvidia and ASUS have collaborated to create this ultrafast screen optimized for low latency gaming. Features like a high resolution are missing, since they are less important in competitive esports games that require a high refresh rate above all else.
According to ASUS:
"The ROG Swift 500Hz draws frames more than eight times faster than typical 60Hz displays in a single second, which means you have that much more time to get a leg up on your opponent in esports titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valorant, Overwatch, and Rainbow Six Siege."
The monitor supports Nvidia's G-Sync to completely remove screen tearing at high refresh rates. The Nvidia Reflex Analyzer software is being integrated directly into games to help find out which components have the most input lag. Users can then look into decreasing input lag by replacing said components. The downside of this monitor will be that a capable PC will be necessary, and a machine that cannot run games at 500FPS will make the monitor's high refresh rate redundant.
Does 500Hz make any notable difference in gaming?
Will people buy the ASUS ROG Swift 500Hz monitor to upgrade their average 144Hz screen? This is a question currently being asked in the industry because 500Hz is considered overkill, even for esports games. Some people even believe that the human eye cannot see beyond 60 FPS, but the difference in human performance with a higher refresh rate has been well documented.
With a higher refresh rate, the screen is updated more frequently, letting you see enemies faster and improving your reaction times. The new monitor by ASUS is mostly expected to find only a niche audience due to many reasons. The first is the price, and the second reason is that the average gamer plays games for relaxation and will see little benefit from the increased refresh rate.
The company's target audience is esports players who need all the advantages they can get without it being considered "cheating," and having a high refresh rate monitor is not against the rules. Even though the current fastest 360Hz refresh rate is not the standard in the industry, it is used by many professional players because they find it to be smoother than 240Hz, and 500Hz could soon be the preferred refresh rate.
Conclusion
Whether a refresh rate of 500 Hertz is notable or not can only be decided after the monitor becomes available to consumers. However, it can be safely assumed that it will make a difference in the highest tiers of competitive gaming, where every millisecond is important and can change the outcome of a game.
