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At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Extremely crisp 5K panel Great color performance Includes USB-C with 96 watts Power Delivery Lots of menu options and image customization Cons Contrast ratio is fine, but not great Only 60Hz; motion performance suffers HDR performance doesn’t stand out Our Verdict The Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV delivers excellent image quality and an ultra-crisp 5K image (with 218 pixels per inch) for about $800. It’s hard to beat on value and an easy recommendation to anyone who wants a 5K monitor. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today 5K monitors aren’t new, but they haven’t proven especially popular (in the Windows world, at least). Price is one big reason, as most 5K monitors available in the past have sold for $1,000 or more. The Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV, which carries an MSRP of $799.99, changes the equation. And, despite its low price, this isn’t some cut-down 5K monitor built to fit a price but instead a thoroughly modern monitor that beats the pants off its predecessors. Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV specs and features The star of the show here is obviously the 5K panel, which offers a “proper” 5K resolution of 5120×2880. This is much higher than 5K ultrawides, which have a lower resolution of 5,120 x 2,160. Asus is also packing an IPS Black panel capable of better contrast than typical for the category (though still far short of OLED). Display size: 27-inch 16:9 widescreen Native resolution: 5120×2880 Panel type: IPS Black Refresh rate: 60Hz Adaptive sync: VESA MediaSync HDR: Yes, HDR 10, VESA DisplayHDR 500 certified Ports: 1x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 96 watts of Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 downstream, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 downstream VESA mount: 100x100mm Speakers: 2x 2-watt speakers Price: $799.99 MSRP The monitor’s MSRP of $800 is affordable for a 5K monitor, yet Asus doesn’t hold back on features. The monitor supports VESA MediaSync, HDR10, and USB-C with DisplayPort and USB Power Delivery. While it does miss a few features, like Thunderbolt, it’s certainly the most feature-packed 5K monitor available below $1,000. Further reading: See our roundup of the best monitors to learn about competing products. Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV Design The look of the ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV isn’t exciting, but that’s not to say it’s bad. Asus has solidified the language of its ProArt monitors in recent years, opting for a simple but attractive black-and-silver design with a faux-heatsink look on the rear panel. The ProArt monitors are different enough to feel distinct but will still blend in with your home office. Matthew Smith / Foundry Looks aside, the ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV is functional but simple. It has an ergonomically adjustable stand that adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and can pivot 90 degrees into landscape mode. The stand is sturdy, moderately sized, and flat, so it doesn’t take up much space. A hole in the stand neck provides cable management and is large enough to accommodate the power cable and several video inputs. While the default stand is good, a 100x100mm VESA mount is available for connecting a third-party monitor stand or arm. While the ProArt Display 5K does miss a few features, like Thunderbolt, it’s certainly the most feature-packed 5K monitor available below $1,000. Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV connectivity and menus The Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV has one HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4, and one USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode, for a total of three video inputs. That’s fine, though many similarly priced monitors will up the video input count to four. Connecting via the USB-C port will also provide access to 96 watts of USB Power Delivery. That’s enough to power and charge most mid-range Windows laptops that lack discrete graphics, as well as all modern Apple MacBook computers. Additional downstream USB-C connectivity includes three USB-A ports and one USB-C port, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack. That’s a good range of USB connectivity — though, once again, the monitor isn’t a leader. Dell’s Ultrasharp U2724DE is a direct competitor with far more connectivity. But that comes with a significant trade-off: The Dell only supports 1440p resolution. I might’ve liked to see Asus squeeze in even better connectivity, such as Ethernet or Thunderbolt. To be fair, this monitor is already a great value, so I understand why these features didn’t make the cut. Still, some competitors offer them, and shoppers looking for the best connectivity might be swayed towards a display like the upcoming BenQ PD2730S, which has Thunderbolt 4. The Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV has both an ambient light sensor, which is common for this category, and a backlight sensor, which isn’t. The ambient light sensor can automatically adjust the display’s brightness as the light in a room varies, which is helpful for keeping display brightness where you need it throughout the day. The backlight sensor, meanwhile, is meant to monitor and adjust brightness when the display is turned on (backlights tend to be a bit dimmer than their maximum until they “warm up”), though I had a hard time noticing that feature with my naked eye. A KVM switch is included, too, with an automatic switch feature based on the active display input. That’s helpful if you plan to have two computers connected to the display and want to seamlessly use a single wired keyboard and mouse with each. Matthew Smith / Foundry The ProArt Display 5K, like other Asus ProArt monitors, has a long list of image quality adjustments and preset color gamut modes. You can adjust color, color temperature, and gamma, or select from sRGB, Adobe RGB, DCI-P3, Rec.2020, DICOM, or Rec.709 modes. Competitors like the BenQ photography line offer similar adjustment, but Dell Ultrasharp monitors usually have a narrower list of options (Dell really wants creators to opt for the more expensive, less common PremierColor line). A pair of built-in speakers round out the ProArt Display 5K’s features set, but they’re weak and only useful for providing basic Windows system sounds or listening to less dynamic audio content, such as a podcast. This, however, is typical for the category. Most monitors that target professionals assume users will use their own, high-quality headphones or external speakers. Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV SDR image quality The first 5K monitors available for Windows, like the Dell Ultrasharp U2715K and LG Ultrafine, delivered high resolutions but had low-contrast IPS display panels. That was fine at the time, but modern monitors have improved in that area. Thankfully, the Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV provides a modern IPS Black level. Though certainly not as immersive as an OLED gaming monitor, the IPS Black panel delivers respectable contrast and excellent color performance. Matthew Smith / Foundry The ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV packed a real punch in brightness with a maximum SDR brightness of 578 nits. That’s extremely high even among this field, which generally does rather well in brightness testing. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where the ProArt Display 5K would appear dim. If anything, the monitor is arguably a bit too bright for its intended use. I found I had to use the monitor at a very low brightness setting (below 20) for it to be appropriate for my room, which has a couple windows facing away from the sun. Still, I’d rather it have the brightness than not, as it makes the monitor more versatile. Matthew Smith / Foundry I measured a contrast ratio of 1610:1 with the ProArt Display 5K at half its maximum brightness. The quality of this result depends on your perspective. It’s much better than conventional creator monitors, like the BenQ SW272U and Asus ProArt PA278CFRV. However, the ProArt Display 5K’s contrast is not as high as some other monitors with IPS Black panels, such as the Dell U2724DE. Still, this is a good result for the category, and the boost in contrast will be noticeable if you’re upgrading from an older productivity monitor with a contrast ratio around 1000:1 (or less). Matthew Smith / Foundry The ProArt Display 5K provided a great default color gamut that covered 100 percent of sRGB and DCI-P3 as well as 91 percent of AdobeRGB. While PCWorld has tested some monitors with a wider AdobeRGB gamut, the ProArt’s result are generally excellent and should be enticing for most content creators. The monitor can display an extremely wide range of colors. It’s also a native 10-bit panel, which will please picky creators. Matthew Smith / Foundry Next up is color accuracy, where the PA27JCV provides a modest result.  This, however, is still a fine number for a monitor in this price bracket (or any bracket, really) and similar to other mid- to high-end content creation and productivity monitors. The monitor’s image accuracy is helped along by good gamma and color temperature results of 2.2 and 6600K, which is close to our targets of 2.2 and 6500K. The monitor’s multiple gamma and color temperature modes allows adjustments to target different settings, if desired.   Sharpness is a major strength and, for some people, will be the obvious reason to buy the monitor. The 5120×2880 resolution on a 27-inch 5K amounts to a pixel density of 218 pixels per inch (ppi), which is close to the highest possible pixel density on a modern computer monitor. The only monitors that reach higher are 6K and 8K display. Shoppers should also keep in mind that the ProArt Display 5K’s pixel density is much higher than 5K ultrawides, like the LG Ultrafine 34WK95U-W. A 34-inch 5K ultrawide has a pixel density of only 163 ppi, so it’s nowhere near as sharp. A 40-inch 5K ultrawide, like the Dell U4025QW, has just a pixel density of 139 ppi, which is less than a 27-inch 4K display. This is an important detail to note, as it’s otherwise easy to assume all 5K displays are the same. They’re not, and the ProArt Display 5K is much sharper than some others sold with 5K branding. The ProArt Display 5K includes a matte panel coat that Asus calls LuxPixel. It’s meant to provide a paper-like screen effect, like BenQ’s monitors with a Fine Coated Panel. Subjectively, I feel that BenQ’s coating is a bit more “paper like,” but LuxPixel remains effective at reducing glare. Overall, the Asus ProArt Display 5K provides excellent image quality across the board. It scores well by every metric and does especially well in brightness and color gamut performance. It’s important to note that the ProArt Display 5K is price-competitive with some OLED monitors, like the Alienware AW2725DF, and those will deliver a deeper, more immersive image with far superior contrast. However, OLED monitors stick to 1440p resolution in a 27-inch size, and the difference in sharpness is obvious. The ProArt Display 5K is not the best display for playing games or watching Netflix but, when it comes to productivity, it’s hard to beat. Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV HDR image quality The Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV supports HDR10 and is VESA DisplayHDR 500 certified. That’s a step higher than the more basic VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification found on many similarly priced monitors, but it’s still not great. Contrast is the real issue. The Asus ProArt Display 5K can get bright in HDR, sustaining well over 500 nits fullscreen. However, the monitor lacks a dynamic or per-pixel lighting technology (like Mini-LED or OLED), so an increase in brightness also increases the brightness of dark areas of the display. That results in a flat, washed-out look. Asus makes a small effort to combat that with a dynamic backlight feature, but the edge-lit lighting zones on the monitor are massive. Because of that, any scene that displays a small, bright object on an otherwise dark scene will lead to obvious, distracting halos and pillars of light as different segments of the backlight turn on and off. It’s distracting, and I recommend turning it off. It could be worse, but it’s not good, and I don’t recommend relying on the monitor’s HDR for games or entertainment. Still, it might be passable if you need a way to quickly preview HDR video and can’t afford a second, better HDR display for that purpose. Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV motion performance The Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV isn’t meant for gaming and entertainment, so it’s no shock to see the monitor stick to a 60Hz refresh rate. It also claims a modest gray-to-gray pixel response time of five milliseconds. What does that mean? Put simply, motion performance is mediocre, at best. Don’t get me wrong: It’s fine for most situations, including games that don’t have a lot of fast action. However, viewers with a critical eye for motion blur will absolutely notice it. It’s not all bad news, though. The ProArt Display 5K supports Adaptive Sync through VESA MediaSync, a standard focused on variable refresh rates in a tight range of 48Hz to 60Hz. Though that narrows the feature’s use in games, it’s helpful if you can use V-Sync or a frame limiter that can keep a game running at or near 60 FPS (or anywhere between 48 and 60 FPS, really). MediaSync is also designed for smooth playback of 24 FPS video, which is handy if you want to use the ProArt Display 5K to edit for film or TV. Should you buy the Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV? The Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV sets the new bar that all 5K monitors must clear. It’s not the best high-resolution display on the market (that honor goes to more extreme displays, like the Apple Pro Display XDR), but it delivers a gorgeous 5K image and long list of features at a reasonable price. Any new 5K monitor looking to compete needs to make sure that it’s at least as good as, or less expensive than, the ProArt Display 5K. Read...

Portable solid-state drives are great, offering lots of storage and faster speeds than a USB flash drive while in a still-portable package. People often use them to back up their PCs with backup software. But portable SSDs aren’t just for backups. Even if you prefer using online backup software and don’t plan on backing up anything to a physical drive, there are lots of great reasons to have a compact, portable SSD on hand. Here are some especially useful uses to consider. Related: The best portable SSDs to get right now Bring media files to your media center A portable SSD is an excellent and near-foolproof way to get media files (e.g., videos, music, and photos) from your PC to your home media center. It’s way faster than via wireless transfer! For example, if you have a Roku streaming box or Roku TV with a USB port, you can connect a portable SSD to that USB port and use the Roku Media Player app to watch videos, play music, and view photos straight off the drive. That’s just one option for one streaming platform — there’s a good chance your own streaming device or gaming console of choice has a USB port, and if it does, it likely has its own media player app. Ben Patterson/Foundry People often use smaller USB flash drives for this, but a portable SSD can be the better option because it typically offers much more storage space, making it a great addition to your media center. Long story short, it’s a super-simple way to get media files from your PC to your TV. There’s no need to set up a network server with something like Plex and leave it running on another device. You can just copy some files over and plug in the drive. When buying a portable SSD for media center use, focus on capacity. You don’t need the fastest speeds just to watch videos (although it’s nice to have because those media files will copy over much faster). You mainly need ample storage space to hold it all. And bear in mind that most streaming devices have larger USB-A ports, so if you get a USB-C portable SSD, you’ll need a USB-C-to-USB-A cable. Set up shared network file storage A portable SSD could be an easy way to add network-attached storage to your home network… but only if your router supports it. Many modern Wi-Fi routers have USB ports, to which you can connect a portable SSD. When you do, your router can basically turn that drive into network-attached storage — any device on the network can access the files on the drive, and those files may even be accessible remotely over the internet if your router has that feature. Vladimir Sukhachev / Shutterstock It’s a convenient way to get network-attached storage without buying a dedicated NAS device. Plus, your Wi-Fi router is already running 24 hours a day, so you don’t have to use extra electricity to run a separate device. When buying a portable SSD for your router, you’ll likely want to focus on capacity. Look for lots of storage space! You don’t need the absolute fastest portable SSD that supports the latest high-end speeds, as the network connection will likely be the bottleneck here. Related: Ways to repurpose your old SSD or hard drive Add extra high-speed storage to a PC A portable SSD is a great way to add extra storage to your PC. Sounds obvious, right? But hear me out. Sure, if you have a desktop PC, you could crack open the case and install an extra drive inside if you wanted to. You might even be able to install a new SSD in some modern laptops, too, but it’s usually not that easy with laptops and you’re usually limited to whatever amount of storage your laptop came with. The same is true for mini PCs, which may not have room for more storage inside but may have plenty of USB ports. Samsung So, whether you have a desktop PC, laptop, or mini PC, if you need extra storage space, consider doing it with a portable SSD. You can use said storage for basically anything, including storing large videos for creative applications, huge photo libraries, and other data you need. (Most portable SSDs are significantly faster than USB flash drives, by the way.) Related: How much SSD space do you really need? If you have a dock for your laptop, you could also connect your portable SSD to a USB port on your dock. When you dock your laptop, you’ll get instant access to that extra storage plus your other peripherals. Related: The best Thunderbolt docks for your laptop When buying a portable SSD to add on extra storage, capacity and speed are both important. If your PC supports USB4, consider getting a portable SSD with USB4. You’ll pay a premium, but that 40Gbps data transfer speed means you’ll have much-improved performance when working with huge video files on the drive, for example. If you don’t need those speeds, or if your PC doesn’t support them, a slower 20Gbps drive will still be a good pick that’ll also save you money. Related: What is USB4? Explained Get more storage space for PC games A fast portable SSD is a great upgrade for PC gamers, too. This is especially true for PC gamers who play on laptops, as it’s usually easier to add more internal storage to a desktop PC than a laptop, whereas you may not easily be able to upgrade a laptop’s storage. With PC games getting larger than ever — many games are now well over 100GB, just for a single game — a portable SSD gives you a lot more room to store those games. You can install games straight to your portable SSD and play them from there with decent performance. Or you can also use a portable SSD to “offload” your games. Chris Hoffman / IDG For example, Steam lets you set up multiple game library folders and move games between them. You could move games you aren’t currently playing to the portable SSD to free up space, then move them back later when you want to play them again for maximum performance. It all takes just a few clicks. Depending on your internet connection speed — and whether you have a data cap or not — this may be far superior to uninstalling and redownloading games. When buying an external SSD for gaming, you’ll want a lot of space for those games, so capacity is a big concern. But if you plan on playing games straight from the SSD, speed is the top concern. You should look for one of the fastest drives your PC supports, even if that means a drive with smaller overall capacity. Related: The best external SSDs for gaming Transfer data to and from your phone Did you know that you can connect an SSD drive directly to any modern Android phone, iPhone, or iPad? Since all modern phones have USB-C ports, you can plug a USB-C portable SSD directly into your phone as well as your computer. Then, you can use a file management app on your Android phone or iPhone to access its contents. This makes a portable SSD a great way to move files between your phone and your PC. Solid-state drives use less power than mechanical hard drives with spinning magnetic platters, so a portable SSD draw power straight from your phone and still function well enough. Yucel Moran / Unsplash When buying a portable SSD to use with your phone and your PC, you should get one with a USB-C port for convenience. Then, you’ll be able to use any typical USB-C cable to connect it. It’s not the end of the world if you get a portable SSD with a USB-A port, though — you’ll just need a USB-A-to-USB-C cable to make the connection. You would also benefit from a more compact portable SSD that fits more easily in a pocket. As far as how much speed you’ll need? That’s up to your use cases. If you’re moving large amounts of RAW photos, speed may be a priority; otherwise, if you don’t mind waiting a few more minutes per transfer, you can settle for a slower one. You may not need to buy one If you’ve decided that you need a portable SSD, then great! You can find some top-notch recommendations in PCWorld’s list of favorite portable SSDs. There you’ll find all kinds of options, including rugged drives that can stand up to more challenging environments. But you may not have to buy a new drive at all! In fact, if you have an old or spare internal SSD that’s lying around and collecting dust, you can actually turn it into a portable SSD with an enclosure. Learn more about that in our guide to turning an internal SSD into an external SSD. Read...

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