ASUS PA278CFRV vs BenQ PD3205U: BenQ shares controls between two PCs, and ASUS extends one compatible PC across screens

Check these before you buy

• Make sure the listing is the exact US ASUS PA278CFRV or BenQ PD3205U, and check condition, the supplied stand, cables, controls, seller and return terms. The BenQ PD3205UA arm model and other ProArt models are separate purchases. This page claims nothing about current price, stock, delivery or any seller advantage.
• Before relying on ASUS daisy chaining, trace the whole path: computer, DP input, DP output, then the additional screen. The manual’s QHD 100Hz example has no USB-C device connected. Set Power Saving to Normal Level, and expect a fixed input with no auto detection. The manual documents Deep Level as producing cloned content. For the DP Stream setting, pick the option your graphics hardware supports from DP 1.2, DP 1.4 or DP 1.4 plus USB 3.2, and never choose a version the source cannot handle.
• Before you buy for a chain, confirm extended DisplayPort MST support on your exact computer, graphics hardware, operating system and second display. A USB-C socket shape, a Mac compatibility badge or ordinary single-display support does not prove two extended screens will work. The ASUS manual also describes USB-C daisy chaining, yet this comparison does not assume the DP QHD 100Hz example holds when USB-C charging and data are active. Check that different arrangement on its own.
• A BenQ KVM setup needs at least two complete source paths. By default USB-C carries both video and data, DisplayPort pairs with USB 1 upstream, and HDMI pairs with USB 2 upstream. Plug the keyboard and mouse into the monitor’s downstream ports, confirm the physical inputs assigned in the KVM menu, and set System > Power Awake to ON, as the two-computer instructions require. According to the manual, KVM switches on automatically once the connections are right. You can switch with the input control, the KVM menu or the Hotkey Puck G2. Video cables alone do not carry USB peripheral data.
• When KVM control stops working after you reconnect computers, go back over both the video and USB cabling and the stored USB 1 or USB 2 input pairing, since the monitor can hold on to an earlier assignment. A USB-C host connection has to genuinely carry video and data. Check compatibility for the exact host and operating system, particularly on Mac models where display support differs by chip. The KVM hands control from one computer to another. It does not merge their sessions.
• To get 3840 by 2160 at 60Hz over BenQ USB-C, set System > USB-C Configuration to USB 2.0, which has a listed data ceiling of 480 Mbps. Choosing USB 3.2 Gen 1 gives a 5 Gbps USB link but caps that USB-C 4K signal at 30Hz. Both numbers are link limits. Neither is a measured file-transfer speed. If you need fast storage and 4K60 together, look at separate video and data connections or a different dock, and do not assume a single cable delivers both.
• To review a complete 3840 by 2160 image one-to-one, run the BenQ at its native panel resolution with a compatible output and cable, and open the image in a full-screen viewer that maps one image pixel to one display pixel. Look at the real signal and the app’s zoom, because toolbars may force a smaller image area. The ASUS cannot show every pixel of that complete image at once on its QHD panel. None of this establishes measured color accuracy, readable text size or equal HDR performance.
• Allow for a width of 613.3 mm and a stand depth of 197.2 mm on the ASUS, or 714.7 mm of width and 256.8 mm of stand depth on the BenQ, and add room for cables and any second display. If you plan to use your own stand or arm, confirm that arrangement separately. The BenQ’s larger diagonal does not guarantee more usable app space once operating-system scaling is applied.
• Plug both monitors into mains power. Through a suitable cable, ASUS USB-C delivers up to 96W and BenQ up to 90W to a compatible USB Power Delivery device. Check what your laptop needs to run and to charge, counting heavy loads and a startup from an empty battery, and hold on to the original adapter if necessary. For USB-C charging while the monitor is in standby, BenQ needs Power Awake ON. Neither is claimed to replace every laptop charger.
• Go through every cable and accessory included in the offer you are considering. The ASUS manual marks HDMI, DP and USB-C cables as optional, and its US specification lists accessories that vary by region. BenQ lists DP, HDMI, USB-C, a USB upstream cable and the Hotkey Puck G2, again varying by region. Do not count on the box containing every extra cable that two computers or a second screen would call for.