ASUS PG32UQX Review: 4K 144Hz G-SYNC Ultimate Gaming Monitor

The ASUS PG32UQX is a 32″ 4K 144Hz gaming monitor based on an IPS panel.

What differentiates it from most monitors currently available is the use of a mini LED backlight and an 1152-zone full-array local dimming solution.

This allows for a stellar peak brightness of over 1,400-nits and a high contrast ratio for the ‘true’ HDR viewing experience, while NVIDIA’s G-SYNC Ultimate certification ensures smooth HDR performance even while gaming.

Of course, all of this quickly adds up to the price, making it one of the most expensive gaming monitors available. Is it worth the money? Let’s find out!

Image Quality

The ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX features a 4K UHD IPS panel with a QDEF (quantum dot enhanced film) layer for true 10-bit color depth support, a wide 98% DCI-P3 and 99% Adobe RGB color gamut (equivalent to ~160% sRGB), Delta E < 2 factory-calibration, and 178° wide viewing angles.

Right out of the box, the monitor is actually in its sRGB emulation mode which clamps its native ~160% sRGB gamut to ~100% for the accurate representation of SDR content.

For more saturated colors, you just need to change the ‘Display SDR Input’ to ‘Wide Gamut’ under the ‘Image’ settings in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.

Sadly, there are no separate modes for DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, so if you want to use the screen for professional color-critical work, the monitor does have the capabilities – but you’ll need a colorimeter to profile it for color-managed applications.

The mini LED backlight allows the monitor to achieve exceptionally high brightness of over 1600-nits for HDR content, thus earning VESA’s top-tier DisplayHDR 1400 certification. With SDR content, peak brightness amounts to 500-nits.

The ASUS PG32UQX has an 1152-zone full-array local dimming (FALD) implementation.

Related:What Is LED Local Dimming?

Basically, there are 1152 zones on the screen, which can individually dim parts of the image that need to be dark without greatly affecting parts of the image that should remain bright – effectively increasing the contrast ratio and improving the viewing experience.

As a result, you get a truly incredible HDR picture quality where you can simultaneously have both bright highlights and deep blacks – in addition to the vibrant colors and crisp details provided by the monitor’s high resolution and wide color gamut.

However, as there are over 8 million pixels and ‘only’ 1152 dimming zones, not every pixel can be individually controlled like on OLED displays. So, in some scenarios, light from illuminated objects can bleed into the surrounding dimmed zones thus creating the halo or bloom effect.

This is most noticeable in scenarios where local dimming shouldn’t be used (and it can be disabled). For instance, when moving a tiny white cursor across a dark background.

Some scenes are particularly demanding though, and you will be able to notice blooming – a night sky or space full of stars is the worst-case scenario for the ASUS PG32UQX as some parts of the sky will look brighter than the rest due to the halos of stars.

In addition, as this is an IPS panel display, some IPS glow and backlight bleeding (intensity will vary across different units) will be visible too, which might take away from the viewing experience in a dark room. It’s a lot less noticeable than on an average IPS monitor thanks to the FALD system though.

Overall, you get an amazing HDR image quality, but some scenes might break your immersion due to the blooming. Keep in mind that an OLED display at half the price offers an infinite contrast ratio with no glowing, bleeding, or blooming of any kind.

Of course, OLEDs have other disadvantages.

Firstly, the peak brightness is not nearly as high, and secondly, there’s a risk of permanent image burn-in.

Performance

Moving on, the ASUS PG32UQX has imperceptible input lag of just ~3ms.

The pixel response time speed, however, is not as perfect. There are three overdrive options: Off, Normal, and Extreme. The ‘Normal’ option is the best one across the entire refresh rate range as it offers the best balance between ghosting and inverse ghosting.

While there’s no eye-catching dark-level smearing usually associated with slow VA panel gaming monitors, some trailing is noticeable with fast-paced content, though it will not bother most users – it’s just that the PG32UQX is not as fast as the modern IPS displays we’re used to.

Competitive gamers might find it a bit bothersome, but this monitor really isn’t aimed at competitive gaming anyway.

The dedicated G-SYNC module provides a variable refresh rate (VRR) for compatible GPUs, which ensures that there’s no screen tearing or stuttering up to 144FPS.

Related:What Is G-SYNC And What Does It Do?

This is the first G-SYNC module with DSC 1.2 (Display Stream Compression) support over DisplayPort 1.4, so you can enjoy 4K UHD resolution up to 144Hz with 10-bit color depth without any noticeable compression artifacts.

It also allows VRR to be used with AMD cards over DisplayPort. Over HDMI, FreeSync is not supported, but VRR works with the Xbox Series X up to 120Hz.

The backlight of the monitor is flicker-free as it doesn’t use PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) to regulate brightness, so you don’t have to worry about headaches caused by prolonged use of the screen if you’re sensitive to flickering.

Features

Beneath the bottom bezel of the screen, you’ll find three hotkeys in addition to a dial for navigation through the menu. It takes some time to get used to, but it’s intuitive and the menu is well-organized.

There’s also a small 2-inch ‘LiveDash’ OLED panel on the bottom bezel that can display system parameters (GPU/CPU temperature, etc.), monitor features (such as which picture preset is active or the refresh tracker), and custom gifs. It can also be disabled.

Additionally, Aura Sync RGB is supported, so you can synchronize your RGB LEDs with the logo projector at the base or the ROG logo at the rear of the monitor.

Other gaming features include Dark Boost (improves visibility in darker gamers by altering the gamma curvature), GameVisual (various picture presets, such as FPS, RTS/RPG, Cinema, Racing, and Scenery), and GamePlus (custom crosshair overlays, timers, and a refresh rate tracker).

Standard image adjustment tools are available as well as more advanced settings, including 6-axis hue/saturation, eight color temperature presets, and five gamma presets (from 1.8 to 2.6, plus selectable sRGB or BT.1886 gamma curve).

There’s also a low-blue light filter and a light sensor that can adjust the screen’s brightness according to ambient lighting.

You can also change the speed of the variable backlight (Fast, Medium, and Gradual – or Off), which we recommend leaving at ‘Fast’ for gaming.

Design & Connectivity

The ASUS PG32UQX features a recognizable ROG design with a sturdy and versatile stand. You get up to 70mm of height adjustment, +/- 20° swivel, -5°/20° tilt, and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility, but no pivot.

Further, the screen has a light anti-glare matte coating which prevents reflections without adding any graininess. Note that the monitor also has a cooling fan, but it’s fairly silent.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, three HDMI 2.0 ports, a dual-USB 3.0 hub, and a headphone jack. At the top of the screen, you’ll also find an extra USB 2.0 port and a tripod socket for easy webcam mounting.

While the monitor doesn’t have HDMI 2.1, it does support 4K 120Hz for the Xbox Series X when using 4:2:0 chroma subsampling. It also supports VRR up to 120Hz at 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p on the XSX. On the PS5, only 1080p 120Hz is supported.

Using chroma subsampling will make text look a bit smudgy when it’s displayed on colored backgrounds, but it should be perfectly fine for gaming, especially if you’re sitting a bit further from the screen.

Price & Similar Monitors

The ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX price ranges from $2,000 to $2,500, which is steep.

The Innocn 32M2V uses a similar panel and it can be found for $1000, though it doesn’t have as smooth VRR performance.

There’s also the Acer Predator X32FP, which has fewer (576) dimming zones, but a faster pixel response time speed for ~$1,250.

You can also get the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 for $1,100 – $1,300. It has a higher native contrast ratio, less blooming, faster response time and HDMI 2.1! However, not all users are fans of its steep 1000R screen curvature.

However, we highly recommend the Dell AW3225QF instead. It uses a QD-OLED panel for an infinite contrast ratio and instantaneous response time speed. It doesn’t get as bright as mini LED monitors, but it offers better HDR image quality and smoother performance for half the price.

To learn more about monitors and ensure you’re getting the model most suited for your personal preference, visit our comprehensive and always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

All in all, the ASUS PG32UQX is an amazing gaming monitor, but there are better displays at significantly lower prices available.

Specifications

Screen Size	31.5-inch
Resolution	3840×2160 (UHD)
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	144Hz
Response Time	4ms (GtG)
Adaptive-Sync	G-SYNC Ultimate, FreeSync (30-144Hz)
Ports	DisplayPort 1.4, 3x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	Headphone Jack, 2x USB 3.0, USB 2.0
Brightness	500 cd/m²
Brightness (HDR)	1400 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	1.07 billion (true 10-bit) 98% DCI-P3, 99% Adobe RGB
HDR	DisplayHDR 1400
Backlight	Mini LED, 1152-zone FALD
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)