NEC PA322UHD 32-Inch Ultra HD Monitor Review

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Viewing Angles, Uniformity, Response And Lag

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, please click here.

At sizes over 27 inches, TN-based screens just won’t cut it. IGZO is a variant of IPS technology, and all of the examples we’ve photographed resemble the images above. From the sides you'll see a light falloff and shift towards green. However, detail is retained even in the darkest steps. Brightness is reduced from above, but there's no significant color shift and detail remains solid.

Screen Uniformity: Luminance

NEC includes uniformity compensation on all of its professional monitors, including the PA322UHD. Earlier models were more aggressive at the bottom end of the brightness scale, but newer screens do almost nothing (as our test results show). Despite the slight improvement, you ultimately won’t see a one-half-percent difference. UC does raise the black level and reduce contrast, however, so you have to decide if it’s worth using in your particular application.

Here’s the white field measurement:

Compensation is far greater at the 100-percent level. The monitor goes from last place to first in our comparison group, and measures better than almost every display we’ve reviewed to date. Still, after some time using the PA322UHD, we preferred the greater contrast with UC turned off.

Screen Uniformity: Color

UC also has a small impact on color uniformity, though you won’t see an issue either way given our results. With a factory calibration and top-notch quality control, it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever buy a PA322UHD with visible problems.

Pixel Response And Input Lag

Please click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

Gamers probably won't find it necessary to spend $3000 on this screen, but at least it posts decent response results. Its motion rendering is nowhere near the quality of a fast-refresh gaming monitor. Among its business-class competition, the PA322UHD has a slight edge.

Here are the lag results:

In this group, it's the BenQ BL3201PT that shines. Gaming at 3840x2160 is still an expensive proposition fraught with compromise. Enthusiasts looking for the ultimate in monitor performance still have to settle for speedy TN-based panels or one of the rare IPS displays that can run above 60Hz.

Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

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.

  • Nuckles_56
    I was wondering and couldn't see anywhere but what HDMI and display port versions is the panel using?
    Reply
  • MonsterCookie
    In this bad economy, where especially the "first wirld" countries are affected who kould pay for such toys, asking 3000$ (nowadays the same as 3000Euros) is almost ludacris. That is the price for a decent used car.

    Please just make first standard 30-inch 256x1600 screens available for an affordable price, and only after that is done, hope to sell these gems on the market.

    No offence, but here in Europe things are running so bad, that even design companies (where color accuracy is important are outsourcing), and they definitely cannot afford to splash 3000Euros of a darn computer screen.
    Not even talking about the private sector.
    Reply
  • MonsterCookie
    I know that that there will be hundreds of people commenting that for them this monitor is cheap.
    Well, lucky YOU!

    In socialist (nowadays becoming almost communist) countries like within the EU, where the state steals 48% of our salary as tax, we do *NOT* make six figures to pay for these things. Period.

    Btw, Tom's. Why on earth is there no Edit button?
    Just noticed that I made lots of typos in my first post because I was so angry at the price...
    Reply
  • beebbeeb
    The other top dog is Eizo, and the proper comparator is obviously Eizo ColourEdge series. Hope that Tom's Hardware will do a review of Eizo soon.
    Reply
  • Tanquen
    This is kind of out there. My 5 year old Dell U3011 (16:10, 2560x1600) was $950 when I got 2 of them, has 10-bit color and works fine. Going up to edge lit LED at 3840x2160 (16:9 Yuck!) , 5 years later for $3000 is too much. For $2000 it should be 4096x2160 or 5120x3200 (16:10) and have a better multi zone LED back light and have a better response time.

    TVs are bigger and do it for much less.

    Eizo and LG have 30"-ish 4096x2160 displays for less and what is with the bezels still being so huge. Look how deep this this is, why is the bezel so big. Again, bigger TVs have small bezels and people actually want to put two or three PC monitors next to each other.
    Reply
  • Tanquen
    Oops.
    Reply
  • Shankovich
    Some comments aren't realizing this is a professional oriented monitor. Targeted to artists, video editors, probably some types of engineers. Not for gaming guys (though it could game quite well it seems)
    Reply
  • mechanus
    If I had $3000 I'd start a business like selling stuff on amazon instead of spend it on a lot tiny light bulbs under a glass sheet.
    Reply
  • mechanus
    If I had $3000 I'd start a business like selling stuff on amazon instead of spend it on a lot tiny light bulbs under a glass sheet.
    Reply
  • Narcissistic_Martyr
    Looks like a good professional monitor. Not for gamers of course though.
    Reply