Asus ProArt PA32QCV 6K professional monitor review: Plenty of pixels, color, and brightness

Asus ups the pixel density ante with its 6K ProArt PA32QCV.

Asus PA32QCV
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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To verify the PA27JCV’s factory calibration, I measured the modes that will be most commonly used, P3 (cinema and display), sRGB, Adobe RGB, BT.709, and BT.2020. At the end of this page, there’s a summary of all the test results for each mode.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

All the average error values are around 3dE, which tells me this PA32QCV is an early or pre-production sample. Other ProArt monitors I’ve reviewed are closer to 1dE. The green errors seen in the charts above can be adjusted away using the OSD. To confirm this, I calibrated the Native mode, represented by the last chart and its invisible error of 1.30dE. The only exception to this is sRGB mode, which is fixed at 80 nits with all color controls grayed out.

Gamma tracks perfectly in every case and uses the correct value for each mode. BT.709 and BT.2020 use the power function at 2.4. sRGB, Adobe RGB, and Display P3 use the power function at 2.2. Cinema P3 uses the power function at 2.6. I calibrated Native also using the power function at 2.2

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The color charts all show precision with average errors under 2dE in all cases except BT.2020, which rendered 2.66. This is solely due to the lack of gamut volume, as the PA32QCV is a P3 monitor with no Quantum Dot tech. However, inner targets are on point. The only issue that can be seen in any chart is the slightly green white point that I spoke of earlier.

Grayscale, Gamma and Color Gamut Test Summary

Here are the grayscale, gamma and gamut results in a summary table. Error values are referenced to the Delta E 2000 spec. Gamma range refers to the difference between the highest and lowest value. Gamma Average is the percentage deviation from the standard for each color mode.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Row 0 - Cell 0

Grayscale Error

Gamma Range

Gamma Average

Gamma Actual

Gamut Error

Gamut Volume

sRGB

2.86dE

0.05

0.91%

2.22

1.41

99.38%

Adobe RGB

3.40dE

0.06

0.91%

2.22

1.88

88.22%

BT.2020

3.17dE

0.06

0.42%

2.41

2.66

72.72%

Display P3

3.66dE

0.05

0.45%

2.21

1.56

99.58%

Cinema P3

3.42dE

0.06

0.38%

2.59

1.52

99.48%

BT.709

3.47dE

0.06

0.00%

2.40

1.53

99.53%

Native calibrated

1.30dE

0.06

0.45%

2.21

0.77

99.70%

Test Takeaway: The PA32QCV has superb gamut and gamma accuracy with a few slight grayscale tracking issues seen in my review sample. Given the performance I’ve seen from other ProArt monitors, I conclude that this is an anomaly. At any rate, one can correct any errors easily using the available calibration methods.

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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.

  • wakuwaku
    Remember that the PA32QCV has Adaptive-Sync? It’s in the Settings menu under the heading MediaSync. Confusing, yes. Not only is it apart from other video processing options, but it’s also called a term only used by Asus. But now that you’ve read this, you know, and can tell your friends.

    Firstly NO. Don't tell your friends what Tom's AI tells you. They will laugh at you, then the AI will laugh at you too when you complain about it.

    The reason why Asus calls it MediaSync because that is the name of the standard that they are using. The MediaSync standard was introduced by VESA back in 2022!!!

    https://vesa.org/featured-articles/vesa-launches-industrys-first-open-standard-and-logo-program-for-pc-monitor-and-laptop-display-variable-refresh-rate-performance-for-gaming-and-media-playback/
    The reason why Asus does not call it AdaptiveSync is because it doesn't meet the requirements of the Adaptive Sync standard. It's not necessary to meet those standards for a creator monitor anyway. Here's a simple explainer:

    https://www.displayninja.com/what-is-vesa-adaptivesync-mediasync/
    Lastly, no Asus is not the only brand to use the term, since VESA introduced the term. And there are other brand that also use the same term: (Scroll down, MediaSync list of monitors is at the bottom)

    https://www.adaptivesync.org/certified-products/
    Seriously, the standard is not that new, although there are relatively low amount of monitors that are certified, but that is because only just recently that creator/professional monitors are getting variable and higher refresh rates. As a monitor reviewer, you could at least, you know? Keep up with what VESA does every now and then since they determine standards that hopefully make our monitoring experience better.
    Reply