Asus ProArt PA32UCDM 4K 240 Hz QD-OLED gaming monitor review: Precision, performance and elegance

32-inch gaming and reference monitor with 240 Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits, and wide gamut color.

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Asus ProArt PA32UCDM
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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I’ve said many times that there are no bad OLED gaming monitors. The technology is incredibly well-suited to the kind of video processing needed by discerning players. There’s no motion blur above 160fps, no flicker, no hesitation, and as I discovered, no need for Adaptive-Sync past 120 Hz.

But you never regret buying the best and the Asus ProArt PA32UCDM is a display like no other. It’s overkill for gaming, but it’s so lovely to look at and play on, you won’t regret spending the $1,900 it takes to own one.

Asus ProArt PA32UCDM

(Image credit: Asus)

For creative professionals, it’s a reference monitor like few others. Asus ProArt screens can all be counted on to deliver every required color mode with no need for calibration. The PA32UCDM continues this tradition. And if you want extra color for gaming or entertainment, it has a Native mode for a little more punch. When color-critical work is on the agenda, its flexibility and accuracy are hard to beat.

My only issue here is with its HDR rendering. I noted some black crush in testing and when observing content. And there is oversaturation in the red and green primaries. Asus has already updated the firmware (I used MCM104), and I suspect another update will be forthcoming to fix these issues.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

As a gaming monitor, I had no complaints. The PA32UCDM is one of the fastest 4K OLEDs I’ve yet tested. It has super low input lag and perfect motion resolution at frame rates above 160. And its 120 Hz limitation for Adaptive-Sync did not present itself in practice. There were no frame tears above 120fps.

The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM is expensive, but considering its capabilities, gorgeous styling and premium build quality, it’s hard to fault. If you are looking for the absolute best and most capable OLED monitor out there, definitely check it out.

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Christian Eberle
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.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Geef
    You've convinced me! I'm gonna buy one... just as soon as I win the lottery.
    Reply
  • JTWrenn
    No Displayport? That's just weird to me.
    Reply
  • qwertymac93
    Is it possible to use a usb-c to display port adapter backwards to plug in a graphics card to the monitor? A single HDMI input and no display port is a real PITA for those of us with normal graphics cards that also want to plug in a gaming console.
    Reply
  • gamer_jim
    I've read the gaming sections of this review twice. I bought a new PC for Lightroom and flight Sim 2024, Hunt Showdown and Age of Empires with a 9800x3d and 5080.

    I'm wanting a monitor to photo edit (hobby enthusiast) and game.

    Given adaptive sync cuts at 120hz but I may able to achieve above this. Will I get screen tearing or any issues. I've only ever known my 165hz 27" that supports gsync to the refresh rate limit of the monitor.

    Is this something they can update with firmware. Guessing it's a limit of the HDMI port.....wish they included display port.

    Basically should I buy this or get something like the Gigabyte Aorus fo32u2p or PG32UCDM??
    Reply
  • oofdragon
    No bling advert.. coff review will shake the fact this product is a utterly fail at this price point. No monitor justify costing more than a grand, even $600 for every other 32 inch OLED is kind of too much already. And you know, 32 inch is such a dumb size l, c'mon. It's 27 for 2k and 40 for 4k, in between is dumb. Just give it another resolution if you want to sell it at 32
    Reply
  • gamer_jim
    gamer_jim said:
    I've read the gaming sections of this review twice. I bought a new PC for Lightroom and flight Sim 2024, Hunt Showdown and Age of Empires with a 9800x3d and 5080.

    I'm wanting a monitor to photo edit (hobby enthusiast) and game.

    Given adaptive sync cuts at 120hz but I may able to achieve above this. Will I get screen tearing or any issues. I've only ever known my 165hz 27" that supports gsync to the refresh rate limit of the monitor.

    Is this something they can update with firmware. Guessing it's a limit of the HDMI port.....wish they included display port.

    Basically should I buy this or get something like the Gigabyte Aorus fo32u2p or PG32UCDM??
    Thought I'd come back and say I decided not to go with this screen and Bought the Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2P which RTINGS had as a great gaming and photography monitor.

    Asus did a big fail not making this a proper use for color critical workers who also game in the offline at home. All they had to do was add DP1.4 (or 2.1) and add features from their 32" PG32xxxx gaming line and it would have been a home run.

    Asus support on the phone told me VRR 120Hz cap is a hardware limit and won't be able to go to 240hz in future firmware updates.

    Plenty of us gamer dads are willing to pay slightly more for something not so RGB crazy in their office. Hopefully in the future they add a DP port and VRR through to the max frame rate of the monitor.
    Reply