Acer ProDesigner PE320QXT professional monitor review: Touchscreen functionality with a 6K resolution

Acer takes a unique approach to professional displays with its ProDesigner PE320QXT.

Acer ProDesigner PE320QXT
(Image credit: © Tom's Hardware)

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To verify the PE320QXT’s color accuracy, I tested grayscale, gamma, and gamut tracking for the Color Space modes that match commonly used standards. I noted that they cannot be calibrated in the OSD except for General, which uses the monitor’s full native gamut. The charts are below, and at the end of this page is a table summarizing all the error values.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The PE320QXT’s default color space in the User mode is General with a 2.2 gamma and D65 color temp (Warm setting). It runs a tad cool with barely visible errors at 90 and 100% brightness. You won’t see a problem in most content. Gamma is a tad light as well. I tweaked the RGB gains to visual perfection, though gamma is unchanged. Overall, though, the picture is excellent, more than enjoyable for general use.

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The other modes are fixed and cannot be adjusted in the OSD. They all have slight errors in grayscale tracking, being either a tad cool or a tad warm. The furthest off the mark is HDR (BT.2020), which is very warm in tone. This will manifest later in the HDR tests. In all cases, gamma is either on point or a little light.

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.

Color tracking takes a middle road between P3 and BT.2020. The PE320QXT is a P3+ monitor thanks to its Quantum Dot layer. But note the direction of the green hue. It tends towards BT.2020. This is a compromise that keeps color from being too garish while taking advantage of that bonus volume. This creates a more natural look. I noted that Adobe RGB was on point for saturation and only showed slight hue errors in cyan and magenta. The PE320QXT has enough green to qualify as a true Adobe RGB display. Many other pro screens can’t make that claim.

Grayscale, Gamma and Color Gamut Test Summary

Below is a table of all the color space options’ results. Volume figures are impressive, especially for Adobe RGB and BT.2020, where the PE320QXT fills more than nearly all its competitors. Gamma runs a tad light and varies anywhere from 1.36 to 4.54% from its intended reference point. Grayscale errors are right at the visual threshold with a few slight issues but nothing significantly wrong. Gamma range values are very tight with very few variations.

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Row 0 - Cell 0

Grayscale Error

Gamma Range

Gamma Deviation

Gamma Actual

Gamut Error

Gamut Volume

General

2.30dE

0.09

4.54%

2.10

2.91dE

121.40%

Adobe RGB

3.92dE

0.10

3.63%

2.12

2.30dE

96.02%

sRGB

2.59dE

0.25

2.08%

2.35

1.75dE

97.96%

BT.709

2.76dE

0.14

3.33%

2.32

1.91dE

98.22%

DCI
 (Display P3)

3.10dE

0.09

1.36%

2.17

1.83dE

97.51%

BT.2020

6.22dE

0.16

0.42%

2.41

4.02dE

81.03%

Calibrated

0.24dE

0.10

2.72%

2.14

2.37dE

121.09%

Test Takeaway: The PE320QXT is a color-accurate monitor with a good selection of modes for professional use. It can’t be calibrated in the OSD, though, which might be an issue for long-term maintenance of standard references. It also lacks a P3 Cinema mode, which could be a problem for video post-production. In the General color space, it calibrates to a very high standard. It also has more color volume than just about any other professional display I’ve reviewed.

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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.

  • reghir
    Now at Best Buy: $1,588.50

    https://www.bestbuy.com/product/acer-pe320qxt-32-class-6k-led-monitor-169-31-5-viewable-in-plane-switching-ips-technology-led-black/JJ8V8HL42V
    Reply
  • voyteck
    6016 x 3384 is an in-between resolution that is not supported by video content. You won’t find 6K video anywhere. But it is useful for photography and CAD. It’s also great for presentation and conceptual graphics.

    ...and simple writing, reading, or copy editing. It's not about being able (or not) to spot individual pixels; it's about text distortion, which is clearly visible even on Ultra HD---whether on a 27-inch desktop display or a 14-inch laptop. An underline can even disappear completely. Try italicized Times New Roman across different zoom levels, for example. It doesn't happen every time, but at least you can clearly see how differently the underline can be displayed between adjacent zoom levels.
    Reply