Dough Spectrum Black 32 Ultra HD OLED Gaming Monitor Review: Tremendous Performance And Tweakability

An Ultra HD OLED gaming monitor with 240 Hz, 480 Hz in FHD resolution, Adaptive-Sync, HDR10, and wide gamut color.

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Dough Spectrum Black 32
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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The Spectrum Black 32 is the third dual-mode OLED I’ve reviewed so the group includes Acer’s X32 X3 and Asus’ PG32UCDP which also support 480 Hz. Also here is HP’s Omen 32 OLED, Aorus’ FO32U2P and Alienware’s AW3225QF.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

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

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Dough Spectrum Black 32
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

240 Hz in Ultra HD is a recipe for perfect motion resolution if you can maintain it. The test shows equality of response with draw times at 4ms for 240 Hz and 2ms for 480 Hz. That tracks with the math. As cool as 480 Hz is, you don’t need to reduce resolution to eliminate blur. You won’t see any at 240 Hz.

Input lag is where the differences lie and here, the Spectrum Black 32 sets a new record with just 9ms of total lag at 480 Hz. The previous record was 13ms jointly held by ViewSonic’s XG2536 and Aorus’ FO27Q2. What of the Asus PG27AQDP? Its 480 Hz QHD OLED panel can only muster 15ms.

At 240 Hz, it’s among the best but slightly outdone by HP and Acer. The HP is the fastest 240 Hz Ultra HD OLED I’ve tested. Obviously, all of this means the Spectrum Black 32 is fast. Motion is completely free of blur and input lag just doesn’t exist in any perceivable way.

Test Takeaway: Hardcore competitors might still prefer a higher refresh rate like 500 or 540 Hz but then, you’ll lose the OLED image quality offered by the Spectrum Black 32. It delivers a level of feel and response that is addictive, and you’ll be hard pressed to equal the experience with anything else.

Viewing Angles

Dough Spectrum Black 32

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Comparing the viewing angle photos of multiple OLEDs reveals subtle differences. There is no change in gamma or brightness at 45 degrees to the sides, but you can see a slight green shift. This is due to polarization increased by the micro lens layer used to boost output. You might see this slightly manifested in content. The top view dims a bit with reduced gamma.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

Dough Spectrum Black 32

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

I’ve found OLED screen uniformity to be a mixed bag though no screens have stood out as having visible issues. The Spectrum Black 32 is on the high side of average at 10.25%. My sample had no problems I could see with the naked eye when observing a 10% gray field pattern. The meter picked up a slight hot spot in the center while the surrounding zones were very close to each other.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

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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.

11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • DoughIsAScam
    Dough is a SCAM company, they stole $700 from me and never had any intention of actually shipping me a monitor in return. DON'T FALL FOR IT, they have screwed me and countless others, don't give these losers a cent. The only reason I trusted them to begin with was because Tom's Hardware gave them a positive review. You need to take this article down and quit giving these SCAMMERS publicity.

    The fact that they've already had to change their name to dodge the bad publicity they got from their previous scams should be evidence enough that they are NOT trustworthy.

    DON'T BE DUMB, DON'T BUY DOUGH.
    Reply
  • UnforcedERROR
    It bothers me that Toms published another article about a Dough monitor despite the fact that the "company" is clearly predatory.

    Read the comments from the previous Dough review:
    https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/dough-spectrum-black-27-inch-oled-gaming-monitor-review-pro-level-accuracy-and-premium-performance.3845054/
    When your own staff member is calling out the company it should tell you that they don't deserve coverage.
    Reply
  • Clowny
    Tom's risks their integrity even mentioning this scam company, but publishing a product review? Shameless. This is a SCAM company that will take your money and never send you a product and never refund your money once you tire of waiting.
    Reply
  • rikemomoLA
    Like others, I am still owed money ($800) from this company from years ago (I asked for a refund and despite countless emails assuring me they were working on it) and would strongly recommend not trusting this company with your own hard-earned funds. I am kind of disappointed that Tom's is reviewing this product, given the many years this has been going on.
    Reply
  • COLGeek
    I would recommend all of you experiencing issues with this company that you dispute the charges with your credit card company to cancel these transactions. Good luck.
    Reply
  • LabRat 891
    Still, only DP 1.4 input.
    Non-starter vs. LG's own 32" OLED (1st party) offerings. -and, that's before considering this company's sordid past
    Reply
  • hannibal
    LabRat 891 said:
    Still, only DP 1.4 input.
    Non-starter vs. LG's own 32" OLED (1st party) offerings. -and, that's before considering this company's sordid past

    Did you read they also have same monitor with dp2.1 port…
    Reply
  • LabRat 891
    hannibal said:
    Did you read they also have same monitor with dp2.1 port…
    Nope.
    I opened the article, scrolled to specs, saw DP 1.4 and Dual-Mode 240hz/480hz, and realized I've seen this display before under another brand. -the LG, sitting in front of me.
    Which, I bought after a very disappointing experience with another fresh-to-market 3rd party 32" 240/480hz OLED.

    In-context,
    Dough has a worse reputation than ASRock, and I wouldn't buy another ASRock display, myself.
    Reply
  • Sluggotg
    COLGeek said:
    I would recommend all of you experiencing issues with this company that you dispute the charges with your credit card company to cancel these transactions. Good luck.
    It sounds good in theory but companies like Dough just string you along till you can no longer get money back from the Credit Card company. (Is it like 4-6 weeks before your SOL?). I have had that happen to me a few times. I try to be the nice guy and keep believing their lies and in the end they keep my money and there is very little I can do, I do agree with COLGeek but make sure you file the complaint with your CC company within the time limit.
    (Also look up customer complaints about Dough. Some sights have 95% one star reviews because they have ripped off so many people).
    Reply
  • thestryker
    I don't necessarily mind reviews of something like this, but to do so without any warnings about the company in question is an extreme disservice at best. Between the outright theft when they were called Eve and doing crowdfunding to shoddy QC and awful service this just isn't a brand to recommend (or at the very least attach giant caveats to any recommendation).
    Reply