Asus PB328Q 32-inch AMVA QHD Monitor Review

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Grayscale Tracking And Gamma Response

Our grayscale and gamma tests are described in detail here.

You can calibrate the factory-default Standard mode or one of the User presets. Both start in the same place with good out-of-box grayscale tracking, accurate color and correct gamma. In our test, we could see a faint green tint at the brightest levels but only barely. Below 70 percent the errors are not visible. It's not quite in the league of a factory-certified screen but it only costs half as much.

sRGB shows a bit more green and blue from 70 percent on up. There isn't much use for this preset since it locks out all adjustments including brightness. We recommend sticking with Standard or User.

We performed a quick grayscale calibration in the User mode and generated the above result. This is excellent performance that easily equals any pro-monitor we've reviewed. Considering the price, we're really impressed.

Here is our comparison group.

2.44dE is a perfectly acceptable average error level for nearly any monitor; and even more so for one costing less than $600 in the 32-inch size. Notice that in this test the BL3200PT matches the PB328Q's result almost exactly.

The PB328Q comes in second to a very expensive professional NEC monitor, which is fairly amazing considering the PA322UHD costs over $2,000. This budget screen just looks better and better as we move through our benchmark suite.

Gamma Response

Gamma tracking is very even but rides just above the 2.2 mark. While not at the ideal level of accuracy, this slightly darker result adds a bit of depth and punch to an already contrasty image. Since there is plenty of brightness available, the image actually looks a little more three-dimensional.

Here is our comparison group again.

All of the displays have very tight tracking so there are no standouts on the negative end. But the PB328Q manages to chalk up another awesome result in this test.

We calculate gamma deviation by simply expressing the difference from 2.2 as a percentage.

The slightly dark gamma value of 2.27 drops the Asus to fifth-place. It does manage to out-perform its sibling BL3200PT though. Like the gamma range test, none of the displays are very far off the mark. All of them offer excellent image quality and accuracy.

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.

  • King Kii
    price?
    Reply
  • King Kii
    price?
    for some reason it wasnt loading the price under your spec sheet, but i just checked the amazon link. $ 599.
    Reply
  • sburgess
    I would love if we could get some insider information about Asus' quality control issues. We can't all get press samples.
    Reply
  • Poozle
    I would get it but... ASUS has so many quality control issues. Never buying their products until they fix that.
    Reply
  • Xorak
    Good thing it doesn't have Freesync, or I'd be seriously tempted to pick this up and move my MG279Q to the secondary PC...
    Reply
  • jonbonwolf
    $469 at Newegg!
    Reply
  • DookieDraws
    ^^ SHHHHHHHH! I'm still trying to decide if I should get it or not. :)
    Reply
  • ohim
    Why VGA port on such a product ? At this point a monitor like this should have DP 1.3 and HDMI 2.0 only.. since these are the future from what it seems.

    As a gamer and video editor i really want a monitor that can combine both worlds but for now it seems you have to choose, get high refresh rates but TN panels or good IPS / VA with low refresh rates.
    Reply
  • ericgl
    I'm still waiting for a UHD display with 120Hz/144Hz refresh rate, 10bit color (1.07b colors), 100% AdobeRGB coverage, 85%+ rec2020 coverage. Am I too unrealistic?
    Reply
  • JonDol
    Yeah, I'm waiting for that too. With G-Sync or FreeSync and the latest HDMI (2.0 ?) and DP (1.3 ?).

    17424970 said:
    I'm still waiting for a UHD display with 120Hz/144Hz refresh rate, 10bit color (1.07b colors), 100% AdobeRGB coverage, 85%+ rec2020 coverage. Am I too unrealistic?

    Reply