Asus ProArt PA32UCG Professional Gaming Monitor Review: Everything AND The Kitchen Sink

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Asus ProArt PA32UCG
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Asus)

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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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Asus ProArt PA32UCG
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

For SDR signals, the PA32UCG is limited to a measured 441 nits. This is plenty of light for any environment and will provide a bright and saturated image. With the light hood installed, you won’t want to set more than 200 nits.

The black level is impressively low for an IPS panel and we were impressed by the resulting 1429.8:1 contrast ratio. This is a native figure with no help from the local dimming feature. The PA32UCG is the first IPS panel to deliver native contrast ratio over 1400:1. With local dimming engaged, the backlight shuts off completely so we couldn’t measure the dynamic contrast ratio.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Asus ProArt PA32UCG
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Our calibration consisted of simply setting the backlight to 200 nits. No other adjustments were made to any of the SDR picture modes. In all cases, the black level remained the best of the IPS panels and contrast stayed over 1400:1. This is a real step forward for IPS technology Though you’ll still get more contrast from a VA panel, IPS is making strides. With local dimming engaged, the PA32UCG easily beats the perceived contrast of any VA monitor.

With near-perfect screen uniformity, the PA32UCG rocked our ANSI contrast test. 1362.8:1 is another record for IPS monitors. Of course, at this price point, we expect only the best quality control and component selection. Asus certainly delivers on that.

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.

9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • superop
    This is a terrible gaming monitor are you kidding? 5ms gtg response time? Blur and ghosting galore. I would NEVER game on anything unless it was a 1ms gtg response time. And these speeds have been out forever. Sure the image quality and brightness and resolution are insane. great for working with graphics. but not fast moving movies' images and especially not gaming. Would love to see some HONEST reviews and headlines that are just not meant to sell products.
    Reply
  • thepersonwithaface45
    superop said:
    This is a terrible gaming monitor are you kidding? 5ms gtg response time? Blur and ghosting galore. I would NEVER game on anything unless it was a 1ms gtg response time. And these speeds have been out forever. Sure the image quality and brightness and resolution are insane. great for working with graphics. but not fast moving movies' images and especially not gaming. Would love to see some HONEST reviews and headlines that are just not meant to sell products.
    This is for photo and video editing, or ART. ART, it's called the ProART.
    EDIT
    I see the headline now, yeah they need to take that out
    Reply
  • superop
    i agree 100%. but look at the title of the review

    "
    Professional Gaming Monitor Review: Everything AND The Kitchen Sink"

    No. just false.
    Reply
  • voyteck
    So you have measured the brightness uniformity but what about color uniformity? I wouldn't care for the first one too much if white was getting blueish or redish tint here and there which seems to be the norm except in some higher NEC and EIZO models.
    Reply
  • kristoffe
    a $5000 + tax monitor to color correct the next blockbuster film on... maybe if they took a zero off of the price tag, sure. Also, you can just calm t f down, 5ms isn't that bad.
    Reply
  • superop
    You're clearly not a gamer. Try playing any fast action like call of duty on 5ms and it looks terrible. 1ms or .5 fast ips looks amazing . Just pointing out the obviously so some uneducated rich kid doesn't blow his money on this monitor thinking it's good for gaming. It's not by any means
    Reply
  • tummybunny
    I'm a gamer and I couldn't care less about response times. Competitive FPS gamers on the other hand are a special breed who seem to live only to complain viciously about every monitor that has ever been released until one is released with 360hz 0.5ms, 1600 nits and RRP under $200.
    Reply
  • Kingdom9214
    superop said:
    You're clearly not a gamer. Try playing any fast action like call of duty on 5ms and it looks terrible. 1ms or .5 fast ips looks amazing . Just pointing out the obviously so some uneducated rich kid doesn't blow his money on this monitor thinking it's good for gaming. It's not by any means
    You're being so dramatic, 5ms is perfectly fine for almost anyone unless you happen to be playing at the elite level (top 1-5%) that would be using a TN panel anyway. I'm also willing to bet you've never actually played on a 1ms monitor since you specifically mention IPS. As there are zero IPS panels that can actually hit 1ms. Almost every monitor that says it's 1ms only hits close to that mark on the highest overdrive setting that is unusable for gaming due to the amount of overshoot. So if this monitor is actually hitting true 5ms GTG time it's right up with there with most quality gaming IPS panels that actually fall into the 3-5ms range.
    Reply
  • Lovelops
    I created an account just to reply to all these comments about gamers. There are many types of gamers. I am not a competitive gamer and I do not like or play FPS games. Professional gamers will use a dedicated high-end gaming monitor and will not care about the color accuracy or features needed for design work.

    I have been looking for a 4K monitor for creative work with Adobe, DCI-P3, hardware calibrated, and the latest connections. Most 4K Adobe monitors are only 60 Hz. I also want to take advantage of my RTX 3080 video card, so G-Sync compatible. I want to enjoy games and other content at a higher refresh rate.

    Yes - the title is inaccurate. What the author is really saying is this monitor is both for Professional Design and Gaming. He is referencing an earlier review of the Asus PG32UQX gaming monitor that supports design work with Adobe. The "AND The Kitchen Sink" he wanted with the PG32UQX is Dolby Vision and Thunderbolt ports. The PA32UCG is the BEST monitor for those of us who want the best of both worlds.
    Reply