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The PG32UQX ships in its Scenery picture mode, which leaves some performance potential untapped. However, you can use the monitor without doing any calibration besides selecting a different mode.
Grayscale & Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
A grayscale error of 5.72 Delta E (dE) is definitely below the PG32UQX's max potential. Grayscale tracking is quite blue because the default color temp setting is 7500K, 1,000 points too high.
Gamma also runs very light in the darker brightness level steps, making the picture look washed out and flat. You can change the color gamut setting to Wide to offset this somewhat, but the better option is to choose Racing mode (2nd chart above).
Racing tightens up gamma and reduces grayscale errors enough to make them invisible to the naked eye, (since the error is less than 3dE).
Still, with a few tweaks of the RGB sliders (see our recommended settings on page 1), Racing mode's grayscale tracking becomes essentially perfect, and gamma improves even more. Aside from a slight dip at 10% brightness, this is as good as it gets. We noted that grayscale tracking was not affected by the gamut setting: Wide or sRGB produced the same result.
Comparisons
From default (1st chart above) to calibrated (2nd chart), the PG32UQX swings from mediocre to world-class. At this price, it shouldn’t take any adjustment at all, and we’re puzzled as to why Asus made Scenery the default mode when Racing is so much better. But since you’re reading this, you know what to do.
Gamma tracking (3rd chart) is very good except for the dip we mentioned at 10% brightness. That will make shadow detail a tiny bit brighter, which is good for visibility but makes the image a tad flat. Luckily, the variable backlight is there to take contrast and depth to a very high level. We recommend turning it to level 2 after calibration in the Racing mode.
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.
The PG32UQX’s Scenery mode also has a few color anomalies. By default, red and green are undersaturated, except for at the triangle perimeter, where it's right on target. The cool grayscale pulls the secondaries off their hue targets. These color errors make the image less vibrant.
Changing to Racing (2nd chart) improves the error to an invisible 1.47dE. You can stop there and enjoy the PG32UQX or finish the calibration (3rd chart) for a ridiculously low error of 0.41dE, one of the lowest we’ve ever measured. Note that we performed our SDR tests using the monitor’s sRGB gamut option. If you choose to use the wide gamut for SDR, it will be very oversaturated, but grayscale and gamma will be the same. That look may appeal to some gamers.
The final chart above shows our measurements for calibrated Racing mode using DCI-P3 as the reference. While a 2.98dE is just near the visible threshold of errors, we could see visible hue errors with green. The chart also shows red and green being clearly over their targets. This is all fine for HDR content, but SDR material looked a bit unnatural when using the wide gamut.
Comparisons
The first chart above looks at DCI-P3 accuracy post-calibration. The PG32UQX’s 2.98dE result is respectable but a bit behind the other screens. The visible errors are all in the green primary, which is off in hue. Again, personal preference will be the deciding factor here. It’s easy to maintain the correct sRGB gamut for SDR using the OSD controls. And the accuracy there is amazing, 0.41dE.
In audio, there are enthusiasts known as “bassheads” for their love of, well, you know. The PG32UQX is clearly a monitor for “colorheads.” It has the largest color gamut we’ve ever recorded, over 117% of DCI-P3 (second place is the MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD with 112.19%). And its sRGB gamut also completely fills its volume standard with over 101% (the MSI topped 166% ). Color-critical work will require a software profile to rein in saturation and correct the green hue errors in wide gamut mode. But if it’s color you’re after, Asus provides more than anyone else.
