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Response, Input Lag, Viewing Angles and Uniformity

The MAG325CQRF is part of a hot display category with many QHD 165 Hz examples available. However, most are 27 inches; 32 is less common. I’ve rounded up two IPS screens, Gigabyte’s M27QP and Galax’s VI-01; and three VA panels, Viotek’s GNV32DBE, NZXT’s Canvas 32Q and AOC’s CQ27G3S.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

The MAG325CQRF draws a full white field in 6ms, making it quicker than the 7ms taken by the bottom three screens. With a superb overdrive, it maintains very high resolution in rapidly moving images. This is true in test patterns and actual content. Input lag is very low, with just 24ms total latency recorded. Only the Gigabyte is a touch quicker but in practice, this difference is imperceptible. The 5 Hz overclock is good for 1ms less lag, so it’s worth engaging for all gameplay. This is excellent performance.

The MAG325CQRF isn’t great for sharing, not only because it’s a VA panel but because the curve is too extreme to view off-center. Eyepoint is crucial here, and I recommend setting the panel to vertical with your eyes at center screen. You’ll get a uniform look with no reduction of light or color shift on the sides. When viewed at 45 degrees off-center, you can see a significant loss of brightness and a shift to red/green. The top view is even more altered with the same color change and a very murky picture.

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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.