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

Versatility, accuracy and performance

Reviews
By Christian Eberle
published
Asus ProArt PA32UCG
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Asus)

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

To test the PA32UCG’s HDR performance, we used an HDR10 signal from our test rig. Each HDR signal type can be rendered in either DCI-P3 or Rec.2020 color. Most gaming and video content uses the DCI gamut since it more closely matches the bulk of available consumer displays.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

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

The PA32UCG breaks our maximum brightness record with over 1719 nits recorded in HDR mode. This was achieved with both window and full screen patterns. That’s a serious achievement. With a full white field on the screen, we couldn’t look at it directly. In practice, it means very bright highlights against a deep and saturated background. The 1152-zone Mini-LED backlight delivers incredible black levels as well. To get a measurement, we had to display a small info bug at the bottom of the screen. Otherwise, a full field black pattern registers zero nits because the backlight is completely shut off. Resulting contrast is almost 208,000:1, another record. Only an OLED panel can produce a higher perceived contrast ratio. And when viewed side by side, it’s hard to tell the PA32UCG from an OLED; it’s that good.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

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Asus ProArt PA32UCG
(Image credit: Portrait Displays Calman)

For each HDR mode, you can choose either DCI-P3 or Rec.2020 color. Additionally, you can pick from three EOTF response curves. Optimized is the default and produces the closest adherence to standard. We tested both color gamuts. Grayscale and EOTF tracking are virtually identical as they should be. The PA32UCG’s high brightness means it doesn’t start tone-mapping until 80%. Most HDR content is mastered to 1000 nits so this monitor has a lot of headroom with which to extend dynamic range even further.

For the color tests, we ran a DCI-P3 and a Rec.2020 reference sweep in each HDR color mode. When set to Rec.2020, the PA32UCG over-saturates the inner targets whether the input signal is DCI or 2020. When set to DCI-P3, the measurements are closer to the mark. The takeaway is that you should set the PA32UCG to the correct reference gamut for the material you’re viewing. Most games and videos are mastered in DCI-P3. If you encounter something mastered to Rec.2020, only then should you choose that gamut from the monitor’s OSD. For general entertainment use, DCI-P3 is the right play.

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