{"id":10,"date":"2024-04-27T14:53:48","date_gmt":"2024-04-27T14:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/engadget.vip\/?p=10"},"modified":"2025-03-05T14:52:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T14:52:56","slug":"asus-cg32uq-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/?p=10","title":{"rendered":"Asus CG32UQ Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'><\/div><p>The Asus CG32UQ serves up solid quality, decent HDR and plenty of features \u2013 but this console-focused display isn&#8217;t big enough for the living room<\/p>\n<h2>Pros<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Great core image quality, with huge contrast<\/li>\n<li>Decent mid-range HDR options<\/li>\n<li>Smart, feature-packed physical design<\/li>\n<li>RGB LEDs add ambient lighting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cons<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Too small for the living room<\/li>\n<li>Expensive when compared to alternatives<\/li>\n<li>Disappointing 60Hz AMD FreeSync<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"review-key-specifications\">Key Specifications<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Review Price: \u00a3779<\/li>\n<li>3840 x 2160 resolution<\/li>\n<li>31.5in diagonal<\/li>\n<li>VA panel<\/li>\n<li>60Hz AMD FreeSync<\/li>\n<li>1 x DisplayPort<\/li>\n<li>3 x HDMI<\/li>\n<li>5ms response time<\/li>\n<li>4 x USB 3.0<\/li>\n<li>2 x 12W speakers<\/li>\n<li>VESA DisplayHDR 600<\/li>\n<li>9.1kg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The Asus CG32UQ is a large, imposing gaming monitor designed for consoles \u2013 the CG in its name stands for Console Gaming.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It certainly has the specification to provide a big, bold gaming experience. It\u2019s a 31.5in display with AMD FreeSync, DisplayHDR 600 and a 4K resolution \u2013 as well as more than 60 RGB LEDs.<\/p>\n<p>This screen is designed for console players, but could obviously be used for PCs too. It isn&#8217;t cheap, though, costing \u00a3779\/$800.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asus-cg32uq-design-and-features\">Asus CG32UQ design and features \u2013 Decent basics ensure it gets off to a good start<\/h2>\n<p>The CG32UQ serves up a cart load of features that will appeal to gamers, but in some departments its specification is somewhat underwhelming.<\/p>\n<p>The basics are good. The 4K resolution means you have a sufficient number of pixels to handle anything the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X can output \u2013 as well as the next generation of consoles. It\u2019s also good enough for high-end PC gaming. The density level of 140ppi is great \u2013 it keeps games looking crisp. The VA display is a decent choice, since it should deliver huge contrast levels.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The Asus deploys DisplayHDR 600, which demands that a screen deliver a 600-nit brightness level and a 0.1-nit black point \u2013 you&#8217;ll certainly see the difference to HDR games. Crucially, DisplayHDR 600 also demands local dimming, which means that it will have better control over contrast than the entry-level DisplayHDR 400 protocol, which barely makes a difference to games at all.<\/p>\n<p>The CG32UQ has a decent core specification, then \u2013but it isn\u2019t without problems.<\/p>\n<p>The 32in diagonal is large in the context of PC monitors, but small when compared to TVs. This screen certainly isn\u2019t big enough for a living room. It&#8217;s a better fit for a bedroom, a desk or an office, but you\u2019ll have to consider its size if you\u2019ll be sat a reasonable distance away.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>If you do want something that\u2019s more akin to a TV, the Asus ROG Strix XG438Q is a 43in 4K panel with 120Hz FreeSync and DisplayHDR 600. It\u2019s more expensive, at \u00a31090\/$900, but it\u2019s far larger.<\/p>\n<p>The screen here is a little grainy, which will be noticeable if you sit close to the display. The response time of 5ms is fine for console gaming and for most competitive scenarios, but keen competitive gamers will not be sated.<\/p>\n<p>The AMD FreeSync implementation could be better, too. The Asus tops out at 60Hz and works with both AMD and Nvidia graphics cards. That\u2019s a high enough refresh rate for smooth single-player gaming, and decent for a 4K panel \u2013 get beyond 60fps and a lot of graphics cards will struggle.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>However, Sony is aiming for 120Hz with the PS5, Microsoft has talked about 120Hz for Xbox, and many less-demanding eSports games and single-player titles will run at 4K at speeds beyond 60fps. It\u2019s disappointing that the CG32UQ doesn\u2019t at least give gamers the option to go higher.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: Upcoming PS4 games 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asus-cg32uq-osd-and-setup\">Asus CG32UQ OSD and setup \u2013 A bold on-screen display draws the eye<\/h2>\n<p>The CG32UQ is a robust display with good build quality and neat features. For instance, the wide stand has rubber pads for holding peripherals and two USB ports for charging phones and controllers. The panel itself has a further two USB ports alongside a trio of HDMI sockets and one DisplayPort connection.<\/p>\n<p>The Asus has a reasonable 100mm of height adjustment and 25 degrees of tilt, but no swivel. That\u2019s not a surprise for a screen of this size, but conventional PC panels will offer more versatility.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The CG32UQ\u2019s console focus means a big, bold on-screen display. The menu system is huge, and designed with bright blue graphics and hexagonal shapes. It\u2019s navigated by a joystick and buttons on the back of the screen, and Asus also includes a remote control.<\/p>\n<p>Get past the outlandish looks and you\u2019ll find a conventional system. The OSD always provides a summary of the screen\u2019s key settings, and the options for tweaking modes, colours, inputs and system settings can be found in the usual locations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The only slight niggle is that, for all of its bombast, the OSD is slow \u2013 you can see the graphics lagging. It\u2019s irritating when you\u2019re trying to quickly change settings.<\/p>\n<p>The rear of the Asus is ringed by 66 RGB LEDs, which can be used to synchronise with games to provide appropriate ambient lighting. They can also run through the usual selection of patterns and static shades.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The Asus has two superb 12W speakers. They\u2019re loud and bassy \u2013 so explosions, football chants and engine roars sound fantastic. There could be more depth and detail to the mid-range and top-end, but the kit here is easily good enough for gaming.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: Best PC games 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asus-cg32uq-image-quality\">Asus CG32UQ image quality \u2013 Bright and bold, it&#8217;s perfect for HDR games<\/h2>\n<p>By default, the CG32UQ uses its Racing mode at 90% brightness \u2013 and it gets off to a good start. The brightness level of 425 nits is significant, and the black level of 0.14 is fantastic; together creating a contrast ratio of 3035:1. That\u2019s roughly three times as high as gaming panels with IPS technology.<\/p>\n<p>Out of the box, the Asus delivers huge punch and vibrancy with superb, deep black areas, bold colours and bright whites. It\u2019s very impressive.<\/p>\n<p>Halving the factory brightness levels saw contrast levels maintained, and running the panel at its peak SDR brightness saw the backlight jump to 463 nits and contrast remain consistent.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The Asus\u2019 Delta E of 2.2 ensures solid, accurate colours. The temperature of 6,904K is a little chilly, but not so cool that gaming is hindered. The panel displayed 99.8% of the sRGB gamut \u2013 fine for mainstream gaming.<\/p>\n<p>Its HDR performance is good, too. In its HDR modes that Asus nearly reaches 700 nits of brightness, with black levels around 0.18 nits \u2013 so contrast approaches 4000:1. That means it can easily handle DisplayHDR 600\u2019s requirements, and its 95.6% DCI-P3 coverage level is high.<\/p>\n<p>The huge brightness, deep blacks and local dimming mean HDR games look fantastic here \u2013 you get a noticeable boost to contrast. DisplayHDR 1000 still provides more subtle colour and contrast control, but the Asus provides a decent HDR boost and outstrips anything with DisplayHDR 400.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Uniformity is just about acceptable: the backlight loses 20% of its strength on the left-hand edge, but that high figure is masked by moving games and lower brightness levels.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t bother with any of the screen modes, though: the Scenery option is very bright but lacks depth; Cinema mode has a red hue and is too noisy; and the RTS, RPG and FPS options are similar to the original Racing setting.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: Best PS5 games<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"should-you-buy-the-asus-cg32uq\">Should you buy the Asus CG32UQ?<\/h2>\n<p>The Asus CG32UQ is a good monitor, but it has some caveats that will restrict its appeal.<\/p>\n<p>The 4K VA panel is excellent. It\u2019s crisp, with huge contrast and good colours. DisplayHDR 600 gives games a boost, the speakers are powerful, and the design is good, offering plenty of USB ports, solid build quality and RGB LEDs.<\/p>\n<p>However, the CG32UQ has a disappointing FreeSync implementation, and its size is an issue. It\u2019s a large screen for PC gaming, but console players will find this panel far smaller than most TVs, and that precludes the Asus from being used across living rooms.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s price, too, is high. For that money, PC gamers can buy 32in 4K panels with IPS technology and with either 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rates \u2013 or faster screens with lesser resolutions. Console players can buy 4K, 60Hz TVs with HDR that are much larger.<\/p>\n<p>It leaves the CG32UQ in a tricky spot. It\u2019s a decent screen, but I\u2019m just not sure that it will find a home outside of bedrooms, offices or the desktop because it just isn&#8217;t big enough for the living room.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"review-trusted-score\">Trusted Score<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Asus CG32UQ serves up solid quality, decent HDR and plenty of features \u2013 but this console-focused display isn&#8217;t big enough for the living room Pros Great core image quality, with huge contrast Decent mid-range HDR options Smart, feature-packed physical design RGB LEDs add ambient lighting Cons Too small for the living room Expensive when [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[10,11,13,14,15,16,12],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1280,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10\/revisions\/1280"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}