Asus ROG Strix XG32VQR evaluate: AMD’s FreeSync 2 HDR struggles in opposition to Asus’ personal HDR tech

I’m a giant fan of Asus gaming displays. The over-the-top ROG aesthetic won’t be for everybody, and the ring of RGB LEDs adorning the again of the most recent Strix shows is perhaps distracting for anybody else not simply staring on the display, however they completely ship on the options and the constancy.

This Asus ROG Strix XG32VQR is mainly the up to date model of the already glorious ROG Strix XG32VQ, however introduces each the VESA DisplayHDR 400 ranking and assist for AMD’s FreeSync 2 HDR know-how. That means you get the sleek gaming syncing know-how from AMD based mostly on the Adaptive-Sync normal, in addition to assist for HDR gaming.

Yeah, I do know. HDR gaming remains to be a colossal fustercluck on PC and I can nonetheless solely consider Resident Evil 7 truly utilizing it to good impact. And even then you could have a fairly first rate show implementation to get probably the most out of the game’s intense – and intensely gloomy – visuals. Thankfully Asus has delivered an honest show for HDR, although it’s not the FreeSync 2 HDR assist that has made that doable…

We are nonetheless speaking a few VA panel used inside the brand new Asus display, with the identical 1440p native decision, 32-inch scale and pixel pitch, and a 144Hz refresh fee. It’s additionally sporting the identical fetching 1800R curve that the XG32VQ used to good impact.

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And worry not RGB LED followers, the brand new show has all of the pointless lighting you may probably need. There’s the down-firing LED from the bottom of the stand, which illuminates the desktop with no matter inserted form you select to drop into it, and there’s that multi-coloured ring of sunshine across the again of the panel too. None of which you’ll be remotely bothered about if you’re utilizing the monitor since you’ll be trying immediately on the display itself.

Something, one thing, mantlepiece, one thing, one thing, fireplace.

But it’s the lighting of that display the place the distinction within the panels is the obvious. Asus has added some further brightness to the show which supplies the brand new monitor its contemporary HDR capabilities. From the 300cd/m² peaks of the older XG32VQ, the brand new model has a rated peak luminance of 450cd/m².

Considering screens such because the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ are in a position to provide brightness as much as 1,000cd/m² which may appear just a little low hire, nevertheless it’s additionally value mentioning that we struggled to get a very satisfying HDR gaming expertise even out of that extremely costly display.

With the additional brightness Asus has additionally been in a position to seize the VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, with the promise of an honest HDR expertise must you so want. The panel is rarely going to have the ability to stand toe-to-toe with the gorgeous OLED TVs you may jam your PC into, and even a number of the fairly normal HDR televisions your PS4 Pro or Xbox One X can blow their visible beans over. But because of some Asus-y options inside this gaming monitor it does truly ship some fairly efficient game time, and it’s truly nothing to do with the AMD FreeSync 2 HDR assist that it’s additionally providing.

But sure, FreeSync 2 HDR is a part of the package deal, which means that you just get super-smooth gaming because of its efficient body synchronisation, in addition to the boldness that you just’re going to get the identical slick expertise if you allow HDR too.

The totally different ranges of HDR constructed into the show means that you could both keep on with the AMD adaptive-sync adaptation, or go along with both Asus Gaming HDR or Asus Cinema HDR as a substitute. Though bear in mind after I was speaking about what a large number PC HDR is? Yeah, generally the choices don’t seem, so that you’re not all the time in a position to decide your HDR poison. Which is a disgrace as a result of the HDR impact is much extra spectacular utilizing both of the Asus choices than the FreeSync 2 HDR model.

FreeSync simply appears extremely washed out, with the brightness wacked approach up which means that, whereas you’ll be able to see just a little extra clearly within the gloomy environs of Resi 7, it under no circumstances appears to be like good. Flick over to the Asus personal settings and the blacks look deep, and the brighter highlights actually pop. Well, pop as a lot as a 450cd/m² backlight can anyway.

But peak luminance is just one a part of the equation, with the precise panel high quality making extra of a tangible distinction to picture high quality. And the VA panel here’s a fairly spectacular one, providing excessive ranges of distinction at each the highest and decrease ends of the spectrum. It’s truly extra spectacular than the XG32VQ, although I imagine that’s extra to do with the added Asus Shadow Boost function of the newer show.

That all extends to the black ranges too, with a transparent distinction between the darkest shades of gray the panel is ready to reproduce. The white saturation of the display can be fairly good, not excellent as you lose some element with the very brightest of tones, nevertheless it’s simply as succesful because the XG32VQ.

There is one place the place I’m not so satisfied concerning the newer panel, and that’s close to the viewing angles. As a VA panel they’re clearly fairly good, with not one of the washing out you get from a TN display, however there may be some apparent color change throughout the vertical stretch of the show which the older panel doesn’t present.

The ROG Strix XG32VQR then is a high quality gaming monitor, with some first rate HDR chops, the wonderful body syncing of AMD’s FreeSync 2 HDR, which is now usable even with an Nvidia graphics card. It’s just a little dearer than the older panel, which now you can decide up for lower than £500, nevertheless it’s a superior display and can seemingly quickly retail for across the identical form of worth.