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We've recently released Test Bench 2.0 for Monitors! Read our new VRR Flicker R&D Article and Pursuit Photo R&D Article to learn more.

ASUS TUF VG32VQ Monitor Review

Tested using Methodology v1.1
Reviewed Oct 03, 2019 at 09:34 am
Latest change: Retest Jan 05, 2022 at 09:33 am
ASUS TUF VG32VQ Picture
7.6
Mixed Usage
7.3
Office
8.2
Gaming
7.4
Multimedia
7.5
Media Creation
6.9
HDR Gaming

The ASUS VG32VQ is a good 32 inch, 1440p monitor with great gaming performance. Like most VA monitors, it has a good contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks, but unfortunately, the image degrades when viewed at an angle. It has an excellent response time and flicker-free backlight, and it's one of the only monitors on the market that supports black frame insertion and FreeSync at the same time. Unfortunately, this feature doesn't work very well when the frame rate drops below 40fps, causing noticeable backlight strobing.

Our Verdict

7.6 Mixed Usage

The ASUS TUF Gaming VG32VQ is a good monitor for most uses. It has outstanding low input lag for gaming, and an excellent resolution and size for multitasking or media creation. Unfortunately, the image degrades at an angle, and it has terrible black uniformity.

Pros
  • Deep blacks.
  • Excellent response time.
Cons
  • Image loses accuracy at an angle.
  • Noticeable backlight strobing at low refresh rates.
7.3 Office

Decent monitor for office use. It has an excellent amount of screen real estate, great for multitasking, and it has good reflection handling and great peak brightness, so glare shouldn't be an issue in a bright room. Unfortunately, the image degrades when viewed at an angle and the stand has limited ergonomics.

8.2 Gaming

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ is a great monitor for gaming. It has outstanding low input lag, an excellent resolution and size, and an excellent response time. It has an optional black frame insertion feature, which even works with FreeSync enabled, but at low frame rates there is noticeable strobing, which can be distracting.

7.4 Multimedia

Decent monitor for multimedia. It has an excellent resolution and size, outstanding low input lag, and good reflection handling. Unfortunately, the image degrades when viewed at an angle, so it isn't a good choice for sharing the screen with someone.

7.5 Media Creation

This is a good monitor for media creation. It has an excellent resolution and size, so you can see more of your work at once. It also has outstanding low input lag, and the stand has decent ergonomics. Unfortunately, the image degrades at an angle, so it isn't great for sharing your screen with clients.

6.9 HDR Gaming

Decent monitor for HDR gaming, mainly due to its great gaming performance. It has a good contrast ratio, but only decent HDR peak brightness, so small highlights don't stand out the way they should. Unfortunately, it has terrible black uniformity and no local dimming.

  • 7.6 Mixed Usage
  • 7.3 Office
  • 8.2 Gaming
  • 7.4 Multimedia
  • 7.5 Media Creation
  • 6.9 HDR Gaming
  1. Updated Jan 05, 2022: Updated the Text Clarity score.
  2. Updated May 11, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  3. Updated Oct 03, 2019: Review published.
  4. Updated Oct 01, 2019: Early access published.
  5. Updated Sep 30, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
  6. Updated Sep 29, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  7. Updated Sep 16, 2019: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the 32" ASUS TUF VG32VQ, which is the only size available for this model. There are other TUF Gaming models available, some of which are listed below. We do not expect our review to be valid for the other models.

If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their VG32VQ doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as gray uniformity may vary between individual units.

Model Size Resolution Refresh Rate
TUF VG32VQ 32" 1440p 144Hz
TUF VG27AQ 27" 1440p 165Hz
TUF VG27BQ 27" 1440p 165Hz
TUF VG35VQ 35" 3440x1440p 100Hz
STRIX XG32VQR 32" 1440p 144Hz

The TUF VG32VQ we reviewed was manufactured in June 2019.

Compared To Other Monitors

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ is a great gaming monitor, and it performs similarly to the other 32", 1440p VA monitors we've tested. See also our recommendations for the best gaming monitors and the best 1440p gaming monitors.

Gigabyte G32QC

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ is marginally better than the Gigabyte G32QC. The ASUS has better ergonomics, better reflection handling, and faster response time. On the other hand, the Gigabyte has a higher refresh rate, better SDR color gamut, and better color accuracy out-of-the-box.

ASUS TUF VG27AQ

The ASUS TUF VG27AQ is significantly better than the ASUS TUF VG32VQ. Though they share the same design, the VG27AQ has an IPS panel with much better viewing angles, color accuracy, and black uniformity. On the other hand, the VG32VQ's VA panel has a better contrast ratio, can get brighter, and has better reflection handling for bright room viewing, though its motion handling isn't as good.

LG 32GK850G-B

The ASUS TUF Gaming VG32VQ is slightly better than the LG 32GK850G-B for most uses. The ASUS supports HDR and has an optional black frame insertion feature that can improve the appearance of motion. Most people will prefer the LG for gaming though, as it has a much faster response time, resulting in clearer motion with less blur behind fast-moving objects. The LG also has much better black uniformity.

Dell S3220DGF

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ and the Dell S3220DGF are very much alike, as they both have a 32" screen, a 1440p resolution on a VA panel, and they both support FreeSync. The main difference between them is that the Dell's refresh rate defaults to 165Hz over DisplayPort, it has better black uniformity than the ASUS, and better color accuracy. However, it can't get as bright as the ASUS in SDR content, it has worse reflection handling and doesn't have a black frame insertion feature, which the ASUS does.

ASUS ROG Swift PG348Q

The ASUS ROG Swift PG348Q and the ASUS TUF VG32VQ use different panel technologies, each with strengths and weaknesses. The PG348Q has much better viewing angles, and the wide aspect ratio is slightly better for multitasking. The VG32VQ supports HDR, and it looks much better in a dark room. The VG32VQ has more advanced gaming features, including a faster refresh rate and an optional black frame insertion feature.

LG 32GK650F-B

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ is a bit better than the LG 32GK650F-B. The VG32VQ supports HDR and has much better gradient handling, with significantly less banding in areas of similar color. The LG, on the other hand, has better black uniformity, so it's a slightly better choice for users in a dark room.

MSI Optix MPG27CQ

The ASUS TUF Gaming VG32VQ is slightly better than the MSI Optix MPG27CQ for most uses, but the MSI is slightly better for gaming. The ASUS supports HDR and has much better gradient handling, with almost no noticeable banding in areas of similar color. The MSI has a much faster response time, though, resulting in clearer motion when gaming, with less blur behind fast-moving objects.

Samsung C27RG5

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ is much better than the Samsung C27RG5. The ASUS has a much faster response time, resulting in clearer motion when gaming, and it has an optional black frame insertion feature. The ASUS also has a larger, higher-resolution screen and better ergonomics, so it's better for multitasking and easier to place in an ideal viewing position.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Size 32"
Curved Yes
Curve Radius 1800R
Weight (without stand)
14.6 lbs (6.6 kg)
Weight (with stand)
20.3 lbs (9.2 kg)
Design
Stand
Width
11.5" (29.2 cm)
Depth
9.2" (23.4 cm)

The stand is very similar to other ASUS monitors we've tested, including the ASUS ROG Swift PG279QZ. It supports the monitor well, and there is very little wobble.

7.2
Design
Ergonomics
Height Adjustment
5.5" (14.0 cm)
Switch Portrait/Landscape No
Swivel Range -60Ā° to 60Ā°
Tilt Range -20Ā° to 5Ā°

The stand has a great height adjustment and tilt range, and an excellent swivel range, but it can't rotate to portrait orientation.

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 100x100

The back has the same design as most ASUS gaming monitors. There is no RGB bias-lighting feature and no quick-release on the stand. There is a hole in the stand for cable management.

Design
Borders
Borders
0.6" (1.5 cm)

The borders are very thin on three sides, and even the bottom bezel doesn't stand out much. This is a great monitor for a multi-display setup.

Design
Thickness
Thickness (with stand)
8.2" (20.8 cm)
Thickness (without stand)
4.4" (11.2 cm)

Due to the curvature of the screen, the VG32VQ is thicker than most similarly-sized displays, even when removed from the stand. Like many ASUS monitors, the stand leans back at a small angle, so the overall thickness varies a bit depending on the height of the screen. The above measurements were taken with the monitor placed at the bottom.

8.0
Design
Build Quality

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ has great build quality. It feels well-built, very similar to the ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q.

Picture Quality
7.8
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
2,880 : 1
Contrast With Local Dimming
N/A

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ has a good contrast ratio. This results in deep blacks and is especially noticeable in a dark room. This is slightly better than the LG 32GK850G and much better than 32" IPS monitors like the LG 32UL950-W.

0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Edge

The ASUS VG32VQ doesn't have a local dimming feature. The above video is provided for reference only.

8.2
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Real Scene
390 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 2% Window
407 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 10% Window
407 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 25% Window
407 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 50% Window
406 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 100% Window
406 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 2% Window
406 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 10% Window
406 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 25% Window
406 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 50% Window
406 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 100% Window
406 cd/mĀ²
SDR ABL
0.000

Great SDR peak brightness; this monitor can easily overcome glare in most rooms. There is no noticeable variation in brightness with different content, which is great.

6.9
Picture Quality
HDR Peak Brightness
HDR Real Scene
423 cd/mĀ²
HDR Peak 2% Window
447 cd/mĀ²
HDR Peak 10% Window
448 cd/mĀ²
HDR Peak 25% Window
448 cd/mĀ²
HDR Peak 50% Window
448 cd/mĀ²
HDR Peak 100% Window
433 cd/mĀ²
HDR Sustained 2% Window
446 cd/mĀ²
HDR Sustained 10% Window
447 cd/mĀ²
HDR Sustained 25% Window
447 cd/mĀ²
HDR Sustained 50% Window
444 cd/mĀ²
HDR Sustained 100% Window
394 cd/mĀ²
HDR ABL
0.008

Decent HDR peak brightness, but small highlights in most HDR content don't stand out as much as they should. There is some variation in peak brightness, especially when displaying large, bright screens, but this shouldn't be noticeable.

5.9
Picture Quality
Horizontal Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Left
34Ā°
Color Washout From Right
34Ā°
Color Shift From Left
42Ā°
Color Shift From Right
43Ā°
Brightness Loss From Left
34Ā°
Brightness Loss From Right
35Ā°
Black Level Raise From Left
17Ā°
Black Level Raise From Right
17Ā°
Gamma Shift From Left
19Ā°
Gamma Shift From Right
19Ā°

Unfortunately, like most VA monitors the image degrades when viewed at an angle. This isn't ideal if you like to share your screen with other people.

5.3
Picture Quality
Vertical Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Below
31Ā°
Color Washout From Above
31Ā°
Color Shift From Below
28Ā°
Color Shift From Above
32Ā°
Brightness Loss From Below
32Ā°
Brightness Loss From Above
33Ā°
Black Level Raise From Below
9Ā°
Black Level Raise From Above
11Ā°
Gamma Shift From Below
16Ā°
Gamma Shift From Above
13Ā°

Unfortunately, the image degrades considerably when viewed from above or below. This isn't an issue for most people, but if you're planning on mounting the display above you, this could be an issue.

8.4
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
2.826%
50% DSE
0.132%
5% Std. Dev.
0.681%
5% DSE
0.054%

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ has great gray accuracy. Some dirty screen effect is noticeable in the center of the screen, which could be an issue with some uses.

2.1
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
4.629%
Std. Dev. w/ L.D.
N/A

Unfortunately, the ASUS TUF VG32VQ has terrible black uniformity. There is significant bleed along the top and bottom edges, and this can be distracting in dark scenes in a dark room.

5.2
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
Picture Mode
Racing Mode
Luminance
403 cd/mĀ²
Luminance Settings
90
Contrast Setting
80
RGB Controls
100-100-100
Gamma Setting
N/A
Color Temperature
7,194 K
White Balance dE
5.60
Color dE
4.23
Gamma
2.22

Update 05/15/2020: A previous version stated that the best Trace Free setting was '100', but it's actually '80'.

Out of the box, the TUF VG32VQ has poor accuracy. There are noticeable inaccuracies in many colors and most shades of gray. The color temperature is very cool, resulting in a slightly blueish tint. Gamma is close to the sRGB target curve for the most part, but some dark scenes are over-darkened considerably.

9.4
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
Picture Mode
Racing Mode
Luminance
100 cd/mĀ²
Luminance Settings
13
Contrast Setting
72
RGB Controls
99-100-90
Gamma Setting
N/A
Color Temperature
6,461 K
White Balance dE
0.75
Color dE
1.03
Gamma
2.18

Update 05/15/2020: A previous version stated that the best Trace Free setting was '100', but it's actually '80'.

After calibration, this monitor has much better accuracy. There are still some minor inaccuracies in some colors, but most people won't notice any issues.

You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and should not be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit even for the same model due to manufacturing tolerances.

8.2
Picture Quality
SDR Color Gamut
sRGB xy
92.0%
Adobe RGB xy
72.3%
sRGB Picture Mode
Racing
Adobe RGB Picture Mode
Racing

s.RGB Picture Mode: MOBA (calibrated)
Adobe RGB Picture Mode: MOBA

The TUF VG32VQ has a great SDR color gamut, covering most of the common sRGB color space. Coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space is too low for most professional photo editing, though.

If you want a monitor with wider coverage of the sRGB color space, take a look at the Gigabyte G32QC.

8.9
Picture Quality
SDR Color Volume
sRGB In ICtCp
97.4%
Adobe RGB In ICtCp
81.2%
sRGB Picture Mode
Racing
Adobe RGB Picture Mode
Racing

s.RGB Picture Mode: MOBA
Adobe RGB Picture Mode: MOBA

Excellent SDR color gamut. Thanks to the good contrast ratio, it can display dim saturated colors well. Like most LED displays, it can't display very bright blues, but this shouldn't be very noticeable.

6.5
Picture Quality
HDR Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
75.1%
Rec. 2020 xy
54.0%
DCI P3 Picture Mode
HDR Gaming
Rec. 2020 Picture Mode
HDR Gaming

DCI P3 Picture Mode: HDR Gaming
Rec. 2020 Picture Mode: HDR Gaming

Decent HDR color gamut, but it can't display a wide color gamut.

6.1
Picture Quality
HDR Color Volume
DCI-P3 In ICtCp
70.6%
Rec. 2020 In ICtCp
51.0%
DCI P3 Picture Mode
HDR Gaming
Rec. 2020 Picture Mode
HDR Gaming

DCI P3 Picture Mode: HDR Gaming
Rec. 2020 Picture Mode: HDR Gaming

Unfortunately, this monitor has mediocre HDR color volume. It can't display the entire color gamut, and some colors aren't as bright as pure white.

10
Picture Quality
Image Retention
IR After 0 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 2 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 4 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 6 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 8 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 10 Min Recovery
0.00%

There are no signs of temporary image retention on our ASUS TUF Gaming VG32VQ. This varies between units, though, so let us know if your unit performs worse than ours.

9.8
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
10 Bit

Outstanding gradient performance, with no noticeable banding in any shade.

10
Picture Quality
Color Bleed
Pixel Row Error
0.000%
Pixel Column Error
0.001%

There are no noticeable signs of color bleed on this monitor.

8.0
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Matte
Total Reflections
5.4%
Indirect Reflections
4.8%
Calculated Direct Reflections
0.6%

Good reflection handling, similar to the Samsung CF791. Glare shouldn't be an issue in most rooms.

6.5
Picture Quality
Text Clarity
Pixel Type
VA
Sub-Pixel Layout
RGB

Update 01/05/2022: We updated the text clarity score after comparing it to other 32 inch, 1440p monitors. We lowered the score from 8 to 6.5 because there's sub-pixel fringing that you can see around text, typical of some VA panel monitors. The text clarity is okay, but if you care about text clarity, go for a smaller monitor or one with a higher resolution.

Motion
8.7
Motion
Response Time @ Max Refresh Rate
Best Overdrive Setting
80
Rise / Fall Time
5.0 ms
Total Response Time
11.4 ms
Overshoot Error
4.6%
Dark Rise / Fall Time
6.9 ms
Dark Total Response Time
14.6 ms
Dark Overshoot Error
2.6%

Trace Free 0
Trace Free 20
Trace Free 40
Trace Free 60
Trace Free 80
Trace Free 100

This monitor has a great response time, resulting in relatively clear motion, with little blur behind fast-moving objects. The level of overdrive can be customized by adjusting the Trace Free setting. There is very little difference between the settings, and we found that the maximum setting of '80' works best, as it offers the fastest response time with little noticeable overshoot.

When the VG32VQ's BFI setting, 'ELMB SYNC' is enabled, it isn't possible to adjust the response time.

6.8
Motion
Response Time @ 60Hz
Best Overdrive Setting
20
Rise / Fall Time
6.6 ms
Total Response Time
21.5 ms
Overshoot Error
8.2%
Dark Rise / Fall Time
7.7 ms
Dark Total Response Time
20.4 ms
Dark Overshoot Error
7.3%
10
Motion
Image Flicker
Flicker-Free Yes
PWM Dimming Frequency
0 Hz

The ASUS TUF Gaming VG32VQ has a flicker-free backlight, which is great. It also has an optional black frame insertion feature, and unlike almost every monitor our there, this feature is available at the same time as FreeSync. The setting that controls this feature is known as 'ELMB SYNC'.

9.0
Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Yes
BFI Maximum Frequency
144 Hz
BFI Minimum Frequency
60 Hz
9.0
Motion
Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
FreeSync
Native
144 Hz
Max Refresh Rate
144 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
FreeSync
Yes
G-SYNC
No
VRR Maximum
144 Hz
VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
VRR Supported Connectors DisplayPort, HDMI

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ has a great 144Hz refresh rate and it supports AMD's FreeSync variable refresh rate technology, for a nearly tear-free gaming experience.

Unfortunately, when low framerate compensation (LFC) kicks in at 48Hz, there is noticeable backlight strobing. As the frame rate decreases, the strobing increases approximately every 10 fps. By the time it reaches 20 fps, the strobing is very distracting. Note that this strobing is noticeable even with the black frame insertion feature disabled.

Over HDMI, VRR only works up to 85Hz at 1440p, but works up to 144Hz if the resolution is decreased to 1080p.

Inputs
9.4
Inputs
Input Lag
Native Resolution
4.8 ms
Native Resolution @ 60Hz
9.6 ms
Variable Refresh Rate
6.4 ms
Variable Refresh Rate @ 60Hz
9.4 ms
10 Bit HDR
9.2 ms
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
6.8 ms

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ has outstanding low input lag in any supported mode. The 60Hz input lag is a bit higher, but still low enough for most casual gamers, and a bit better than the best TVs.

If input lag is important to you and you want the best gaming experience possible, check out our recommendations for the best gaming mice.

8.3
Inputs
Resolution And Size
Native Resolution 2560 x 1440
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Megapixels 3.7 MP
Pixel Density
92 PPI
Screen Diagonal 32.0"
Screen Area 438 inĀ²

The 32", 1440p display delivers an excellent amount of screen real estate, making it a great choice for multitasking. This also makes it easier to see more fine details in your favorite games.

Inputs
Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
DisplayPort 1 (DP 1.2)
Mini DisplayPort No
HDMI 2 (HDMI 2.0)
DVI No
VGA No
DisplayPort Out No
USB No
USB C No
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Microphone In 3.5mm N/A
Digital Optical Audio Out N/A
Analog Audio Out RCA N/A
Power Supply External Brick
Features
Features
Additional Features
RGB Illumination
No
Speakers
Yes
HDR10 Yes
Multiple Input Display
No

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ has a few additional gaming features. It can add numerous virtual overlays to the display, including crosshairs, an FPS counter, and a timer.

Features
On-Screen Display (OSD)
Features
Controls

The controls are located behind the right side of the monitor, and they can be difficult to get used to. They use a combination of fixed buttons and a directional control.

Features
In The Box

  • Power Cord
  • Power Adapter
  • HDMI Cable
  • DisplayPort Cable
  • Warranty Card