The AOC Q3279VWF offers 1440p gaming and entertainment in a wallet-friendly, 32-inch package designed to offer an enhanced, high-end visual experience. The monitor comes in a sleek and simplified package that is attractive and elegant to help lower the price without sacrificing the screen specs. The AOC Q3279VWF is now starting to ship to retailers across the globe, but does it have what it takes to become the next QHD value king?
AOC Q3279VWF Specifications
- Screen Size: 32 Inches
- Resolution:1440p QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Refresh Rate: 75Hz
- Response Time:5ms
- Contrast Ratio: 3000:1
- Brightness: 250 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: No
- Stand: Height – No
- Stand: Tilt – Yes (-3.5°/+23.5°)
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot – No
- VESA Compatibility: No
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 1, DVI x 1, D-Sub x 1, 3.5mm Jack
- Dimensions With Stand(WxHxD): 28.72″ x 20.98″ x 6.03″
- Weight: 15.4lbs
Design and Features
The AOC Q3279VWF includes a straightforward design which bares its budget-friendly nature without sacrificing aesthetic value. The glossy black bezels are reasonably thin at 14mm which doesn’t obstruct the 31.5 inches of viewing real estate. While the plastic strips are thicker than most, what we like about the design is it already hides the panel borders which means that the picture will always show from edge to edge.
What’s brilliant about the AOC Q3279VWF’s modernistic approach to its design is the modest proportions which makes it suitable for any setup. This relatively large device only consumes six inches of depth, allowing users to allocate crucial desk space to other peripherals such as keyboards with wrist rests. The bulge on the rear which sits at the bottom of the chassis enhances the product’s balance or center of gravity, plus it doesn’t protrude too much to add more bulk.
The AOC Q3279VWF will require a wide desk to accommodate it and maybe a monitor stand if you are extra tall since it doesn’t come with VESA mounting holes. There is no word if separate adapters are compatible, so you are left with around 27% of tilt for adjusting the view. This isn’t an issue considering the low price AOC is asking, since sitting at dead-center or adjusting your chair height will almost always solve issues.
Even if the included stand is mostly made of plastic, its metal reinforcement suffices to support the massive display without wobbling or creaking. The matte silver finish is a nice touch, plus we like the flat surface that allows you to place doodads such as phones and accessories so as not to misplace them while gaming.
The I/O layout on the AOC Q3279VWF only includes the essentials for everyday use. The panel includes DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 2.0 for primary host devices, plus there is a DVI and a VGA connector for older GPUs. With this budget monitor, you won’t find any USB receptacles or even speakers, although most would favor a separate set for better performance.
Display and Performance
The AOC Q3279VWF features a 31.5-inch VA panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, 75Hz max refresh rate, and 5ms response time. We’ve seen this combination on acclaimed gaming models like the HP Omen 32, which is successful in providing excellent gaming performance at a decent price. The listed maximum brightness is at 250cd/m2, so upon turning it on for the first time, the screen wasn’t blindingly bright like the others we’ve tested.
We always find it hard to believe that VA monitors can put out a contrast ratio of 3000:1 accurately due to experience, but with the AOC Q3279VWF, this isn’t the case. At 20% brightness, this model achieves 3800:1 and 4900:1 at maximum. This backs up the dark and oily blacks we see in test images which helps to create a satisfying viewing experience. Gamut coverage, however, isn’t as comprehensive as we hoped for since it only came up to 97% which falls short of other VA monitors we have tested.
Thankfully, the semi-gloss coating on the screen helped to make the vibrancy pop without adding adverse effects. Since gamma sits at 2.1 to a perfect 2.2 most of the time, we did not notice any washing out or blandness in the output. There is a minor greenish or bluish hue added to images that aren’t black enough, but these errors are easily corrected by slightly reducing the green and blue in the RGB temperature adjustment of the OSD.
At this point, we can already say that the AOC Q3279VWF isn’t suitable for color-critical work like Photoshop, but CAD/CAM users can get some mileage from this device. The deep contrast is brilliant for programs like AutoCAD which is composed of a black background and wireframe objects which are easier to see. The monitor is also a solid choice if you want a monitor for movies due to the image quality and the resolution, although finding 1440p content could be difficult.
The AOC Q3279VWF is also an excellent choice if you want to experience QHD gaming, but there are some minor issues. Games like Destiny 2 are fantastic on this screen due to the varying environments of the game which are sometimes vibrant but could also be dark and murky in some instances. The VA screen helped to make objects and details pop out, but the slow pixel transition added some ghosting and interlacing.
Most of these defects show up near the bottom of the screen, and for the less sensitive, are difficult to notice. This limitation has plagued VA monitors for some time and is a welcome setback in exchange for the excellent contrast and viewing angles. At least, the AOC Q3279VWF’s responsiveness at 75Hz peaks at 4ms which is a score usually reserved for E-Sports-grade monitors.
With FreeSync activated and 75Hz, gaming on the AOC Q3279VWF is noticeably smoother and free from tearing and stuttering. This monitor is a superb pair for your Vega-based build since both the Vega 56 and Vega 64 are fully capable of max graphics in most titles. Nvidia users don’t get to enjoy these benefits, but activating 75Hz can be achieved by creating a custom resolution profile using Nvidia Control Panel.
Thoughts on the AOC Q3279VWF
The AOC Q3279VWF is an excellent choice if you want a big screen suitable for gaming and entertainment without costing an arm and a leg. The contrast levels exceeded our expectations. However, some of VA tech’s limitations become noticeable if you are sensitive enough. The screen’s vibrancy isn’t as comprehensive as we had hoped for, but games and movies are decently vibrant to make colors, objects, and details stand out.
This device could also serve as a CAD/CAM monitor for your professional needs, but it isn’t suitable for color-critical work like photo editing. This caveat, along with the rigid exterior design are small sacrifices you have to live with, but due to the low price, they are easy to ignore. The AOC Q3279VWF isn’t the best monitor out in the market, but once you compute its value-per-dollar, it instantly becomes a must buy.
Bill says
Greetings and happy holidays,
I’d like a comparison as brief as possible between AOC and hp omen 32 black.
Taking that both are priced about the same, which wouldn’t your pick and why.
Usage would be around casual gaming /browsing /movies.
Thanks in advance,
Bill.
Paolo Reva says
Hey, Bill! Both models are almost perfectly similar in performance, so the only consideration most would make is design or aesthetics. In this case, pick the one with the appearance you like the most. Happy Holidays!
chithanh says
Looking at your photo of the backside, did you really review the variant with external power brick? I thought the latest model had internal power supply.
Also, were you able to increase the FreeSync range with CRU? If so, by how much?
Paolo Reva says
Hi, Chithanh! The AOC Q3279VWF we reviewed had an internal power brick, despite the slim proportions. In fact, most modern releases already have smaller, and fully capable power supplies built into the chassis to reduce material and manufacturing cost, plus the overall environmental impact. Unfortunately, we did not get to test with CRU during our time with the device.