The BenQ PD3200Q aims designers who want a large screen that’s ready for work right after you take it out of the box and fire it up. The device offers a large QHD screen that comes equipped with filters for several multimedia practices and excellent quality. The BenQ PD3200Q sits at a reasonable price point, but will its characteristics make it worth it or overpriced?
BenQ PD3200Q Specifications
- Screen Size: 32 Inches
- Resolution: 2560 x 1440 QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment(VA)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 4ms
- Contrast Ratio: 3000:1
- Brightness: 300 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 5 Watts)
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot – Yes
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, Mini DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 4 x 1, DVI-DL x 1, USB 3.0 x 6, Micro USB x 1, Card Reader x 1, 3.5mm Jacks
- Dimensions with Stand(WxHxD): 29.15″ x 19.30″ x 8.40″
- Weight: 27.56 lbs
Design and Features
The BenQ PD3200Q shares its looks and features with the PD3200U, whose main difference is ts IPS panel that has a 4K resolution. The brand released more contemporary-looking monitors like the PD2720U, but this current aesthetic will still suit many tastes. The device sports a sleek proportions and a matte black design that goes really well with any kind of display.
One characteristic some may complain about is that the BenQ PD3200Q isn’t bezel-free. However, the plastic borders look very thin and unnoticeable against the large screen. They also do a good job of hiding most of the inner panel borders which are known to be thicker on VA-based monitors.
Build quality for the BenQ PD3200Q is solid, giving users a sturdy and reliable monitor that should last a few years. The plastics BenQ used feel thick and durable, while the mechanisms involved in the product are smooth and silent. The seams are perfectly matched, so there is no impression of cheapness on the device.
The BenQ PD3200Q uses a touch-sensitive OSD layout at the right bottom corner along with a dedicated power button that’s flushed against the plastic. It takes some practice since it can get confusing since there are no labels. Thankfully, the brand’s Hotkey Puck is included with the package, allowing users to swap between presets or adjust a few settings with a few presses.
The I/O layout on the BenQ PD3200Q is just as great as its design, thanks to a bevy of connectivity options which are useful for creatives. The panel at the bottom of the rear bulge includes four USB 3.0 slots and the micro-USB slot for the Hotkey Puck. The video inputs which include DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4 and DVI-DL are all located on the side for easy access.
If that’s not enough, you will also find a connectivity hub on the side of the chassis. This handy layout includes two more USB 3.0 downstream slots, a 3.5mm jack for audio, and a card reader which becomes useful if you use gadgets that rely on SD cards for memory. We’d love to see this kind of functionality on all prosumer monitors, but BenQ is only one of the few who makes this kind of consideration.
The stand the BenQ PD3200Q uses is almost identical to what their gaming offerings use, and we love its design. You get full flexibility which includes tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments, so a perfect and comfortable viewing angle is readily doable. This model is also VESA compatible so you can swap out the latter for an aftermarket armature, but we don’ think it’s necessary since the adjustments are there and you will lose the large cable-tidy hole.
The BenQ PD3200Q even manages to include 5-watt speakers into its system, so you won’t have to buy a separate set if you like working while listening to background music. The pair sounds decent for that purpose, but it lacks the punch needed for movies or games.
Display and Performance
The BenQ PD3200Q boasts a 32-inch VA panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and 4ms response time. The backlight is slightly weaker compared to others in the same monitor series at 300 cd/m2, but contrast is considerably higher at 3000:1. These specs aren’t the best for prosumer displays, but it will provide excellent vibrancy and depth.
QHD in a 32-inch screen will look softer than your usual 1440p monitor since the pixels are spread out further. It feels closer to a 24-inch 1080p screen, but the extra details are still there since the pixel count on the BenQ PD3200Q is still higher. You get an extended workspace with this model, but scaling is almost never required in this format.
The BenQ PD3200Q offers excellent fidelity right out of the box, reaching 100% of the sRGB gamut for fantastic color quality. The company’s factory calibration did an excellent job of tuning this monitor, since Delta E averages at only 1.9. Color temperature perfectly matches the 6500K point, making the screen look well-balanced and natural.
The VA panel on the BenQ PD3200Q also reached an excellent 3050:1 at around 40% backlight, meaning you get deep blacks and well-defined grayscale rendering. However, gamma was slightly off at 2.15, but it’s amazing that it had little to no effect on the color fidelity. We tried calibrating the monitor, but we couldn’t do better than BenQ’s factory treatment.
Uniformity on the BenQ PD3200Q test unit is top-notch as well, sporting backlight deviances that did not go over 7%. Most of these errors are concentrated on one side of the screen, but the defects are not noticeable during practice. Color errors can only be seen if you scrutinize this model with a colorimeter, which we think isn’t necessary since the monitor doesn’t require further calibration.
The only weak aspect of the BenQ PD3200Q is its motion handling since pixel response times by default are not fast enough to reduce trailing and persistence. But to be fair, this model is a 60Hz VA monitor, so that is an expected limitation. Thankfully, there is an overdrive setting in the OSD which can help in this regard, but be mindful of using its maximum level since it will induce very noticeable overshoot.
The BenQ PD3200Q doesn’t support FreeSync or G-Sync compatibility mode, knocking out the possibility of buttery-smooth gaming. 1440p is still demanding, but you can get around its higher GPU requirements easily by finding your sweet spot in the graphics settings. Input lag sits at 10ms, so any delays or “de-synced” instances will not happen when you choose to play after a hard day’s work.
Thoughts on the BenQ PD3200Q
The BenQ PD3200Q is one of the few middle-class choices you can buy that will stun its premium competition when it comes to image quality. BenQ’s factory calibration probably used magic for this monitor, since color fidelity is spot on right out of the box. Gaming performance is decent, but the known limitations of VA panels are still there.
One thing that makes the proposition of the BenQ PD3200Q is the availability of 4K variants in different price segments from the brand itself. Most would go with a more future-proof package after all, especially since 4K is in full swing nowadays. However, we highly recommend the BenQ PD3200Q if you can overlook that, since its one of the best multimedia monitors we’ve seen to date.
About the Author:
Paolo is a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since his junior high years. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations and he believes that it’s every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews which accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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