- Overall
The Viotek GN32Q is a budget oriented offering that offers a curved 1440p VA panel with 144Hz refresh rates making it excellent for gaming. However, the product doesn’t adopt a gamer-centric red and black design like the GN32C and instead tries to masquerade as a luxury monitor. The best part about the Viotek GN32Q is its hard to believe price point, which was previously reserved for smaller 2K monitors for gaming.
Viotek GN32Q Specifications
- Screen Size: 32 Inches
- Resolution:2560 x 1440 QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Response Time:4ms
- Contrast Ratio: 3000:1
- Brightness: 300 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: No
- Stand: Height – No
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot – No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes 100 x 100
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 1.4 x 1, DVI-DL x 1
- Dimensions With Stand(WxHxD): 28″ x 16.6″ x 8.1″
- Weight: 18.6lbs
Design and Features
The Viotek GN32Q employs a stylish aesthetic with its rose gold color matched with a minimalist design concept that features slim proportions. The large front is pleasingly bezel-free, but there still are panel borders which almost disappear into the vastness of the screen. Only the bottom strip is thicker since it holds the clean brand logo in silver and the OSD buttons underneath.
From the side, the Viotek GN32Q is superbly thin save for the minimal bulge which holds the innards and its other functionalities. The device only eats up 8 inches of depth on a desk so users can push it closer to a wall for a more extensive view. This aspect comes in handy since the monitor’s width sits at 28 Inches which is similar to the size of a typical LCD TV.
The exterior may be golden, but upon checking out the features, the Viotek GN32Q’s budget-friendly nature quickly becomes apparent. The screw-on stand with a Y-shaped base can only offer minimal tilt, so it might be a better option to use an articulated aftermarket mechanism or wall mount which you can attach to the VESA holes at the rear. This model is also quite short at 16.6 Inches, so taller users might want to use a display stand if VESA attachments aren’t your cup of tea.
Even the I/O layout has seen some cost-cutting since it only includes necessary connectors unlike what we are used to seeing on other FreeSync monitors. With the Viotek GN32Q, you only get one each of DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, and DVI-DL for video input. There are no speakers included, plus you don’t receive a 3.5mm jack for audio pass through with the package.
As a budget monitor against our experience and standards, the Viotek GN32Q does have reasonable build quality. The materials and the whole product felt lightweight for its size, but there was no warping or unwanted flexing on the plastics. The display stood steady on our desk, although the attachment design using screws is a bit worrying.
Display and Performance
The Viotek GN32Q uses a 32-Inch curved VA panel from Samsung with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and 1ms response time. The screen can display 98% coverage of the sRGB color space which is a bit low and unexpected from a VA panel but is refuted by the screen’s vibrancy when in use. But as for accuracy, this model posted a minimum DeltaE of 1.18 which is excellent, but due to oversaturation in some colors, averaged at DeltaE 3.42.
Out of the box, Gamma was a bit off target at 1.99, although the screen did not appear washed out or too light. Our DataColor Spyder Elite 5 helped us achieve a 2.23 score which provided minuscule enhancements in making blacks oily and thick. Contrast is within acceptable limits as well, since it averaged at 960:1 at brightness levels of over 50%, but dropping it to 25% posted a ratio of 5110:1 which is superb for a VA panel. The screen met our expectations with some surprises along the way, although the decreased accuracy makes this model unsuitable for photo editing tasks.
What’s fantastic about the Viotek GN32Q is its impressive size mixed with a reasonable curve which is more apparent with bigger displays. The screen felt engrossing when playing games or watching movies due to this mix, especially in racing games or RPGs where the primary goal of the title is to help users delve into the game world they are portraying. The only glaring downside here is the slightly lower pixel density which becomes noticeable if you sit too close, cementing the fact that 1440p is more suited to 27-inch screens.
Panel uniformity for the Viotek GN32Q isn’t as brilliant as we’d like since the color uniformity is only ideal on the lower quadrants. The middle portion of the screen saw some degradation, with the upper part suffering from the most deviation. This flaw isn’t readily visible at a glance, but it does affect color fidelity at some points.
Another huge selling point of the Viotek GN32Q is its 144Hz refresh rates which is always a welcome advantage you can have for gaming displays. Testing the screen in Battlefield 1 was a treat due to the smoother motion, although we did notice interlacing and trailing from time to time. You’d have to concentrate on trying to find these flaws which were hard to do once the action ensues, but these manifestations were unexpected from a monitor with a modern VA module.
Setting these minor issues aside, gaming with titles that use large-scale environments with diverse settings is the culmination of the Viotek GN32Q’s being. Some would say that trading off a sharper resolution for 144Hz is well worth it, making this option viable against a similarly priced 4K monitor with only 60Hz.
Of course, FPS will still fluctuate in intense moments or in demanding titles that offer maximum eye candy. Thankfully, the Viotek GN32Q is geared to pair with an AMD GPU like the Vega 64 because it is FreeSync compatible. Building a Ryzen Vega build can still get expensive, making this affordable underdog even more viable.
But the absolute stunner for us wasn’t the rose gold design which is a hit or miss for varying tastes. What we love about the Viotek GN32Q is its ultra-low input lag of only 4.2ms which is beyond superb for this type of display. This result competes with some of the best monitors out there like the Asus PG278QR in responsiveness, which is incredible for a value product.
Thoughts on the Viotek GN32Q
The Viotek GN32Q has some surprises which easily swayed us from focusing on its limitations. The monitor is an excellent performer for its intended segment, and if it were our limited hard-earned cash on the line, we wouldn’t hesitate. A 32-inch curved screen with impressive specs at just the right price is hard to come by nowadays, and we’re glad that companies like Viotek exist to compete with the big boys.
Using rose gold for a gamer-centric offering is questionable in our books, but the uniqueness adds flavor to a segment saturated with red and black themes. There are some flaws in the Viotek GN32Q’s performance ratings and exterior features, but we think these are fair trade-offs for what you get. If you are building a beastly AMD-based PC and want the best value for your monitor budget, the Viotek GN32Q is a fantastic choice.
Alex says
I got the 35” viotek wife gaming monitor recently,, but to get the most out of it,, what Premium or fast HDMI cables do u recommend?
Paolo Reva says
Hi, Alex! To be honest, all of the cables are basically the same. We recommend using what’s in the package or getting the best-priced options from your favorite store. However, you should be using DisplayPort instead of HDMI to avoid limitations and issues in refresh rates.
Peter Marks says
I would consider having Viotek GN32Q for my starter rig compared jumping to Acer XR382CQK which has many more features but also costs a lot. Is this the right decision?
Eli Nolan says
All depends on your budget Peter. The Viotek is fast and nice looking, but you have to like the rose gold.
Alice clarkson says
Would love to have Viotek GN32Q due to its sleek design and color. What’s more is it has similarities with other 4k monitor but only uses 60hz.
Eli Nolan says
Actually, it’s a 144hz monitor!