Computer Shopper 2019-11-01

MONITORS

ISSUE 381|COMPUTER SHOPPER|NOVEMBER 2019 73

ŠHENT$OÛESto gaming monitors, a27in
displaytends to be the sweet spot: big
enough to make you feel immersed, while
remaining reasonably affordable.AOC’s new
CĒ32G1 gaming monitor keeps the price
down but generously delivers acurved, 31.5in,
1440p panel with a144Hz refresh rate: a
formula that will whet any gamer’s appetite.
It’s also FreeSync-certified by AMD,and
unofficially supports Nvidia G-Sync with
GeForce GTŮ 10-series cards or above.
Aside from that, the spec sheet isn’t exactly
packed with features, but it’s awell-rounded
package that will satisfy whether you’re
running desktop applications, watching films
or gaming competitively.

OUT OFTURN
The CĒ32G1’s bargain price comes with afew
design limitations. The sturdy stand can be
tilted by -4ͪ to 21.5ͪ, but it won’t swivel and
there’s no height adjustment. Even its close
relative,the cheaper,smaller,C27G1, has the
ability to swivel, so it’s strange that the
CĒ32G1 is more locked-down.
Still, if that’s aproblem, you can replace it
via aVESA 100x100mm bracket at the back.
However,the off-centre buttons to access
the OSD are also awkward –wesometimes
found ourselves fumbling around forthe right
one –and are harder to work around.
Apart from these minor annoyances,
however,the CĒ32G1 is impressive.The OSD
is packed with customisable options and is
laid out sensibly,and the panel’s 1800R
curvature adds alayer of immersion, helped
along by athree-sided borderless design that
means there are no chunkybezels to cause a
distraction. The colour scheme is alluring,
too: it’s basically alarger version of the
C27G1, and that’s no bad thing.
Forconnectivity,there are both
HDMI 1.4and 2.0 ports, plus asingle
DisplayPort 1.2 video input. If you have
an Nvidia graphics card in your PC and
want to use G-Sync, you’ll need to
connect via the DisplayPort specifically.
The CĒ32G1 mayprimarily be a
gaming monitor,but its image quality is
good enough formore or less any role.
Set to sRGB mode through the OSD,
the panel delivered near-flawless colour
reproduction, with an average delta-E
of 0.92 and amaximum of 4.12
measured by our colorimeter.That’s
much better than we’ve seen from
monitors costing alot more: the MSI Optix
MPG27CĒ (Shopper369) achieved 2.74 and

AOC CQ32G1

★★★★★

£340•Fromwww.overclockers.co.uk

VERDICT

Withitshuge,high-qualitypaneland
excellentgamingperformance,thissuperb
displayoutshinesfarpricierrivals

6.8 respectively,while the Samsung CHG70 hit

1.98 and 4.42. It’s also,aswe’ve already seen,

slightly more accuratethan the C27G1.

PICTURE OF HEALTH

The panel’s contrast ratio of 2,027:1 is another

high point and, with awide 96.3% sRGB

gamut coverage,colours appear vibrant and

punchy.Our only minor criticism is that with a

maximum brightness of 245cd/mσ in sRGB

mode and 335cd/mσ at its peak, the CĒ32G1’s

panel can seem alittle dim in adverse lighting

conditions; although not to the same extent

as the C27G1. We never felt as though low

brightness was actively hampering our

enjoyment of using the CĒ32G1, unlike its

AOCstablemate.

The CĒ32G1’s 2,560x1,440 resolution is

perfect forgames. It’s areal step up from Full

HD,but alot easier to get running smoothly

on less high-end PC hardware.Ofcourse,if

you want to get the best from this monitor

and take full advantage of the 144Hz refresh

rate, you’ll still need apowerful graphics card

such as the AMD Radeon RŮ 590, Nvidia

GeForce RTŮ2060 or GTŮ 1070 and above.

Performance-wise,the CĒ32G1 certainly

feels as if it’s designed forpacey, competitive

gaming. Response times come in at 1ms MPRT

and 5ms GTG, and in practice we found the

panel responded extremely well. Input lag is

commendably low,and there’s minimal

inverse ghosting. The sluggishness we

experienced with the C27G1 on certain

settings is nowhere to be seen.

That said, some configurations can be

faster than others. To ensure the fastest

possible response time,you can optionally

apply overdrive settings and turn on Motion

Blur Reduction (MBR), but this further

reduces the brightness. Foruncapped

brightness, the Strong overdrive setting and

LowInput Lag modes should suffice.

Having both FreeSync and G-Sync

capability further cements the CĒ32G1’s

gaming credentials, even if only FreeSync is

officially supported. Regardless, G-Sync works

just as well: we tried it out using aGeForce

GTŮ 1080 and got the same combination of

tear-free gameplayand minimal input lag as

any formally certified G-Sync displaywould

offer,even in graphically intensive games.

BIG UP

If you’ve been waiting awhile foraĒuad HD

monitor that’s both great value and

technically excellent, the AOCCĒ32G1 could

well be the one that finally makes you get

out your wallet. It’s large,responsive

and colour-accurate, making it ideal

forboth everydaycomputing and

competitive gaming.

The price,too,simply can’t be

beaten. The CĒ32G1 is nearly £200

cheaper than Gigabyte’sAorus

AD27ĒD,despitehaving alarger panel

and the same resolution; the Aorus

AD27ĒD’s limited HDR abilities aren’t

nearly enough to close that gap.It’s a

particularly attractive choice if you’re

an Nvidia GPU owner wanting areliable

G-Sync monitor,asdedicated G-Sync

models typically start at around £500

foragood 27in display. This display

implements the technology without issue

and has more screen space,all formuch less.

MONITORS

6.8 respectively,while the Samsung CHG70 hit

1.98 and 4.42. It’s also,aswe’ve already seen,

slightly more accuratethan the C27G1.

and 5ms GTG, and in practice we found the

panel responded extremely well. Input lag is

commendably low,and there’s minimal

inverse ghosting. The sluggishness we