A little old but still competitive
ASUS VA326H detailed review
ASUS is probably one of the few companies in almost every PC product segment. The thing they lack right now is the CPU and it won’t change for long. For everything else, there are plenty of ASUS SKUs to choose from. Display is a segment where ASUS is constantly coming up with new technologies. However, the VA326H we are reviewing here is not a new offer. It arrived in India in late 2016 and earlier this year. The monitor, however, continues to be priced competitively for its part. The only other 32-inch / 31.5-inch 1800R 144Hz monitor will be the BenQ EX3200R which also has a VA panel. Let’s see how VA326H is stacked up.
ASUS VA326H 31.5-inch 1800R 144Hz gaming monitor
144 Hz will be the current sweet spot for high-refresh rate monitors. You get a really high-refresh rate and it doesn’t break the bank. Sure you can get 240 Hz monitors from top brands today, but they will make your kidneys smaller. The VA326H uses an AHVA panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and has plenty of I / O options. However, you can make the most of the VA326H if you use HDMI or Dual-Link DVI and are limited to the analog D-Sub 75 Hz.
The curvature of the monitor follows the 1800R standard and the AHVA panel provides a viewing angle of 178 degrees along both planes. For tilt, the VA326H supports a -3 to +10 degree tilt in front and back which makes it a total of 13 degrees. By comparison, the BenQ EX3200R tilts 25 degrees along the same axis.
The stand is quite wide and its center of gravity is low but the lack of height adjustment is very bad, especially in the price range. Stands are easy to install because they are mounted using just one pair of screws. If you prefer wall mount, VA326H also supports 10×10 VESA.
In the case of I / O, the VA326H uses the standard IEC C14 which means the power board is built into the monitor and for the video cable, the aforementioned DL-DVI, HDMI and VGA are available. In addition, there is an audio pass as well.
Comes with packaging monitors, stands and cables for all the ports currently mentioned. Overall, the VA326H comes in a very simple package with no extra bells or whistles.
ASUS VA326H Specification
| ASUS VA326-Series Curved Gaming Monitor | |||
| ASUS VA326H | |||
| Panel | 31.5 AHVA | ||
| Native resolution | 1920 × 1080 | ||
| Refresh rate range | 144 Hz via HDMI, DL-DVI 50 ~ 75 Hz via D-Sub | ||
| Response time | 4 ms (gray to gray) | ||
| Brightness | 300 cd / m² | ||
| Contrast | 3000: 1 | ||
| Viewing angle | 178 ° / 178 ° Horizontal / Vertical | ||
| Curvature | 1800R | ||
| Input | 1 × HDMI 1.4 HDCP 1 HD HDCP 1 × D-sub with DL-DVI | ||
| Myth | Audio in / out port | ||
| Increase ownership | Trace Free Technology Skin-Tone Selection: 3 Modes Color Temperature Selection: 4 Modes GamePlus Mode: CrossShare / Timer / Display Alignment Less Blue Light: Yes VividPixel: Yes Game Visual Mode: Scener / Racing / RPS / RR / RGB | ||
| Energy consumption | Inactive | ~ 5 watts | |
| Active | 28 watts at 200 cd / m² | ||
Performance
The VA326H has bright colors but the AHVA panel may not stand up to some of the flagship units we saw this past year. However, on its budget, the VA326H is taller and brighter. Or we should call it bright and punchy.
The tone response seems to be a teenager outside the ideal curve. We don’t expect it to be in the center of most panels, especially for gaming.
Coming to the color uniformity, we can see that the panel has a downward gradient when we pan to the right. High values like 3.8 are rarely observed. Typically, we see them peak at 2.6-2.8 towards the edge. That being said, these numbers are still really good for any panel.
The brightness uniformity also feels similar gradient to the right of the panel. Double digit numbers are worrisome, single numbers where it is best.
Here the VA326H is best summed up. We see that the panel has lost the degree of uniformity of color accuracy and brightness and even a certain amount of contrast. But that’s what you get for non-creator based panels. For anything suitable for gaming, the VA326H is a great monitor.
Judgment
Really a competitive gaming monitor in the ASUS VA326H segment. Given that we are looking at the Indian market, there is no other 31.5-inch 144 Hz curved monitor other than the BenQ EX3200R. The latter is on top in terms of color accuracy and uniformity. And it’s more compatible than the VA326H, however, all of which come at a price of 10%. The VA326H plays a fairly even panel but is lost in some cases which is not so important for gaming, so at the end of the day, you have a great gaming monitor on the VA326H.