Hands-on With the BenQ PD3200U Powerhouse Monitor

Building a new computer system usually starts off with thoughts of CPUs, GPUs motherboards, and RAM. Very rarely does it start with the one item that is always in front of you when you finish, your monitor. If you’re in the video content business or just a dedicated amateur the right monitor makes all the difference in the world in your final creations. But many times the monitor quality gets sacrificed in the name of other components. The monitor is normal one of the last things purchased for a PC build, whether you just need a monitor that looks good, or you want the best gaming monitor under $200, but that doesn’t make choosing the right one for you any more or less important than the rest of the build.

I felt like I had a pretty good monitor to work within my system. Until that is, the people had BenQ sent me over the 32-inch 4K UHD, PD3200U. As I was setting it up, I realize just how puny my 24in monitor was in comparison. Next, I know what you are going to say, a 32 inch Pro Monitor is too expensive! Well, stop right there. I am about to show you why you can’t afford not to have this BenQ gaming monitor and how you can get it for a lot less than you think.

First, let’s talk about the appearance of the monitor. I’ve listed the full spec sheet at the bottom of this story.

The BenQ PD 3200U has a sleek black matte cabinet with ½ in bezels. The smartly engineered stand enables you to adjust height tilt swivel and pivot. It has VESA mounting holes so that you can also use an optional wall mount kit.

The multitude of input and output ports are undoubtedly different from any other monitor. You get two full-size HDMI inputs and to display put inputs, a full size and a mini.

With four downstream USB 3.0 connectors and 1 upstream USB 3.0 connector, you certainly have plenty of ports to use. It even includes a card reader that will handle SD, SDHC, SDXC, and MMC.

Stunningly beautiful IPS LED-backlit panel gives you a maximum resolution of 3840 X 2160 with 350 CD / M2 and a native contrast ratio of 1000 to 1. Add to that a 60-hertz refresh rate and a lightning fast 4 ms response time along with 1.07 billion colors with 10-bit color, and you’ve got quite an impressive monitor. But as they say, wait there’s more.

With an ingenious little device called a hockey puck, you can select 8 different picture modes. These include Rec. 709, sRGB, CAD/CAM, Animation, Standard, low blue light, dark room, and user.

As a video editor, I love that it gives me reference grade color performance covering 100% of sRGB and Rec. 709 color spaces. The advanced Ipsy viewing angle technology minimizes color shift, so you get 100% sRGB Color Gamut accuracy which lives up to Industry standards for digital production. The rec. 709 standard reproduces accurate resolution, frame rate, color gamut, gamma, and white Point performance for high definition video productions.

Each one of these monitors is individually Factory calibrated to ensure precise Delta e and Gamma performance. To further provide the precise colors needed for professional video production work the monitor is Technicolor Color Certified which lives up to strict color standards widely used in Hollywood.

The CAD/CAM mode offers fantastic contrast so that lines and shapes in technical illustrations can really pop.

For my friends and animation that mode enhances the brightness of dark areas without overexposing the hives. Animation mode provides 10 levels of display brightness to bring out every subtlety clear and clean.

For photographers the darkroom mode lets you adjust image brightness and contrast for superb Clarity and detailed sharpness. It creates the optimal setting for working on post-processing in Lightroom or Photoshop.

The plug-in hockey puck lets you quickly switch in between different modes based on your usage. It also allows you easier access to the menu display and lets you adjust a variety of settings quickly and easily.

The built-in keyboard video Mouse switch or KVM let you control two different PCS from one screen using just one set of keyboard and mouse. So why you may be rendering one video in Premiere, you can be working on after effects on a second machine without having to move positions. For a busy video production specialist, this can be a considerable time-saving device.

This monitor is so Advanced that you can actually display two different modes like sRGB AND CAD/CAM on the same screen side by side. The nice big 32-inch real estate gives you plenty of room that you can still see both images easily.

Plus using the Display Pilot Software for Windows, you can split the desktop window into multiple window partitions for easy multitasking.

The anti-glare matte finish also helps save your eyes and keeps Reflections from becoming a distraction. This would be useful in an industrial setting where employees will be looking at a screen from multiple angles as they will be able to see the screen easier. CKS Global Solutions Ltd produce rugged industrial computers with industrial keyboards as they are efficient and will last longer for a business. You should visit the CKS website for more information on industrial keyboards.

And although I haven’t needed it, you can swivel, tilt, pivot, adjust your screen for the perfect position anywhere from flipping it 90 degrees to tilting it up to 20 degrees. The built-in lift on the stand will bring it up to 150mm from the bottom.

BenQ uses something they call Eye-Care technology, and with BenQ’s unique low blue light technology which is designed to filter out harmful Blue Light which reduces eye fatigue and irritation.

We’ve all seen cheap monitors with a nasty Flicker, but this BenQ PD3200U monitor gives you flicker-free performance at all brightness levels which also reduces eye fatigue.

I can tell you that from using it, I have been able to witness firsthand that the build quality is absolutely number one. The things that stand out in my mind are the ability to have Rec. 709 and sRGB in one monitor. This monitor may not be the cheapest you can buy, but it will undoubtedly outlast anything else in the market.

In testing the calibration of the monitor, I found that every mode that I tested was spot-on.

Overall I found this monitor to be extremely well-made and perfectly calibrated an excellent choice for any professional looking for a high-end monitor at a reasonable price.

Speaking of which that reasonable price is even better if you go ahead and click this link, you can get the BenQ pd3200u for only 799.


All Specifications

Display

Screen Size

32

Panel Type

IPS

Backlight Technology

LED backlight

Resolution (max.)

3840×2160

Brightness

350 cd/?

Native Contrast(typ.)

1000:1

Viewing Angle (L/R;U/D) (CR>=10)

178/178

Response Time

4ms (GtG)

Refresh Rate

60Hz

Aspect Ratio

16:9

Display Colors

1.07 billion colors

Color Gamut

100% sRGB/Rec. 709

Display Area(mm)

708.4(H) x 398.5(V)

Pixel Pitch (mm)

0.1845

PPI

137.68

DCR (Dynamic Contrast Ratio) (typ.)

20M:1

Color Bit

10bits

Audio

Built-in Speaker

5Wx2

Headphone Jack

Yes

Audio Line In

Yes

Monitor

Product Color

Gray/Glossy gray

Picture Mode

REC.709 / sRGB / CAD/CAM / Animation / Standard / Low Blue Light / Dark Room / User

Gamma

1.8 – 2.6

OSD Language

18 Languages – English, French, Deutsch, Italiano, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Korean, Romanian, Netherlands, Russian, Swedish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese (traditional), Chinese (simplified), Arabic

PIP/PBP

Yes

HDCP

2.2

VESA Wall Mount

Yes

AMA

Yes

Display Screen Coating

Anti-Glare

Eye Care

Flicker-free Technology

Yes

Low Blue Light

Yes

Professional

Animation mode

Yes

CAD/CAM mode

Yes

Eye Protector

Yes

ECO sensor

Yes

Video Format Support

Yes

KVM Switch

Yes

DualView

Yes

Darkroom mode

Yes

Auto Pivot

Yes

Hotkey Puck

Yes

Factory Calibration Report

Yes

Connectivity

HDMI

HDMI (v2.0)x2

DisplayPort

DisplayPort (v1.2) x1

Mini DisplayPort

MiniDisplayPort (ver1.2)x1

USB 3.0 Hub

USB Downstream x 4

USB 3.0 Hub

USB Upstream x 1

Card Reader

SD/MMC type

Support Format: SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC

Power

Voltage Rating

100 – 240V

Power Supply

Built-in

Power Consumption (on mode.)

110W

Power Consumption (based on Energy Star)

44W

Power Consumption (stand by mode)

0.5W

Power Consumption (sleep mode)

0.5W

AC Switch

Yes

Dimension and Weight

Dimensions (HxWxD mm) (w/o Base)

436.4 x 740.3 x 65.6

Dimensions (HxWxD mm)

H: 640.2 x 740.3 x 213.4

L: 490.2 x 740.3 x 213.4

CTN Dimensions (HxWxD mm)

840 x 187 x 690

Net Weight (kg) (without stand)

8.5kg

Net Weight (kg)

12.5kg

Gross Weight (kg)

15.8kg

Tilt (down/up)

-5? – 20?

Swivel (left/right)

45?/45?

Pivot

90?

Height Adjustment (mm)

150

Software

Display Pilot

Yes

Environmental Standards

Energy Star

7.0

EPEAT

Sliver

Compliant Standards

TCO

7.0

Certification

Mac Compatible

Yes

Windows® Compatible

Windows®10, Windows®8.1, Windows®8, Windows®7

Technicolor

Yes

Solidworks

Yes

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