ASUS ROG Swift PG32UCDM Review - Unbeatable OLED 4K Gaming (2024)

Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

PC gaming at its absolute peak is at 4K, and for quite some time, there has been little reason to make the leap from 1080p or 1440p to the incredible pixel density of 3840 x 2160 (4K). However, with the rise of new QD-OLED panels, that reason is finally here.

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With the influx of new OLED monitors, gamers have never had a better choice of gorgeous panels to choose from. Right at the top of that exponentially growing list of OLED gaming monitors are 4K OLED panels, in particular, ASUS 4K OLED panels. Today, we are taking a look at the ASUS ROG Swift PG32UCDM, a 3840 x 2160 (4K) monitor that sports a 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time across 32 inches.

The PG32UCDM is ASUS's flagship display at this size, with all the bells and whistles you would expect from a $1,300 gaming monitor. Samsung's latest QD-OLED panel technology is found within the PG32UCDM, along with MSI's variant, which I recently reviewed and praised highly. However, ASUS's variant is $300 more expensive than MSI's, and both use the same Samsung panel. Let's see if the PG32UCDM is worth the extra money.

Specifications

Close-up

Design

ASUS is known for its gaming monitors, making some of the best offerings that a gamer could buy. One of the many reasons ASUS dominates the gaming monitor market is the physical design of its monitors, as they are some of the best-looking gaming displays money can buy. The PG32UCDM is no different, incorporating a similar design to the PG27AQDM I reviewed last year.

Looking at the front of the PG32UCDM, you will notice that it has very thin bezels, which adds to its sleek aesthetic. The 32-inch QD-OLED panel front-and-center is housed inside a very sturdy frame that is then attached to a box located on the back of the display. The central box houses all of the components powering the PG32UCDM, and due to OLED enabling thinner panels, the PG32UCDM measures under 5mm in thickness. At the center bottom of the display is an ASUS logo that doubles as a hidden OSD control. On the back of this logo is a multi-directional joystick with two buttons.

Keeping to the back of the display, the PG32UCDM's central box housing all of its components features a very aesthetically pleasing design, with one side of the box being dedicated to a large ASUS logo that cycles through various colors, and the other a simple matte black plastic finish with "Republic of Gamers" in one corner. The large monitor is held up by a 3-footed stand that uses a quick-release mechanism to attach/detach the monitor, making moving the PG32UCDM or setting it up on an arm/desk clamp much easier.

The PG32UCDM's stand is very sturdy and feels very premium in hand, with small touches like the word "Swift" illuminated on the back of the stand and the option of shining a red ASUS logo on the desk below it via an LED underneath the center of the stand. Features like these go a long way to showcase a premium-level monitor to a wandering eye.

The PG32UCDM's style is very much "gamer" but still somewhat subtle compared to previous models by ASUS and other gaming monitors on the market. One of the only complaints I can make about the design of the PG32UCDM is that the stand's feet protrude too far outwards for my personal liking, resulting in me accidentally slamming my mouse into the feet a few times during gaming.

Moving to the back of the display, ASUS has outfitted the PG32UCDM with an array of connectivity options, all of which you would expect to be on a gaming monitor of this price.

Firstly, there is 1x DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, 2x HDMI 2.1 48Gbps ports with DSC, multiple USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a USB-C port with 65W PD charging, an optical audio out port, a headphone jack, and a KVM switch. Notably, all of the ports are capable of running the maximum 240Hz, which is nice to see as some other monitors have opted for a single 240Hz capable DisplayPort and an HDMI, which only supports refresh rates up to 120Hz.

Other than the aforementioned problem, which I may only be experiencing due to my desk size, there isn't anything wrong to with the physical design of the PG32UCDM. It's a premium gaming monitor that feels and looks like a real premium gaming monitor. ASUS has once again knocked it out of the park here.

Panel Breakdown

QD-OLED panel technology is making its way into gaming monitors and I couldn't be happier as the new pixel technology enables games to be brought to life in vibrant, sharp and gorgeous-looking imagery. However, there is a price for the latest pixel technology, but in my opinion it's completely worth it if you really care about your games looking as good as possible.

To play devil's advocate to my own recommendation, early generation QD-OLED panels are somewhat prone to burn-in, but those problems are being slowly worked out in future generations of Samsung's panel technology. The PG32UCDM uses Samsung's third-generation QD-OLED panel, and with other upgrades such as passive cooling through a graphene film, which ASUS describes as a custom heatsink designed to dissipate heat, burn-in is becoming less and less of an issue.

The PG32UCDM is an example of those improvements, with Samsung's third-generation panel making extreme progress in reducing text fringing - a prominent downside in older generations of OLED panels. Due to the PG32UCDM being a 4K monitor stretched over 32 inches, we get a pixel density of 140 PPI, a substantial leap from 1440p variants with 110 PPI. The pixel density of the PG32UCDM greatly improves the sharpness of text, making the fringing an almost unnoticeable problem.

This improvement found only in third-generation QD-OLED panels has broadened the recommendation for these gaming monitors as now I can comfortably recommend them to users that flex between gaming and text-based workflows. Something I couldn't do with previous generations. For comparison sake, the text clarity on the PG32UCDM is as good as an LCD monitor, but just a touch less clear than an IPS display.

The physical panel of the PG32UCDM has a glossy surface that comes with "anti-reflective" material, but unfortunately, just like any other QD-OLED panel, the glossy is still a stickler for catching light sources facing the display. This results in the colors on the display appearing brighter than usual, completely killing one of, if not the best, aspects of an OLED monitor - the incredible colors. Bright environments are the bane for all OLED displays, and the PG32UCDM is no exception here, which is why it's heavily recommended to enjoy your OLED gaming monitor in a dark room or with light sources placed behind the monitor. Keeping any rouge light from hitting the panel will ensure those rich, deep blacks and an infinite contrast ratio.

Moving back to burn-in problems, ASUS's PG32UCDM can still suffer from this issue if you are using the display for long workflows that keep up static images. Examples of this would be icons on the Windows taskbar. However, to combat this, ASUS and many other gaming monitor brands have implemented burn-in mitigation features such as Pixel Cleaning, Screen Saver (automatically dims brightness after a period of no activity), and more. Using these features periodically will extend the life of the monitor, which you should be expecting to be around 5 years, especially considering you would be spending more than $1,000.

However, if those feature don't work and you still suffer from some burn-in ASUS has thrown in a 3-year warranty, which is in-line with other competing brands. This is something I'm very happy to see.

Performance

ASUS's PG32UCDM is nothing short of the absolute best gaming experience one can have; with its 4K resolution at a blistering fast 240Hz, you really can't ask for much more than that. The pinnacle of 4K gaming is now here with the PG32UCDM and any other equivalent monitor.

As with all of my monitor reviews, I set out to find which type of gamer would get the most out of the monitor that's under the microscope, and this typically varies depending on the size of the display, colors it produces, resolution, and, of course, refresh rate. I tested the PG32UCDM in a variety of different titles to determine what games perform best. The following games were tested: Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, Age of Empires IV, Helldivers 2, The Witcher 3, and Hellblade 2.

Firstly, I believe the 32-inch size for a gaming monitor is the jack-of-all-trades as it is big enough to really provide that immersive feeling in open-world RPG titles such as Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077 while also being small enough to draw in the gamer in first-person-shooter titles such as Apex Legends and Overwatch 2. For this reason I believe 32-inches is the sweet spot for gaming, especially if the gamer plays a variety of different games ranging across several genres.

The PG32UCDM is no exception here, as it absolutely excels at every single game that is put on the screen. In Overwatch 2, the PG32UCDM stunned me with its incredibly vibrant colors, buttery smooth 240Hz framerate - which I was able to comfortably hit at 4K with my RTX 4090 - and the gorgeous deep blacks. The very same goes for the RPG titles I played, with Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 looking absolutely breathtaking with raytracing effects cranked up, along with Hellblade 2 from Ninja Theory conveniently releasing while I'm writing this review, enabling me to test what I would now consider the most graphically impressive game yet. The PG32UCDM literally made me tear up during the first several hours of gameplay in Hellblade 2. This was truly something that is hard to put into words.

In every game I tested, I was blown away by the incredible colors the PG32UCDM provides, and this was especially prevalent in games that are already quite colorful and vibrant - e.g., Overwatch 2, The Witcher 3, and Elden Ring. These incredible colors are thanks to the QD-OLED panel provided by Samsung, which also enables an extremely low response time of just 0.03ms. It cannot be overstated enough how much of a difference there is between 1ms+ response time and 0.03ms. Once you use a 0.03ms gaming monitor you will never want to go back to anything slower, and the PG32UCDM is a prime example of that. All first-person-shooter titles I played I felt much more in tuned with the gameplay, making me feel more powerful and accurate.

Final Thoughts

So, should you purchase the PG32UCDM? If you can afford the hefty price tag of $1,300, I would say you will have a fantastic gaming monitor that you likely won't need to replace for at least five years. However, before purchasing, make sure you have the appropriate components to hit 4K at 240Hz, as you will truly feel amiss if that can't be reached.

I would like to highlight some of the best aspects of the PG32UCDM: colors, refresh rate, pixel density, 0.03ms response time, perfect size for all types of games, warranty, and premium aesthetic design. Another great point of the PG32UCDM is the massive improvement to text fringing, making it a monitor that can also be used for workflows, which is also particularly enjoyable at 32 inches.

ASUS's PG32UCDM is $300 more than MSI's 321URX, and both have the same QD-OLED panel. Now, is ASUS's variant worth the extra $300? Simply, no. There is hardly any difference between these gaming monitors besides the physical design and some OSD features exclusive to each brand. But if you are talking about raw performance, the PG32UCDM and the 321URX score evenly in my book.