By Matthew Powell
Asus introduced the first version of the PG32UCDM gaming display in 2024, and it has quickly become a popular mainstay in many gamers’ rigs. The OLED panel was bright, and featured fairly low latency and even accurate colour for an OLED.
The PG32UCDM3 is the third version of that model, and improves markedly on an already impressive original while answering some criticisms.
The first thing you notice when dragging it out of the box is that it is heavy. Seriously heavy. At just under 9kg, it’s not quite two-person-job territory, but take our advice: lift from your knees. The weight is partially accounted for by the sheer fact that it is a huge piece of glass, but there’s another factor that tripped us up during setup: it has an internal power supply.
That caused a bit of confusion when we couldn’t find the usual brick that accompanies a display of this size. We were concerned about potential heat problems from an integrated power supply, but never encountered any issues in testing. Clearly Asus has done some clever heat-sink engineering.
The reduced clutter is probably a good trade-off for a bit of extra heft for most users.
The weight also means it comes with a biggish desktop footprint. The provided stand is sturdy and well-designed, but the laws of physics require that its legs are long so the display takes up some room. It also includes a VESA mount though.
For hooking it up, your choices are plentiful. It boasts two DisplayPort 2.1 ports, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and one USB-C port that can also function as a DisplayPort. We connected it to an Asus gaming PC and a MacBook, switching between the two using the on screen menu, and it handled both with aplomb. The display also features a USB hub, with three USB ports for attaching peripherals. The hub can deliver 90W of power, so just about anything can be run off these ports.
In use, the display is most impressive. It’s capable of 4K resolution at 240Hz and offers High Dynamic Range (HDR) as an option, so pictures are big and sharp and colourful. It also features what Asus calls Extreme Low Motion Blur, so character movement is smooth with very little latency.
It’s an OLED, so of course the blacks are true blacks, but this model also meets the VESA TrueBlack 500 standard, which essentially means that the difference between the blackest black and the whitest white is that little bit better (the original PG32UCDM supported TrueBlack 400). This unit also features a BlackShield film protecting the screen, which both increases the apparent contrast and makes the screen more scratch resistant than its predecessor.
As it’s a glossy screen, you may be concerned about the potential for reflections to interfere with the on screen image. But the BlackShield film also does a pretty handy job of reducing glare and reflections.
Asus obviously targets this display to hardcore gamers — and it serves their needs well — but some users might also like to get real work done on it. The good news is, it’s a very capable all-rounder.
Text on screen looks remarkably sharp, with none of the jagginess or shadowing that often plagues very large displays, and the sheer size and resolution means that a great deal of work can be held on screen at once.
Video editors, for instance, could easily use this display for dealing with 4K video, with multiple tracks and toolbars at the sweep of a mouse. Our usual workhorse, a 27-inch Apple Studio Display, looks positively pokey next to this 32-inch beast.
Pleasingly, the colour gamut of the PG32UCDM3 is both wide and accurate, and fairly easy to calibrate. OLED displays simply cannot match the colour accuracy of LCD — it’s a limitation of the technology — but the PG32UCDM3 came awfully close in our testing. For video and photo editors looking to maximise screen real estate, it’s a credible option.
For its core target market of gamers, though, it’s very hard to find fault with this display. The bottom bezel on the front, where you find the little joystick to control the on screen menu, feels a little plasticky and doesn’t quite fit with the very premium feel of the unit overall. But that’s a nitpick. This is as good a gaming display as you’re likely to find this year.
Score: 9/10
Pros:
- Stunning 4K OLED at 240Hz with excellent HDR performance
- TrueBlack 500 contrast delivers deep blacks and strong highlights
- BlackShield film reduces glare and improves durability
- Extensive connectivity including DP 2.1, HDMI 2.1 and USB-C (90W)
Cons:
- Heavy and takes up significant desk space
- Integrated power supply adds bulk
- Glossy panel still prone to some reflections
