The table below shows the luminance recorded at each quadrant and the percentage deviation between a given quadrant and the brightest point recorded.
Note that in the ‘Extra’ section of the OSD it will have ‘FreeSync’ listed as the ‘V. The ‘Medium’ setting again looks similar to ‘Weak’, but with a bit of extra overshoot.
We did observe some extremely faint static interlace patterns, however. This leaves the screen itself a little wobbly when compared to the smaller AOC panels.
FreeSync also boasts reduced latency compared to running with VSync enabled, in the variable frame rate environment in which it operates. Following some adjustments in the OSD, it was possible to get a better balance to the image. There was some ‘black crush’ and ‘VA glow’, but the overall level of detail in dark areas remained quite pleasing. Here, a DeltaE <3 is considered non-significant deviation that most users wouldn’t readily notice by eye. Contrast in games and movies There was a stronger red hue to striping at the flanks and bottom of the screen.
The perceived hue shifted between these two states along with head movement. FreeSync range quite restrictive
Unfortunately the gamut now undershoots the sRGB target by some way, according to our measurements (94% sRGB).
The following graphic is a contour map which shows these deviations in a more artistic way. That’s low for a gaming screen these days – the smaller AOC C27G1 hit 265 nits, which was still poor, and the BenQ EX3203R delivered a stonking level of 399 nits.
Without FreeSync active and VSync on, those dips translated into stuttering which to us was very noticeable and quite jarring. The monitor provided good deep dark shades with brighter elements, such as car headlights, piercing through the darkness with excellent ‘pop’. But it was still lacking a bit of depth in places due to gamma handling. Things still weren’t quite where we would like them in either respect, but there was no way to further improve the image in the OSD alone without upsetting other aspects of image quality. In our responsiveness article we explore the key factors affecting monitor responsiveness.
AOC claims a 1ms response time for this screen, but the firm said the same about its C27G1 screen – and that panel exhibited minor ghosting in particularly fast moments unless overdrive settings were employed.
The following observations were made from a normal viewing position, eyes around 70-80cm from the screen. You’ll find a greater number of pixels and a brighter screen elsewhere, but the C32G1 is a large and decent mainstream gaming screen. It should be noted that, although a lot of movie content is ~24 – 30fps, some runs at a higher frame rate such as 50fps or 60fps.
It’s possible these were ‘cross hatching’ imperfections on the screen surface. The boldest and most extensive trailing can be seen for the dark background, shown in the top row. With a 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) spread out across a 31.5” screen space, this monitor offers a pixel density of 93.24 PPI (Pixels Per Inch).
The greyscale gradient appeared fairly smooth, although there was some minor banding.
Most users will probably wish to enable VSync when using FreeSync to ensure that they don’t get any tearing.
Lagom’s contrast tests were used analyse specific strengths and weaknesses in contrast performance.
One of the main characters, Dr Zoidberg, appeared an appropriate if not slightly too vibrant red centrally and appeared quite anaemic towards the flanks and bottom of the screen. It is also worth noting that this film is presented in a 16:9 letterbox format, with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. Performance on the contrast gradients was very good overall. Below the floor of operation (48Hz or 48fps), you will go back to experiencing either stuttering (VSync on) or tearing and juddering (VSync off). However; it is important to remember that all monitors have their strengths and weaknesses.
The monitor has two different ‘preset’ types.
The smooth, shiny outer polarising layer allows the monitor to emit light without significant diffusion. Both our responsiveness article and the G-SYNC article linked to explore the importance of these two elements being synchronised.
Even if we managed to keep things just above that, though, we were hankering for higher frame rates. This was the case on both AMD and Nvidia GPUs. We liken this to wetting fountain pen ink on paper, where the ink will run a bit. The monitor was still able to provide an appropriate look to different ‘shade classes’ on this title, though. This is reduced slightly by increasing the ‘Overdrive’ setting, although it is replaced with a dity-looking trail of inverse ghosting (overshoot) for the ‘Strong’ setting.
Tell us what you think - send your emails to the Editor. The glossy VA panel was also an interesting choice, particularly as the vast majority of monitors these days feature matte screen surfaces. It would’ve been nice to see a broader FreeSync range employed, but the experience really remains quite sub-optimal regardless at such low frame rates. The ‘Strong’ setting introduces obvious bright and colourful overshoot. We tested a range of other titles, such as Dirt Rally, and found similar strengths and weaknesses became apparent on the monitor. The AOC C32G1 is a large, curved gaming screen with AMD FreeSync. This value was not influenced by enabling one of the ‘Game Mode’ presets in the OSD. A particular issue which we often find on FreeSync-compatible displays that is handled much better on G-SYNC displays is the pixel overdrive solution.
Things still weren’t quite where we would like them in either respect, but there was no way to further improve the image in the OSD alone without upsetting other aspects of image quality. Quite bright with decent colour balance, aside from a slight blue-green bias affecting the neutrality of some grey shades. The following observations were made.
Some more subtle details such as tire tread patterns and crinkled leather car interiors were not as distinct as they could be, but still visible.
There was only a light misty graininess from the screen surface, leaving lighter shades appearing relatively smooth. While that’s high enough for gaming, the panel isn’t particularly sharp or crisp; plus it makes it easy to spot pixels. For example the Samsung C34F791 and the AOC AG322QCX). In fact, there were some shades from this last category which were particularly noteworthy in their vibrancy.
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The following video shows how this test appeared from a variety of viewing angles, as well as mixed and dark desktop backgrounds.
The default is ‘Off, unless application specifies’ which means that VSync will only be active if you enable it within the game itself, if there is such an option. There was minor clouding in places, most noticeable but still minor towards the top right of the screen.
The monitor was set to 60Hz and 75Hz using the full range of ‘Overdrive’ settings; ‘Off’, ‘Weak’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Strong’. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made using the below link.
You can either configure this globally under ‘Global Settings’ or for each game individually. You can either configure this globally under ‘Global Settings’ or for each game individually. And that applies regardless of their price. PC users may wish to experiment with GPU scaling if they need to use this monitor at 1920 x 1080. At 60Hz you can see that the object itself looks relatively soft and unfocused, without clearly defined details. The colour gamut of the Q3279VWF (red triangle) is compared with the reference sRGB colour space (green triangle) in the image below. This would introduce the sort of weaknesses observed when gaming at higher framer rates, where pixel responsiveness requirements are tighter. It was, of course, possible to get the frame rate below the 48fps (48Hz) floor of operation for FreeSync on this monitor. Interpolation and upscaling The OSD (On Screen Display) is controlled by pressable buttons on the underside of the bottom bezel, to the right of centre. It should be noted, though, that sensitivity to reduced frame rates does vary. There were also occasional after images, particularly where the scene would change from very dark to very bright quickly. The other presets are ‘Game Mode’ settings; ‘FPS’, ‘RTS’, ‘Racing’, ‘Gamer 1’, ‘Gamer 2’ and ‘Gamer 3’. Without FreeSync active and VSync on, those dips translated into stuttering which to us was very noticeable and quite jarring. We’re just mentioning them for completeness. Without FreeSync active and VSync on, those dips translated into stuttering which to us was very noticeable and quite jarring. It also stresses the important point that not everybody will find these imperfections bothersome and given the other strengths of the monitor, don’t automatically dismiss it because of these weaknesses.