Boutique gaming system and part maker NZXT has added high-performance shows to its product lineup with 27- and 32-inch screens. The Canvas line consists of the 27Q (flat) and 32Q (curved) monitor, the latter of which I’ll overview right here. It runs at 165 Hz in QHD decision and contains a high-contrast VA panel with Adaptive-Sync, HDR, and a large coloration gamut. You will get it in a number of mixtures of white and black with both a stand or monitor arm. And the pricing is aggressive with different established manufacturers. Will it carry out properly sufficient to make it onto our Greatest Gaming Screens web page? Let’s have a look.
NZXT Canvas 32Q Specs
Panel Sort / Backlight | VA / W-LED, edge array |
Display screen Measurement / Facet Ratio | 32 inches / 16:9 |
Curve Radius: 1500mm | |
Max Decision & Refresh Price | 2560×1440 @ 165 Hz |
FreeSync: 48-165 Hz | |
G-Sync Appropriate | |
Native Shade Depth & Gamut | 8-bit / DCI-P3 |
Response Time (MPRT) | 1ms |
Brightness (mfr) | 300 nits |
Distinction (mfr) | 3,000:1 |
Audio system | None |
Video Inputs | 1x DisplayPort 1.2 |
2x HDMI 2.0 | |
1x USB-C | |
Audio | 3.5mm headphone output |
USB 3.0 | 1x up, 2x down |
Energy Consumption | 31.8w, brightness @ 200 nits |
Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base | 28 x 19.1-23.8 x 10.4 inches (711 x 485-605 x 264mm) |
Panel Thickness | 4.4 inches (112mm) |
Bezel Width | High/sides: 0.4 inch (10mm) |
Backside: 0.8 inch (20mm) | |
Weight | 18.6 kilos (8.5kg) |
Guarantee | 3 years |
With so many quick IPS screens popping out, I’m seeing fewer VA panels utilized in gaming screens. That is unlucky as a result of they provide all the colour and about thrice the distinction of the perfect IPS screens. NZXT makes use of a VA half within the Canvas 32Q, delivering almost 4,000:1, which is greater than any IPS and lots of the VA shows I’ve examined. This provides a whole lot of influence to each SDR and HDR content material. The Canvas 32Q accepts HDR10 alerts, although it doesn’t use dynamic distinction or a excessive output backlight. However its HDR high quality continues to be superior to rank-and-file IPS screens that may muster 1,000:1 at finest.
The colour gamut covers round 88% of DCI-P3, which is common amongst value-priced screens. Like most huge gamut shows, it comes up a tad quick within the inexperienced major. Blue and purple are properly saturated, and the Canvas 32Q may be very colourful in all kinds of content material. It’s correct sufficient out of the field that calibration is pointless. I discovered it solely wanted a gamma tweak to ship a very good image.
Gaming efficiency is assured by a 165 Hz refresh fee, which is straightforward to fulfill in QHD decision when pushed by a mid- to upper-tier video card. Although pixel density is 93ppi, it renders a pointy picture that works equally properly for gaming or productiveness. Its excessive distinction helps make positive element and shades of coloration pop.
The display screen’s curve radius of 1,500mm is true within the center, the place there isn’t a picture distortion, however the curve is beneficial sufficient to immerse the viewer. And at 32 inches diagonal, there’s a whole lot of top and width to fill one’s peripheral imaginative and prescient.
The Canvas 32Q clearly has a gaming intent, although it saves the customer a bit of cash by leaving out audio system and LED lighting. Nonetheless, stable construct high quality and dependable efficiency make it an honest worth.
Meeting and Equipment
If you purchase the Canvas 32Q instantly from NZXT’s web site, you possibly can select between a stand or an arm. The panel and stand are available in black or white, so you possibly can select between 4 potential mixtures. The stand provides $50, whereas the arm is $100 for a single and $170 for a twin mannequin. The panel alone prices $400 in white or $380 in black. NZXT shipped me all the pieces in black, together with a stand and an arm. All parts assemble simply and rapidly with out the necessity for instruments. The beneficiant cable bundle consists of HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, customary USB and an exterior energy provide.
Product 360
The Canvas 32Q’s styling is easy and purposeful. The upright appears a bit just like the flash suppressor from a machine gun with its rows of holes. Although slender, it’s rock stable, with a thick metallic plate serving as the bottom. Ergonomics embrace a 120mm top adjustment, 20 levels swivel and 5/20 levels tilt. There isn’t a portrait mode. The again features a 100mm VESA mount for no matter answer you select. Additionally seen within the again is an OSD joystick and the NZXT emblem proudly displayed on the high.
The highest view reveals the 1500R curvature. It’s proper between delicate and excessive, the right steadiness between immersion and picture high quality. There isn’t a seen distortion, so that you’ll be comfy engaged on paperwork and spreadsheets with the Canvas 32Q’s giant display screen space. You may see the ample cooling grill that retains inside temps to only above ambient. A bit of clip attaches to the stand for cable administration.
From the aspect, you possibly can see the panel’s profile is thinner on the high. This portion is roofed by a metallic plate which additional aids cooling. There aren’t any audio system or aspect USB ports, however the Canvas 32Q doesn’t skimp on connectivity. You get two HDMI 2.0, one DisplayPort 1.2, a USB-C serving as a video enter and USB upstream connection. There are additionally a USB-B upstream and two USB-A downstream ports. You may join headphones or powered audio system to the three.5mm audio jack.
OSD Options
The Canvas 32Q’s OSD is tremendous easy which I drastically admire. It solely has 4 sub-menus plus a sign info display screen.
All image and sport settings are packed into the Picture menu. The primary part has eight image modes and brightness/distinction/sharpness together with three coloration temps, RGB sliders, three gamma presets and coloration saturation. The second half consists of overdrive, a body fee counter, MPRT (blur discount by way of backlight strobe), low blue gentle and a black equalizer to make shadow element extra seen. My solely beef right here is the dearth of numerical values for settings like brightness and distinction, RGB or quantity. You may see the slider transfer up or down, however there’s no quantity there for later reference. I counted the clicks, and every slider has 100 steps making the middle level 50. Different choices like sharpness, saturation, low blue gentle and black equalizer have 10 steps. It’s uncommon, however I received used to it after a time.
In Different Setting, you’ll discover the FreeSync toggle. This needs to be along with MPRT, nevertheless it’s not. Turning MPRT on cancels Adaptive-Sync because it does on most screens. The backlight strobe has no fine-tuning out there. It reduces brightness by round 25% and produces some slight phasing artifacts. The overdrive may be very delicate in its operation, with no apparent ghosting. It reduces blur moderately properly.
NZXT Canvas 32Q Calibration Settings
The Canvas 32Q is correct sufficient by default to not require calibration. I noticed some slight inexperienced errors within the grayscale patterns I considered, however the precise content material regarded excellent, with pure coloration and tone. Gamma is just too gentle on the default 2.2 setting, so I upped it to 2.4 for a visual enchancment in depth and dimension. I couldn’t enhance the white level accuracy utilizing the RGB sliders as a result of they don’t act equally on all of the brightness steps. My calibration consisted solely of the change in gamma. Under are the brightness settings I used for generally chosen output ranges.
HDR alerts mechanically change the Canvas 32Q into HDR mode the place I measured good accuracy for coloration and EOTF monitoring. There aren’t any image changes out there for HDR content material, so that you’ll should confine your tweaks to any in-game choices which are out there.
Image Mode | Normal |
Brightness 200 nits | 55 |
Brightness 120 nits | 25 |
Brightness 100 nits | 18 |
Brightness 80 nits | 12 |
Brightness 50 nits | 1 (min. 48 nits) |
Distinction | 50 |
Gamma | 2.4 |
Gaming and Palms-on
The very first thing I at all times see when booting up Home windows is the seaside scene wallpaper, which is a part of Home windows 10’s default set of graphics. It has a superb blue sky mirrored within the water, orange sandy rocks within the background, and a lone determine working alongside the seaside. I at all times have a look at the colour first, and the Canvas 32Q impresses with its daring and vivid hues. The additional distinction was apparent as I regarded on the light waves that had been clearly within the foreground, properly forward of the rocks behind. And the working girl is sort of a silhouette, however some delicate particulars will be seen. For instance, I might inform she was carrying three-quarter-length pants.
The image appears a tad mushy with a pixel density of 93ppi in case you like to sit down very near the display screen. However the giant display screen is finest used from three to 4 ft again. Then, you received’t see the pixel construction. The anti-glare layer does its job invisibly with out inflicting any distortion or grain. The picture may be very sharp, with no obvious edge enhancement so long as the sharpness slider is left at 50%.
Productiveness apps look stable, with clear sort and good distinction between black textual content and white backgrounds. Photograph enhancing was straightforward sufficient, however since there is not any sRGB mode out there, I had to make use of a software program LUT when that gamut was wanted. Watching video was a easy expertise, with no obvious stutter or cadence subject in YouTube content material.
I began my sport time with Doom Everlasting’s horde mode, which retains the motion shifting continuous. The overdrive did an affordable job of sustaining movement decision, nevertheless it might have been a bit extra aggressive. Even on its highest setting, it didn’t clear up the image utterly. The MPRT backlight strobe does a very good job of holding positive element stable throughout speedy motion, however some phasing artifacts are current. I might compensate for the sunshine discount by turning up the brightness slider. However in the end, I most well-liked to maintain Adaptive-Sync on as an alternative. Body fee administration was flawless on each G-Sync and FreeSync programs.
Shadow areas in Name of Responsibility WWII had been good and darkish due to the Canvas 32Q’s correct EOTF monitoring in HDR mode. I might nonetheless see element clearly, and that true black made the picture look three-dimensional. Shade additionally had further pop, which additional distinguished HDR from SDR. Highlights had been a bit flat relative to brighter screens, however I’d nonetheless name the Canvas 32Q a very good HDR show relative to its worth worth level.
The Canvas 32Q is a stable first effort for NZXT that delivers a stable gaming expertise and good image high quality in all areas of productiveness and leisure.
MORE: Greatest Gaming Screens
MORE: How We Take a look at PC Screens
MORE: The right way to Purchase a PC Monitor: A 2022 Information