BenQ RD320U assessment: That is the 4K show programmers crave

Greatest Costs Immediately: BenQ RD320U

Do you want a monitor for programming?  

Technically, virtually any monitor can work and, due to this, monitor makers usually fail to market their shows particularly to programmers. Nevertheless, BenQ is addressing this hole with its newest line of programming screens. We’ve beforehand reviewed the BenQ RD280U, which is notable for its distinctive 3:2 side ratio. Nevertheless, the corporate additionally provides the extra conventional RD320U, a 32-inch 16:9 4K show full of options tailor-made to satisfy the wants of programmers. 

BenQ RD320U specs and options 

At its core, the BenQ RD320U is a strong 32-inch 4K show. It has an IPS Black panel (which ought to enhance the distinction ratio) and delivers a pointy picture at 3840×2160 decision. 

• Show measurement: 32-inch 16:9 widescreen 
• Native decision: 3840×2160 
• Panel kind: IPS Black 
• Refresh price: As much as 75Hz 
• Adaptive sync: None 
• HDR: Sure, VESA DisplayHDR 400 Licensed 
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with 90 watts of Energy Supply and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 1x USB-B 3.2 Gen 1 upstream, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 downstream, 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 downstream, 3.5mm audio-out 
• VESA mount: 100x100mm 
• Audio system: 2x 3-watt audio system 
• Worth: $649.99 MSRP 

It’s additionally jam-packed with ports, together with a USB-C port with DisplayPort and USB Energy Supply. Although pitched to programmers, the RD320U’s specs make it a competitor to high-end dwelling workplace screens just like the Dell Ultrasharp U3223QE and Philips Creator Collection 27E2F7901. 

Additional studying: Greatest dwelling workplace screens

BenQ RD320U design  

At a look, the BenQ RD320U’s design is fundamental. It’s clad in numerous shades of charcoal black that don’t instantly catch your eye. Take a re-assessment, although, and also you’ll discover the main points, just like the rippled sample that cascades down the rear of the monitor and the decrease show bezel. These add a delicate little bit of aptitude that makes the monitor distinct from its competitors. 

The star of the present, nevertheless, is actually a moon — or MoonHalo, as BenQ calls it. The MoonHalo is a hoop of LED lights centered on the rear of the monitor. It’s just like the RGB-LED lights on gaming screens, however as a substitute meant to offer tender, constant ambient mild. The MoonHalo is at all times white, however you possibly can alter the colour temperature to match the show. I loved the MoonHalo; it seems good and I felt it made the show much less tiring to view after darkish. 

The monitor ships with an ergonomic stand that adjusts for peak, tilt, pivot, and swivel. The stand is connected to a mid-sized, flat base. It’s a bit wider than it must be, however because it’s flat, the desk area it occupies stays usable. I’m not a fan of the stand’s cable administration, nevertheless. The faux-leather strap BenQ supplies for the aim is engaging however can’t maintain many cables. 

Whereas the included stand is sweet, BenQ additionally supplies a 100x100mm VESA mount to be used with third-party monitor arms and stands. 

BenQ RD320U connectivity and menus  

The BenQ RD320U has 4 video inputs: two HDMI, one DisplayPort, and one USB-C with DisplayPort. To be sincere, I’d slightly it had two DisplayPort ports than two HDMI, however that’s a nitpick. This can be a strong vary of video connectivity.  

Along with DisplayPort, the USB-C port additionally supplies as much as 90 watts of USB Energy Supply and helps knowledge for connections to a number of downstream USB-A and USB-C ports. Two USB-A ports, and one USB-C port, are positioned on the monitor’s chin, which makes them straightforward to entry. A KVM change operate is included, too. 

A USB-B upstream port supplies an alternate manner to hook up with the monitor’s USB hub, which is beneficial in case your PC lacks USB-C.  

The BenQ RD320U’s USB connectivity isn’t as intensive because the Dell Ultrasharp U3223QE, which has extra USB ports and supplies Ethernet, so these searching for a USB hub ought to give Dell’s different a glance. Nonetheless, the BenQ’s connectivity is a hair above common, because it delivers a number of downstream USB ports and locations them in handy places.  

Matthew Smith / Foundry

BenQ’s on-screen menus are accessed with a fast, responsive joystick centered on the monitor’s chin. The menu is giant, which makes it simpler to see and browse (although, sadly, the menu’s font continues to be a bit skinny). I additionally discovered the menus logically organized and had no points discovering the settings I need. BenQ, like most of its opponents, additionally supplies a Home windows software program utility (Show Pilot 2) to entry and management monitor settings. 

The BenQ RD320U’s picture high quality choices are a bit underwhelming. It makes use of imprecise presets for gamma and shade temperature as a substitute of offering the correct, numerical labels. An sRGB shade gamut preset is out there, however no preset is out there for DCI-P3 or AdobeRGB. I perceive this isn’t a “creator” monitor, however its efficiency is definitely adequate to make these presets helpful. 

Programmers received’t thoughts, nevertheless, as a result of the RD320U provides a number of options that turn out to be useful whereas coding. This contains two preset “Coding Booster” modes that alter brightness, distinction, and gamma to make code straightforward to learn.  

The monitor additionally has an ambient mild sensor that may robotically alter the monitor’s brightness all through the day. The ambient mild sensor is pitched to programmers as a technique to scale back eye pressure, however the characteristic is simply as helpful for writers, creators, accountants, and anybody else who spends a whole lot of time in entrance of a monitor. 

Audio system are included, however they’re not nice. The pair of bundled 3-watt audio system produce sound with affordable readability at low volumes however rapidly develop into overwhelmed as quantity is elevated. They’re nice for listening to a podcast or taking part in tender, ambient tones, however audio system or headphones shall be vital for true audio enjoyment.  

BenQ RD320U SDR picture high quality 

The BenQ RD320U is a superb instance of a monitor that doesn’t essentially want nice picture high quality to fulfill its supposed person. Programmers are gazing code, proper? Thankfully, BenQ doesn’t use that as an excuse to ship half-baked SDR picture high quality. Quite the opposite, the BenQ RD320U seems nice.  

Matthew Smith / Foundry

BenQ will get off to an ideal begin in brightness, because the RD320U delivers a wonderful 426 nits of peak SDR luminance. That’s so much, and positively excess of most programmers will want.  

Nonetheless, a excessive stage of SDR brightness means the monitor stays usable in a brightly lit room. That’s excellent news in case your workplace has sunlit home windows otherwise you’re coding in a bullpen that appears straight out of The Wolf of Wall Avenue. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

There’s extra excellent news in distinction, because the BenQ RD320U comes near delivering a distinction ratio of 2000:1. BenQ doesn’t market the monitor as having an “IPS Black” show panel, however this can be a stage of distinction I’ve solely witnessed in IPS panels of that kind. It retains the RD320U aggressive with class leaders just like the Dell U3223QE and Philips 27E2F7901. 

The comparability with BenQ’s RD280U is notable, as nicely. BenQ’s smaller programming monitor clearly has a distinct IPS panel that doesn’t match the RD320U in distinction. 

Whereas the BenQ RD320U’s distinction is nice for its class, buyers ought to keep in mind that OLED shows can obtain an successfully infinite distinction ratio, which makes them a better option for video games, motion pictures, and different leisure.  

Matthew Smith / Foundry

I used to be nervous the BenQ RD320U would possibly neglect the colour gamut and restrict itself to a narrower vary, however that’s not the case. It covers as much as 95 p.c of the DCI-P3 gamut and as much as 89 p.c of DCI-P3. The RD320U seems vibrant and alluring when displaying pictures, movies, and video games. 

With that stated, nevertheless, the RD320U falls behind the Dell U3223QE and Philips 27E2F7901 in protection of the DCI-P3 shade gamut. So, whereas the RD320U does nicely sufficient, it’s not your best option for content material creators who care about DCI-P3.  

Matthew Smith / Foundry

I used to be much more shocked by the BenQ RD320U’s shade accuracy, which completely bakes. Or cooks? What are the youngsters saying, as of late? 

Both manner, it’s good. Extraordinarily good. High-5-PCWorld-has-ever-tested good. It’s a little bit of a shock, and I believe there’s just a little little bit of random variance at play right here; I possible lucked out with an particularly good instance of the RD320U. Nonetheless, BenQ has a historical past of fine shade accuracy, and it’s wonderful to see the RD320U rating nicely right here. Although meant for programming, the RD320U can function an entry-level monitor for digital artists and photographers. 

The gamma and shade temperature checks reported extra excellent news, because the BenQ RD320U hit our goal gamma of two.2 and shade temperature of 6500K. Most screens come shut to those targets, but it surely’s good to see the RD320U hit each dead-on. This implies the monitor doesn’t look overly brilliant or darkish, nor too cool or heat.  

With that stated, the perfect gamma and shade temperature can fluctuate relying in your wants and private desire. The monitor has choices to regulate each — although, as talked about beforehand, they’re not well-labeled.  

Sharpness is one more perk. The 32-inch 3840×2160 panel supplies a sharpness of 138 pixels per inch (PPI). It’s not fairly as sharp as a 27-inch 4K show, which hits 163 PPI, but it surely’s noticeably superior to any 1440p monitor. That is useful for programmers, because it helps the monitor show small fonts with a crisp, tack-sharp look.  

The BenQ RD320U scores excessive marks in SDR picture high quality. It scores nicely throughout each metric and has no important weak spot which may place it behind the competitors. Options just like the Dell U3223QE can match the RD320U, however older screens just like the ThinkVision P32p-32 can’t sustain. 

BenQ RD320U HDR picture high quality 

The BenQ RD320U helps HDR and has VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, but it surely’s not an excellent decide for HDR motion pictures and video games. 

Distinction and luminance are points. Whereas the monitor can peak above 400 nits, that’s not sufficient to ship the complete oomph of HDR, as most HDR content material targets a peak brightness of at the least 1,000 nits.  

The monitor additionally lacks a dynamic backlight, which suggests the monitor’s distinction isn’t akin to Mini-LED or OLED shows. Positioned subsequent to such alternate options, the BenQ RD320U’s HDR picture will look flat and washed-out. 

This, to be honest, is a typical drawback for all mid-range IPS screens. A productiveness and programming show just like the BenQ RD320U would possibly help HDR, but it surely’s not the main focus, as practically all productiveness software program is designed for SDR. Nonetheless, consumers must be conscious: This isn’t the monitor for HDR. 

BenQ RD320U movement efficiency 

It’s not the monitor for movement readability, both. 

The BenQ RD320U has a most refresh price of as much as 75Hz and doesn’t help Adaptive Sync for easy body pacing in PC video games. Movement readability is okay for much less hectic video games, but it surely’s an apparent step behind a 144Hz monitor. 

After all, programmers spend most of their time taking a look at comparatively static code, so mediocre movement readability isn’t an enormous deal. Nonetheless, I believe many programmers wish to play some PC video games of their downtime. The BenQ RD320U isn’t your best option for that.  

Is the BenQ RD320U value it? 

The BenQ RD320U is a strong 32-inch 4K monitor. Although it’s focused at programmers, and provides a number of options they’ll recognize, it has broader enchantment as a house workplace and productiveness monitor. It has a brilliant, crisp picture, an ambient sensor to robotically alter brightness, and packs a helpful USB-C hub.  

BenQ faces a whole lot of competitors on this area, such because the Dell U3223QE, which has an equally engaging panel and a wider vary of connectivity, together with Ethernet. I’d nonetheless suggest the Dell U3223QE over the RD320U for basic productiveness, but it surely’s a detailed name, and the reductions out there on the time you purchase may sway the choice both manner. When you’re a programmer, although, the RD320U has a bonus.