BenQ BL3200PT 32 - User Feedback

BrynS

BrynS

BrynS

Associate
Joined
26 Nov 2003
Posts
523
Location
Wales, UK
I've been eyeing up this monitor for a few weeks and it's currently on special for £350 - I'd be interested to hear some feedback from guys here who have the monitor.

I've recently upgraded to an X99 / 980 Ti rig and am looking to drive a larger screen and resolution from my trusty HP2475w (1920x1200) that has served me well since 2008. 32" is pretty much the largest I want to go on my desk and I'm not yet sold on the ultrawide curved screens (I'd need to spend a few hours using one first tbh) - I also don't really wont to spend £600+ on a monitor at the moment wih all the changes in the market. The BL3200PT would basically be an interim upgrade for the next 2 years or so until my "ideal monitor" becomes available (Dell/HP, 30-32", 4k, IPS panel with 100Hz+ refresh rate with Freesync/G-Sync/Adaptive-Sync, <£700).

I've read through Badass and PCMs comprehensive reviews of the BL3200PT and scanned through all the threads here and some other sites and Youtube videos. The positives for me are the equivalent dot pitch to my current 24", reasonable build quality and ergonomics. My rig should also be able to drive most games at 2560x 1440 for a while. The negatives are that the AMVA panel has relatively poor response times and there are some reports online of VA banding and flicker/flashing. The more I've looked at some of the anecdotal reporting online I'm left with the perception that there is a bit of a panel/quality control lottery with the monitor as well. Some users are reporting that the flicker/flashing is resolved but only after sending the monitor back to BenQ to flash the firmware. In the 80+ page thread for the monitor on HardOCP it's noted that there is a now is a different 1.1 version of this panel in production (glare rather anti-glare surface). If I could get one without the flashing/flicker and otherwise working as intended then I reckon it would do me well for two years or so until high-refresh rate 4k IPS panels are prevalent.

I'd be using it for general desktop work and gaming (MMO's mostly plus the odd FPS, i.e. the upcoming Battlefront but certainly nothing competitive). As far as I can tell the BL3200PT has similar if not better response times and lag to my current HP and it has not been an issue for me with the HP. The other option would be to spend a little bit more and get something less of a punt like a Dell UltraSharp U2715H or simply hold off for another 6 months and re-assess the market then.

TLDR: Would value some feedback from OcUK users with this panel. How's it been for gaming - any noticeable VA banding, flicker/flashing or noticeable lag?

Cheers!
 
No VA banding or flashing that I could tell, as for lag, I play csgo with it regularly and it's great (even though I sometimes go into 1280x1024 for 75hz). The only bad thing I can say about it is an odd flicker, though it's more like a tear, that happens for a millisecond in specific circumstances (e.g. when selecting text and messing around with it; never in games/movies) but very rarely, and supposedly fixed if you buy a different cable. The other thing about it is that 32'' is HUGE and I personally found it hard to get used to it, especially for some games (mobas in particular) but mostly for general browsing. Other games are just superb on it, like GTA V, WoW, Witcher 3, Path of Exile, etc. I have to say that even outside of gaming though the monitor is absolute bliss, especially watching movies & messing around with photo & video editing. Overall, for the price (I also got it for about 340) I think it's pretty much unbeatable and just in general it is a top notch monitor.
 
Thanks for the replies, both.

@JediFragger: Does the Acer have some sort of overdrive toggle in the menu?

@Poneros: That's good to hear. Roughly when did you buy yours? I'm hoping that some of the flicker/flashing issues I linked above are from earlier batches/revisions. Which of the overdrive settings do you use? Off, High or Premium? All the reviews suggest that High is optimal although with the some of flicker cases it had to disabled to remove it.

I'm sure the size difference takes some adjustment. I remember going from a 21" CRT to my current 24" HP... it seemed like a huge jump. Any other issues or quirks one should be aware of?
 
Bought one the other week while it was in this week only discount. When it arrived and i stuck it on my desk I really did think id made a mistake. The thing is huge. A week in, all the initial worries are long gone. I dont game, but for what I use it for (work, browsing, photo editing) its just fantastic. The stand is also amazing, so solid and well made, which is important on a screen this size.
 
Just got one of these myself, beast of a monitor. Like kidloco says, i put it next to my other 24" monitor and thought id made a massive mistake but you get used to the size quickly and wonder why you would need anything else.

Only thing that worried me was response time and initially on trying Witcher 3 i thought it was awful, till i realised that the sheer size of the screen was fooling my eyes, sitting well back solves this.
 
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