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Power consumption is good, coming in a few watts lower than other 32-inch 1440p IPS displays that I've tested after calibration. Not a massive difference, but LG's Nano IPS panel appears quite efficient. Cumulative deviation shows the 32GP850 as a mid-tier performer, in the glut of IPS monitors that deliver around 500-550 in this metric. The 27GP850 is marginally better tuned with its overdrive settings, and again the PG329Q is the best of the best, though we're only talking a 10 percent superior result over LG's 32-inch model. We also see the 32GP850 and M32Q delivering basically the same numbers here. Adaptive-Sync Technology: Features Adaptive-Sync, compatible with AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync, to eliminate screen tearing and stuttering for a smoother gaming experience. I am also a programmer and the ability to orient the monitor vertically is great, with the size of the monitor there is so much vertical space.
Ergonomic Stand:Its adjustable stand offers pivot, height, tilt, swivel, and rotation adjustments, along with VESA compatibility for mounting flexibility. The step up from Normal is Fast. Response times have improved again and now sit at 5.7ms which is very solid, and this is at only a minimal cost to overshoot. As a result, cumulative deviation is lower, now at just 457, and typically this is what we are looking for when assessing overdrive modes. So in short, Fast is better than Normal when gaming at 180Hz and has a marginally clearer image than previous modes even with a small introduction to overshoot. Viewing angles like most IPS monitors are great and of course we have the benefit of a flat panel here. Uniformity with my unit was very solid in the middle area and only a slight fall off along the outer edges, this is an above average result. IPS glow was minimal with my unit as well although this will vary from sample to sample so what you experience may be different.
Variable Overdrive
Today we are reviewing the monitor that LG didn't want us to review, the 32GP850. It's been a bit of a process to get this one out, far from the smoothest review process I've ever had, but today we'll be going over everything you need to know if you are interested in this display, which has been on sale for a couple of weeks now. This is a 32-inch 1440p IPS monitor with a maximum refresh rate of 180Hz. It's essentially a larger version of LG's 27GP850, it offers a very similar set of features, uses the same LG Nano IPS technology for the panel, and visually it's quite similar, too. However, as we've found many times in the past, using a panel from the same family doesn't guarantee the same performance at a different size, so that will be something to explore. With that said, deltaE results on the whole are better in the sRGB mode than in the default mode, so my recommendation for those wanting to improve the color performance of the 32GP850 using OSD tweaks is to run the monitor in the sRGB mode. Calibrated Color Performance
From a design perspective, the 32GP850 looks virtually identical to the 27GP850 except for its larger size. In fact right now I could be showing you photos of the 27-inch model and saying it's the 32-inch model and 99% of you would have no idea. But of course, that's not the case at all, these are fresh photos of the 32-inch model. Compared to other similar displays on the market today, this batch being entirely 1440p monitors, the 32GP850 as I talked about just moments ago isn't quite as fast as the 27GP850 when comparing the best vs best performance at the maximum refresh rate. The 27 inch model reported a 4.7ms average response time, compared to 5.7ms with the 32 inch model, albeit with lower overshoot. The results from the 32GP850 therefore aren't too different to other LG Nano IPS monitors but not quite up there with the best 32-inch models I've tested or indeed other IPS models. When putting the 32GP850 results up against the Gigabyte M32Q with their Aim Stabilizer feature, and the Asus PG329Q with their ELMB feature, the Asus monitor is the clear winner. Both the 32GP850 and M32Q have red fringing - despite the M32Q using a different Innolux panel - while the PG329Q does not. The image clarity you get with the Asus monitor is also the best of these three options. Color Performance Color Space: LG 32GP850 - D65-P3 However the winner here in my opinion is the Asus PG329Q which features variable overdrive. Its response time is similar to the 32GP850, but with lower overshoot across the refresh range, leading to a clearer image. Factory greyscale calibration was a bit wonky on my unit. The color temperature overall was good, with no significant tint in any direction, but adherence to the sRGB gamma curve - or even just flat 2.2 gamma - was wrong. You can see a dip in gamma for the higher parts of the greyscale range, and this hurts deltaE numbers, only leaving us with average results.The main strength to LG's IPS gaming monitor line-up is the great balance between performance and image quality. The 32GP850 isn't the fastest monitor I've tested, and doesn't take IPS panels to new heights of response times, but performance is still really good and does so up to a decent 180Hz refresh rate. It's not like it's worse than last year's model - because there was no equivalent last year. The UFO Test guidelines make a minimal difference and still exhibit the red fringing issue. If anything it's the contrast guideline that has the most impact, which does minimize LG's poor contrast ratio, but it's not a massive difference that would radically change our recommendation.
Dark level performance is a non issue, as the 32GP850 uses IPS technology. However this is important to point out if you are tossing up between a 1440p IPS monitor or a 1440p VA monitor at this size, with VA models being more common. Unfortunately, most VA displays with the exception of Samsung's Odyssey G7 deliver dark level smearing. Time to take a look at response time performance, which we tested how we wanted to test it, not how LG said we should. In any case there are four performance modes, ranging from Off to Faster, similar to LG's other monitors. And we're starting here with a look at the Off mode, giving us a look at native panel performance without overdrive. As always this isn't really a mode most gamers would choose to use, but it does show an 8.6ms average response which is pretty decent without any voltage tweaking. This isn't as good as the 27GP850, which has a larger usable range again due to slightly better response time performance overall. However it's not as bad as other displays that have much more narrow usable refresh ranges for their overdrive modes. To summarize the results aren't perfect by any means, but not awful. Variable overdrive would have been a good addition here to resolve these lingering concerns.
Next-Gen PC Gaming
FHD Display: This 27-inch monitor boasts a Full HD (1920×1080) resolution, ensuring sharp, clear visuals, ideal for gaming. After a full calibration, performance improved again over what was achievable in the OSD. Greyscale results are tightened up nicely, and this leads to even better sRGB accuracy in our color tests, with deltaEs below 2.0 across the board. This is also the best way to use the monitor for wide gamut P3 work, as aside from some inaccuracies at the very outer edges of the gamut, calibrated performance is pretty good. The stand supports height, pivot and tilt adjustability, giving a decent range of motion that includes the ability to use the display in a portrait orientation if you want to. There's also VESA mounting support if necessary. Meanwhile the on-screen display is controlled through a directional toggle on the bottom edge of the monitor and includes a standard set of features, nothing too exciting. Frameless Design:A minimal bezel on three sides provides an immersive gaming experience, perfect for multi-monitor setups.
Regulations: cTUVus, FCC-B, ICES003, CEC, NRCan, CE, CE EMC, LVD/CB, RoHS, ErP, REACH, WEEE, EAC, UkrSEPRO, UKCA, BSMI, RCM, GEMS, BIS The build quality and look of this device is great as well, although not the thinnest monitor out there it still looks great.Refresh Rate and Response Time:It offers a 180 Hz refresh rate and 1 ms response time, reducing motion blur and ghosting for better gameplay in fast-paced games. Brightness tops out at just over 400 nits, a little lower than the 27GP850 but still very solid for most indoor viewing conditions. Of course, LG does list "HDR10" support but this number is not sufficient for true HDR. Then we see minimum brightness is 67 nits, a bit higher than I'd like and a below average result. The 32GP850 fares much better in average performance across the refresh range, in this case using the Fast mode which we recommended earlier. The 32GP850 is again slower than the 27GP850 and doesn't have quite as well optimized overdrive, but is competitive with other models to some degree. For example, it's faster than the Gigabyte M32Q though with higher overshoot, as the M32Q can't be pushed into a higher overdrive setting for variable refresh gaming without exceeding our tolerances for overshoot.
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