ASUS has introduced two new curved gaming displays that feature large 31.5” VA panels with a 144 Hz refresh rate. The VA326H and VA326N-W monitors have FHD resolution as well as a variety of ASUS’ enhancements designed for gamers. ASUS positions the new products as entry-level models for gamers in budget that also demand a large diagonal, curvature and a high refresh rate.

The ASUS VA326-series displays use 31.5” AHVA panels with 1920×1080 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio. General specifications of the monitors are typical for this class of devices: 300 nits brightness, 3000:1 contrast ratio, 178°/178° viewing angles, a 4 ms response time (grey-to-grey) and so on. The main selling points of the two displays are their 144 Hz refresh rate as well as 1800R curvature.

The only difference between the ASUS VA326H and the ASUS VA326N-W monitors is the supported connectors: both come with a D-Sub and a DL-DVI input, whereas the VA326H also has an HDMI 1.4 header. The displays lack features like a USB hub as well as integrated speakers, which is expected for entry-level consumer devices.

ASUS VA326-Series Curved Gaming Monitors
  ASUS VA326H ASUS VA326N-W
Panel 31.5 AHVA
Native Resolution 1920 × 1080
Refresh Rate Range 144 Hz via HDMI, DL-DVI
50~75 Hz via D-Sub
144 Hz via DL-DVI
50~75 Hz via D-Sub
Response Time 4 ms (gray-to-gray)
Brightness 300 cd/m²
Contrast 3000:1
Viewing Angles 178°/178° horizontal/vertical
Curvature 1800R
Inputs 1 × HDMI 1.4 with HDCP
1 × DL-DVI with HDCP
1 × D-Sub
-
1 × DL-DVI with HDCP
1 × D-Sub with HDCP
Audio Audio in/out ports
Proprietary Enhancements Trace Free Technology
Skin-Tone Selection: 3 Modes
Color Temperature Selection: 4 Modes
GamePlus Modes:  Crosshair/Timer/Display Alignment
Low Blue Light: Yes
VividPixel: Yes
GameVisual Modes: Scenery/Racing/Cinema/RTS/RPG/FPS/sRGB
Power Consumption
 
Idle ~5 W
Active 28 W at 200 cd/m²
Detailed Information Link Link

The ASUS VA326-series displays formally belong to the company’s Essential family of inexpensive monitors and are the first curved screens in this lineup. Nevertheless, they support a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz as well as ASUS’ proprietary enhancements like Trace Free, Crosshair, Timer and others, which are valued primarily by gamers. In fact, the combination of a large size, a 144 Hz refresh rate, and curvature, combine into an interesting package for this particular price point and will likely appeal to gamers in budget. These gamers might be focused on eSports, therefore a relatively low resolution of 1920×1080 pixels is not going to be a drawback for them, but will rather be an advantage because they will be able to play with a native resolution with high FPS and at 144 Hz.

ASUS plans to start sales of the VA326H and VA326N-W monitors in early Q1 2017. In the U.S., the company will offer the ASUS VA326H for $399. MSRP for Europe and other countries are unknown, but given the positioning of the displays and their price in the U.S., the ASUS VA326-series monitors will be rather affordable.

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Source: ASUS

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  • TesseractOrion - Friday, December 16, 2016 - link

    I'm sure Minecraft will look fine. And all those 'Lego' games LOL ;-)
  • BigDDesign - Sunday, December 18, 2016 - link

    Don't know why this doesn't have Displayport. I think most are not into e-sports when they are picking on resolution. Counterstrike is mostly played at that resolution. I'm one of them using the BenQ Gaming monitor that they all use for tournaments. FHD gets me around 300fps. This is what you want. At QHD.... I only get 120 to 140 fps..... it's not enough and would have to get a GTX 1070 to get back to the preferred framrate for Counterstrike. I just feel that many of you don't realize that getting close to 300fps in very important to be competitive in CS:GO. And 144hz refresh and 1ms response is mandatory as well. Thanks.
  • Hrel - Sunday, December 18, 2016 - link

    I don't understand why anyone would want a curved display.
  • doggface - Sunday, December 18, 2016 - link

    Your right, it is not as if your eyesight is curved or something....
    /s

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