Pixio PXC32 Impressions: An Incredibly Solid 1440P Gaming Monitor

When it comes to building your PC battlestation there’s always a great concern and tweaks being made for your components within the actual PC build. However, another crucial component when it comes to enjoying gameplay is the monitor. Much like going into any big purchase, it’s usually a safe bet to go with the brands you know.

However, at the same time, the smaller underdog companies tend to have a real fire in their stomachs as they strive to deliver a competitive product. Pixio is one of those companies that is still new and may be relatively unknown at the moment as they’ve only been around since 2016. With that said, our first interaction with their gaming monitor has not only been a positive one, but also something we can see really making an impact within the market.

As mentioned, Pixio was established in 2016 within California where the company aims to deliver affordable monitors for gamers while also being competitive towards the other big name brands you may be familiar with. This also means cutting down on the marketing costs making it a company that relies more on the reception of those who purchase a product.

That doesn’t mean you will find the components that make up a Pixio monitor to be rather unknown in name because the company does boast their relationship with manufacturers such as LG and Samsung to supply the panels for their monitors.

In this particular article, we’re going to be diving into the Pixio PXC32, a 32” curved panel display that delivers 144Hz and 2560x1440p gaming goodness at a cost that won’t break the bank.

There’s not much to the unboxing process where Pixio had packed everything rather snugged. Opening up the box and you’ll come across the PXC32 display, VESA mount brackets, a standard stand, power cable and a DP cable. I actually really appreciate the minimalistic look of the stand. It contains the standard V-shaped legs but overall, the stand is relatively skinny taking up as little room on your desk as possible. There’s even a small arm that can be pulled down to hold a headset if desired.

Attaching the stand to the monitor was also a breeze making assembly painless, however, you will find that it doesn’t offer much in terms of functionality. Gamers have just a bit of tilt available out of the box so I personally recommend using the VESA brackets that come with the monitor and install the display on either a wall mount of another stand which can give you more freedom of monitor positioning. In fact, Pixio even offers stands for purchase that can tilt, position and rotate the monitor attached.

Speaking of other stands and mounts, I don’t think you’ll have much trouble with compatibility. The VESA mount brackets make it pretty universal with a wide range of mounts and likewise, the monitor only weighs in about seventeen pounds.

Now, of course, the real focus is the monitor itself. This is a 32” curved 144Hz display that doesn’t feel all that flashy which is a major plus if you’re looking for a display that focuses more on being neat and tidy along with capable of fitting into a themed setup. Outside of a small model number printed on the bottom left corner of the display bezel, you’re really left with a thin bezel monitor where the attention is aimed at the actual display.

On the bottom, you’ll find a series of buttons which will help navigate the on-screen menu, one of which will display a blue hue when the monitor is powered. Additionally, on the bottom end of the monitor are the inputs such as HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, audio out, and the power cable.

Within the back of the PXC32, you’ll find three LED aesthetic lighting. These lights will deliver a red hue which can be seen cast on a wall, however, they are not overpowering so if you’re not near a wall then chances are you won’t see much, if any, backlighting.

Again, much like how I mentioned earlier in this article, Pixio takes their panels from a few reputable sources and within the PXC32, Pixio sports a Samsung SVA panel. This results in a very solid rich colored display and adding towards the fact that this is a curved monitor, you’ll really get more of a full immersive feel. Speaking of immersion when playing games on this monitor, if you own an AMD GPU then you’ll also get the added benefit of Adaptive-Sync technology that will take away screen tearing.

Gaming on this monitor with 4ms response time was not only vivid but proved to be a real contender against other notable gaming specific monitor brands and models. However, the response time may play more towards the user’s preference though generally you’ll find a wide range of gaming monitors featuring a 4ms response time to begin with. Personally, I didn’t find any gameplay to be choppy but instead the visuals were smooth with again the capabilities to use 144Hz at your disposal and Adaptive-Sync for you AMD GPU users.

Going back to the button placement, I find myself in a bit of a tossup. On one hand, the placement makes the display look more unified, avoiding anything to really stand out and that’s something I appreciate. However, the slight angled edge does make the icons alerting you just what each button does a bit hard to see. This isn’t really a game changer as over time you’ll end up memorize what each button does and how to navigate through the menu system without glancing at the printed icons. But, I think that it may prove to be more of a challenge initially.

Preferably, I find the more analog style button systems that you find on more modern television display and at times monitors to be easier. Likewise, the menu system itself does feel a bit dated and with the buttons offering more of a tactile click noise, it can start to be a bit of an annoyance.

Luckily you’re not likely to spend very much time in the menu system to begin with. Most consumers who purchase a monitor may tweak the settings during their first setup followed by never using the menu system again.

While on the subject of the menu system and buttons, the one area that may be used most is adjusting brightness or profile settings. Pixio has included a dedicated button that will cycle through the different profile settings so you can quickly switch from a media consumption mode to a text-based reading profile, saving you from having to navigate through the menu system. With that said, you may actually find it worth exploring the menu system as you’ll find a few useful features and goodies such as the custom crosshair cursors to help during FPS gameplay.

All-in-all, I honestly think you’ll find the Pixio PXC32 to be a worthy monitor if you’re in the market for a 144hz gaming display. This is a solid all-around gaming monitor with a QHD resolution, designed to go well with a wide range of desk setups and you won’t have to break the bank to purchase a unit. Just keep in mind that you may want to purchase a different stand or mount if positioning a monitor is going to be more of a concern for you.

This monitor is currently available for just $449.99 on Newegg at the time of writing this where it normally holds a $549.99.