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Sceptre C325W Monitor Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Reviewed Oct 03, 2018 at 09:47 am
Latest change: Retest Jul 02, 2021 at 11:02 am
Sceptre C325W Picture
6.1
Mixed Usage
6.4
Office
6.2
Gaming
6.1
Multimedia
6.0
Media Creation
4.7
HDR Gaming

The Sceptre C325W-1920R is a budget 1080p VA 32-inch LCD monitor with mediocre picture quality and decent motion handling. It has a high native contrast ratio and can get decently bright to overcome glare in an average lit room. It has good reflection handling and very good gray uniformity. Unfortunately, the input lag and the pixel response time are not good for serious gaming. Finally, the bad ergonomics might have you looking for a good VESA mount to help you place it comfortably.

Our Verdict

6.1 Mixed Usage

The Sceptre C325W-1920R is a mediocre monitor for most usages. The size is great but the resolution is not enough to make it stand out. The picture quality is below average but has a good contrast ratio for darker rooms. The motion blur and input lag are decent but they will not please any competitive gamer.

Pros
  • High native contrast ratio.
  • Large size.
Cons
  • Poor vertical viewing angles.
  • Disappointing motion blur.
  • Bad ergonomics.
6.4 Office

The Sceptre C325W is only acceptable for office use. It has a large size screen but its resolution is only 1080p, and thus the usable area is limited. The picture quality is below average, but it does remain quite accurate when viewed at small angles so you can share the screen with your coworkers. Unfortunately, the stand's mobility is very restrictive, and it might be hard to position according to your preferences.

6.2 Gaming

The Sceptre C325W is a mediocre monitor for playing video games. It only supports 60Hz and has no extra features to improve the gaming experience. Most serious gamers will be disappointed due to the input lag performance and the pixel response time, which leaves a longer than usual blur trail. Although the monitor has a nice curve, the subpar picture quality and low pixel density do not deliver an immersive gaming experience.

6.1 Multimedia

the Sceptre C325W is a passable monitor for multimedia use. Although it has a large screen size, its FHD resolution does not allow you to put much detail on the screen and thus some high-res content will not show as intended. The ergonomics are bad and you will have a hard time positioning it to your likings.

6.0 Media Creation

The Sceptre C325W is an unremarkable monitor for media creation. It has a large screen size but only an FHD resolution that limits the amount of detail you can display. The input lag is ok for most users but if you are creating media you might not find it satisfactory.

4.7 HDR Gaming
  • 6.1 Mixed Usage
  • 6.4 Office
  • 6.2 Gaming
  • 6.1 Multimedia
  • 6.0 Media Creation
  • 4.7 HDR Gaming
  1. Updated Jul 02, 2021: Changed height adjustment result from 'N/A' to '0' to match our methodology.
  2. Updated Oct 03, 2018: Review published.
  3. Updated Oct 01, 2018: Our testers have started testing this product.
  4. Updated Oct 01, 2018: Early access published.
  5. Updated Sep 29, 2018: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  6. Updated Feb 06, 2018: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the Sceptre C325W, however, there are a series of Sceptre monitors with differing sizes, resolutions and other features - some of these are listed below.

If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their monitor doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.

Model Size Refresh Rate FreeSync Resolution Curved
E248W-19203A 24" 75Hz Yes 1080p no
E275W-1920 27" 60Hz No 1080p no
C275B-144R 27" 144Hz Yes 1080p yes
C328B-144KN 32" 144Hz Yes 1080p yes
C325W-1920R 32" 60Hz No 1080p yes

Compared To Other Monitors

Comparison picture

The Sceptre C325W is a very basic monitor with mediocre performance. You should be able to find better monitors out there. See our recommendations for the best monitors under $200, the best 1080p monitors, and the best gaming monitors under $200.

HP V320

The HP V320 is much better than the Sceptre C325W. The HP V320 has a lower input lag and a faster pixel response time that only leaves a small blur trail in fast action scenes which is great if you play games. It also has wider viewing angles because of its IPS panel, so you can show your work to your colleagues easier. On the other hand, the Sceptre C325W has better reflection handling and is suitable for a room with many light sources.

Dell U2717D

The Dell U2717D is much better than the Sceptre C325W. The Dell U2717D has much better ergonomics so you can position it to your liking much easier. Also due to its IPS panel, it has wider viewing angles to allow sharing your work with a colleague. The Dell U2717D also has a faster pixel response time that displays less blur trail, and a much better resolution that allows it to show more detail on the screen. The Sceptre C325W has a higher native contrast ratio which makes blacks look deep in a dim environment.

LG 27UD58-B

The LG 27UD58-B is significantly better than the Sceptre C325W. The LG 27UD58-B has better viewing angles due to its IPS panel. It also has a much lower input lag and a faster pixel response time and supports the FreeSync VRR implementation which is excellent if you play games. The LG 27UD58-B has a much better resolution that allows it to display more detail on the screen. The Sceptre C325W, on the other hand, has a higher native contrast ratio that delivers deep blacks, and a better reflection handling so it can be placed in a room with many small light sources.

Dell D3218HN

The Dell D3218HN is significantly better than the Sceptre C325W. The Dell D3218HN has wider viewing angles due to its IPS panel and a better input lag which is great if you play video games. The Dell D3218HN also has a faster pixel response time and will leave a shorter blur trail. The Sceptre C325W, on the other hand, has better reflection handling, which is great if you have a room with many small windows.

Samsung CF398

The Samsung CF398 is much better than the Sceptre C325W. The Sceptre is a bit brighter and has a slightly better native contrast ratio, but worse black uniformity. The CF398 has a much better response time with significantly less motion blur, and it supports AMD FreeSync. The CF398 also has lower input lag.

+ Show more

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Size 32"
Curved Yes
Curve radius 1800R
Weight (without stand)
10.8 lbs (4.9 kg)
Weight (with stand)
11.9 lbs (5.4 kg)

The design of the Sceptre C325W is decent. The entire casing feels sturdy and it has a clean, professional look. The stand has a unique design and supports the monitor well, while the curved profile enhances the horizontal viewing angles. The monitor, however, has very bad ergonomics. Titling is the only allowable adjustment, if you wish to raise the monitor, you will have to find something to place it on. The entire monitor-stand construction is relatively thin and you can push it pretty close to the wall.

Design
Stand
Width
11.9" (30.2 cm)
Depth
8.0" (20.3 cm)

The stand of the Sceptre C325W is unique in design. It supports the monitor well, although the monitor will wobble a little if knocked.

1.5
Design
Ergonomics
Height Adjustment
0.0" (0.0 cm)
Switch portrait/landscape No
Swivel Range N/A
Tilt Range -20Ā° to 5Ā°

Update 07/02/2021: We previously had incorrectly listed the Height Adjustment as 'N/A' as opposed to '0'. The review has been updated to reflect this change, as the Ergonomics score has dropped slightly.

The Sceptre C325W-1920R has bad ergonomics. The only adjustment this design allows is tilting. VESA mounting will save you a lot of trouble while trying to position it comfortably.

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 100x100

The rear of the monitor is quite plain. All the inputs are pointed outwards and there is no cable management planning.

Design
Borders
Borders
0.5" (1.3 cm)

The borders of the monitor are plastic and have an average thickness. When placed side-by-side in a multi-monitor setup, there will be a small gap between screens.

Design
Thickness
Thickness (with stand)
6.1" (15.5 cm)
Thickness (without stand)
2.9" (7.4 cm)

The monitor looks thin when you look at it from the side. Even when attached to the stand, you will still be able to place it close to the wall.

7.5
Design
Build Quality

The Sceptre C325W is mostly made out of plastic. The entire build quality gives off a solid feel. Some small details could have been avoided, like a small gap between the lower front bezel and the screen, but this should not cause any issues.

Picture Quality
8.2
Picture Quality
Contrast
LCD Type
VA
Native Contrast
3,558 : 1
Contrast with local dimming
N/A

The Sceptre C325W-1920R has a VA panel and thus a great contrast ratio. Blacks look deep in a dark room, just like the MSI Optix G27C, and this enhances the picture quality.

0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Edge

The Sceptre C325W-1920R does not have a local dimming feature. The video is for reference only.

7.2
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Real Scene
258 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 2% Window
290 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 10% Window
290 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 25% Window
290 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 50% Window
290 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 100% Window
290 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 2% Window
290 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 10% Window
290 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 25% Window
290 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 50% Window
290 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 100% Window
290 cd/mĀ²
SDR ABL
0.000

The Sceptre C325W-1920R can get decently bright. However, in very bright rooms, the monitor might look a little dim just like the MSI Optix G27C. For most rooms with a regular ambient light, it should be fine.

0
Picture Quality
HDR Peak Brightness
HDR Real Scene
N/A
HDR Peak 2% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 10% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 25% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 50% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 100% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 2% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 10% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 25% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 50% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 100% Window
N/A
HDR ABL
N/A

HDR is not supported.

6.2
Picture Quality
Horizontal Viewing Angle
Color Shift from Left
19Ā°
Color Shift from Right
18Ā°
Brightness from Left
28Ā°
Brightness from Right
27Ā°
Black Level from Left
75Ā°
Black Level from Right
75Ā°
Curve Radius 1,800R

The horizontal viewing angles of the Sceptre C325W are mediocre. This a surprising result and slightly inconsistent with other VA panels. This monitor's blacks remain at a low level throughout our entire range of horizontal viewing angle measurements, and this is great. The brightness shift and color shift, however, are the worst we have measured in VA panel monitors thus far. The overall score is boosted by the score in the blacks.

4.0
Picture Quality
Vertical Viewing Angle
Color Shift from Below
20Ā°
Color Shift from Above
20Ā°
Brightness from Below
28Ā°
Brightness from Above
28Ā°
Black Level from Below
7Ā°
Black Level from Above
6Ā°

The vertical viewing angles of the monitor are poor, worse than the MSI Optix G27C which had the worst performance up until now. Unfortunately, the angles are so bad that even the slightest movement from the vertical axis and the picture quality degrades drastically. This will create some uniformity issues when you sit close to the monitor.

8.5
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
2.946%
50% DSE
0.117%
5% Std. Dev.
0.824%
5% DSE
0.094%

The gray uniformity of this monitor is very good, especially in the darker gray levels. The only uniformity issues present are the ones caused by the poor vertical viewing angles (the corners are slightly darker). Most people will not notice any dirty screen effect when browsing the web.

4.0
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
3.343%
Std. Dev. w/ L.D.
N/A

The Sceptre C325W-1920R monitor has bad black uniformity. Clouding is clearly visible all over the screen and this is not good, especially in dark scenes, in a dark room.

7.0
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
Picture Mode
User
Luminance
279 cd/mĀ²
Luminance Settings
50
Contrast Setting
40
RGB controls
50-50-50
Color Temperature
7,246 K
White Balance dE
4.10
Color dE
2.66
Gamma
1.93

The out-of-the-box color accuracy is decent. The most accurate picture mode was 'Text', but because we cannot change the backlight we are scoring with the best picture mode that allows us to do this, which was 'User'.

The white balance dE is above our reference point of 3 which is noticeable for the enthusiasts out there, whereas the color dE is below 3 making it hard for most to spot color inaccuracies. The color temperature is cold, the gamma is below our s.RGB target and the curve is not really tracking our target curve.

9.5
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
Picture Mode
User
Luminance
102 cd/mĀ²
Luminance Settings
0
Contrast Setting
39
RGB Controls
62-53-46
Color Temperature
6,371 K
White Balance dE
0.87
Color dE
0.47
Gamma
2.20

Excellent color accuracy of the monitor after calibration, which was done on the 'User' picture mode. The white balance dE and color dE were diminished to a point where it is almost impossible to notice any inaccuracies. Gamma is now tracking more closely our target s.RGB curve. Finally, we managed to correct the temperature closer to our target of 6500 K, only slightly warmer.

You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and should not be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit even for the same model due to manufacturing tolerances.

8.8
Picture Quality
SDR Color Gamut
sRGB xy
100.0%
Adobe RGB xy
75.7%

s.RGB Picture Mode: User (calibrated)
Adobe RGB Picture Mode: User

The color gamut of this monitor is excellent. It actually covers the entire s.RGB space and for normal usage the colors are great. However, if you are a professional in the publishing industry the coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space is not enough.

9.1
Picture Quality
SDR Color Volume
sRGB in ICtCp
98.8%
Adobe RGB in ICtCp
82.9%

s.RGB Picture Mode: User
Adobe RGB Picture Mode: User

Excellent color volume. The monitor can display its perfect s.RGB gamut at a large range of brightnesses. Its Adobe RGB volume suffers due to its limited gamut.

0
Picture Quality
HDR Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
N/A
Rec. 2020 xy
N/A

HDR is not supported.

0
Picture Quality
HDR Color Volume
DCI-P3 in ICtCp
N/A
Rec. 2020 in ICtCp
N/A

HDR is not supported.

10
Picture Quality
Image Retention
IR after 0 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 2 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 4 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 6 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 8 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 10 min recovery
0.00%

There is no image retention after displaying our 10-minute high contrast scene, which is excellent.

7.8
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
8 Bit

The gradient for this monitor is very good. You can notice slight banding in the darker shades of green and gray.

10
Picture Quality
Color Bleed
Pixel row error
0.000%
Pixel column error
0.000%

The Sceptre C325W's screen uniformity isn't affected by large areas of uniform color, and this is great.

8.0
Picture Quality
Reflections

The monitor diffuses direct reflections across the screen but unfortunately, it can not significantly reduce their intensity. This can sometimes be bothersome if there is only one light source but the entire screen reflects that light.

Motion
5.0
Motion
Motion Blur
80% Response Time
14.1 ms
100% Response Time
27.5 ms
Best Overdrive Setting
N/A

The Sceptre C325W-1920R has a bad pixel response time. As a result, a long blur trail follows the fast-moving objects on the screen. This is far worse than all the other monitors we have tested so far. Furthermore, there is no overdrive setting that could help improve the results.

7.5
Motion
Image Flicker
Flicker-free Yes
PWM Dimming Frequency
0 Hz
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
No
BFI Maximum Frequency
N/A
BFI Minimum Frequency
N/A

This monitor does not use PWM Dimming to lower the backlight and this is good as flicker can bother some people. At the same time, there is no option to insert flicker to make the image crisper.

6.7
Motion
Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
No
Native Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Factory Overclock
N/A
Variable Refresh Rate
No
G-SYNC Compatible
No
VRR Maximum
N/A
VRR Minimum
N/A
VRR Maximum With OC
N/A
VRR Supported Connectors N/A

This monitor has the very basic refresh rate of 60Hz. There are no advanced features like overclocking or VRR.

Inputs
6.8
Inputs
Input Lag
Native Resolution
27.1 ms
Non-Native Res @ Native Refresh
27.6 ms
Native Resolution @ 60 Hz
27.1 ms
Variable Refresh Rate
N/A
10 bit HDR
N/A
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
N/A

The input lag of this monitor is okay, but not good enough for hardcore gamers. For most people though this is ok.

7.4
Inputs
Resolution and Size
Native Resolution 1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Megapixels 2.1 MP
Pixel Density 70 PPI
Screen Diagonal 31.5"
Screen Area 424 inĀ²

This large screen monitor supports only FHD resolution. This is a disappointment as you can not display much detail or multitask easily.

Inputs
Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
DisplayPort 1 (DP 1.2)
Mini DisplayPort No
HDMI 1 (HDMI 1.4)
DVI No
VGA 1
DisplayPort Out No
USB No
USB C No
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Microphone In 3.5mm 1
Digital Optical Audio Out No
Analog Audio Out RCA No
Power Supply External Brick
Features
Features
Additional Features
Speakers
No
HDR10 No
Multiple input display
No

The monitor does not have any additional features

Features
On-Screen Display (OSD)

The OSD is plain, intuitive and easy to use.

Features
Controls

The controls are easy to use and well-placed, making them easy to reach.

Features
In The Box

  • User Manual
  • HDMI cable
  • VGA cable
  • AC adapter
  • Small screwdriver