Review on Gigabyte M27Q-SA 27" Monitor: Response FreeSync, 2560X1440P, 170Hz | Flicker-Free, Height & Tilt Adjustment, Blue Light Filter | HD Display by John Hoang

This is an overview of the M27Q, not the entire list of monitors on the Revain product page. On paper, the Gigabyte M27Q rivals the best 27-inch 1440p gaming monitors, while its MSRP is about $100 less. I used to have a high end monitor. Monitors, a Dell S2721DGF which I had to return as it was defective. For $120 less, I replaced it with the M27Q, which I've been using daily for about a week now. While I haven't been able to compare the two monitors side-by-side, or even within the same week, the M27Q rivals or surpasses the S2721DGF in terms of image quality, in my opinion. withstands VA panels for gaming. I didn't notice any lag or feedback when playing esports games on the M27Q in standard overdrive mode. As measured by leading tech review publications, the M27Q has a longer response time. than the class leader S2721DGF, but I couldn't tell any difference. Color wise, I left both monitors at their default color settings out of the box - the Dell had a lot of saturation, maybe over-saturation. The M27Q appears less saturated and its overall color appears more neutral when unpacked, while the Dell appears warm. Whatever your preference, the color of both monitors can be customized. However, no calibration can fix Dell's low contrast; In this regard, the M27Q outperforms the S2721DGF. Perhaps Dell's biggest drawback is that it can't properly display blacks, while the M27Q has one of the best contrast ratios in its category. The fact that the M27Q has a display that can compete with more expensive monitors is not its only advantage. Its KVM switch alone costs over $100 and is almost non-existent in other gaming monitors. This feature is life changing and I feel like I can't go back to a monitor without it. Before that, I had to use a cross-device Bluetooth membrane keyboard and two separate mice. Now I can easily use my favorite gaming keyboard and just a mouse connected to the monitor. My MacBook Pro outputs video and connects to my monitor with a mouse and keyboard using a single USB-C connection (the USB Type-C input is another great feature of a gaming monitor). Switching between my MacBook Pro and my DisplayPort-connected desktop almost always works fine. Sometimes switching to a sleeping device doesn't wake it up fast enough for the monitor to recognize input, but in this case I blame the computer in part. unpleasant quality control issues that lowered my rating. The most common complaint I've seen online about this monitor is IPS glow, which is glare from the corners of the panel. My device definitely has the worst IPS glow of any monitor I've bought. However, I would say it doesn't bother me as it only comes up when watching movies in the dark. Gaming, web browsing, and regular use of dark mode - even in a dark room - hide the IPS glow. In a room with normal lighting, the problem is not noticeable at all. While the IPS glow doesn't bother me, the overall level of polish on the M27Q is noticeably less than the Dell. Of course I returned my S2721DGF because it wasn't working properly and had firmware issues, but I felt like there was something wrong with my Dell. In contrast, the M27Q has a number of issues that indicate lower quality control standards. For example, I noticed that my monitor wasn't flush with my desk and the right edge of the display was about half an inch higher than the left. I was concerned that I would not be able to use my monitor until I fixed it. The reason for the problem wasn't immediately clear to me as I expect a new monitor to be perfectly straight on a stand that doesn't support rotation. Instead, it turns out that the mounting plate on the back of the monitor has a large screw tolerance. I am attaching photos of the tablet before and after the issue was resolved. Initially the plate appeared to be level, although it is clear that not all of the screws were centered in their corresponding holes in the mounting plate. The strikingly large amount of play in the mounting plate gave me the idea of trying to fix the monitor's tilt by screwing the plate so that it is not aligned with the display. This means the arm may NOT be protruding from the base at a 90 degree angle or the holes may not line up properly. Poor, poor quality, which could have been a lot more frustrating if the large tolerance on the backplate wasn't clearly visible. Now the screen is at an acceptable level with the table, but the misalignment of parts doesn't give me much confidence in the product. Also, I've noticed some strange firmware issues that lead me to believe that Gigabyte intentionally shipped the firmware with some features. Doesn't work properly. The first thing I noticed is that when the monitor is in HDR mode, the wake-up brightness is reset to 100%, even if it was previously lowered. Strangely, this doesn't happen when the monitor isn't in HDR mode. There is also an "Auto Shutdown" setting which I understand should turn off the monitor after a period of idle time. The setup hasn't worked for me yet, which means the power LED keeps blinking when I'm not using it. This can be annoying when the room is dark, and the only way to stop the LED from blinking is to physically turn off the monitor while holding down the on-screen joystick button. In addition to the firmware, I noticed some physical flaws on the panel itself. On my device either a speck of dust or a scratch on the screen, but fortunately on a black border. The M27Q has very thin bezel edges on the top and sides, but there is a black gap between the display image and the bezel on those edges. This is not uncommon for monitors, but seems less coherent and, in my opinion, less pleasing than a display that extends to the edges of the screen. But in this case I was lucky that the defect was due to the breakage. I also had a stuck pixel on my device which is very rare. This isn't noticeable in normal dead pixel tests, but becomes visible as a bright red dot when the image is dark at the bottom and light at the top. More precisely, it depends on the other pixels in its column. If you move a window just a pixel it can be hidden instantly and I have attached photos showing it visible and hidden depending on the position of one of the windows on the screen. I'm frustrated that I have a stuck pixel because I've never been able to have a computer monitor with dead or stuck pixels. Since it rarely happens, I do not (yet) try to trade in my device. One thing that worries me is that sometimes I also noticed a brief flicker of a horizontal white line when I switched to my MacBook Pro's input. As I said, small issues with this monitor don't give me much confidence, so I can only hope that the white line issue doesn't turn into permanent white lines across the entire screen. cheaper than other products with similar features, Gigabyte had to make compromises somewhere. The monitor's plastic is significantly less durable than Dell's, and the base is much lighter. Subjectively, its design looks boring, while Dell has a particular design and a combination of subtle and aggressive curves and angles. The M27Q doesn't feel flimsy in any way, so I can live with the fact that it looks and feels a little cheaper for over $100 less. However, its shortcomings and strange behavior should not exist in any price range. For $300, my display should stand upright and the monitor should turn off when it's supposed to. Also, stuck or dead pixels should not be a common occurrence. However, I have learned to live with the issues on my M27Q and will keep mine, but various issues prevented this purchase from being a five star purchase. I would recommend the M27Q as a 1440p gaming and productivity monitor, but be prepared for some minor quality issues. If you care about BGR subpixel rendering, this wasn't an issue for me and I couldn't even see it close to the monitor. Edit: I accidentally listed this as three stars when it was supposed to be four. .