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

After reading and watching the review of this model from RTings I knew it would be a great addition to my setup. It covers all the basic needs you could possibly have and really just lacks a few QOL features. As you may already know, this is a 1440p IPS gaming monitor with a refresh rate of up to 170Hz and high color accuracy. With its gaming-related specs, you'll likely have to shell out x2+ to get a better refresh rate or other features without sacrificing anything else. So far I've only found a few minor issues. The included stand isn't great, so spend another $30 and get a monitor arm. The monitor is made of glossy plastic, so it doesn't "feel" like a premium product. The monitor is DP1.2 and HDMI 2.0, which means you miss out on all DP1.4/H2.1 features. The image does not take up the entire "screen” portion of the monitor. I mean there is probably 1-2 cm of unused screen space on the left/right and top sides. You're still getting a 27-inch 1440p picture, it's just a little odd that there are those black bars here. I haven't used the KVM feature, but the large mode PIP mode only uses 7 inches of your 27-inch screen, so you can't really control a second device with PIP alone, but it's nice to have. But probably my main gripe is the use of a single arrow key to change monitor settings. It's a little far from the bottom of the monitor, so I have to reach behind the monitor to use it. You also need to figure out what's causing each direction, and that's usually not a good thing. The menu itself is great, only the one button that controls it is cheap and not in a spot where it's easier to get to. It would be great if they included a remote control IMHO. By connecting a USB-B cable, you can use Gigabyte's software suite to change monitor settings and create hotkeys to launch various settings. However, note that it is only available for Windows operating systems. Minor issues aside, this is one of the best budget gaming monitors I've owned and despite a few design flaws, I'd have no hesitation in recommending it. hp RTings notes that it has average text clarity. I don't notice any text clarity issues when sitting the usual 3ft from the monitor, but of course if you have a text clarity issue you can rotate the monitor 180 degrees and that will fix it by sacrificing aesthetics and Apparently a little more input lag.