As factory defaults with cool tint removed, but a very slight green tint introduced. Good overall colour channel balance, however. You can see a clear magenta fringe for some letters with ClearType enabled and BGR optimised, as shown in the first image. Particularly straight verticals, such as “l” on word “scaling”. With ClearType enabled but RGB optimised, as shown in the second image, this fringing isn’t noticed to the same extent. The cyan fringing seen in the image was not as clear by eye. With ClearType disabled this fringing disappears – there appears to be a slight cyan fringe in the image, but this wasn’t readily observed by eye. The font looks quite a bit rougher in appearance with ClearType disabled as well. We didn’t actually notice such clear fringing when browsing the internet or using other applications such as Microsoft Word, even when observing a broad range of font styles and sizes. So this could be an anomaly related to Nvidia Control Panel.

Moving on, the 2560×1440 Quad HD resolution nicely fits the 27″ viewable screen of the Gigabyte M27Q-P monitor as you get a high pixel density of 108 PPI (pixels per inch). On a machine running an Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics card, the same games ran at around 120 fps and delivered a similar experience. To casual gamers, that additional 50 Hz makes little difference, but more skilled players will appreciate the M27Q’s extra speed. That performance was reliably delivered and never wavered in quality. The M27Q X features simple and unassuming styling with an 8mm-wide flush bezel for the main panel and angular accents on the triangular base. All parts are finished in matte-textured plastic. The upright is a solid piece with a 130mm height adjustment and 5/20 degrees of tilt. There is no portrait or swivel functionality. The panel can be placed high enough to use vertically with the eyepoint at center-screen. The anti-glare layer is matte and keeps reflections at bay while maintaining a sharp, grain-free image.In the market for a new monitor used for gaming (PS5), reading, and photo editing. Been using an Eizo till now but want a larger more versatile screen. Been eyeing the M27Q for quite some time since it seem to strike a perfect blend of good performance and price. However, this test showed the cheaper G27QC better on all fronts but input lag (6 vs 7 ms). is there something i overlook or why would I get the M27 over the G27? A competent 170Hz performance with well-tuned pixel responses throughout the VRR range. Adaptive-Sync worked well on both AMD and Nvidia GPUs I’ve been considering both the M27Q and the G27Q and I plan to use a dual monitor setup with a 75hz 1080p asus monitor as my secondary.

Finally, remember that you can use the ‘Refresh Rate’ feature in the ‘Game Assist’ section of the OSD to display the current refresh rate of the monitor. This will reflect the frame rate if it’s within the main variable refresh rate window. The polling rate (update frequency) is very high for this so it can be difficult to read exact frame rate at times, but it will still give an indication of the frame rate and the fact the technology is working. And as with AMD FreeSync, HDR can be used at the same time as ‘G-SYNC Compatible Mode’.If you have multiple displays connected you can just fine-tune the Gigabyte. This is illustrated below, with a different model used in this example (taken from our AORUS FI27Q-X review). Unfortunately the main optimisation you’re interested in (for BGR or RGB) is largely determined by what is selected in ClearType for the primary display. Only applications built using WPF can have ‘per display’ optimisations and most will just pay attention to what is selected in ClearType for the primary display. This limits the appeal of multi-display setups in Windows with mixed RGB and BGR layouts. The video below shows the monitor in action. The camera used, processing done and your own screen all affect the output – so it doesn’t accurately represent what you’d see in person when viewing the monitor. It still provides useful visual demonstrations and explanations which help reinforce some of the key points raised in the written piece.

bit can be selected in the graphics driver at up to 120Hz when using DP and running at the native resolution. 10-bit and 12-bit can be selected at up to 60Hz when using HDMI. The panel used is only an 8-bit panel, but the monitor’s scaler can add a dithering stage to facilitate work with higher bit depth content. I’m an Analyst and ISF-certified TV calibrator focused on reviewing computer accessories, laptops, gaming monitors, and video games. I’ve been writing, playing, and complaining about games for as long as I remember, but it wasn’t until recently that I’ve been able to shout my opinions directly at a larger audience. My work has appeared on iMore, Windows Central, Android Central, and TWICE, and I have a diverse portfolio of editing work under my belt from my time spent at Scholastic and Oxford University Press. I also have a few book-author credits under my belt—I’ve contributed to the sci-fi anthology Under New Suns, and I’ve even written a Peppa Pig book. The M27Q X delivers on its wide gamut promise. Color is bold and vibrant in both SDR and HDR modes. The difference between the two isn’t much, so that’s a downside. If Gigabyte added a dynamic contrast feature for HDR mode, it would give that format more impact. Contrast is just average, which compared to other monitors in this price range is a negative. Though it is close to the 1,000:1 benchmark, newer IPS screens have demonstrated 1,200:1 and even a few are over 1,300:1 so the bar is being raised. The monitor supports variable refresh rate (VRR) with AMD’s FreeSync Premium certification for tear-free gameplay up to 170FPS.Our suggestions regarding use of VSync also apply, but you’re using Nvidia Control Panel rather than AMD Radeon Software to control this. The setting is found in ‘Manage 3D settings’ under ‘Vertical sync’, where the final option (‘Fast’) is equivalent to AMD’s ‘Enhanced Sync’ setting. You’ll also notice ‘G-SYNC Compatible’ listed under ‘Monitor Technology’ in this section, as shown below. Make sure this is selected (it should be if you’ve set everything up correctly in ‘Set up G-SYNC’). This is equivalent to around 135% sRGB gamut size, meaning that regular content made with sRGB color space in mind will have over-saturated colors. Some users prefer this over-saturation, but you can also use the provided sRGB emulation mode in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu to clamp the gamut down to ~100% sRGB. Advertised performance is based on maximum theoretical interface values from respective Chipset vendors or organization who defined the interface specification. Actual performance may vary by system configuration. The image below is a macro photograph taken on Notepad with ClearType disabled. The letters ‘PCM’ are typed out to help highlight any potential text rendering issues related to unusual subpixel structure, whilst the white space more clearly shows the actual subpixel layout alongside a rough indication of screen surface. This model uses a light to very light matte anti-glare screen surface with quite a smooth surface texture. This offers reasonable glare handling with fairly direct light emission for a matte surface, preventing any real layering in front of the image and aiding clarity and vibrancy potential. Meanwhile, the relatively smooth surface texture gives a smooth look to lighter content without clear graininess. A very fine ‘misty’ dusting, not something most users would be bothered by or necessarily even notice at all. Whilst mild fringing could be seen in places for similar reasons in games and movies, nothing jumped out at us in such situations. And we certainly don’t feel the BGR subpixel layout, specifically, had a significant impact there. Remember that games and video content are not optimised for any particular subpixel layout and BGR is not uncommon on TVs. The overall conclusion here is that most people won’t notice these fringing issues or find them bothersome if they do. They aren’t all that widespread nor are they extreme. Compared to some of the subpixel-related issues we’ve come across we really feel these issues are minor. Text and fine edge clarity issues related to split subpixel arrangements on some VA models ( example) or fringing due to chroma subsampling usage ( example) are far more significant. Nonetheless, some users will still be bothered by the fringing issues observed here. We’d again stress that most users won’t find them bothersome or noticeable and shouldn’t be put off by their existence.

When it comes to HDR signals, the only adjustment available is brightness. We found the best HDR quality by leaving that slider maxed. Gaming and Hands-on As an unseen player, monitor is often being underestimated. The truth is monitors form as a synergistic effect and bring out the best performance of PC components. GIGABYTE gaming monitors offer the ultimate specifications and quality, users can truly enjoy upscale performance without the need for extravagance. Turning on HDR brightened the M27Q’s image considerably, but you can compensate with the brightness slider if it seems too harsh. We only used HDR for gaming and video, not for workday tasks. It offers no benefit when editing spreadsheets. Switchover is automatic and rapid when you select the HDR option in Windows’ Display Settings. We also made observations using various episodes of the animated TV series Futurama. The vibrant elements here were certainly eye-catching, including some impressively deep blues and purples, bright neon pinks and quite stunning neon greens and electric blues. The shades that were supposed to be more muted certainly were, relative to those shades at least, but were more saturated than intended due to the gamut. This title showcased the strong colour consistency of this model well, bringing out an excellent variety of subtly different shades. And ensuring a given shade appeared relatively similar regardless of where on the screen it was shown. Without the clear shifts in saturation you’d see vertically on TN panels or when comparing central to peripheral regions on VA panels. For the first set of text samples, ensure you select the 2nd option as shown in the image below. This second text sample should look clearer (bolder) than the first when viewed in person on this monitor. The remaining samples help fine-tune according to your own preferences.

Now, the updated M27Q-P variant features a regular RGB subpixel layout in addition to a few more upgrades. Let’s see how it compares to the older model and other alternatives available in this price range! A small utility called SMTT 2.0 was used alongside a sensitive camera to analyse the latency of the M27Q, with over 30 repeat readings taken to help maximise accuracy. Using this method, we calculated 3.71ms (~2/3rds of a frame at 170Hz) of input lag. We measured similar latency at 60Hz. The input lag measured here is influenced by both the element you ‘see’ (pixel responsiveness) and the main element you ‘feel’ (signal delay). It indicates a low signal delay which most users should find acceptable. Note that we don’t have the means to accurately measure input lag with Adaptive-Sync active in a variable refresh rate environment or with HDR active in an HDR environment.