First of all sorry for coming a bit late to the party! My hands are currently very full with my newborn/firstborn so I'm either focusing on writing reviews to save myself from a massive backlog or changing diapers. Sometimes both at once
As Tftcentral and rtings pointed out in their reviews of the FI32U, and this applies to the MI32U too, this generation of gigabyte 4k HFR monitors takes advantage of a 24Gbps hdmi 2.1 controller.
While this isn't an issue for pc users, both ampere and Rdna2 support DSC over hdmi, this doesn't apply to consoles. That's why gigabyte reports 4k120hz 4:2:0 in the datasheet.
- Refresh Rate
144Hz
120Hz for Console Game*
*HDMI2.1 supports PS5 and Xbox Series X at 4K UHD@120Hz (4:2:0)
This is correct. While I didn't notice any noteworthy compression while gaming on a PS5, I've updated my review with a couple chroma subsampling-related remarks. Thanks for pointing this out.
I'm only wondering, won't a 8-bit colors instead of 10-bit be a downgrade?
For everyday usage and non-HDR gaming, you won't lose anything by not having a "true" 10-bit panel.
questions
Is the backlighting PWM?
Who is the OEM panel maker?
Can a typical user easily update the firmware?
All these questions are answered in the review
The backlight is DC-controlled. The panel is made by Innolux. The firmware can (and should) be updated by using the OSD Sidekick Windows app.
Hello there!, could you please include the larger test verification charts for colors, and include the gamma parts, as the datacolor lines are borderline useless and impossible to tell apart?
Also, if possible, please include the testufo test bars in the shots, and state the PPS used
I'm trying to keep the size of the color accuracy chart within reason, but yeah, I can definitely experiment with even larger versions in my future monitor reviews. This is actually the first time I'm posting this larger version of the chart; I used to go with the shorter, more concise version of it
As for the UFO test bars, don't think I'll be posting those, they take away the focus from what's important (the UFO photos themselves) and require quite a bit of explaining. You'll have to trust my results
I'm taking 10+ photos at every OD/refresh rate setting, until I get the lines as straight as possible. I'm even using the exact camera/slider setup which is recommended by the guy who came up with this testing methodology, Mark Rejhon of Blur Busters.
You should test that USB port and see how it behaves with USB-C devices like samsung phones with Dex, and nintendo switch
They dont have native 4k support, but i can easily see someone connecting a switch or phone to this and hoping it'd charge the device and provide video output
Afraid I don't own a Nintendo Switch to test this. I'm planning to upgrade to a Samsung phone soon though, and I'm regularly testing the USB-C port with a USB-C laptop.
Nice review - I appreciate the detailed blurbusters ufo testing with a pursuit camera.
Thank you, that montage alone takes a ton of time to produce, kind of great to see someone commenting on it
We can't really see that, since DCI-P3 is not represented in the diagram
Nevertheless, while the monitor goes well beyond sRGB, it still falls short of being a wide-gamut monitor. Not an issue for a gaming monitor, but just sayin'.
You're right, I have to update the CIE diagram with the DCI-P3 color space. I'll probably drop the Adobe RGB color space from it, to keep it as clutter-free as possible. I do measure the DCI-P3 coverage though, so the numbers are correct.
At first I wanted to make some smug remarks , but after reading through the list of features I'm actually considering it for my next upgrade.
Always wanted a high refresh rate monitor, but I'm too used to 4K to sacrifice the resolution. And all the "insignificant extras" are basically a must-haves for me. 18W PD is good enough to charge my phone, KVM is definitely a must (right now I'm juggling mouse/kb between my rig and my rack if I want to use my primary monitor). Headphone DAC is also pretty cool, especially after I broke 3.5mm jack on the front I/O panel of my CM Cosmos (crumbled of old age). Laptop docking might be a bit of a stretch for that one, but DEX or upcoming MIUI+ will be fun to try.
For the right target audience $900 doesn't sound too bad either.
Once you get used to it (within a day), the KVM switch is something you can't live without, if you're using the monitor in a multisource scenario. Just keep in mind that the M32U doesn't come with a higher-end ESS Sabre headphone DAC and/or microphone noise cancellation. These two features are reserved for the more expensive Aorus FI32U.
This reminded me to check for firmware updates on my Gigabyte G32QC
I forgot how bad giga software is, and needed to warn people: it installs a lot of bloatware:
Yep, exactly what I've mentioned in the software section of the review. The OSD Sidekick has a stealth installation of the RGB Fusion built-in, and the monitor doesn't even have RGB effects. I find it baffling that a respected company like Gigabyte would pull stunts like these.
TPU is on a roll
@W1zzard or what? The quality and sheer number of reviews...
Awesome! This is near tftcentral quality reviewing for monitors. All TPU needs is more data / comparison material, which will automatically build in due time.
Very nice, and a strong display of written media versus all the 'Tube BS.
Thank you for your kind words. TFT Central does some amazing work with their monitor reviews, and they have just about every instrument under the sun at their disposal, so to be compared with them, while using the testing setup and methodology which I've built from scratch with what funds I was able to allocate to it, is a massive compliment.
I do have more monitor reviews in the works so please keep the feedback coming!
