OSD Sidekick

OSD Sidekick is a Windows app that can be used to do everything you'd otherwise have to visit the OSD for. For the app to work, the monitor has to have a USB connection to your PC. Since the last time I used OSD Sidekick, Gigabyte improved stability and reliability, so I had no issues with monitor detection or changes to the settings.


Unfortunately, some parts of the app are still a buggy mess, such as the firmware update section under the "About" tab. I tried to update the firmware from F01 to F04 on two different computers. On my desktop PC, the update process wouldn't even start—the Update button was completely unresponsive. It did start on my laptop, but the application kept crashing, leaving me with no choice but to try over and over again until the 8-minute process finally went through. After every failed attempt, the monitor completely froze and required me to physically reconnect the power cable to get it to work, which wasn't easy on my heart. I'm guessing most users will give up after the first such unsuccessful try, assuming they even manage to start the process. When I take into consideration that monitor firmware updates can result in massive improvements to things like input lag—it nearly halved after updating the firmware on the M32U—I consider the poor state of OSD Sidekick a substantial issue of the Gigabyte M34WQ.

I also despise that the official OSD Sidekick EXE contains the RGB Fusion 2.0 app as well, which installs itself without asking for permission even though the M34WQ monitor doesn't come with an RGB lighting system of any kind. Gigabyte has to seriously rethink its approach with the OSD Sidekick app because no serious hardware company should ever back their products with a half-baked, buggy, and malware-y app like this.

Don't get me wrong, the general idea is good. Using a Windows app to adjust the picture settings and assigning keyboard shortcuts to things like picture profiles and virtual crosshairs is more practical than doing it through an OSD. It's just the execution that's lacking.