Cooler Master GM32-FQ Gaming Monitor Review: Accurate Color, Low Input Lag

The Cooler Master GM32-FQ is a 32-inch IPS/QHD gaming monitor with 165 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR and extended color.

Reviews
By Christian Eberle
published
Cooler Master GM32-FQ QHD 165 Hz
(Image: © Cooler Master)

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

Applying an HDR signal to the GM32-FQ switches it over automatically and opens up three additional picture modes. They look similar to one another, and one of them, Custom, allows RGB, black level and white level adjustments. All modes leave the brightness slider enabled so you can dial in the backlight to your preference. This is a nice touch found in very few HDR monitors.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

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Cooler Master GM32-FQ QHD
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The GM32-FQ is a good deal brighter than its 27-inch cousin. That alone is a reason to choose it since it only costs a little more. HDR contrast is slightly higher too, at 1,234.1:1. Like the GM27-FQS though, it does not have dynamic contrast available in HDR mode. None of the screens in this group have the feature but the two VA panels have better native contrast which makes their HDR images pop more. The GM32-FQ adds a bit of color saturation but not more range or deeper blacks.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

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Cooler Master GM32-FQ QHD
(Image credit: Portrait Displays Calman)

When I measured the GM32-FQ’s three HDR modes, they all exhibited the same grayscale tracking with slight blue errors. The principal difference was in the EOTF traces. Movie comes closest to spec with some dark areas in the 10-40% range. Custom and Game were much darker in these areas, enough that some detail was clipped and therefore invisible. The most detailed HDR image is in the Movie mode, which is what you’ll want for quality gaming.

HDR color tracks much the same as other HDR monitors with over-saturation at the inner points in both the DCI-P3 and Rec.2020 gamuts. Content mastered to either standard will look natural with a little extra red, not a bad thing. Hue targets are on-point, and the saturation targets are distributed evenly. This ensures that all color detail will remain visible. This is very good performance. If there were more contrast, it would be excellent.

Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • wakuwaku
    In practice, the GM32-FQ has a higher output than the GM27-FQS and is therefore certified VESA DisplayHDR 400, a figure I verified in testing.

    I would like to point out this line is inaccurate. Specifically that there are no Cooler Master monitors that are certified DisplayHDR 400 at the time of me writing this post.

    Cooler Master markets this monitor as DisplayHDR 400 "compatible". It is on the website, the spec sheet on the website and on the box packaging. They didn't market it as DisplayHDR 400 certified, which is what your review is implicating.

    You can check the webpage here:

    https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/setup/monitors/gm32-fq/
    and the spec sheet here:

    https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/setup/monitors/gm32-fq/#specifications
    You can also check the DisplayHDR list of certified HDR400 monitors here:

    https://displayhdr.org/certified-products/#tab-400
    There are no Cooler Master monitors or specifically the GM32-FQ when you search the above list.

    To think that a reputable and popular site like tom's can have reviewer that can't be bothered to read up official information and specs and check them before posting a review. I have similarly pointed out Techpowerup making the same mistake, albeit on a different Cooler Master monitor, and now here I am again doing the same thing. Maybe all you reviewers should contact Cooler Master and tell them that their marketing is so misleading that reviewers keep getting it wrong.

    https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/cooler-master-gm34-cwq-argb.296809/post-4797404
    Reply