There’s no doubt that playing games on a large screen is more fun. Ultrawides compellingly extend the image to the sides, but there’s nothing quite like the thrill of seeing game characters as big as life on a jumbo panel. Many gamers have migrated to TVs because they deliver a lot of screen area for the money. In the PC monitor genre, players can get much the same feel from a 32-inch display when sitting 3-4 feet away.
4K is another goal of many gamers. High pixel density means finer detail and more realism, but with a big enough screen there’s a point where you lose that density advantage. A 32-inch panel means a high pixel density of 140 ppi. It’s enough that you won’t see the pixel structure even when sitting close. Surprisingly though, there aren’t a lot of 4K 32-inch gaming monitors. Gigabyte recognizes this opportunity and has answered with the Aorus FI32U.
The FI32U delivers a solid image. It only has average native contrast, but with local dimming engaged, it pops nicely, especially with HDR. The monitor’s extended color gamut is very visible with all material, but coverage is slightly smaller than the class average.
Where the FI32U excels most is gaming performance. Response time is among the quickest of all the 144 Hz monitors we’ve tested, and input lag is lower than many screens with faster refresh rates. For the ultimate speed, forego 4K. But if that resolution is a must, this monitor is one of the quickest 4K panels we’ve reviewed. It also has the rare ability to combine Adaptive-Sync (FreeSync or G-Sync) with blur reduction in SDR mode.
We also enjoyed the premium sound from the built in ESS Sabre DAC chip. Though there are no internal speakers, the sound quality through headphones or powered speakers is exceptional. It has a super low noise floor and much better than average clarity.
If you have the graphics horsepower to drive a 4K screen at 144 fps, the Gigabyte Aorus FI32U is a great choice.
