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When shopping for a PC monitor, value can be subjective. Some want to go as cheap as possible. For others, price is no object, and they never regret paying top dollar for the best. But for most of us, value means getting the best performance and features for the money. Whatever dollar value you assign to screen size, resolution or refresh rate, the goal is to find the monitor with the highest performance/price ratio.
The Gigabyte M27Q embodies that principle. For less than $350, you get a 27-inch 1440p screen with Fast IPS technology, 170 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR, extended color and a unique KVM switch feature. You don’t get RGB or fancy styling, but those things won’t really change the gaming experience.
The M27Q completely lived up to its performance promise. 170 Hz is a very smooth and responsive refresh rate, especially when paired with a video card that can run at that speed. With QHD resolution, you won’t need the most expensive or best graphics card to accomplish that. Adaptive-Sync worked perfectly with or without HDR operating. And the overdrive is well-implemented, reducing motion blur without causing ghost artifacts.
Image quality is enhanced by a huge color gamut -- more than 100% of DCI-P3 in our test. That comes with a caveat though; red is a little under-saturated while you get bonus blue and red. In practice, the picture looks bright and colorful in all content. If you prefer to view your SDR games in the sRGB gamut, the M27Q includes an accurate and usable sRGB mode roo.
Unfortunate for those seeking the best HDR monitor at a value price, HDR on the M27Q doesn’t look significantly different from SDR because there’s no dynamic contrast feature. But that’s typical of edge-lit monitors in this price range.
In the end, there’s little to complain about. High performance, low price; the M27Q definitely strikes an ideal balance.
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