Gigabyte M27Q 27-inch 170 Hz Monitor Review: Fast Response, Huge Color

Might just be the ideal monitor for skilled competition-level gamers looking for a good value.

Gigabyte M27Q
(Image: © Gigabyte)

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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.

(Image credit: Gigabyte)

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.

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.

  • eating4fun
    The monitor stand is very flat. It's very easy to put things like your keyboard there if you need more deskspace in a moment.
    Reply
  • Joao Nascimento
    Super resolution add blur?
    Reply
  • Rabsi1985
    I'm afraid of buying this monitor after reading some reviews of users that have troubles with the sub pixel lay-out When reading text
    Reply
  • Renato Cvikic
    me to. first time I ever hear for that problem.
    Specially because I need great versatile monitor. I don't game pretty much 10% of my pc usage mostly forums, reading texts, and yt..
    So i need monitor that is good in all of that,
    it seems to me that dell s27dgf is my choice?
    Reply
  • phl0w79
    In the market for a new monitor used for gaming (PS5), reading, and photo editing. Been using an Eizo till now but want a larger more versatile screen. Been eyeing the M27Q for quite some time since it seem to strike a perfect blend of good performance and price. However, this test showed the cheaper G27QC better on all fronts but input lag (6 vs 7 ms). is there something i overlook or why would I get the M27 over the G27?
    Reply