Gigabyte M32UC Review: Snappy Gaming Performance and Premium Image Quality

The Gigabyte M32UC is a 32-inch UHD/VA curved gaming monitor with 144 Hz, 160 Hz with overclock, Adaptive-Sync, HDR 400 and wide gamut color.

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Gigabyte M32UC
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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The Gigabyte M32UC gives the potential buyer a lot to experience. Most users have a wish list that includes a large panel size, a useful aspect ratio, curved screen, fast refresh rate, high resolution and, of course, a low price. The M32UC has all of that in one display.

(Image credit: Gigabyte)

The M32UC, depending on your perspective, is either a large desktop monitor or a small jumbo display. It will fit in the average workspace and provide a lot of screen real estate. The curve gives you better image focus and immersion without visible distortion. 4K resolution means a high 138ppi pixel density. And a VA panel means higher contrast than the majority of UHD screens.

Gamers will certainly be attracted to the M32UC’s 160 Hz overclock feature, but in practice, this isn’t a reason to choose it. My GeForce RTX 3090 could only manage around 120fps and engaging the overclock means no Adaptive-Sync. But there is excellent video processing here. Not only does the overdrive work very well, but you can also use the backlight strobe (Aim Stabilizer Sync) with both G-Sync and FreeSync. That’s a rarity among gaming monitors at all price points.

Image quality checks nearly all the boxes. There’s plenty of contrast. Out-of-box color is very accurate with no calibration required. I was a bit disappointed that there was no additional contrast for HDR content, but bright material looked very good. The wide gamut delivers warm reds and brilliant blues but is slightly deficient in green. The M32UC has a bit less color volume than other 4K screens, but that can be excused when you consider its $599 price tag.

If you’re looking to try a bunch of new things in a gaming monitor, the Gigabyte M32UC has all the bells and whistles coupled with excellent value. It performs very well in all types of gaming and is well-suited for work tasks. It’s priced below the premium end of the category and delivers most of the same quality and performance.

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MORE: How to Choose the Best HDR Monitor

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.

7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • cknobman
    You cannot have HDR without any type of local dimming.
    Pretty much false advertisement and should make an instant no recommendation IMO.
    Reply
  • ssj3rd
    HDR400? 🤮🤮🤮
    Reply
  • Johnpombrio
    I own the GigabyteM32U which RTratings names as the best 32-inch 4K mid-range gaming monitor with HDR 10, 144 Hz, and IPS for a year and a half now at $650 on Amazon. Going for VA and curved and the hokey HDR 400 sounds like a big step backward.
    Reply
  • truerock
    VESA DisplayHDR400 is not HDR - in my opinion.
    I take Vesa DisplayHDR400 as a VESA definition of a good-non-HDR monitor for a base comparison to the other VESA DisplayHDR standards. It's a helpful marketing tool.

    Really, VESA DisplayHDR500 is the lowest level of VESA DispayHDR - in my opinion.

    I've been using a 27", 1080P, 8-bit, 60Hz monitor for the last 12 years. When I upgrade, it will probably be to a 32", 4k, 10-bit, 144Hz monitor, VESA Display500 (with NO speakers).
    Reply
  • expert_vision
    truerock said:
    When I upgrade, it will probably be to a 32", 4k, 10-bit, 144Hz monitor, VESA Display500 (with NO speakers).
    @truerock I recently got Dell G3223Q for $500 on black firday and I think it meets all your criterias.
    Reply
  • truerock
    expert_vision said:
    @truerock I recently got Dell G3223Q for $500 on black firday and I think it meets all your criterias.

    Thanks... but, I don't think that monitor is VESA Display500.
    Reply
  • expert_vision
    truerock said:
    Thanks... but, I don't think that monitor is VESA Display500.
    It says it's VESA DisplayHDR™ 600. Is that not better than 500?
    Or are you reffering to the lack of local dimming? In that case, yeah, it lacks.
    Personally, I don't care about HDR. I have it disabled and brightness set to 0-10%, lol.
    Reply