Monoprice G-Pro 30-Inch 120Hz IPS Gaming Monitor Review

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Results: Grayscale Tracking And Gamma Response

Our grayscale and gamma tests are described in detail here.

There are three white balance presets plus a user mode on the G-Pro 120Hz. The above chart represents the default User mode; it's the most accurate way to enjoy the monitor without calibration. There is a slight green tint that starts at 40-percent brightness and becomes more noticeable at the higher signal levels.

The RGB sliders interact with each other a bit, though in the end we measured a respectable tracking result. There are no visible errors anywhere in the brightness scale. It’s not quite professional monitor territory, but for a gaming monitor we'd still consider this excellent.

Here is our comparison group:

Out of the box, Monoprice's G-Pro 120Hz has slightly visible green errors that put the display mid-pack. In comparison, it's hard to ignore the LG and BenQ screens, which demonstrate pro-level results without calibration.

After calibration, the G-Pro is still in the middle. But considering the worst result represents an invisible level of error, we aren’t complaining about a 1.05dE average.

Gamma Response

There are no gamma controls in the G-Pro’s OSD. Without a multi-point curve editor, though, there’s little that can be done about these small aberrations. The humps represent brightness levels that are a tad too dark. At worst, it’s a near-invisible 2.6cd/m2 error.

Here is our comparison group again:

The G-Pro’s gamma tracks fairly well, placing second in the group. We should remind you that the Overlord X270OC was calibrated with a look-up table, and therefore its results are a bit unfair. Of course, if you have CalMAN or Spyder, you can do the same thing with any monitor and improve upon our numbers. We simply show the raw native data generated by the panels.

We calculate gamma deviation by expressing the difference from 2.2 as a percentage.

Since the gamma trace has two areas that are a little dark, the average value suffers. We measured 2.30, which is a 4.54-percent deviation from the 2.2 standard. Don’t let the last-place result sway you. None of the displays suffer significant gamma problems.

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.

  • kyuuketsuki
    Generally a Monoprice fan, but the frame-skipping makes this monitor pretty unappealing for its intended market. Hopefully they can fix it with a firmware update.
    Reply
  • blackmagnum
    Monoprice is such a cheap-skate name. Why not chose a brandname less price concious like Lemon or something?
    Reply
  • MonsterCookie
    I think this FINALLY is a step in the RIGHT direction. Sadly you cannot buy this in Europe.

    I was long ago looking for a 2560x1600 screen, and I got a Dell second-hand, because for whatever reason manufacturers ignore the customers, and they
    stick to 1080p. No offense to anybody who plays at 1080p, but you need to understand, that most people do productivity and game when they have too much free time, and they want to immerse into the game on a large screen.
    Personally I still love older games (Wolfenstein, FC1, Half-Life etc.) more than newer releases, and those run on these resolutions at any half-decent video card.

    Furthermore, nowadays even a 500Euro *MOBILE PHONE* can do above 1080p resolution on a tiny 6" screen, and for that money they give you 32-64GB of flash, 1GB of RAM and a quad-core CPU in a tiny box.
    Thus, I do not buy into this 1080p-1440p crap screen manufacturers are trying to shovel down at our throats for 1000Euros.
    Reply
  • danlw
    At this point, I think an IPS gaming monitor is like SATAe... A technology that can be skipped because something better exists. Give me an OLED gaming monitor. LG makes a 55" 1080p OLED TV for $2000... why not a 24"-ish OLED monitor for under $1000? You'd have a ginormous color gamut, infinite contrast, true black, and response times <1ms. It's time for somebody to come out with an OLED monitor that doesn't cost $5500! (Sony PVMA250)
    Reply
  • MasterMace
    I'm more of the type of consumer that likes products to work as advertised out of the box - i.e. 120hz IPS 1080p out of the box. I don't want to have to "overclock" it to its advertized settings, and then have it not work on the advertised ports.

    Any overclocking I do personally shouldn't be advertised on the box.
    Reply
  • toddybody
    Cool Specs, and I really dig the larger panel size

    ...that said, after using G-Sync for 6 months now I'm scratching my head as to why any manufacturer would make a gaming panel without G-Sync or Free Sync in it.

    Refresh induced stuttering and frame tearing shouldn't be acceptable in 2015
    Reply
  • soldier44
    Been gaming on a HP 30 inch IPS now for 5 years at 60hz. Its been worth every penny for $1200. I would steer clear of this off brand monitor regardless of 120 hz.
    Reply
  • airborn824
    But that price is toooo HIGH!!
    Reply
  • Eggz
    Close, but no cigar, MonoPrice. Looks like the Acer Predator XB270HU stays on top for now.
    Reply
  • whimseh
    Yowza that is overpriced!
    Reply