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We performed all our grayscale, gamma and color tests in the Gigabyte M27Q’s fully-adjustable Standard picture mode (See our recommended settings on page 1). We also tested the sRGB mode for accuracy; it cannot be calibrated.
Grayscale & Gamma Tracking
We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
The M27Q’s image quality is still enjoyable without calibration, but you’ll see a slight purple tint in from 80-90% brightness. The error is hard to spot in most content unless it contains a lot of bright whites, like a hockey game, for example. Gamma tracking shows a slight rise in the same steps, indicating a slightly dark condition. Again, this will be hard to spot, and it won’t impact highlight detail rendering.
Our calibration of the RGB sliders (2nd chart) took grayscale tracking about as close to perfection as it gets. All errors are less than 1 Delta E (dE). Gamma is about the same, but calibrating added a tiny bump at 10% brightness. Thankfully, we couldn’t see a problem in any games or videos during the hands-on tests.
If you want a usable sRGB mode, the M27Q includes one, which you’ll see in the 3rd chart above. The same slight purple tint is present, and gamma is just the tiniest bit dark, but as you’ll see below, the color gamut is still accurate. Note that you can still play with the brightness slider in sRGB mode. This is one of the few extended color monitors with an accurate sRGB option.
Comparisons
3.04dE is a perfectly respectable out-of-box grayscale tracking error. Only content with a lot of bright white elements will look a little off the mark. Calibration improves that greatly though, so it’s worth doing (see our recommended settings). An 0.33dE grayscale error is lower than most of the monitors in our test database, including the expensive professional screens.
The M27Q’s gamut accuracy is also very good, both by default and after calibration. We left the setting on option 3 and saw no issues when viewing content.
A 0.07 range of gamma values is also in pro display territory, and the average is 2.27% off the mark with a value of 2.25. That’s tied with or better than the Pixios here, but the other comparison monitors scored better.
Color Gamut Accuracy
For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
We said earlier that the M27Q had a huge color gamut but with a caveat. You can see what we mean in the first chart above. The monitor manages over 100% DCI-P3 coverage by oversaturating green and blue. It isn’t hugely over but enough to bump up the total volume. In fact, red is a bit under-saturated at both the 80 and 100% targets. This is unusual because most wide-gamut screens nail red and blue and come up short in green.
Calibration makes only a tiny improvement in the M27Q’s already excellent color accuracy. In practice, the monitor looked very colorful with all content, though it is over-saturated for SDR material if you go by the book. But most will be happy with the color quality.
The M27Q’s sRGB mode properly shrinks the gamut to a low average error level of 1.99dE. This is good enough for color-critical work, which is a boast few extended-color gaming monitors can make. Overall, the charts above demonstrate excellent performance.
Comparisons
Our group of 27-inch gaming monitors all sport excellent color accuracy with the PX277 Prime being a slight outlier. The M27Q’s score of 1.96dE ranks high in our database, even though it’s only good enough for fourth place here.
You may be surprised to see such a large gamut volume from the M27Q, but after looking back at the measurement charts, the reason is clear. With bonus green and blue, Gigabyte turns in the largest DCI-P3 score we’ve seen yet. Compared to the other monitors here, the M27Q has the least sRGB coverage, which is also a bit surprising considering how much P3 coverage you get. But the CIE chart shows a slight under-saturation in every color primary with sRGB. Note, however, that this error can’t be seen by the naked eye. You can still use the M27Q for color-critical work in the sRGB space. For DCI-P3 work though, red is a little under-saturated.
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