Gigabyte M32UC: 4K at 160Hz on curved 32 inches

Details

Monitors at the moment are probably dominated by 27-inch models, which is logical given their price and availability. The next step in the evolution are 32-inch models, which include the tested M32UC from Gigabyte. This one is very similar to the recently tested G32QC. However, appearance is the only thing they are similar in, as the M32UC is a bit of a “different animal”. 4K at 160Hz and KVM are just the tip of the iceberg of what the monitor offers.

Basic parameters

Packaging and accesories

The similarity to the G32QC starts with the box, which is virtually identical in terms of graphics and design. So again we see the silhouette of the monitor made of outlines in black on the cardboard packaging.

The contents of the package are also almost identical. There are HDMI and DisplayPort video cables and a USB cable to connect the hub to your computer. The difference from its older sibling is in the size of the power adapter, which is roughly twice as big.

The bottom of the stand is virtually identical and I found no difference in design or workmanship.

The second part of the stand also looks the same at first glance, but some changes have been made. We’ll talk about what they are in a moment during assembly.

Connecting the two parts of the stand is quick and easy, as you just push the two parts of the stand together and tighten the screw with your fingers, without the need for a screwdriver.

The design of the backside is very similar to the G32QC, only the placement of the manufacturer’s logo and model designation has changed.

We placed the monitor on a flat surface to get a better idea of what the 1500R curve looks like in real life.

The first major difference the new product offers is easier installation of the stand to the monitor body. The G32QC required the use of a screwdriver and four screws to attach the stand, the new product no longer requires any tools. As a result, installation has been greatly simplified and sped up. In doing so, the M32QC has caught up with the competition.

The second significant difference can be observed in connectivity, both in quantity and quality. Again, there are two HDMI connectors, one DisplayPort, but a USB-C connector has been added, and there’s also one more USB-A connector (three in total). Video inputs have also seen an improvement, DisplayPort has improved from 1.2 to 1.4 with DSC. These changes are inevitable given the presence of a fast 4K panel.

The third significant change is a new button on the back, which we haven’t seen before on the G32QC.

After putting the monitor on its “feet” again, you can see that the differences from the G32QC are really hard to spot, and on the outside there are only a few.

When you turn on the display, you can look forward to very thin bezels on three sides and a relatively acceptably thick bottom chin.

The monitor has a height adjustment range of 100 mm.

At the lowest point, the monitor is 25 mm from the desk with the bottom edge, the top edge is then at a height of 445 mm. In the highest position it is 125 mm, and 545 mm for the top of the display. The panel itself has a height of 420 mm.

You can also tilt the display between -5 and +20 degrees, which are fairly common values. The monitor doesn’t offer sideways rotation or pivot.

The Backlight bleed of the G32QC was one of the worse ones, and although the M32QC is slightly better, it’s still not ideal. So even the SS (Super Speed) version of the VA panel didn’t solve the problem. Of course, as always, every panel is different and your piece may be better, but it may also be worse. We’ll measure uniformity with a colorimetric probe in the next chapter.

Monitors at the moment are probably dominated by 27-inch models, which is logical given their price and availability. The next step in the evolution are 32-inch models, which include the tested M32UC from Gigabyte. This one is very similar to the recently tested G32QC. However, appearance is the only thing they are similar in, as the M32UC is a bit of a “different animal”. 4K at 160Hz and KVM are just the tip of the iceberg of what the monitor offers.

Range of settings

To control the OSD menu, there is a 5-way joystick on the right side of the monitor from the back. Above it is the aforementioned KVM button. When using multiple monitors, this placement can be a bit unfortunate and the joystick might therefore be better in the middle of the monitor from the bottom, and the KVM button could be on the bottom chin from the front or bottom.

The joystick also offers several quick actions that you can customize.

The first of the options in the settings are gaming features such as Aim Stabilizer Sync or Black Equalizer. Overdrive and FreeSync are also set here.

The image settings offer a choice of different modes that you can additionally customize and reset. In addition, you can have different image modes set for different inputs.

The display also offers input selection and the ability to overclock to 160Hz when connected via DisplayPort.

There are also PiP and PbP with both position and size settings, which we’ll look at below

The aforementioned quick joystick action settings can be found under Quick Switch, in addition to which you’ll also find customisation of the OSD menu appearance itself in the system settings.

The next part of the system settings offers control of USB charging, HDMI CEC, LED indicator or auto shutdown.

All that’s left is language change, the ability to save a profile and reset all settings.

The monitor also offers GameAssist, which is a gaming assistant for displaying crosshair, countdown, refresh rate, and when connected to a PC, system information such as temperatures and clock speeds.

There is also a function for aligning the monitor when using two or three pieces. Thanks to the guiding lines, you will be able to get them to line up.

The monitor offers multiple PiP and PbP modes, which we’ll take a look at now.

The first is PbP mode, where you can display two sources side by side at the same time, either while maintaining the aspect ratio or maximizing the content.

PiP mode displays one image above the other, with the second image smaller and in one of the four corners. You can toggle between the main and secondary images.

It is also possible to resize the window to one of three sizes.

In addition to the size adjustment, the window can be moved to one of the four corners.

Monitors at the moment are probably dominated by 27-inch models, which is logical given their price and availability. The next step in the evolution are 32-inch models, which include the tested M32UC from Gigabyte. This one is very similar to the recently tested G32QC. However, appearance is the only thing they are similar in, as the M32UC is a bit of a “different animal”. 4K at 160Hz and KVM are just the tip of the iceberg of what the monitor offers.

Image properties

We tested the image properties using the Datacolor Spyder5Elite probe. The display has a SS VA panel, which is a new type of “Super Speed VA” with a diagonal of 32″ and a traditional aspect ratio of 16:9, the resolution is 3840 × 2160 and it has anti-reflective coating and uniform bezels on three sides. We can’t forget about the rather aggressive 1500R curve either. The fast 144 Hz refresh rate is pleasing, with the option to overclock to 160 Hz at DP. There’s also FreeSync Premium Pro and I managed to test G-Sync in unofficial compatibility mode. The manufacturer claims 123 % sRGB spectrum coverage, 93 % DCI-P3, 3000:1 contrast and 2ms GTG response time. Maximum brightness reaches the stated 350 nits, and the display offers the basic VESA DipslayHDR 400 specification.

We tested the image quality in the basic mode, which is the mode the monitor will be in right out of the box. We measured 100% sRGB, 84% AdobeRGB, 91% DCI-P3 and 81% NTSC. These are commendable numbers for such a fast 4K panel. Brightness is surprisingly higher than the claimed 350 nits, we measured up to 407. The average Delta E colour deviation of 2.11 is good. As the black level test already told us, uniformity is one of the monitor’s weaker points.

The display offers up to 6 gamma modes, which range from 1.7 to 2.4 and have no deviation, but especially the higher numbers do not quite correspond to the stated values, so keep this in mind when using it. Three colour modes offer different temperatures from 5500 to 10100K. The highest measured contrast at 100% brightness was 1220:1 in the normal colour mode, where the maximum brightness of 407 nits was also achieved.

Input Lag a Response Time

We also measured the input lag on the monitor in multiple Overdrive modes.

The basic setting is Picture Quality with 11.2ms, OFF is slower with 11.8ms. Balance and Smart OD offer identical 10.8 ms and the fastest is Speed mode with 10.6 ms response. The next picture tells us which of the Response Time modes is better to choose.

On the manufacturer’s website you can find information about 2 ms response time GTG, i.e. pixel refresh rate. In MPRT mode it is then only 1 ms. The most useful mode is Balance mode, which will significantly reduce ghosting, but still does not have the inverse ghosting that is present in Speed mode. Smart Overdrive is indistinguishable from Balance, and the improvement in Picture Quality over Off is only minimal.

Monitors at the moment are probably dominated by 27-inch models, which is logical given their price and availability. The next step in the evolution are 32-inch models, which include the tested M32UC from Gigabyte. This one is very similar to the recently tested G32QC. However, appearance is the only thing they are similar in, as the M32UC is a bit of a “different animal”. 4K at 160Hz and KVM are just the tip of the iceberg of what the monitor offers.

Conclusion

Gigabyte M32UC represents the evolution of gaming panels with higher resolutions and refresh rates. A few years ago, when 4K 120 Hz models came to market, they cost up to 2000 euros. The M32UC will get you well under half of that, and while it doesn’t offer FALD backlighting like the aforementioned top models, the main advantage of high resolution combined with a high refresh rate remains. Add to that solid connectivity, KVM functionality with a USB hub and multiple PiP and PbP modes, and you get a very versatile monitor that’s suitable for both work and gaming, yet has no major trade-offs. The USB-C port even handles faster charging, albeit only 18W, which is not enough to power laptops, for example.

The monitor will please you with higher brightness than the parameters state, color rendering is also solid and the only weakness is again the uniformity of the backlight, which is a typical shortcoming of VA panels. This is especially the case with curved ones. Aside from the hardware, the M32UC is also well equipped on the software side, where it offers a number of settings and gaming features to help you get better results. Overall, this is a very solid package that lacks nothing essential.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

• Contents
• Details
• Range of settings
• Image properties
• Conclusion