The Gigabyte M27Q rev. 2.0 is a budget-friendly gaming monitor. With a 27-inch screen and 1440p resolution, it's mainly focused on gaming as it has a max refresh rate of 170Hz. It also features FreeSync VRR support to reduce screen tearing, and it has other gaming perks like crosshairs and vision modes to give you a competitive advantage. While it's focused on gaming, it also has features for other uses, like a USB-C port and a KVM switch, making it easy to switch between two devices and use the same keyboard and mouse connected to the monitor.
This monitor is the second version of the M27Q, as it's newer than the Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 1.0). The main difference is that the first version comes with a BGR panel, while the second version has an RGB panel. It's unclear which version you'll get when buying from retailers, but there are differences on the boxes of the two versions to tell them apart, which you can read more about here.
Our Verdict
The Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2 is okay for PC gaming. It has a 170Hz refresh rate and VRR support to reduce screen tearing. It also has low input lag at any refresh rate, but motion looks blurry due to its slow response time. It even has a backlight strobing feature to reduce persistence blur, but it results in image duplication. Sadly, it has limited picture quality as blacks look gray in the dark, and it lacks a local dimming feature to further improve it.
- 170Hz refresh rate.
- FreeSync VRR and G-SYNC compatibility.
- Low input lag.
- Blurry motion.
- Low contrast ratio.
- No local dimming feature.
The Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2 isn't bad for console gaming. Gaming feels responsive thanks to its low input lag, and it supports most signals from consoles, but it can't take advantage of the Xbox Series X|S and PS5 due to the lack of HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. Unfortunately, motion is blurry, it has limited picture quality, as blacks look gray due to its low contrast, and it lacks a local dimming feature to further improve the picture quality.
- Low input lag.
- Blurry motion.
- Limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth.
- Low contrast ratio.
The Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2 is good for office use. It has good text clarity, and its 27-inch screen is big enough to open two windows side by side. It's also good if you want to use it in a well-lit office space, as it has high brightness and decent reflection handling. It even includes dedicated office features like a KVM switch that makes multitasking easy. Lastly, its wide viewing angles are useful if you need to share your screen with a coworker or client, but it lacks swivel adjustment to turn the display.
- Good for bright rooms.
- Sharp text and image clarity.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Productivity features like USB-C port and KVM switch.
- No swivel adjustment.
The Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2 is good for content creators. It comes with a remarkably accurate sRGB mode that displays accurate colors without needing full calibration, which is ideal for even professional content creators. It has a big enough screen to open two windows side by side, and its 1440p resolution helps display sharp images. It's good enough to use in a well-lit workspace thanks to its high brightness and decent reflection handling. However, it has limited picture quality in dark rooms due to its low contrast ratio and lack of local dimming feature.
- Good for bright rooms.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Productivity features like USB-C port and KVM switch.
- Remarkable accuracy in sRGB mode.
- No swivel adjustment.
- Low contrast ratio.
- No local dimming feature.
The Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2 has decent brightness. It gets bright enough to fight glare in a well-lit room, but highlights don't pop in HDR.
- Good for bright rooms.
- Highlights don't pop in HDR.
The Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2 has a disappointing response time. Motion looks blurry, and there's more inverse ghosting at lower refresh rates.
- Blurry motion.
- Inverse ghosting at lower refresh rates.
The Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2 is bad for HDR. It has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray in the dark, and it lacks a local dimming feature to further improve the black levels.
- Low contrast ratio.
- No local dimming feature.
The Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2 has decent SDR picture quality. While it displays a wide range of colors, it has a low native contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray in the dark.
- Displays wide range of colors.
- Low contrast ratio.
The Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2 has fantastic color accuracy. It comes with a very accurate sRGB mode, and you won't need to calibrate it unless you need perfectly accurate colors.
- Remarkable accuracy in sRGB mode.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Feb 21, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.0.1. This includes a new test result for DisplayPort 2.1 Transmission Bandwidth.
- Updated Jul 23, 2024: Updated text throughout the review according to Test Bench 2.0, mainly in the Verdict and Motion sections.
- Updated Jul 11, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.0. This includes new tests for VRR Motion Performance, Refresh Rate Compliance, Cumulative Absolute Deviation (CAD), and VRR Flicker. You can read the full changelog here.
- Updated Nov 30, 2023: Clarified that the Gigabyte GS27QC has a better Contrast.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 27-inch Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2, which is part of Gigabyte's M Series lineup. It's the second, and newer, version of the M27Q, as it uses a different panel than the older Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 1.0). The second version has an RGB panel, while the first variant has a BGR panel. It's unclear which version you'll get when buying from retailers, as they don't specify if it's Rev. 1.0 or Rev. 2.0, but we purchased two units of the M27Q from Amazon and Newegg in September 2023, and both units were the second version.
The two versions have slightly different designs on the boxes they come with. You can see the box we got with Rev. 1.0 here and the box we got with Rev. 2.0 here. The biggest difference is that Rev. 1.0 is labeled as '170Hz' on the box, while Rev. 2.0 is labeled as '165Hz,' but they both have a max refresh rate of 170Hz.
| Model | Size | Panel Type | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Subpixel Layout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M27Q (Rev. 1.0) | 27" | IPS | 1440p | 170Hz | BGR |
| M27Q (Rev. 2.0) | 27" | IPS | 1440p | 170Hz | RGB |
Our unit was manufactured in April 2023; you can see the label for it here. We tested this monitor with firmware F07.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Gigabyte M27Q Rev. 2 is an okay budget gaming monitor that offers a few productivity features like a KVM switch and USB-C port. However, it's fairly different from the Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 1.0), as it has a slower response time and lower peak brightness. It's closer in performance to the Gigabyte M27Q P, but that monitor has a few extra features like DisplayPort 1.4 bandwidth and built-in speakers. Considering it's unclear which version of the M27Q you'll get when buying it, and because the second version performs worse than the first version, the M27Q P is the most reliable option if you want one of the M27Q monitors. If you don't need the office features of the Gigabyte monitors and want a budget monitor mainly for gaming, you can also consider the Dell G2724D, which has a faster response time.
See our recommendations for the best 1440p gaming monitors, the best 27-inch gaming monitors, and the best budget and cheap gaming monitors.
The Gigabyte M27U is a higher-end monitor than the Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 2.0), so it's the better monitor for most uses. The biggest difference is that the M27U has a higher resolution, so text looks sharper, and this monitor delivers more detailed images. The M27U is also the better choice for console gaming because it supports all signals from a PS5 or Xbox Series X|S, and motion looks better on it. The M27U also gets brighter, and while both monitors have many of the same features, including a USB hub, the M27U has higher power delivery over USB-C.
The AOC Q27G3XMN and the Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 2.0) are both budget-friendly 1440p gaming monitors. The AOC delivers much better picture quality, especially in HDR, as it has a higher contrast ratio for deeper blacks. It also has brighter highlights. On the other hand, the Gigabyte is the better choice if you often need to share your screen with someone else, as it has wider viewing angles. The AOC also has extra productivity perks because it has a KVM switch that you can use to easily switch between two computers and use the same peripherals on both.
The Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 2.0) is a higher-end monitor than the Gigabyte G27Q, so it has a few more features. The main difference is that the M27Q has a USB-C port and KVM switch, making it easier to multitask, which the G27Q doesn't have. The M27Q also has Picture-by-Picture and Picture-in-Picture modes, which is something else that the G27Q doesn't have. Besides those differences, the G27Q has a bit better reflection handling and gets slightly brighter, so it's the better choice for well-lit rooms. The M27Q has better accuracy before calibration, but besides that, both monitors perform similarly.
The Gigabyte M27Q X is a higher-end monitor than the Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 2.0). Because of this, it's a bit better overall; it has superior motion handling and a higher refresh rate for gaming. The M27Q X also gets brighter, so it's better at fighting glare in well-lit rooms.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
Test Results
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