The Gigabyte M32U is a 32 inch 4k monitor with a fast 144Hz refresh rate. It's very similar to the smaller Gigabyte M28U, but there are some minor differences between them. It's one of the few monitors with HDMI 2.1 ports, making it an excellent choice for console gamers, as it can take full advantage of most of what the Sony PS5 and Xbox Series S|X have to offer, including 4k @ 120Hz gaming. It also has a few extra features designed for productivity, including a built-in keyboard video and mouse switch (KVM), so you can control two sources with a single keyboard and mouse. The large, high-resolution screen is great for multitasking and delivers superb text clarity. Unfortunately, it has a low contrast ratio, and although there's a local dimming feature, it's terrible, so it's not a good choice for a dark room, and the sRGB mode, which is the most accurate one out of the box, locks down almost all settings.
Our Verdict
The Gigabyte M32U is an impressive monitor for most uses. It's great for office use or media creation, as the large, high-resolution screen is great for multitasking, and it has superb text clarity. It's an excellent gaming monitor with outstanding low input lag and an incredible response time. It's also great for watching videos, but not in a dark room, as it has low contrast and a terrible local dimming feature.
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High-resolution screen and high pixel density.
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Great gray uniformity.
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Image remains accurate at an angle.
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Most accurate sRGB mode locks down almost all settings.
The Gigabyte M32U-SA is a great monitor for office users. The large, high-resolution screen delivers superb text clarity, and it's great for multitasking. It has wide viewing angles, great gray uniformity, and good ergonomics. It also has very good peak brightness in SDR and decent reflection handling, so glare shouldn't be an issue. Finally, it has a few extra productivity features, including a built-in keyboard video and mouse switch (KVM), so you can control two devices with a single keyboard and mouse.
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High-resolution screen and high pixel density.
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Superb text clarity.
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Great gray uniformity.
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Image remains accurate at an angle.
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Most accurate sRGB mode locks down almost all settings.
The Gigabyte M32U is an excellent gaming monitor, especially for Xbox Series S|X or Sony PS5 gamers. It has outstanding low input lag, resulting in a very responsive gaming experience. It also has an excellent response time when gaming at 120Hz, so there's very little blur behind fast-moving objects. It supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology (VRR), and although it's not officially supported, it also works with NVIDIA's G-SYNC Compatible feature. It's also fully compatible with the PS5, and it supports most formats from the Xbox Series X.
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HDMI 2.1 ports for Xbox Series S|X and Sony PS5 gamers.
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Incredible response time.
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Fast refresh rate.
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Low contrast.
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Most accurate sRGB mode locks down almost all settings.
The Gigabyte M32U monitor is a good choice for watching videos, as long as you're not in a dark room. The large, high-resolution screen delivers an immersive movie-watching experience, and the wide viewing angles are great for sharing your screen with someone else. It has decent reflection handling and very good peak brightness in SDR, so glare won't be an issue, but it has low contrast and a terrible local dimming feature, so it's not a good choice for a dark room.
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High-resolution screen and high pixel density.
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Excellent accuracy out of the box.
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Great gray uniformity.
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Image remains accurate at an angle.
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Low contrast.
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Most accurate sRGB mode locks down almost all settings.
The Gigabyte M32U is a great monitor for media creators. The large, high-resolution screen makes it easier to see more of your workflow at once, and it delivers superb text clarity. It also has wide viewing angles and good ergonomics, so you can easily share your screen with someone else. It has fantastic gradient handling and great gray uniformity, so you don't have to worry about banding. Finally, it has an outstanding SDR color gamut, including great coverage of the Adobe RGB color space.
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High-resolution screen and high pixel density.
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Excellent accuracy out of the box.
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Great gray uniformity.
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Image remains accurate at an angle.
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Low contrast.
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Most accurate sRGB mode locks down almost all settings.
The Gigabyte M32U-SA delivers an okay HDR experience. It has a low contrast ratio and mediocre black uniformity, so blacks look gray in a dark room. Although it has a local dimming feature, it's bad and doesn't even appear to do anything with real content. It's not very bright in HDR, either, so small highlights don't stand out very well. On the other hand, it can display a wide color gamut with HDR content, so colors look more lifelike.
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Wide color gamut.
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Fantastic gradient handling.
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Low contrast.
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Terrible local dimming feature.
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Most accurate sRGB mode locks down almost all settings.
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Not very bright in HDR.
- 8.1 Mixed Usage
- 8.3 Office
- 8.6 Gaming
- 7.6 Media Consumption
- 8.4 Media Creation
- 6.7 HDR
- Updated Dec 16, 2022: Added that the newly-reviewed Cooler Master Tempest GP27U gets much brighter in terms of HDR Brightness.
- Updated Nov 29, 2022: Clarified the text in the Gray Uniformity section to be more clear that the dirty screen effect it has is minor and isn't distracting.
- Updated Aug 25, 2022: We bought and tested the LG 32GQ950-B, and added a few relevant comparisons in the text.
- Updated May 02, 2022: We tested the monitor with the PS5's new variable refresh rate feature and confirmed that it's working properly.
- Updated Apr 08, 2022: Updated Xbox Series X|S Compatibility, as 1440p @ 60Hz is supported, but it requires a forced resolution from the Xbox Series X.
- Updated Apr 08, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.2, resulting in changes to the results and scores with the Response Time and Input Lag. Added tests for Console Compatibility and macOS compatibility and made minor changes to other tests, which you can see in our Changelog.
- Updated Oct 14, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Oct 08, 2021: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 32 inch Gigabyte M32U, part of Gigabyte's M Series gaming monitors, designed with productivity and gaming in mind. All feature a built-in KVM (keyboard, video, & mouse) switch. It's also available in a 28 inch size, which we've also tested. It's a bit different from the other M series monitors, as it's one of the only ones with a 4k screen and HDMI 2.1 support.
| Model | Size | Native Resolution | Max Refresh rate | Panel Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M32Q | 32" | 1440p | 170Hz | IPS |
| M32U | 32" | 4k | 144Hz | IPS |
| M32UC | 32" | 4k | 160Hz | VA |
| M28U | 28" | 4k | 144Hz | IPS |
| M27Q | 27" | 1440p | 170Hz | IPS |
| M27F | 27" | 1080p | 144Hz | IPS |
If you come across a different type of panel or your Gigabyte M32U doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in June 2021; you can see the label here.
Compared To Other Monitors
The Gigabyte M32U is an impressive gaming monitor. One of the few monitors with HDMI 2.1, it's a great choice for Xbox Series X and PS5 gamers. It has a great selection of additional features that help it stand out against the competition, and along with the smaller Gigabyte M28U, it's one of the best 4k monitors we've tested.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best monitors for PS5, the best monitors for Xbox Series X, and the best gaming monitors.
The Gigabyte M32U is a bit better than the Gigabyte M28U. Although these two monitors are very similar overall, the larger model has better ergonomics and a better response time. The M28U has worse overshoot in every overdrive mode, especially when gaming at 60Hz. On the other hand, the M28U has better reflection handling, but it's not a significant difference.
The Dell G3223Q and the Gigabyte M32U are both excellent 4k gaming monitors. They're very similar overall as they each have a 144Hz refresh rate, HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, and a quick response time, but the Gigabyte has a backlight strobing feature, which the Dell doesn't have. However, the Dell gets brighter, so it's better for well-lit rooms, and the out-of-the-box accuracy is much better, too.
The Samsung Odyssey G7 C32G75T and the Gigabyte M32U are both excellent gaming monitors, but the better one depends a bit on your personal preferences. The Samsung uses a VA panel, and it's a better choice for a dark room. The Gigabyte has an IPS panel, so it's best for a brighter viewing environment. The Gigabyte also has better viewing angles, and it supports HDMI 2.1, so it's a better choice for Sony PS5 or Xbox Series S|X gamers.
The Gigabyte M32U and the Gigabyte AORUS FI32U offer nearly identical performance. The FI32U has a more versatile stand, as you can rotate it to portrait orientation. The FI32U also has a few extra built-in gaming features, including a unique active noise cancelling feature for your microphone. Overall, they perform about the same, but the extra features differ. If your main use is for the office/productivity, the M32U is a better choice. If your main use is gaming, the FI32U is a better choice.
The Gigabyte M32U is a bit better overall than the Gigabyte M32Q. The M32U has a higher resolution screen, resulting in better text clarity thanks to the higher pixel density. The M32U has two HDMI 2.1 ports, making it a better choice for Xbox Series S|X or PS5 gamers.
The LG 32GQ950-B is a bit better than the Gigabyte M32U. The LG has a higher max refresh rate through an optional overclock, and it delivers better motion handling at all refresh rates, with less blur behind fast-moving objects. The LG also has full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, whereas the Gigabyte relies on compression to achieve the highest formats. This isn't an issue for most sources, but the LG looks a bit better on sources that don't support the latest display stream compression format, including the PS5.
The Gigabyte M32U is a bit better than the LG 27GP950-B overall. The Gigabyte has much better reflection handling, so it's better able to overcome glare in a bright room. The Gigabyte also has better black uniformity and better ergonomics. On the other hand, the LG is a lot brighter in HDR, and it can display a wider color gamut.
The Gigabyte M32U and the Gigabyte M32UC offer very similar overall performance, but the best one depends mainly on your viewing conditions. The M32U is better for most people as it has better ergonomics, better viewing angles, and better motion handling with very little black smear. The M32UC specifically targets users in a dark or dim room, as it has a much better contrast ratio, resulting in deeper, more uniform blacks in a dark room.
The Samsung Odyssey G7/G70B S32BG70 and the Gigabyte M32U are comparable 4k, 32-inch monitors with a 144Hz refresh rate. They both deliver excellent gaming performance, but the Samsung monitor has better motion handling. However, the Gigabyte is more versatile for other uses as it has a USB-C port and a KVM switch for productivity.
The Gigabyte M32U and the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75 are both 4k, 32-inch gaming monitors with a few advantages and disadvantages. The Gigabyte is the better choice if you want something for co-op gaming as it has wide viewing angles, while the Samsung performs better in dark rooms as it has improved local dimming and better contrast. The Samsung also has a quicker response time with low-frame-rate content, but there's flicker when the frame rate drops too low.
The Gigabyte M32U and the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 are both excellent gaming monitors with a few differences. The Samsung is better for dark room gaming as it delivers deeper blacks and has a better local dimming feature. It also has a higher 240Hz refresh rate if you want to use it for high-frame-rate gaming. However, the Gigabyte has wider viewing angles if you want to use it for co-op gaming, and it's more versatile for productivity if you need something for work and play.
The Gigabyte M32U and the Samsung Odyssey G7 S28AG70 are both excellent 4k gaming monitors. They have many of the same features with a 144Hz refresh rate and native FreeSync support, but the Gigabyte has better motion handling as the response time is much better at 60Hz. However, the HDMI 2.1 inputs on the Samsung support more bandwidth than those on the Gigabyte, as they can support up to 40 Gbps while the Gigabyte is 24 Gbps. This means that you don't need Display Stream Compression for 4k gaming at 120 fps from certain sources on the Samsung, like from the Xbox Series X.
The Dell U3223QE and the Gigabyte M32U are different types of 4k monitors. The Dell is focused on office use with a USB hub with more inputs than the Gigabyte, although the Gigabyte offers the same features, like DisplayPort Alt Mode and a KVM switch. The Dell also has much better ergonomics as you can rotate it into portrait mode. However, the Gigabyte is focused on gaming as it has a 144Hz refresh rate with HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support, allowing you to play games at high framerates from PCs and consoles without issue.
The Gigabyte M32U is slightly better than the Sony INZONE M9 overall. The Gigabyte is a more versatile monitor overall, with much better ergonomics, better accuracy out of the box, and a slightly faster response time. The Sony monitor, on the other hand, delivers a better HDR experience overall. The Sony gets brighter in HDR and has a much better local dimming feature.
The Gigabyte M32U is better overall than the LG 27GN950-B. The Gigabyte has a larger screen, which results in slightly worse text clarity, but it has better black uniformity, much better reflection handling, and better ergonomics. The Gigabyte is better for PS5 and Xbox Series S|X gamers, as it has two HDMI 2.1 ports and supports 4k @ 120Hz gaming over HDMI, while the LG can only do so over DisplayPort from a PC.
The Acer Nitro XV282K KVbmiipruzx and the Gigabyte M32U are extremely similar overall. The Gigabyte has a larger screen, so text is slightly less sharp due to the lower pixel density. The Acer has better ergonomics, so it's more versatile and easier to place in an ideal viewing position. The Gigabyte has a few extra features that make it a better choice for office users, including a built-in KVM.
The Gigabyte M32U and the BenQ EW3270U use different panel technologies, but the Gigabyte is still better for most people overall. The Gigabyte has a much faster refresh rate, significantly better motion handling, and lower input lag. The Gigabyte has better ergonomics, and it has two HDMI 2.1 ports, so it's a better choice for some console gamers. On the other hand, the BenQ has much better contrast, so if you're in a dark room and the other things don't matter to you, it's a better choice.
The Gigabyte M32U is a bit better than the Gigabyte M27Q. The M32U has a larger, higher-resolution screen, resulting in much better text clarity, and it has better ergonomics. The M32U also has two HDMI 2.1 ports, making it a better choice for Sony PS5 or Xbox Series S|X gamers.
The Gigabyte M32U and the Gigabyte AORUS FV43U use different panel technologies, each with strengths and weaknesses. The M32U has a smaller IPS panel, which delivers wide viewing angles. The M32U has a much faster response time at 60Hz. The FV43U, on the other hand, has a larger screen with much better contrast and better uniformity, so it's a better choice for a dim or dark room.
The Gigabyte M32U is a bit better than the Corsair XENEON 32QHD165. The Gigabyte has a higher resolution screen, resulting in much better text clarity and a sharper image. The Gigabyte also has slightly better ergonomics, with a better height adjustment, and tons of extra features, including a built-in KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) switch, so you can control two computers with a single set of input devices. Finally, the Gigabyte is better for console gamers, as it has two HDMI 2.1 ports and supports 4k @ 120Hz gaming.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQ and the Gigabyte M32U are very similar overall. The ASUS has better ergonomics, but the Gigabyte has slightly better viewing angles. The biggest difference between them is the inputs, as the Gigabyte has two HDMI 2.1 ports, whereas the ASUS is limited to HDMI 2.0, and can only reach its maximum resolution and refresh rate over DisplayPort. This makes the Gigabyte a better choice for console gamers.
The Gigabyte M32U is much better than the Gigabyte G27Q. The M32U has a larger, higher-resolution screen, resulting in better text clarity, and it has a faster response time, especially at 60Hz. The biggest difference is in the inputs, though, as the M32U has two HDMI 2.1 ports, making it a much better choice for PS5 or Xbox Series S|X gamers.
The LG 48 C1 OLED and the Gigabyte M32U are very different displays with different target audiences. The LG is a large TV that we tested as a monitor that has an OLED panel. The OLED panel delivers a nearly instantaneous response time, with wide viewing angles and perfect blacks. The large screen isn't meant to be used as a desktop monitor, though, and there's a risk of permanent burn-in. Although the Gigabyte doesn't perform as well overall, it's a more traditional form factor that fits on most desks, and there's no chance of burn-in.
The Gigabyte M32U is a better all-around monitor than the Apple Studio Display, but they're for different uses. The Gigabyte is a 4k gaming monitor with HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so it's a great choice for console gaming up to 120 fps. It also has more inputs like HDMI and DisplayPort, and it supports HDR, which the Apple monitor doesn't have. On the other hand, the Apple is a 5k monitor meant for macOS users, and it has significantly better reflection handling, meaning it performs better in well-lit rooms.
Video
Test Results
The Gigabyte M32U is identical to the smaller Gigabyte M28U. It has a slightly understated design, with thin bezels on three sides and a flat base that supports the monitor well but takes up a bit more space overall. The back of the monitor has a bit more flash to it, with a glossy section near the top but no RGB bias lighting or other gamer aesthetic.
The Gigabyte M32U has good overall build quality, nearly identical to the Gigabyte M28U and the other Gigabyte monitors we've tested. It's entirely plastic, with no metal components, which is a bit disappointing, but the plastic seems to be decent quality. There's a little bit of flex on the back panel, but otherwise, it's pretty solid. We noticed a strange clicking noise occasionally when the black frame insertion feature is enabled at the same time as the variable refresh rate feature and the framerate changes. We haven't seen other reports of this issue, so it could just be our unit.
The Gigabyte M32U has good ergonomics. Unlike the smaller Gigabyte M28U, it can swivel in either direction, which is great, but everything else is the same. Other than a glossy section at the top and the Gigabyte logo and model number, the back of the monitor is a bit plain. There's a cutout in the stand for basic cable management. If you want something with even better ergonomics, then check out the Dell U3223QE.
The flat stand supports the monitor well but takes up a bit of space. There's a bit of wobble, but it's not too bad.
You can control the OSD using the joystick button at the back of the monitor, similar to most LG monitors. There's also a dedicated button for the KVM switch.
- User manuals
- DisplayPort cable
- HDMI cable
- USB-B upstream cable
- 3 different power cables (Type B, I, and J)
As expected for an IPS monitor, the Gigabyte M32U has mediocre contrast, so blacks look gray in a dark room. Contrast can vary between individual units, but this is close to the upper limits of what we expect from an IPS panel. Unfortunately, the local dimming feature can't improve the contrast ratio at all. If you want a 4k monitor with a much better contrast, then look into the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75.
Unfortunately, although the Gigabyte M32U has a local dimming feature, it's terrible. In most content, it doesn't appear to do anything. It's edge-lit, with approximately 16 dimming zones, so even when the local dimming is working, because each zone is so large, transitions are very noticeable and distracting.
Enabling the Local Dimming features locks out a few settings. It enables DCR, which noticeably changes the gamma curve and locks the brightness at maximum.
The Gigabyte M32U has very good peak brightness in SDR. There's some variation in peak brightness with different scenes, but it's not too noticeable. Very small highlights are dimmed a bit, but with regular content, it's not noticeable. It's brighter than the Gigabyte M28U, but this difference is in line with Gigabyte's advertising.
These measurements were taken after calibration, in the 'Custom 1' Picture Mode, with the backlight at max and local dimming enabled. The peak brightness can change depending on which mode you're using. If you want something brighter, then check out the Dell G3223Q.
The Gigabyte M32U has just alright peak brightness in HDR. It's bright enough that most games look good, but it's not bright enough for a true cinematic experience. Small highlights in some scenes aren't bright enough to stand out. On the other hand, there's very little difference in peak brightness with different scenes, which is great. Unfortunately, the peak brightness doesn't track the EOTF very well, as near-black areas are brighter than they should be, and all other scenes are a bit too dim. The brightness cuts off sharply at the monitor's peak brightness, causing a loss of fine details in bright areas. If you care about HDR brightness, then check out the Cooler Master Tempest GP27U, which gets much brighter in HDR.
These measurements were taken before calibration, with HDR enabled, with local dimming on.
As expected for an IPS panel, the Gigabyte M32U has a decent horizontal viewing angle. At a wide angle, the image appears washed out, but most people won't notice any issues. This is especially important if you often share your screen with someone sitting beside you or if you like sitting close to the monitor.
The Gigabyte M32U has a very good vertical viewing angle, so the image remains accurate even if you're sharing your screen with someone standing beside you.
The Gigabyte M32U has great gray uniformity. There's only a bit of dirty screen effect near the center, which isn't enough to be distracting when browsing the web or playing games with large areas of similar color.
Unfortunately, the Gigabyte M32U has just passable black uniformity. There's quite a bit of cloudiness throughout the screen, and significant backlight bleed along the top and bottom edge. Local dimming helps to reduce the cloudiness of the screen to the left and right of the test cross but doesn't reduce the amount of backlight bleed, which suggests that the local dimming isn't fully turning those zones off.
The Gigabyte M32U has excellent accuracy out of the box. Gamma follows the sRGB curve but levels out close to 2.1 above a 20% stimulus, so most scenes are a bit too bright. The white balance is great, and the color temperature is very close to the calibration target. There are no significant issues with any color, but reds are oversaturated a bit.
Out of the box, the most accurate picture mode is the sRGB mode. Unfortunately, this mode brings some limitations; all settings except for the brightness are locked down and can't be changed, including the color temperature and overdrive setting, which is locked to 'Smart OD'. If you prefer a picture mode with unlocked settings, the 'Custom 1' mode delivers the second-best results, but colors are oversaturated.
After calibration, the Gigabyte M32U has outstanding accuracy, with no noticeable issues at all. White balance and colors are nearly perfect, and any remaining inaccuracies aren't noticeable without a colorimeter. Gamma is much closer to the sRGB target curve, except for a slight dip in really bright scenes. Despite how accurate it is out of the box, the M32U might be worth calibrating for some people, as it allows you to achieve fantastic accuracy without the limitations of the sRGB mode.
The Gigabyte M32U has an outstanding SDR color gamut, but it's not as good as the Corsair XENEON 32QHD165. It can display the entire sRGB color space used by most current desktop and web content, so you shouldn't notice any issues there. For professional content creators, it has great coverage of the Adobe RGB color space. It has limited coverage of greens in that color space, which might disappoint some users.
The Gigabyte M32U has outstanding SDR color volume, thanks to the outstanding SDR color gamut. Like most IPS monitors, it can't display dark saturated colors very well due to its low contrast ratio, but this isn't that noticeable unless you're in a very dark room.
The Gigabyte M32U has a good HDR color gamut. It has great coverage of the DCI P3 color space used by most current HDR content. Coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space is mediocre, and it can barely display a wide color gamut.
The Gigabyte M32U has great HDR color volume. It's limited by its incomplete HDR color gamut, and like with SDR content, it can't display dark saturated colors well due to the low contrast ratio.
The Gigabyte M32U has decent reflection handling. The matte finish helps to reduce the intensity of direct reflections, but it's not quite as effective as the Gigabyte M28U.
Thanks to the high pixel density, the Gigabyte M32U has superb text clarity, even in apps that don't support ClearType or if you choose not to run the wizard.
The Gigabyte M32U has fantastic gradient handling. There's almost no banding in any shade.
Although advertised as an 8-bit panel, this model accepts a 10-bit signal and displays it well, so it's most likely using dithering to approximate a 10-bit panel. It's also known as 8-bit + FRC.
The Gigabyte M32U has a fast refresh rate, great for gamers. Thanks to the inclusion of HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports, there's no difference in the supported formats between DisplayPort and HDMI, as long as you're using a source that supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. If you're using a graphics card that only supports HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, the supported formats are a bit different over HDMI. You can read more about what to expect and what's supported in the additional review notes we posted for the Gigabyte M28U, which are also valid for this monitor. Unlike the Gigabyte M32UC, there's no optional overclock to 160Hz.
This monitor supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology over both HDMI and DisplayPort, and although it's not officially certified by NVIDIA, it also works well with their G-SYNC Compatible mode.
| Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Off | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Smart OD | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Picture Quality | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Balance | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Speed | Chart | Table | Photo |
The Gigabyte M32U has an incredible response time, resulting in crystal-clear motion with almost no noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects. Like most monitors, it has an adjustable Overdrive setting. We recommend the 'Picture Quality' setting, as it delivers the best overall performance with the least amount of overshoot. 'Balance' is slightly faster, but there's significantly more overshoot that may bother some people. If you prefer inverse ghosting over motion blur, go with that mode instead. The 'Speed' setting delivers the fastest rise/fall time, but there's terrible overshoot and significant inverse ghosting, so we don't recommend it.
The M32U features a 'Smart OD' mode that's advertised to automatically select the best overdrive mode, so you don't have to worry about switching modes if you switch sources or switch to a lower refresh rate. At both 144Hz and 60Hz, it appears to be in the 'Balance' mode, so we're not sure if it's doing anything.
| Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Off | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Smart OD | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Picture Quality | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Balance | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Speed | Chart | Table | Photo |
The Gigabyte M32U has an excellent response time when gaming at 120Hz, like when gaming on a PS5 or Xbox Series X. The overall performance is nearly identical to when gaming at the max refresh rate, but there's a bit more overshoot, especially in dark areas. The recommended Overdrive setting is still 'Picture Quality', for the same reasons as at the max refresh rate.
| Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Off | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Smart OD | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Picture Quality | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Balance | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Speed | Chart | Table | Photo |
The Gigabyte M32U has a very good response time at 60Hz, a bit better than the Gigabyte M28U. We recommend the 'Off' Overdrive setting, as it performs the best overall at 60Hz, but if you're looking for a set-and-forget setting that works well at any refresh rate, 'Picture Quality' is almost as good at 60Hz as at the max refresh rate. There's more noticeable overshoot in each mode than at the max refresh rate, but it's not too bad with the 'Picture Quality' setting. We didn't notice the same strange overshoot behavior that we noticed on the M28U, which is great.
| Refresh Rate | BFI Setting | Motion Blur Photo |
| 144Hz | On | Photo |
| 120Hz | On | Photo |
The Gigabyte M32U has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion (BFI), to help reduce blur. Unlike most monitors, the M32U supports BFI even with the variable refresh rate (VRR) feature. With VRR disabled, BFI is only available at 120Hz or 144Hz.
Unfortunately, the BFI feature is a bit buggy. The first time we tried it with VRR, the backlight strobing continued to function as low as 10Hz, but below 55Hz, it flickers in multiples of the framerate. Unfortunately, the backlight kept fluctuating and it was borderline unusable, as shown in this slow motion video filmed between 54 and 55Hz. Note that even though it's not that noticeable in real life, the slow-motion video is intended to demonstrate the effect, not how it looks in person.
After experiencing this issue, we power cycled the monitor and restarted the PC, and the BFI feature behaved more like the other Gigabyte monitors we've tested. Below 85Hz, the backlight simply stops strobing, and there are no distracting backlight fluctuations.
The Gigabyte M32U has a completely flicker-free backlight, which is great.
The Gigabyte M32U has outstanding low input lag, resulting in a very responsive gaming experience. It's important to update the firmware on the monitor to F06 or higher, as there's an issue with input lag out of the box.
The Gigabyte M32U has superb screen real estate and a very high native resolution, resulting in a high pixel density and superb text clarity. It's also an excellent choice for multitasking.
The Gigabyte M32U supports all formats supported by the PS5. Since its HDMI ports require display stream compression (DSC) in order to support the highest bandwidth signals, the PS5 is limited to 4:2:0 when gaming at 4k @ 120Hz, as the PS5 doesn't fully support DSC. This isn't noticeable with most content, but if you prefer something that looks a bit better with the PS5, check out the LG 32GQ950-B instead.
This monitor supports all formats from the Xbox Series S|X. Strangely, unlike the Gigabyte M28U, 1440p @ 60Hz has to be forced from the Xbox display settings.
Unlike most other Gigabyte M Series monitors, the Gigabyte M32U has two HDMI 2.1 ports, making it a great choice for PS5 and Xbox Series S|X console gamers. Although the Gigabyte M32U supports HDMI 2.1, like most of the other HDMI 2.1 monitors we've tested, it's limited to 24Gbps. It requires Display Stream Compression (DSC) 1.2a for anything that requires higher bandwidth, introducing some limits on the supported resolutions depending on the source device. You can read more about the supported resolutions here. This article is from our Gigabyte M28U review, but it's also valid for the M32U. For a monitor that supports the full 48Gbps bandwidth of HDMI 2.1, check out the LG 27GP950-B or the LG 32GQ950-B.
There's also one USB-C port; it supports a few advanced USB-C features, including DisplayPort Alt Mode and 15W fast charging for supported devices. The power delivery feature is too low to fully charge most laptops, but it'll extend the battery life a bit. The USB-C port allows you to use the monitor as a KVM switch (keyboard, video, and mouse), so you can view and control two sources with a single set of input devices, great if you're working from home and want to use a business and personal computer at the same desk.
The Gigabyte M32U has a few additional productivity and gaming features. It also supports Picture-in-Picture or Picture-by-Picture, allowing you to display two sources at once, but this feature isn't available in HDR or if FreeSync is enabled. Some of the other features include:
- Virtual Crosshair: There are four virtual crosshairs to choose from. Unlike software virtual crosshairs, these can't be detected by your games.
- Frame Counter: Displays the current number of frames per second received from the source.
- Black Equalizer: Adjusts gamma to make it easier to spot other players/enemies in shadows.
- KVM: The main feature of Gigabyte's M Series monitors, the KVM button at the back of the monitor allows you to quickly switch from controlling one device to another, with just one keyboard and mouse, by connecting them to the back of the monitor instead of your PC.
- Dashboard: This feature allows you to display vital statistics from your computer, including CPU and GPU temps, fan speeds, memory usage, etc.
