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Kicking things off with the design of the Cooler Master GM32-FQ, I have to say I really like what Cooler Master has done here. It’s very minimalistic overall, and it certainly doesn’t scream ‘gamer’ at you, with no RGB lighting on show or any aggressive angles. The screen itself has a very slim profile which creates quite a sleek look, and the outer edge of the monitor is even made from metal, giving it a premium feel we don’t usually see from other monitors that can cost twice as much.
The metal stand also adds to the premium feel, both in terms of the construction quality, but I love that the stand’s base is actually hexagonal, in the style of Cooler Master’s logo. This is just something a different, I personally think it looks great, and it has the added benefit of taking up a lot less space on your desk than the V-shaped stands we typically see.
Still on the topic of the stand, this offers up to 110mm of height adjustment, there’s 15 degrees of swivel in both directions, and you can tilt from -5 to +20 degrees. The only thing missing is any kind of pivot, which is always a welcome inclusion in my book, but if you really need it the GM32-FQ does support VESA 100 mounting systems.
On the back of the monitor we find the OSD controls, with 5 individual buttons used here instead of a joystick. I asked Cooler Master why they took this approach and they told us that buttons are both more cost effective and more durable than a joystick, but I'd argue it is not at all worth the frustration you get from trying to navigate the OSD with fiddly buttons like these. I'd expect more from a £430 display.
To Cooler Master’s credit, the power button does at least have a dimple in the button itself, so you will get some tactile feedback which could help avoid accidentally turning off the monitor when navigating the OSD, but it’s still far from ideal.
Lastly, for the I/O options, we find a two-port USB 3.0 hub on the right hand side of the screen, while all of the video outputs are on the left hand side. These include 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort, 1x USB-C, while there is a 3.5mm audio jack as well.
