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There's a lot to like about Gigabyte's G32QC. As one of the company's first gaming monitors that falls under its mainstream Gigabyte brand – instead of the premium, gaming-focused Aorus sub-brand – I wasn't initially sure what to expect from this panel.
It's very impressive on paper, however, with a 31.5in curved VA panel, offering a 2560x1440p resolution at 165Hz, with support for AMD FreeSync Pro and Nvidia G-Sync. Bear in mind that while the G32QC hasn't been officially G-Sync certified, I had zero problems using this screen with an RTX 2080 Ti.
Thankfully, the panel isn't just impressive on the spec sheet – it has also impressed me greatly over the past couple of weeks that I have been using it. Despite that, when I first started using it, I wasn't immediately sold – the 1440p resolution across 31.5in took some getting used to, and out of the box colour reproduction looked slightly ‘off', subjectively speaking.
Once I'd calibrated the screen, however, and adjusted the gamma from its default ‘Gamma 3' value to Gamma 4 – which gives a gamma reading of 2.2 – I really started to enjoy myself, and honestly the slightly lower pixel density stopped bothering me so much. Text is definitely a little bit soft, but when yomping around Verdansk in Call of Duty: Warzone, I actually preferred having a bigger screen – plus the 1500R curvature definitely helps with the immersion factor.
There are some things that could be improved – the default gamma setting being one, while out of the box colour accuracy is merely ‘good' instead of the excellent results we saw once calibrated. Additionally, I also noticed a hint of smearing or blurring during fast-paced gameplay in darker environments, even with overdrive set to ‘speed' mode, while my sample does exhibit a touch of backlight bleed.
None of those criticisms are dealbreakers, however, and some – like the small amount of backlight bleed – are really inconsequential in my opinion. On the whole, Gigabyte's G32QC is a highly impressive gaming-grade display that ticks a lot of boxes at a very good price.
You can buy the Gigabyte G32QC for £429.95 from Overclockers UK HERE.
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Pros
- Large, curved screen.
- Good colour and brightness uniformity.
- Impressive colour gamut coverage.
- Excellent colour accuracy once calibrated.
- 165Hz, FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync compatibility.
- Great value for what you get.
- OSD is easy to navigate, while the settings can also be adjusted directly within Windows thanks to OSD Sidekick.
Cons
- 1440p over 31.5in may look soft for some.
- OSD joystick would get stuck on occasion.
- Some visible backlight bleed.
- Some smearing/blurring in dark areas.
KitGuru says: For a little over £400, the G32QC is a highly impressive gaming monitor from Gigabyte. It's not completely perfect, but if you're looking for a large, high refresh rate screen, this is well worth buying.
