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Iiyama G-MASTER GB2530HSU Black Hawk Design and Build
Unlike some of Iiyama's monitors that lack a height-adjustable stand, the G-MASTER GB2530HSU does not come pre-assembled. And actually, assembly is just a little bit on the inconvenient side, since you need to attach the provided stand to the chassis and stand with three thumb-screws, and carefully align the screw holes as this is not automatic.
On the other hand, naturally you’ll only have to go through this once, and at least assembly is fully tool-free as the aforementioned screws can be fully tightened by hand. Once assembled you’ll need to place the GB2530HSU on a stable surface, and release its height lock by pressing a large ‘button’ on the stand’s rear while putting pressure on the top of the chassis.
The assembled package feels surprisingly heavy for a display of this size. This seems to be indicative of the build quality, which is pretty good for such an affordable model. The matt plastics used throughout feel solid with little sign of flex or creak, except on some of the ventilation grill areas which suffer a little give under pressure.
We would call the design pedestrian, were it not for the attractively finished three-sided ‘bezel less’ surround which gives this monitor a touch of class beyond what its price point might suggest. Even if there is an ‘inner bezel’ which gives the lie to that aspiration – incidentally a flaw shared by the so-called ‘bezelless’ displays of nearly every other manufacturer, regardless of price – the overall look still gains a lot from this clever obfuscation, and the outer and inner bezels combined are less than 5 mm thin, which is quite impressive.
It’s a pity, then, that the G-MASTER GB2530HSU’s looks are brought down by the somewhat cluttered bottom bezel, which is adorned with the unexciting Iiyama logo and button labels. The stand’s base also gives a rather chunky impression and is severely lacking in elegance. But really, these are minor nitpicks for a monitor costing under £130.
Iiyama G-MASTER GB2530HSU Black Hawk Adjustability and Connectivity
As already mentioned, the adjustability on Iiyama’s G-MASTER GB2530HSU is pretty great. The base might be unattractive but provides an incredibly solid experience. Height adjustment is a tad noisy and on the stiff side but otherwise issue-free, and will raise the bottom bezel 6 cm to 18.5 cm from your desk. The only thing to beware of is that pushing the screen all the way down will lock it into place again, meaning you need to re-release the height lock.
Naturally tilt is on-board, with the usual range of 22° up and 5° down, along with very generous pivot that lets you put the screen at almost 170° to the viewing position. Last but not least, pivot is surprisingly usable for a TN-type display, and also makes it easy to plug in all the required cables.
This brings us nicely onto connectivity, which is pretty much as you might expect for this class of display. Starting on the left, you’ll find the twin USB 2.0 outputs, which are handy for plugging in a keyboard and mouse. This is followed by USB-in, which you need to connect to your computer using the supplied cable.
Next up are the video connections, and unlike on its more expensive Red Eagle G-MASTER GB2560HSU, Iiyama has opted to add a good old VGA port, meaning those with older gaming laptops will be able to use this gaming monitor without any pesky adapters.
Of course digital video is also catered for, with the usual HDMI and DP (DisplayPort) combo. Thankfully, both of these do support FreeSync, so owners of an AMD graphics card won’t need to worry about which one to use for a tear-free gaming experience.
Moving on to the other side of the stand, we have a 3.5mm line-out jack to connect headphones or external speakers, and a line-in for analogue audio transmission.
Last of all is the kettle-type power connector, since the G-MASTER GB2530HSU Black Hawk features a built-in power supply rather than the clunky external bricks we’re not so fond of.
