Best 4K 144hz Monitor for Gaming & Productivity (Gigabyte M32U Review)

[@shrimpwalk8230]

picking this up as my first 4k monitor coming from asus vg259qm 1080p, can't wait for it to arrive in 2 days

[@NomadFlair]

Congratulations

[@zsds520]

How is it

[@shrimpwalk8230]

@@zsds520 Pretty dope, actually! Still use my 1080p 280hz display since I do like the blazing fast refresh rates, but 4k 144hz is still pretty damn smooth and very detailed. Never experienced a 4k panel in my life before, so seeing it for the first time was utterly mind-blowing. It is much better in detail than even a high end 1080p or 1440p display. The delay isn't that bad though, I still use it over my 1080p in competitive occasionally. It is crazy seeing details and spotting players that otherwise you may not have seen at all if it weren't for 4k. 4k is VERY hard to push FPS though. Running at 4k on a 3080 requires a fair bit of settings tuning to achieve a full 144hz experience. I would recommend upgrading GPU before buying, but honestly 4k on a 3080 is still very fun and very detailed even when reducing settings.

[@iFlakkoo]

have you used this monitor on ps or xbox? if so how is it

[@shrimpwalk8230]

@@iFlakkoo I have used it on my PS5, and it is overall a pretty smooth experience. 120hz still is perfect on the monitor, although I normally stick to PC for 144hz.

[@hineighbor]

Got the Corsair 32UHD144 and I love it. HDR sucks on it but it's absolutely stunning in SDR. Any 4k, 32" high refresh rate monitor is going to be a sick experience!

[@NomadFlair]

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy it man

[@MMAJOEYC]

Thanks for the great video. Helped me decide to invest in this monitor

[@NomadFlair]

Really happy to hear that!!

[@MerLew]

I'd argue this monitor doesn't excel at anything specifically, but if the best overall well-rounded monitor. I've tried to find something better that doesn't cost $2k+ so I think I'll stick with this. Thanks for the video 👍

[@NomadFlair]

You’re welcome my friend

[@PluggerB69]

Hey mate, really nice review and well explained, I thoroughly enjoyed a no BS review compared to some other ones I have watched about this monitor who for mine seem to take the piss and are probably paid by someone to give a so so review. Quick question, is there much of noticeable difference performance wise if you know between this model and the M32UC?

[@NomadFlair]

I really appreciate that my friend! The difference is the the m32u has an IPS panel which tends to be brighter and visually better to look at where the m32uc has a VA panel which tends to be darker.

[@James-by4jl]

love the vid keep it up boss

[@NomadFlair]

Thanks man 😀

[@malomobilny]

I bough one. Compared with my old 27 inch Iiyama is huge but blue and white color is so different - on old monitor this two color like me better. I hope I get used to it over time.

[@NomadFlair]

bigger screens are better in my opinion.

[@GubiYoroi2]

im mostly single player guy right now rarely i play a competitive multiplayer game like cod halo and fornite as right now i only play story mode of game and i dont know if this monitor for me im mostly looking monitor produce amazing color accuracy and 4k run smootlhy and look amazing when im passing a story in game and you know looking around while passing story to impress me while doing it !

[@apoclypse]

I just got this monitor about a month ago and it’s pretty good. My only real gripe with it is that the matte coating is a little overly aggressive imo. It just washes everything. Coming from a amc display it take getting used to. Other than that it works flawlessly on my m1 Max MBP.

[@adnanbasheer6877]

Do you know what the power delivery is to your MBP using the usb C cable connected to the monitor?

[@apoclypse]

​@@adnanbasheer6877 I believe its only 18W. I use mine with an OWC TB4 dock so it's not a big deal for my setup as I get 90W from the dock.

[@adnanbasheer6877]

@@apoclypse thanks :)

[@NomadFlair]

Are you talking about the texture

[@apoclypse]

@@NomadFlair Yeah. Mac displays are usually pretty glossy so I’m used to that. Colors seem more saturated and vivid on glossy screens. The matte on the m32u isn’t bad just something I wasn’t used to. It’s a little more matte than the Ultrsharp Dell and LG screens I’ve used before as well. After a few weeks of use I got used to it.

[@mdrasheduzzaman4960]

Thanks for informative video!

[@NomadFlair]

Appreciate it, anytime my friend!

[@GODisaDJyes]

Best VFM monitor , thx 4 the review !

[@NomadFlair]

My pleasure, thanks for watching!!!

[@HarvSpecter]

Hi, question, which cable do you use with you’re mac mini ? DP or Thunderbolts/usb C ? Do you have 144hz refresh rate ? Thx and good video 🙏🏻

[@NomadFlair]

I just use the hdmi cable and it works perfectly. Yes you can get 144hz

[@HarvSpecter]

Thx for you’re answer, I have the M28U but I can’t get 144hz … do you have any advice ? I use différente hdmi 2.1. Maybe in screen settings ?

[@petejunior7075]

I bought the m32uc the curved version of this monitor but there are few reviews. Will you do a review for it one day?

[@NomadFlair]

Yeah I’ll do shorts for it etc

[@petejunior7075]

@@NomadFlair thanks! I’m sure you would get a lot of views since not many reviews online

[@Drizzlee44]

Can you share your optimized settings for the PS5? Thanks! Great review!

[@NomadFlair]

As in resolution etc?

[@GreenEyesAnthony]

Thanks for the video. What are the hight and width dimensions of the actual screen?

[@NomadFlair]

31.5 inch

[@Alaw_83]

Hi whats the best ps5 picture settings with this ?

[@NomadFlair]

The link to the video kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGSTY4hmjNmGmtksi=uEImL72q4uGxJOjs

[@tonygil4802]

Thanks for the review! Got the same monitor, can you please share what configs u use to play warzone? I set it on srgb but cant change the overdrive function on that profile.

[@NomadFlair]

I will be doing that in a future video

[@s-line7896]

What is the game at 7 minutes?

[@abeblue]

for a productivity workflow. you NEED a 2nd screen. Don't do my error working on a single screen for 5years straight. This is the biggest upgrade you can do.

[@NomadFlair]

Fair enough, I use my laptop as an additional screen.

[@belema22]

Great quality video!

[@NomadFlair]

Appreciate that my friend.

[@X_C_U_R_S_E_D_X]

Yo I was looking 3 months for the best monitor and ended up considering buying this one cause that was my first option and after all this research i came back to this one cause basically is the best IPS gaming monitor for the ps5 and I really wanna know does it support 1440p ? I know it’s 4k just saying in case

[@djmakeka]

Hey there, great video! I currently have a MacBook M1 Pro 16" and I'm having a bit of trouble towards connectivity. I'm considering buying this monitor and was also wondering if I should use a usb-c to HDMI 2.1 or a usb-c to DisplayPort 1.4 cable, to achieve 4K at 144hz. I'd appreciate some advice :)

[@NomadFlair]

I would try the hdmi cable first if it’s 4k 2.1 compatible, then the display port! Appreciate the support!!!

[@kickdawson]

the M1 Pro's have HDMI 2.0 which is limited to 4K @ 60hz

[@Ruslenin]

can you connect Macbook Air with USB-C for the purpose of both charging and connecting to screen?

[@Doriginal5]

be aware that updating the firmware requires a USB connection to PC. Can't update on a Mac which is why canceled my order. I'm bummed.

[@blazingphoenix1000]

Do you recommend getting external speakers I've only had this monitor for a few days and I freaking love it it checks off all my boxes but I did notice that the sound isn't high end.

[@NomadFlair]

Tbh I always use a gaming headset when gaming and AirPods when on the PC. But if you’re not using the above then I would purchase speakers

[@Soobstance]

I've heard a lot of people complaining about a small buzz coming from the monitor, could you confirm if you've heard this and if it's noticable??

[@NomadFlair]

No buzzing noise at all

[@Soobstance]

@@NomadFlair That's promising! I've done a lot of research to try find the perfect moniotr for my web design work and gaming, this one I found had a hand full of people complaining about a buzzing noise... Which initally put me off it. How've you found the colours and the overal image quality over the last six months since you posted this video?

[@NomadFlair]

Tbh I really like it, I can’t complain - when editing pictures and videos the colours look natural and sharp 👌

[@xylesx]

Thank you for this great review. Absolute gem and stellar production quality. A quick question - does this charge a laptop over USB C PD?

[@davidmartinez6534]

Yessirr MacBook

[@xylesx]

@@davidmartinez6534 awesome! Thanks for sharing. :) would be nice to be able to plug one cable into the MacBook without worries.

[@NomadFlair]

Absolutely! Appreciate the support

[@connorvaziri9319]

It’s only 18w, it will prolong your battery life but if you’re working for several hours consecutively the laptop will still die

[@fomina1]

@@NomadFlair m32uc and VA better?

[@MubarakHossain-t4w]

iPhone wallpaper link please... :)

[@NomadFlair]

iPhone wallpapers from the iPhone itself

[@syedmahmudunnabi6187]

My 144hz monitor gets only a 50hz connection. What should I do? I have MacBook air m1 2020.

[@inv3st_eth839]

If the image is being scaled to 1080 (default setting for 4k monitors as much as i know) on a 4K monitor to make text more accessible, would it impact the performance of the macbook ( cause i use my macbook at its peak performance very frequently and i won't need any performance issue if that impact highly on graphics components of the laptop). Maybe you can tell which is the best scaling setting for 4k 32 inch monitors on mac?

[@NomadFlair]

I have dropped a settings video on this monitor

[@aks1008]

how do you find the hdr brightness of the monitor..

[@ludvigodling9947]

I have the Gigabyte M32UC. Do you have HDR on or off? Im just wondering since this is HDR 400. I use SDR at the moment but people are so divided about this. What do you recommend? I mainly use the monitor for PS5. Thanks!

[@NomadFlair]

I would disable hdr 400 as it’s too dark - hdr should only be used if it’s hdr 1000

[@ludvigodling9947]

@@NomadFlair Thanks for the response!

[@mrjellow]

What do you scale it to? As a a4K monitor you can't use it natively. Do you use 1080 hidpi?

[@NomadFlair]

Sorry i'm confused - what do you mean?

[@chriscestero]

Hey thanks for the video. I have a M32UC connected via TB3 to a MacBook Pro intel 2020 version. Can’t get 4K@144, only 4K60. My question was, if you set it up using HDMI instead, I assume you can’t use the KVM? Ideally, I want to connect to the Mac for work via USBC and my PC over DP to game. All whilst using the KVM feature. However, the lack of 144hz via usbc is annoying as hell. Do you have any advice?

[@NomadFlair]

On a gaming PC you can get 144hz, on a Mac it’s capped at 60hz

[@chriscestero]

@@NomadFlair thank you for the reply, that sucks big time 🙄

[@BlueTenorSax]

7:08 what's this game?

[@NomadFlair]

The hong kong massacre

[@Xeccess]

Just came across your video, first of all, very informative and super professional! I'm currently gaming on a 1080p 60hz 24inch monitor and been eyeing the M28U for months now. I intend to use it solely for gaming (PS5/PC) and for viewing media such as Netflix/YT etc'.. My room is literally a 2x2, I can barely fit myself in it, so a TV is out of the question. I'm an arm's length away from my monitor and my desk isn't big enough for a 32inch anyway (and there's also the funding issue). Is HDR something I should consider when looking for a monitor or would you say the SDR here is sufficient enough? Would you recommend the M28U in this case or do you know of any other monitors I could be searching for with similar size and features? Thanks!

[@NomadFlair]

Thank you for the kind worlds. I totally understand your situation. Tbh I would worry about about HDR at all as it looks really good without it as you can customise the settings to your preference. I know the m28u is a really good monitor it’s basically the same as the 32u but with a smaller screen. I would consider the m28u or the lg27gp950- I hope that helps both monitors are really good.

[@ErraticFaith]

Of course it all has an element of need/preference - with things like space and type of application; but to add on a little bit. The problem with monitors like these (As I believe Hardware Unboxed has covered on their channel) is that there is a sizeable discrepancy between response times. Specifically in regards here, to the M28U vs the M32 version. The larger panels are nice visually. Provide the improved real-estate you'd expect and arguably suit 4k the best @ 32in - however the response is terrible. It's sufficient for HU to drop it from s-tier on the 28, to d-tier or lower on the M32. Making the 32 one of the worst 4k panels you can currently buy. You will notice over there, that he will recommend instead - either the MSI panel for its huge color gamut and improved HDR (600). Or the M28U; which is not as rich in color - but is noticeably better than the 32 panels at response and smoothness of use. When you consider 'what' you are using it for - the only real argument for the 32inch is feeling as if '28' isn't enough space for 4k (at which case perhaps OLED or a different panel entirely would suit you better, as it will give you competitive response). Or, if you literally do need the extra room for things other than gaming (content creators for example). Much like Hardware Unboxed, I'd recommend the MSI if I had no choice but use a reasonable/affordable 4k @ 32inch with 144. But; as of now with these panels, the only 'worth it' is the 28in platform. That being under the idea that we are aiming for gaming > other activities. If you aren't; then fair enough. Use whatever larger form factor you like. I can appreciate this includes those who want a work monitor and don't want to deal with tiny spread. For gaming use the 28 inch. 32 is like cornering a tank transporter at a roundabout. It's all over the place and for any regular/semi-competitive gamer looking to avoid ghost/blur and otherwise, as well as having a somewhat decent HR (which you pay for) these larger 32 panels are worthless.

[@naegleriafowleri2230]

@@ErraticFaith 32 for a desk is big, even more absurd is those people who use 43" inch TVs lmao that's a good way to fuck up your eyes, but they think they invincible eh the best monitor size for a desk will always be 27 or 28 inches

[@G_Statuekamm]

Hi is it normal that the screen of the m32u when starting a game (ps5) always goes black for a few seconds?

[@NomadFlair]

Totally normal

[@G_Statuekamm]

@@NomadFlair thanks

[@ItouchHacker347]

I tried connecting my macbook with usb-c but its not working for some reason. How did you connect your mac mini?

[@NomadFlair]

HDMI cable

[@edgonzalez32]

6 months in, how are you still liking it? I have a dell ultrasharp that I use for work/ I'm a graphic/UI/UX designer and photographer. A lot of my time is spent in Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma and I do a bit of video work so there's some Final Cut thrown in there. Obviously, color accuracy is super important to me, but I want to have a good gaming display too and this seems to really tick all of those boxes. On the productivity side, are you still happy with it?

[@NomadFlair]

I’m still liking it, work great for the ps5 and workflow

[@cedric6503]

Yo bro why can't I check the 50hz in the settings of the xbox serie x?

[@johnsparrow6841]

I'm looking on getting this monitor just for ps5 as I can't go bigger than 32 other wise i would get a t.v. is there a difference between the 25gb limit on hdmi compared to others.

[@NomadFlair]

Tbh I don’t notice any difference whatsoever

[@Doriginal5]

How do you upgrade the firmware without a pc?

[@NomadFlair]

The only way is to use a PC

[@Doriginal5]

@@NomadFlair great. I need to return my purchase. Ugh I hate this...why can't I just get something that works?!

[@j-wu6157]

Is the display port cable it comes with a 1.4?

[@NomadFlair]

Yes that’s correct

[@Fuze626]

1st of all I love this monitor for the price, but i had a issue about the monitor. when i plugin the DP to the monitor i'm having this random black screen flickering... im using rtx 3090 and i set this to 144hrz.

[@NomadFlair]

That happens if the cable has not been inserted properly

[@robertf863]

Would this work well as FCP editing with new Mac mini?

[@NomadFlair]

That’s what I use it with myself and it’s works perfectly!

[@robertf863]

@@NomadFlair great! Ideally can I use the apple magic keyboard and trackpad with the kvm? I think I’ll need a separate keyboard and mouse for windows if I choose to use apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

[@Kmaitland89]

Problem is, once you've seen OLED, it's VERY hard to convince yourself anything looks nearly as good. Even with the risks.

[@naegleriafowleri2230]

an OLED 4k hdmi 2.1 monitor would be easily $2500+ and no TVs are retarded as monitors, anything more than 32" is asking for eye issues, even 32 is pushing it.

[@Kmaitland89]

@@naegleriafowleri2230 my oled LG was $999.... C2 on sale. you are WAY off.

[@itsajoke631]

This is so true, I have lg c1 48 right now and I don't even want monitor anymore. Planning to get lg c2 or Sony 4k oled. I heard Sony one is better so idk

[@Kmaitland89]

@@itsajoke631 The thing is, the sony one might look better, but so far none of the other OLED makers have the gaming chops. No gsyn or VRR.

[@NomadFlair]

Absolutely, are there OLED gaming monitors with 144hz 4K?

[@Djblend103]

Is the aorus FI32U better than the Gigbyte M32U because they both cost the same price I would appreciate the help

[@NomadFlair]

Pretty much the same, however, the aorus monitor looks more like a gaming monitor due to the shape and also comes with RGB lighting at the back.

[@Djblend103]

@@NomadFlair Which one of these monitor would be the better option for the PS5 the gigabyte M32U for $699.99 or the LG GP950 for $746.99 I just want the best one

[@NomadFlair]

@@Djblend103 Depends if you want a 31.5inch or 27 inch monitor

[@lIlIIlIlIlIlll]

why tf is your voice so deep??😂

[@NomadFlair]

Testosterone

[@egalnochmalegal5165]

@@NomadFlair guess hes no fapper lol :*

[@brian13873]

game name at 7:33

[@NomadFlair]

The Hong Kong massacre

[@bensoumokil]

So right now i have the tuff gaming 4k 144hz monitor and been using it for couple years for gaming and productivity stuff. I've noticed this monitor has a lot of ghosting issues and I can't fix it. Do you get ghosting with this monitor?

[@NomadFlair]

None at all