Gigabyte M27Q X Review: Beautiful color on a 240Hz Monitor

Best Prices Today: Gigabyte M27Q X

There’s plenty of 27-inch gaming monitors to choose from, but one category remains slim: 27-inch displays with 1440p resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate. There are a few available now, but most of them are expensive. The Gigabyte M27Q X tries to bring 1440p and 240Hz to a more palatable price.

Gigabyte M27Q X: The specs

Resolution, refresh rate and the main features are highlighted here. But there are a few other notable features. This monitor uses AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to provide adaptive sync. It is not officially compatible with G-Sync (although it worked well in my testing). The monitor also supports HDR and is VESA DisplayHDR 400 certified.

• Display size: 27-inch
• Native resolution: 2560×1440
• Panel type: IPS edge-lit LED backlight
• Refresh rate: 240Hz
• Adaptive sync: AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and Power Delivery up to 18 watts, 2x USB-A, 1x headphone
• Stand adjustment: Height, tilt
• VESA mount: Yes
• Speakers: 2-watt stereo speakers
• HDR: VESA DisplayHDR 400
• Price: $499. 99

Carrying an MSRP of $499. 99, and generally priced at or near its that price online, the Gigabyte M27Q X is not exactly affordable, but a good value for its feature set. Acer’s Nitro ED271U and Optix MAG274QRX are in the same price range, but premium alternatives like the Alienware AW2721D and Asus ROG Swift PG279QM are several hundred dollars more expensive.

Gigabyte M27Q X: Design

The M27Q X’s build quality falls firmly in budget territory. The simple matte black plastic shell seems more flexible and thin than other options from BenQ and Dell, but it’s still comparable to the LG Ultragear monitors.

It’s also not very attractive. The M27Q X doesn’t go for a bold gamer look, yet also doesn’t pass as a ho-hum home office monitor. The display bezels on the sides and top are small, with a small plastic chin at the bottom. The monitor’s back is plain with a little plastic etching.

The stand adjusts for height and tilt but doesn’t swivel and can’t pivot 90 degrees for use in portrait orientation. This is unusual for a 27-inch monitor that retails around $500, as most in that price range (and even lower) offer these features. A 100x100mm VESA mount is available for attaching a third-party monitor arm or stand with greater flexibility.

Gigabyte M27Q X: Features and menu

A buffet of image-quality options are packed in the Gigabyte M27Q X’s menus. There are several color temperature modes and precise gamma presets. The Gigabyte M also has a dedicated sRGB mode. It also offers multiple gaming-centric options, such as a black equalizer. The monitor’s numerous image-quality options will be useful to content creators who want to calibrate the display.

Accessing the options can be a pain due to Gigabyte’s complex and confusing menu structure. There are many options that are several layers deep. Some features also have names that are not obvious. Smart OD, which I understand to mean “Smart Overdrive”, refers to pixel response times. However, most users will still be confused as to why this setting is on by default.

Gigabyte emphasizes the “KVM” button in its marketing campaign for this monitor. It flips between input over USB C or upstream USB 3.0 ports. It’s handy, though held back by the USB-C port’s meager 18 watts of Power Delivery and the slim number of available USB ports overall. This is no substitute for a more feature-rich USB-C hub monitor.

A pair of 2-watt speakers are included in the Gigabyte M27Q X and provide acceptable sound quality. Although external speakers are a great improvement, you can still rely on the built in speakers for a pinch.

Gigabyte M27Q X: SDR performance

The Gigabyte M27Q X is not an attractive or feature-rich monitor for the price, but what it lacks in design it makes up for in image quality. This monitor is vibrant and rich.

SDR brightness comes in at 461 nits, which is certainly towards the high end of what can be expected from a monitor in SDR mode. The extremely high brightness, combined with the matte display coating, means you’ll have no trouble using the M27Q X even opposite a sunlit window. In most rooms you’ll need to turn down brightness significantly–unless you enjoy roasting your retinas.

The contrast ratio came in at 1140:1. Although this isn’t the best result compared with an OLED or Mini LED display, it’s still a good result compared to many IPS panel gaming monitors. However, the M27Q X leans heavily on brightness to hit this ratio, and does not achieve black levels notably deeper than other standard IPS monitors.

Color gamut has exceptional. There’s full sRGB coverage here, plus 96 percent of DCI-P3 and 98 percent of AdobeRGB. The Gigabyte M27Q X beats all 27-inch displays I’ve tested that are in the gaming monitor category, including the older Alienware AW2721D, which I already thought impressive. This is an area where the M27Q X punches way above its price.

There’s more to the good news about color accuracy. It is extremely strong right out of the box. The Gigabyte M27Q X isn’t just superb for a gaming monitor, it’s great for any monitor in any category, period.

Great color accuracy, combined with the extremely broad color gamut, gives the M27Q X a vivid, lush, oversaturated vibe.

This is not applicable in most games, as most rely on the more limited sRGB color gamut, but players may prefer how the M27Q X looks. It’s an eye-catching display and especially stands out in colorful, punchy titles such as Valorant or Final Fantasy XIV.

This is also a good monitor for con