GIGABYTE has a popular brand that makes users earn a lot – the M28U is a surprising quality 4K 144Hz screen and significantly more accessible than other options on the market
Two brands – same screens
In recent years the presence of the hardware manufacturer GIGABYTE in the world of gaming monitors has become serious. After starting out with a few generic monitors of medium quality, the manufacturer that sells most of all with motherboards broke into the world of gaming monitors. GIGABYTE’s two prominent monitor series are M and AORUS. The company makes free use of the monitors it purchases in order to turn them into products for these two series, sometimes with the same internal content and different plastic on the outside.
This item deals with a product that is not particularly new on the market, but has passed through us and allowed us to verify that a product that exists at a low price tag in the world of 4K gaming screens indeed deserves the appreciation it has been receiving since it was launched.
GIGABYTE’s M28U is a 28-inch IPS screen designed primarily for gaming. This is nothing new, but since it was launched in late 2021 it has become a hit among those looking for great value for money due to its 4K screen.
With an official price tag of $599, which is sometimes discounted by $100-150, this is not the cheapest 28-inch screen. Although, unlike many screens that come with a 2560X1440 resolution, this screen comes with a 4K resolution that is 3840X2160 and an operating frequency of up to 144Hz. The color depth is 8BIT and the color range coverage meets 120% of the sRGB standard and 94% of the DCI-P3 standard.
This screen comes with a pair of HDMI interfaces in the new 2.1 standard next to a DisplayPort interface, a DisplayPort-based USB Type-C interface and a USB Type-B input that allows splitting into standard Type-A ports. HDMI 2.1 is a great addition to such a screen and significantly increases the amount of things you can do with it – you can connect a new game console and enjoy 4K at 120FPS for example. Alternatively, this new standard can be found in video cards such as NVIDIA’s RTX 40 series. As of today, this is the most recommended connection between gaming monitors.
Screen control is done by a joystick behind it and a KVM button next to it. A KVM switch is a great feature for a monitor that serves as both a PC player and a console on the same monitor or on two PCs at the same time. What does the switch do? Connect two different computers to this screen, one set of keyboard and mouse, and by pressing the switch you can get both a display and control of one computer or another.
The screen we received is the M28U AE, the Arm Edition. This is a different version of the screen that is sold in stores, where instead of a standard stand you get an arm that is caught on the corner of the table.
This arm allows rotation of the screen, tilt and any adjustment function you will find in an advanced monitor stand. The only thing missing in this arm is the proximity and removal of the screen, something that exists in double-jointed arms.
Unlike monitors branded as AORUS, GIGABYTE’s M-series monitors are significantly more solid on the back. There are also no RGB strips or special plastic and some will say that this is a relative advantage, certainly when it comes to a cheaper series of screens, which is most of the difference between it and the AORUS.
performance and color
When the screen is set to 144Hz at default settings, the response time is very fast. The trail left in the alien test is almost zero at a movement of 960 pixels per second, which means that the pixels are very fast in color changes, a little more in light tones than in dark ones.
As an IPS screen the M28U is, and that means its lighting from the edges of the panel results in a particularly weak result. Like most IPS screens on the market, the contrast is not particularly high and this screen is definitely not intended for use with HDR content similar to what OLED screens are capable of. Bright lighting next to darkness will result in a glow, a particularly undesirable phenomenon for those who want contrast.
Gaming on a 28-inch monitor with 4K resolution is an excellent experience, and not one that is difficult to get used to as those who do it on a 31.5-inch monitor regularly – with the Fi32U. Big, it’s just like taking that screen and shrinking it down to 28 inches. We know that not everyone wants or can use monitors 30 inches and larger, so at 28 inches this monitor will fit.
The color accuracy in the sRGB coverage is excellent, and suitable for all non-professional use of photo and video editing. GIGABYTE claims coverage of 120% of the sRGB range out of the box, and true to this screen and every other GIGABYTE screen we’ve tested so far – the claim is accurate when using a calibrator.
Although the M28U has been visiting the zone for some time after its launch, the status quo does not seem to have changed significantly in the past year. Go to any computer store and check how much a 27-28 inch screen with 4K resolution and a frequency of 144Hz will cost you. Chances are that at the low price the M28U will star as it has since it was launched, which is what makes it special. We will not be the first nor the last in line to say that this is a good screen with excellent value (we checked).
What is interesting is that precisely in a market saturated with competition the M28U remains relatively alone in relation to the set of features it provides for its price tag. With so many screen manufacturers on the market, we expected an answer to come relatively quickly.
Features such as a pair of HDMI 2.1 connectors and a KVM switch make the M28U an excellent value for the price, and for about NIS 2,600, those who want a high-frequency 4K screen – the M28U is a particularly easy choice.