About this deal
The Gigabyte M28U is one of the most affordable 4K 144Hz IPS gaming monitors with HDMI 2.1! Image Quality When I got the monitor though, I noticed the OSD has a 'Type C' input - and sure enough, I was able to connect my work machine and use it for video in addition to peripherals, so despite the fact it doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere officially, this actually supports DP alt mode!
This scaling issue is largely mitigated when gaming, at least. In those terms, the M28U is a superb size for pixel density and detail to shine through without overpowering the desktop, and next to my 32-inch monitor it feels far less imposing. If a little less immersive for it. Then there's the stand. There had to be some cost-cutting with a monitor at this price point, and the stand has taken the brunt of it. It's sturdy, and so it's practically all it needs to be, though it's limited in its movement to just height and tilt adjustments. It's also a little bit cheap looking, and the underside relies on pads that are glued on for grip to the desk. On my review sample these pads have already started to peel away with the small adjustments I've made over time, and may end up having to be replaced just to keep the screen steady. Note that the HDMI 2.1 ports of the monitor are limited to 24 Gbps and use DSC (Display Stream Compression) for 4K 144Hz 10-bit color 4:4:4.
The M28U delivers swift 4K gaming in an affordable package.
In short, you’re not getting the true HDR viewing experience (as expected from a 4K 144Hz monitor at this price range), but some scenes will look a bit better thanks to the display’s wide color gamut, a small boost in brightness, and at least some form of local dimming. The colors are rich and consistent; the gamut is equivalent to ~120% sRGB, so you get some over-saturation for added vibrancy when viewing regular sRGB content.
Moving on, the Gigabyte M28U boasts a rapid 1ms GtG pixel response time speed for minimal ghosting behind fast-moving objects. Further, the Gigabyte M28U HDMI 2.1 monitor has the new Eyesafe certification which guarantees reduced harmful low-blue light emission even when a dedicated low-blue filter mode is not applied. With a peak brightness of 300-nits, the Gigabyte M28U can get more than bright enough under normal lighting conditions, while the static contrast ratio amounts to around 1,000:1, as expected from IPS panels.The Gigabyte M28U monitor is based on an IPS panel by Innolux. It boasts 178° wide viewing angles for flawless image quality regardless of the angle you’re looking at the screen, as well as a wide 94% DCI-P3 color gamut.