The monitor has a 31.5-inch panel and a 2560 x 1440 resolution that adheres to the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio. Given Cooler Master’s audience focus on gaming, it is not surprising that the IPS panel has a 165Hz refresh rate, targeting the gaming market with this monitor. Due to its 95% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut and significantly more accurate IPS panel than other high-refresh alternatives available, the panel is being marketed as a good option for professionals who need an accurate display for gaming.

This panel checks a number of our boxes, but we’ll examine its technologies in more detail later. The monitor also has some great Cooler Master-specific features, such as a stand that is shaped like the company’s logo. The monitor is neatly packaged and includes all of the necessary cables in the box, ensuring that you can power it on and connect to it right away. You can read our article on Cooler Master GM32-FQ review.

Cooler Master GM32-FQ review: Design

The Cooler Master GM32-FQ is a 27-inch gaming monitor with a sleek design and thin bottom panel. It has VESA 100mm screw holes on the back of the monitor for mounting to a stand, and it is composed of aluminum. The GM32-FQ is similar to the Cooler Master GM27-FQ, which has been popular among gamers because of its thin design and affordable price. ..

The Cooler Master GM32-FQ is a great computer case that has a modern, clean style. The stand has a portrait mode, tilt, and height adjustments as well as 7mm top and side bezels. The panel itself includes 18mm bottom bezel and a Cooler Master logo in the middle that is designed in a simple hexagon shape. Although they are located in the back, the OSD controls lack a joystick. The sound quality was decent for me when I used it in a pinch, but I would not recommend it to someone who wants to use their computer all day long.

Display

The GM32-FQ is one of the most precise screens on the market at this price point. Out of the box, it had great image quality and color accuracy. By changing the color temperature to BT709, you have the option to put it in sRGB mode. This screen covers 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is more than enough for most users. There is no requirement for additional calibration or tinkering with the color temperature. ..

The Cooler Master GM32-FQ is a 32-inch IPS monitor with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, a 165Hz refresh rate, and an improved reaction time of 1ms. It features a peak brightness of 400 cd/m2, and the contrast ratio is 1200:1. Although this model has HDR 400 certification, the HDR effects it produces have never been particularly extensive. Because they strike the perfect balance between sharpness and visibility, 1440p monitors are very popular.

Despite the lower framerates, a 27-inch 1080p display still offers more pixels than a standard 1080p display. However, it is not as sharp as the more popular 27-inch models. Although it is easy on the eyes for reading and browsing, games may look less detailed on a 27-inch 1080p display.

Cooler Master GM32-FQ review: Features

The GM32-FQS has a few notable differences from the GM27-FQS. For example, it has 8 picture modes, including a sRGB preset, and different settings are available for each mode. Additionally, the sRGB mode offers that color gamut, but we found that selecting BT709 in the Color Space sub-menu, under Color Adjust, resulted in better accuracy.

Gamers who want to adjust the gamma for different types of games will be happy to know that the Game mode has six presets. However, there are no gamma presets in the Color Adjust menu, which is a bit disappointing. The GM27-FQS has better gamma tracking than its smaller sibling, the GM32-FQ. ..

If you prefer the smaller gamut, use BT709 over the sRGB picture mode. If you want to get the full extended gamut, stick with Auto. You can toggle Adaptive-Sync or activate the backlight strobe in the Setup Menu. Even on its highest level, the strobe only consumes about 30% of the total light output. Although the menu contains a Crosshair option, we were unable to figure out how to use it.

Calibration Settings

If you have the right calibration instrument and software, calibration and profiling can yield great results. This was profiled to the sRGB color space, 2.2 gamma, and 6500k color temperature. The screen was left in wide gamut native mode, but in this case, this profile will be used in applications that are color-aware to map back to sRGB. The suggested OSD settings for this profile are displayed above. You can also test out our calibrated ICC profile if you’d like. ..

Cooler Master GM32-FQ review: Performance

The Cooler Master GM32-FQ is a great monitor for color critical work. It has a deltaE average of only 1.27 with the stock settings, and can be used for color-critical work without calibration.

The Cooler Master GM32-FQ is a great monitor for editing or content creation because it has a great backlight, contrast, and HDR performance. However, it is not practical to copy the settings from reviews because colorimeters are expensive and there is no guarantee that you will get the same results.

The panel’s uniformity wasn’t great and in low-light situations, these flaws were more obvious. Because not all IPS panels are created equal, not all GM32-FQs have this problem, hence it is always feasible to find a better model. The model’s pixel reaction time was slower than comparable options and its main flaw. The monitor has different overdrive settings but the maximum setting, which adds a little overshoot, helped clear up some of the smudges. ..

The most meticulous competitive gamers might find it less suitable because of its VRR functionality, but most people shouldn’t find it to be a deal-breaker. Dual compatibility is useful in case you can’t find your favorite card at the proper price and timing. There is no need to be concerned about delays while playing your favorite games because input lag is 4ms at 165Hz.

Gaming and Hands-on

We prefer the GM32-FQ because it makes it simple to write in Word with two documents side by side and examine spreadsheets with little scrolling. The mouse wheel can also be used very little to view web pages. When we need to refer to data from the internet, we can keep a page open next to a document. The only criticism we have with the GM32-FQ is that it has a small viewing angle.

While 93ppi is sufficient to depict fine detail in graphics and read small text easily, it is hardly Ultra HD, a resolution to which we have grown accustomed. Extended color is beneficial for editing videos and photos since the additional color saturation increases the appearance of sharpness. Gaming is a different matter. The key consideration is motion resolution, and in that regard, QHD at 165 Hz is on par with Ultra HD at 144 Hz, if not better.

A GeForce RTX 3090 video card can provide realistic frame rates of 150-165 fps in QHD and 100-110 fps in Ultra HD, which is more than enough to distinguish visually. The optimum compromise between resolution and speed is still QHD. Input latency is not a concern for the GM32-FQ. When compared to an Ultra HD screen, we could sense that it had a quicker control response. Higher frag rates in the Horde mode of Doom Eternal serve as proof that our aim was more precise. Although we are not very good players, some monitors work better for us than others. The GM32-FQ made us better players. ..

Conclusion

The Cooler Master GM32-FQ is an excellent monitor for gamers. It has a panel that displays correct color information and has a lively appearance. A quick refresh rate and little input latency go hand in hand with the pleasant image quality to give gamers a choice that doesn’t just trade image quality for refresh rate. There just isn’t anything else that comparable for the pricing point. We concur that Cooler Master has done a fantastic job with this. ..