Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2 Offers a Lower Cost Alternative to the FO32U2P Without the DisplayPort 2.1 Connection

Showcased originally at CES in January, Gigabyte have now launched the full product page for this new screen, and it is available to pre-order in some regions too. The FO32U2 is a slightly trimmed down version of their flagship FO32U2P model, available at a slightly lower price point. Both of these new screens offer a 32″ (accurately 31.5″) sized QD-OLED panel from Samsung Display, with a 3840 x 2160 “4K” resolution and 240Hz refresh rate combined. While the P model includes the latest DisplayPort 2.1 connectivity with full UHBR20 bandwidth, the FO32U2 does not include that and instead relies on the more widespread DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 connections.

• You can find our full review of the Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2P here

Gaming Features

The FO32U2 has a 240Hz refresh rate which is supported by adaptive-sync for VRR and has been certified under the AMD ‘FreeSync Premium Pro’, and VESA ‘ClearMR 13000’ schemes. It also has a range of “Tactical” gaming features including a dedicated button to switch between different simulated screen sizes and resolutions for different gaming genres, including for instance 24″ at 1080p for competitive gaming.

Other Specs and Features

In other specs the Samsung Display QD-OLED panel offers a 3840 x 2160 “4K” resolution, a 0.03ms G2G response time spec, 1.5 million:1 contrast ratio, 250 nits typical SDR brightness (including at 100% APL), 178/178 viewing angles, 10-bit colour depth and a 99% DCI-P3 wide colour gamut.

It has also received certification under the VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black tier (not to be confused with HDR 400 for LCD’s) and has a peak brightness spec of 1000 nits (3% APL).

For connectivity there is 1x DisplayPort 1.4 (with DSC) along with 2x HDMI 2.1 and 1x USB type-C (with DP Alt mode and 18W power delivery). Note that this is one other difference compared with the P model which has a higher 65W power delivery from its USB type-C port.

There are also 2x USB data ports, a headphone jack and a mic input are also offered. The screen includes 2x 5W speakers as well and a KVM switch, PiP/PbP and HDMI-CEC support are included. Gigabyte also introduced their “OLED Care” measures which are an AI-drive suite of solutions to address image retention concerns. The stand offers a full range of tilt, height, swivel and rotate adjustments.

DisplayPort 2.1 Connectivity – do you need it?

Whether or not you want to opt for the P model, or this slightly cheaper FO32U2 depends on whether you specifically want or need the DisplayPort 2.1 connection that it includes. First consideration is whether you’ve got a graphics card that can support DisplayPort 2.1, or plan to buy one in the next few years perhaps. There are only a few top-end AMD cards which even feature DP 2.1 at the moment, and the consumer-grade cards don’t support the full UHBR20 speeds yet. NVIDIA don’t have any cards available yet which feature DP 2.1 so it’s not very mature on the input-device side of things yet.

On top of that, you then need to consider the potential use cases for this connection and the pros and cons of having a screen which includes it.

The good

The P model is expected to be the first gaming monitor released with the full DisplayPort 2.1 bandwidth capability and UHBR20 speeds, supporting the full 80Gbps bandwidth of this new connection. Not even the massive 57” Samsung Odyssey G95NC with its dual 4K resolution and 240Hz refresh rate features UHBR 20, as that model uses UHBR13.5.

With UHBR20 being offered on the P model, that means in theory the screen can run at 4K 240Hz without any DSC compression at all being needed. The performance of DSC on DisplayPort 1.4 monitors is classified as visually lossless, and so we don’t expect this to offer any visual benefits in practice. It would however open up potential support for NVIDIA DSR and DLDSR technologies, which commonly don’t work on DSC-enabled monitors. Although the value of trying to upscale 4K to anything higher is far less than where these technologies are used on lower resolution 1080p/1440p panels. Don’t forget the additional challenge on your system of trying to upscale from 4K! The DisplayPort on the FO32U2P also supports Daisy Chain, simplifying multi-display configurations with reduced cable clutter.

The bad

As we’ve said, there aren’t actually any consumer grade graphics cards that support UHBR20 yet so that will presumably make testing and development of this Gigabyte screen very difficult, and perhaps might delay launch a fair bit. Pre-orders suggest that it might be available from 30 April 2024 though. Several competing models have already been released, so the arrival of Gigabyte’s screen can’t be too delayed or they might miss the boat.

The use of DP 2.1 also brings in to question the reliability and performance of the monitor when it is seemingly being developed without the key input sources to test it with – namely consumer graphics cards from NVIDIA and AMD. Does this raise concerns about future compatibility when those cards do appear? Will it work as intended when DP 2.1 is widely adopted and used? For loads more information on DisplayPort 2.1 check out our recent article here but we remain cautious about the early adoption of this connection at the moment.

• Further reading: When is DisplayPort 2.1 Going to be Used on Monitors?

Pricing and Availability

The FO32U2 is listed for pre-order on some retailers now at a price of $1,099.99 USD and with an expected release date of 30 April 2024. Further information on availability in other regions to follow soon.

If you decide you want the P model, the FO32U2P is also available for pre-order with a release date listed as 30 April 2024 currently. That model is available at a price of $1,199.99 USD. Pricing and availability for other regions is still TBC.

• You can find our full review of the Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2P here

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