Thermaltake TGM-V32CQ Gaming Monitor Review

Thermaltake’s TGM-V32CQ is a 32″ gaming monitor that aims to provide a well-balanced combination of visual fidelity and performance. This display is one of Thermaltake’s first ventures into the gaming monitor market, so we’d expect them to put their best foot forward.

As a 1440p gaming monitor with a 170Hz refresh rate, the TGM-V32CQ provides another option for mid-range gamers to consider for their setup. But how does Thermaltake’s TGM-V32CQ compare to the best gaming monitors on the market? To find out, we’ll be taking a closer look at the TGM-V32CQ’s design, visual quality, and features.

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Specification

The TGM-V32CQ looks to be in line with what we’d expect from a 1440p gaming monitor. The 170Hz refresh rate will allow most gamers building a 1440p gaming PC to extract the most performance possible from their system, leading to smooth and responsive performance in competitive titles.

Whilst the surge of 1440p displays with 240Hz refresh rates makes the performance of the TGM-V32CQ less enticing for those with a high-end graphics card, this display offers more than enough to pair alongside a mid-range gaming PC. To enhance the performance even further, the TGM-V32CQ comes with support for both AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync, which helps to reduce stuttering for an immersive gaming experience.

Speaking of immersion, this 32″ gaming monitor comes with a 1000R curvature, which is great for blocking out distractions and allowing you to see more of the on-screen action. The only caveat that comes with the curved display is the VA panel, which normally restrains the colour accuracy and performance. Mainly, the 4ms GtG response time is much slower than the 1ms found on most gaming monitors.

Thermaltake TGM-V32CQ Design

Thermaltake have taken a subtle approach to the TGM-V32CQ’s design, which results in a display that looks very sleek. Some may argue the ‘less is more’ philosophy adopted for this gaming monitor makes it less appealing than more intricate designs, I quite like the minimalist nature of the TGM-V32CQ, as this makes it very easy to integrate this display into any setup.

Plus, the TGM-V32CQ does have a trick up its sleeve. This comes in the form of the RGB lighting on the back of the display, which surrounds the stand mount. In a similar fashion to Alienware’s AW3423DW and Samsung’s Odyssey line-up, this creates a radiant glow around the screen, along with adding a futuristic feel to the back of the display.

This display also comes with a number of practical design elements. For example, the ergonomic stand comes with a joint on the mount, which allows for a number of height, swivel, pivot, and tilt adjustments. Usually, this comes at the sacrifice of having to deal with a bigger stand that takes up lots of desk space. However, the stand that comes with the TGM-V32CQ is fairly thin and comes with a V-shaped design, making it feel less intrusive.

Another strong design choice is the focus on cable management, as the covers for the rear IO and stand allows gamers to keep their cables organised, leading to tidiness that matches the clean nature of the display.

My only gripe with the design is the abundance of Thermaltake logos and how much they stand out compared to the rest of the design. Whilst I wouldn’t expect the logos to be removed entirely, switching the white detailing for the metallic logo used on their 27″ gaming monitor – the TGM-I27FQ – would enhance the sophisticated look used throughout the rest of the design.

Features

Whilst the TGM-V32CQ seems to be a fairly straightforward gaming monitor by design, there are still a number of features that are worth noting. Here are the key features on the TGM-V32CQ that we believe most gamers would be interested in.

RGB Lighting

Without question, the standout feature on the TGM-V32CQ is the RGB lighting on the back of the panel. With the ability to change the colour of the lighting to match your setup or the game you’re playing, this feature adds a greater sense of immersion without taking away from the TGM-V32CQ’s sleek design.

Unfortunately, the customisation of this lighting is a bit of a double-edge sword, as the effects can be adjusted without the need for external software, but the lack of supported software limits the customisation options.

Cable Cover

In order to keep your monitor looking as clean as possible within your gaming setup, the TGM-V32CQ comes with cable covers for the stand and rear IO port. This allows gamers to channel their cables into the monitor in a discrete manner, which hides most of the wires in the process. This makes cable management much easier, whilst also reducing the risk of cables being tangled or caught on something, which could damage the display.

Personally, I’m not too keen on the shroud covering the rear IO, as I don’t like the complications it adds when trying to access the ports. However, I can understand why someone would like to cover up this section of the monitor, especially if they don’t plan on touching the ports once your devices have been plugged in.

Rear IO & Connectivity

One of the weakest areas of the TGM-V32CQ comes in the form of connectivity, as the two HDMI ports and singular DisplayPort is less than ideal for gamers looking to hook up multiple devices to a single display. On top of this, the single audio jack and lack of USB ports does restrict the connectivity for speakers and other accessories. Whilst the connectivity on offer will be enough to support most gamers, the TGM-V32CQ leaves little room for expansion.

OSD & Navigation

When it’s time to adjust the settings, the TGM-V32CQ’s on-screen display (OSD) is fairly simple to navigate through. From this menu, you can adjust a variety of settings, as well as cycle between various pre-sets designed with certain games or scenarios in mind.

To navigate your way through the menu, there are five buttons underneath the display, instead of the multi-directional joysticks that are typically used on modern gaming monitors. Personally, this is a better way to browse through the settings, as it is much easier to reach.

Colour Accuracy Testing

To gauge how the image quality of this device compares to other gaming monitors we’ve tested, we ran some colour accuracy tests on the TGM-V32CQ, with the help of our Datacolor SpyderX calibrator. By using this test, not only do we get a reading of how this monitor stacks up against the competition, we can also see whether the display generates the advertised results.

From the eye test alone, the image on the TGM-V32CQ looked fairly impressive compared to the other 1440p gaming monitors around the office. Despite this, our results on the colour calibrator were still quite unexpected.

Our results showed that the TGM-V32CQ had no issues covering the full sRGB colour gamut, which isn’t much of a surprise. However, it also achieved 91% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, which is better than what Thermaltake state on their website.

Though it is worth bearing in mind that 91% DCI-P3 coverage is not the best result for a 1440p gaming monitor, this is one of the only displays that we’ve tested to exceed expectations in this test. As a result, gamers can expect the most vibrant and accurate image possible from this monitor when playing their favourite games.