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The GFI24CBA didn’t impress me immediately with its color accuracy, but after a bit of digging, I found options that took it to another level. It’s actually a pretty simple adjustment.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
The first grayscale chart is about what I’d expect from a budget display. The Normal color temp, User mode, runs quite blue with visible errors starting at 20% brightness. Luckily, gamma tracks closely to the 2.2 reference, so there is hope.
The easy fix is just to select the Warm color temp. Now, grayscale tracks with no visible errors. With all dE values below two, the GFI24CBA does not need further adjustment.
But of course, there are more gains to be had with a few clicks of the RGB sliders. They start at center range and are very precise, so I was able to get all errors under 1dE, very impressive. Gamma is nearly the same, which is a good thing.
Comparisons
Though I don’t expect budget displays to be great out of the box, the GFI24CBA is weak by that standard. An 8.02dE average grayscale error could be called old-school. That’s what I routinely measured, perhaps six or seven years ago. If Viotek would just make Warm the default color temp, this test result would have been second place rather than last.
With calibration, the GFI24CBA takes the top spot by 0.03dE over the BenQ. Of course, none of the monitors have visible errors. All of them can be called excellent performers in this test.
Gamma results are mid-pack for the Viotek. Again, this is a tight race so this is by no means a negative. A 0.20 value range and 1.36% deviation (actual value 2.23) are solid numbers for any monitor at any price. This is great performance for a sub-$250 monitor by any standard.
Color Gamut Accuracy
Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
The GFI24CBA’s color gamut tests went much the same as the grayscale benchmarks. Out of the box, its blue grayscale pulls the secondary colors off their hue targets. Saturation is mostly on point, which is a good thing. Changing the color temp to warm gets all but magenta in line. That color is still a bit blue though the error is nearly impossible to see in actual content.
Calibration doesn’t change the average number much. Even though the hue errors are all fixed, color is now generally over-saturated. If I were considering the GFI24CBA as a professional screen, I would complain, but for gaming, it is well-suited. A little extra color saturation is always welcome from an sRGB display.
Comparisons
The GFI24CBA finishes last in the gamut accuracy comparison, but since the errors tend to color over-saturation, they are forgivable. Since there is no wide gamut here, a little extra punch is undoubtedly welcome. This is a budget monitor after all, and I am completely satisfied with its image. And it is the least-expensive display of the bunch.
The Monoprice and the HP offer extended color gamuts which will appeal to some users but the GFI24CBA sticks closely to sRGB. It is qualified for color-critical apps when using a profile to correct its slight over-saturation. It’s better to see a larger rather than a smaller volume number. There is nothing to complain about here.
