I review gaming monitors, and this 4K 144Hz beast for nearly 50% off is the best deal I've seen all week
I know because I keep an eye on monitor deals here at Tom's Guide, and right now the Gigabyte M28U 4K gaming monitor is just $329 at Newegg, which is almost half off the usual $699 asking price.
That's a great deal for this jack-of-all-trades gaming monitor that's great for gaming in 4K (at up to 144Hz) and also offers some compelling features that come in handy when you're surfing the web or getting work done.
This 28-inch 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) 144Hz gaming monitor offers HDR support, a good port array (including HDMI 2.1 so you can plug in your latest gaming consoles) and a built-in KVM switch feature that lets you use the same mouse, keyboard and monitor across multiple devices.
I'm a big fan of these Gigabyte monitors because they offer useful features at a good price, without many unnecessary extras.
First and foremost, there's no garish RGB lighting or funky design elements on this stripped-down gaming monitor. You get a simple black chassis with thin bezels and a cutout in the stand, allowing you to route cables easily, which helps reduce desk clutter.
I also like that it's adjustable, so you can raise or lower the display, angle it left or right or tilt it forward and back a bit to ensure you have the most comfortable viewing angle possible. The older I get, the more I appreciate this sort of ergonomic, customer-friendly design.
It's no slouch when it comes to gaming, either, as this 4K display boasts a 144Hz refresh rate and a 1ms GTG (gray-to-gray) response time. That means you can count on silky-smooth gaming even at high framerates, since it also supports AMD's FreeSync technology. Plus, it has decent HDR support, so you can count on seeing the full gamut of color in your favorite HDR-enabled games and movies.
You get a useful port array too, including DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1 ports, so you can plug in your PS5 or Xbox Series X (or both) and take full advantage of the fact that they can support adaptive refresh rates of up to 120 frames per second.
In fact, it's kind of great for use in a PC/console setup because it has a built-in KVM switch. That means you can plug in multiple devices (say, a laptop or PS5 in addition to your main PC) and use the same keyboard, mouse and gamepad for all of them without having to do anything besides press a button to switch inputs. It has multiple display modes and built-in features like
This is the best price I've ever seen on this gaming monitor, but I don't know how long it will last now that most of the best Prime Day monitor deals have sold out, so snag one quick if you're interested!
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These solutions have not been fully explored." IPVanish also said this policy "threatens vulnerable users." It commented that "people in restrictive environments or exploring sensitive topics could face real-world harm if their activity is exposed." Some people – such as those living under internet censorship – cannot afford to have their information leaked. Although this isn't the case in the U.K., it reinforces the risk faced by numerous internet users. "Privacy is a fundamental right, not something to be traded for access," IPVanish continued. "The UK's current approach sets a troubling precedent and fails to strike a balance between safety and individual freedom." Denis Vyazovoy, Chief Product Officer at AdGuard VPN said he fully supports "a safer internet for everyone, especially for children, but it's important to remember that privacy and freedom of access matter, too." Vyazovoy argued that "people just want to protect their privacy," and he believed uploading sensitive documents to be checked was "simply too much for many." However, he hoped "the UK authorities will be able to find the right balance." One expert we spoke to believed a lack of trust was fuelling attempts to bypass age verification checks. Lauren Hendry Parsons, Director of Communications at the Mozilla Foundation, said, "the explosion of VPN downloads following the enactment of the Online Safety Act is not surprising." "What this reflects is that people want continued access to the platforms, content, and communities they care about — and they'll find workarounds when those are disrupted," Hendry Parsons said. Her view is that "people are voicing legitimate concerns about the requirement to share sensitive data." These concerns are raised when "systems are perceived as intrusive or opaque — or where data collection may not be properly handled." "We support protecting minors online, but firmly oppose age verification systems that compromise user privacy." "The root issue here is trust. People turn to workarounds when tools are hard to use, lack clarity, or feel risky," she added. Hendry Parsons called for improved public education and greater transparency around age verification systems, describing it as a "pressing need." She continued by saying, "safety online shouldn't come at the expense of autonomy and privacy — and when trust is low, people will take matters into their own hands." Like IPVanish, Hendry Parsons cited the need for more effective and privacy-focused age verification checks. "I'd push for privacy-preserving, decentralised approaches, like device-based enforcement and anonymous credentials that don't expose personal data or enable surveillance," she said. It's the view of one expert that we could be seeing the "new normal," and he suggested we may have to accept "some compromise of our privacy." 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"We will probably see additional legislation pretty soon that will require adult-oriented websites to ban VPN traffic," he said. "Certainly, some VPNs will remain undetected. However, about 90% of most popular free and commercial VPN services can be fingerprinted and will likely be blocked by adult-content providers, closing the loophole." We are yet to see any indication of this or even an outright VPN ban in the U.K. This would be incredibly dangerous and amount to internet censorship. In countries where internet censorship is rampant, VPN providers have to turn to obfuscation. VPN obfuscation is where VPN traffic is disguised, appearing as regular internet traffic. Many leading VPN providers either obfuscate their traffic by default or have dedicated obfuscated VPN protocols. Mullvad VPN is one of the most private VPNs, and its CEO Jan Jonsson said the discussion around the law "raises important questions." He said, "identification should be issued by the state," and it was the role of the government to provide this. "It should be possible for third parties — like websites or service providers — to verify age from such an ID, without needing to know your full identity or store your personal data." "Just as a bartender glances at your ID to confirm you're over 18 and then forgets who you are, digital systems should offer that same minimal and privacy-respecting interaction." I would encourage a broader reflection on the underlying issues. Not just age verification itself, but how we balance safety, privacy and freedom online. "Unfortunately, governments too often lean on private tech companies to build surveillance-based systems in the name of safety," Jonsson said. "Outsourcing identity control and age checks to commercial actors creates serious risks — for privacy, for data security and for civil liberties. There are better, more rights-preserving ways to approach this." The type of age verification checks varies between websites, companies, and third-party providers. Some claim to be more private and secure than others, but regardless of who is collecting our data, and how or where it's being stored, the fundamental issue is that it's being collected in the first place. Users have no control over which third-party age checking service a site uses and don't always know what happens to their data once it's handed over. AgeGO is an age-check service that is being discussed, and Tom's Guide investigated whether it's safe to use. Jonsson wanted to see a wider discussion on the underlying issues should age verification turn out to be ineffective. "I would encourage a broader reflection on the underlying issues. Not just age verification itself, but how we balance safety, privacy, and freedom online," he said. "That conversation needs to involve more than just technical solutions and enforcement measures. Else current and future regulation will cause more harm than good." "VPN services like Mullvad exist to protect fundamental rights, especially the right to privacy, the right to freedom of expression, and the right to access information. These are rights that are increasingly under pressure in the digital age," Jonsson concluded. At the time of writing, 450,000 people have signed a petition calling for the repeal of the Online Safety Act. The U.K. government has said it's not going to do this, and certainly not in the first week. But clearly, there is a strong opinion from all sides on this topic and serious privacy concerns. A majority of experts believe the implementation of the act is wrong, and it poses great risks for the personal data of U.K. internet users. Until these privacy risks have been effectively addressed, people will continue to avoid age verification checks. Doubling down on measures and exploring forms of VPN bans would only create more problems and set a dangerous precedent for internet privacy. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
