Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
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 G34WQi impresses from the get-go with a grayscale chart free of visible errors. Only the 100% brightness step touches the 3dE mark, and you won’t be able to see that issue in actual content. The gamma trace is mostly straight with slight rises at 10 and 80-90%. These are also not a factor in content. The G34WQi meets its factory calibration data sheet claims. This is very impressive for the price.
Calibration lowers the average error level and tightens up gamma a bit, but visually, the difference is quite small. This is excellent performance.
If you select the sRGB gamut, color temp and gamma presets are off the table. Grayscale tracking is without visual error, but gamma gets a bit wonky. A dip at 10% means some shadow detail will be too bright in tone. The rise at 80-90% manifests as dull highlights. The picture has a little less verve in general but as you’ll see below, color is very accurate in the G34WQi’s sRGB mode.
Comparisons
The G34WQi sits atop both the pre and post-calibration comparisons. It has excellent out-of-box accuracy and calibrates to a very high standard. Though the gamma range of 0.15 puts it in last place, that is still a fairly tight set of values. It takes first place in the final chart with a 0.91 deviation from 2.2. The actual value is 2.22, which is within a whisker of perfection.
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 G34WQi’s default DCI-P3 color chart has no areas of complaint. Red is slightly undersaturated, but this will be hard to spot in actual content. Green is almost fully covered, which is impressive in a sub-$300 monitor. Calibration doesn’t make a visible difference, but the average error is a tad lower thanks to tightened-up secondary colors. It doesn’t get much better than this at any price.
The sRGB chart also has slight red under-saturation, but at 1.13dE, it is even closer to perfection.
Comparisons
The G34WQi sits near the top in the color test with an invisible error of 1.36dE. That it beats the premium screens from ViewSonic and Philips is most impressive. This is far better performance than I usually see from budget displays.
In the volume test, the G34WQi is the best of the rest. It’s only beaten by the Mini LED panels, which cost far more. It’s the most colorful monitor you’ll find for less than $300, that’s for sure. 91.68% coverage of DCI-P3 is a tad above average for rank-and-file LCDs. To get more color, you’ll need Mini LED or OLED. The G34WQi’s sRGB mode is near-ideal at 96.33% coverage. It is qualified for critical applications in both DCI-P3 and sRGB realms.
Test Takeaway: The G34WQi delivers color accuracy and coverage well above its price class. That it performs almost as well as monitors costing four times as much is very impressive. It has a colorful and natural look for all content and should satisfy even the pickiest users.
MORE: Best Gaming Monitors
MORE: How We Test PC Monitors
MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor
Alarming amount of Texas Instrument chips found in Russian-based weapons in Ukraine — Russian military using third parties to purchase U.S-made chips
Aoostar AG02 eGPU dock with OCuLink support and 500W PSU announced for $219
China levels anti-trust charges against Nvidia – country accuses chipmaker of violating anti-monopoly regulations, examining the $7 billion Mellanox acquisition
