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.
We’ve been touting the gaming benefits of ultrawide monitors for quite a while but always had to include the price caveat. When they first appeared, a decent 21:9 screen sold for around $1,000, and even a few years later, you were looking at $600-$800 for a high-speed, 34inch ultrawide with fast refresh and Adaptive-Sync.
Gigabyte has set a new standard for the performance/price ratio. At just $400, the G34WQC undercuts much of its competition while sacrificing almost nothing.
With its VA panel running at 3440 x 1440 pixels, it sports an ideal pixel density of 109 ppi. This is the QHD sweet spot, where performance and image quality are in balance. You won’t need an expensive video card to achieve 80 fps on the G34WQC. And if you have a high-end video card, expect rates north of 120 fps.
Adaptive sync worked perfectly in our tests. FreeSync and (unofficial) G-Sync both ran without issue at 144 Hz with HDR engaged. Coupled with an excellent overdrive, the G34WQC eliminates nearly all motion blur. And if you want to go further, it includes a backlight strobe; although, you'll have to give up Adaptive-Sync to use it.
You’ll want to keep the picture bright because the G34WQC delivers superb black levels and almost 3,500:1 contrast for both SDR and HDR content. That’s more than many VA panels we’ve reviewed and triple the dynamic range of even the best IPS monitor. The only thing we missed there was a dynamic option for HDR.
In every case, color was very enjoyable. 85% coverage of P3 means you’ll see vivid hues in all content. There is a usable sRGB mode, but we suspect most will prefer to use the full color gamut for everything. It doesn’t look over-saturated in SDR mode and gives HDR material a nice boost.
If you’ve been hoping for a price break on 34-inch 21:9 monitors, the Gigabyte G34WQC can deliver the goods. With solid video processing, excellent contrast and good color, it’s a pleasure to game on and well-suited to any task the workday might bring. Gigabyte has set high bars for performance and value in the 34-inch ultrawide category.
