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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.
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Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.
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Nekyno Thanks for a first review of this screen, great to hear that Gigabyte has done well with overdrive settings and input lag is fine. Moreover 85% DCI-P3 with an average calibration is good.Reply
However, many users report flickering with VRR turned on both in Freesync and G-sync. Have you experience any and which GPUs have you been using? -
D1v1n3D VA panels have a major issue with ghosting or horrible pixel blur at fast motion Nano IPS is still a better looking panel all day everyday, I just wish they would fix the OLED issues of burn in images, and progress into Gaming monitors with 240hz + I will never go less than a 240hz at 1440p specially now that there are cards that can push that at ultra or high settings. GO RX series :). and HP Omen x27 240hz has dci-p3 of 90% on a TN panel and has been out for over a year this Gigabyte is GARBO a lot of games don't natively support ultra wide very niche specially in high end gaming or competition gaming.Reply -
aalkjsdflkj Thank you for the review! I've been waiting a few years for a monitor with these specs - 3440x1440, >100Hz, HDR, Freesync and GSync compatible, curved screen, and most importantly under $400. I thought I'd be waiting a few more years but it looks like they did a good job with this one on top of having the characteristics I was looking for.Reply -
AlexScan Can you confirm that HDR and Freesync/Gsync work at 144hz simultaneously ?Reply
We were also able to engage HDR with both FreeSync and G-Sync (unofficially) at 144 Hz through DisplayPort. If you connect via HDMI, you'll be limited to a 100 Hz refresh rate
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ES3KC So, it's now December 2020. Is the Dell S3220DGF "STILL" the best gaming monitor? Christian Eberle what do you think? Dell or Gigabyte?Reply
Also in your reviews, is there a benefit to either of these monitors using consoles vs PC? Both older xbox one x or the new ones Ps5 and/or xbox series x? Which one makes better since if you will play both console and PC? -
ketrab ReplyAdmin said:The Gigabyte G34WQC 34-inch ultrawide gaming monitor sells for a surprisingly low price. With 144Hz, HDR and more, it sets a high bar for the performance/price ratio.
Gigabyte G34WQC Review: High-Contrast, Immersive Ultrawide : Read more
I'm confused on your part around Calibration Settings. You provide different brightness based on the nits. How the user supposed to know which one should be used? Please advise and thank you in advance. -
junglist724 This still doesn't have anywhere near the amount of brightness or contrast a proper HDR display has. My pg35vq breaks 26000:1 contrast ratio and 1100 nits. It was pricey but now that miniled panels are coming this year I expect more affordable FALD panels will start appearing.Reply
There's a handful of VA panels that have very fast response times even with dark transitions like the Odyssey G7 and Asus pg35vq.D1v1n3D said:VA panels have a major issue with ghosting or horrible pixel blur at fast motion Nano IPS is still a better looking panel all day everyday, I just wish they would fix the OLED issues of burn in images, and progress into Gaming monitors with 240hz + I will never go less than a 240hz at 1440p specially now that there are cards that can push that at ultra or high settings. GO RX series :). and HP Omen x27 240hz has dci-p3 of 90% on a TN panel and has been out for over a year this Gigabyte is GARBO a lot of games don't natively support ultra wide very niche specially in high end gaming or competition gaming. -
aalkjsdflkj I purchased this monitor largely on the basis of this review. I'm incredibly happy with my purchase. However, when my computer goes to sleep the monitor starts to cycle through full-screen colors. Does anyone else see this behavior? No other monitor I have does this, and Gigabyte "help" hasn't been able to provide an answer. It seems as though the person I've been conversing with doesn't have very strong English language skills so we keep talking past one another.Reply
If anyone has this monitor and can either confirm that this is normal or that their monitor doesn't behave this way I would appreciate it. Even better would be if someone knows how to turn this off!