Viotek GNV34DBE Gaming Monitor Review: Ultra-Wide Value King

Rocking the price to performance ratio with 144 Hz, FreeSync and HDR.

Reviews
By published
Viotek GNV34DBE
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Viotek)

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.

When buying a PC monitor, you can either ignore price and go for the top performer, buy a bargain-basement product and hope it fits the bill, or do what most of us do – dig for the display with the best price to performance ratio. It’s all about finding the point where a monitor delivers most of the same things as the best-in-class but at an accessible price. The Viotek GNV34BDE definitely qualifies as one of the best ultra-wides we’ve reviewed and sells for less than most of its competitors. 

(Image credit: Viotek)

Now that 21:9 monitors are a thing, gamers are looking for a good deal in a relatively expensive category. It wasn’t long ago that a 34-inch ultra-wide would cost around $1,000 and maybe deliver 100 Hz and FreeSync. Prices have dropped to where you can get 120 Hz, WQHD resolution and Adaptive-Sync for around $600. Viotek has raised the value bar by offering 144 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR and extended color for just $450 at this writing. 

By using a high-quality VA panel, the GNV34BDE delivers some of the best native contrast we’ve seen and produces a far better HDR image than we'd expect at this price point. Couple that with over 81% coverage of DCI-P3, and you have a winning monitor here. 

One of our only complaints is that the stand’s attachment point makes the assembly a bit wobbly, and there are no adjustments except tilt.

But it’s hard to find fault with a monitor that delivers such excellent gaming performance at this price. The combination of 144Hz and WQHD resolution means you’ll see high frame rates without the need for an expensive graphics card. Motion blur was kept at bay with an effective overdrive, and response and input lag proved as low as some of the best gaming monitors we’ve reviewed. If you’ve balked at the price of ultra-wide monitors in the past, the Viotek GNV34BDE might just be the panel that makes you pull the trigger. 

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test Monitors

MORE: All Monitor Content

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test Monitors

MORE: All Monitor Content

Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

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.