Gigabyte GS34WQC review: A surprisingly factual value range ultrawide

Designate When Reviewed

$329.ninety 9

Most efficient Prices Right this moment time: Gigabyte GS344WQC

Shopping for a 34-budge ultrawide show screen requires some conception of the nuances that separate reputedly an identical shows. Most 34-budge ultrawides provide the an identical 3440×1440 resolution, a refresh rate between 120Hz and 165Hz, and a lot even stumble on identical with shadowy plastic casings and orderly requirements. The Gigabyte GS34WQC doesn’t buck this formula but executes neatly ample on each reward create an effortless advice.

Extra reading: Detect our roundup of the simplest gaming shows to study about competing merchandise.

What are the Gigabyte GS34WQC’s specs and elements?

The Gigabyte GS34WQC’s specifications are boilerplate for a 34-budge ultrawide show screen. It provides 3440×1440 resolution, by a ways basically the most well liked amongst shows of this dimension, and a 120Hz refresh rate with 135Hz overclock mode. Adaptive Sync is provided thru AMD’s FreeSync.

• Display dimension: 34-budge ultrawide
• Native resolution: 3440×1440
• Panel form: Vertical Alignment (VA)
• Zigzag: Sure, 1500R
• Refresh rate: 120Hz with 135Hz overclock
• Adaptive Sync: FreeSync
• HDR: HDR10
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 3.5mm audio
• VESA mount: 100x100mm
• Audio system: None
• Designate: $329.ninety 9 MSRP

What’s most considerable referring to the show screen is its keep. Despite the truth that now not basically the most cheap 34-budge ultrawide obtainable (that you simply would possibly well perhaps perhaps factor in picks savor the Monoprice 35-budge Zero-G V2 dip below $300), it’s absolutely in the direction of the low stop of the market. Gigabyte makes this happen with concessions in connectivity: The show screen lacks USB.

How is the Gigabyte GS34WQC’s make?

Gigabyte retains things straightforward with the GS34WQC which, given its keep, is now not a shock. Matte-shadowy plastic is the allege of the day, even though the make does experience just a few modern piano-shadowy highlights to spice up the stumble on. The show screen avoids garish touches savor chrome or colored inserts and it lacks RGB lighting—which I don’t thoughts, but would perhaps well also fair disappoint these having a stumble on to add some aptitude to their setup.

Imprint quality is gorgeous. The GS34WQC’s plastics would perhaps well even enjoy the profit of extra texture but basically feel reasonably stable in-hand. And there’s no disputing that stand’s heft. It’s an absolute unit that takes up basically intensive desk station and retains the show screen planted. This is on the total a challenge, but Gigabyte opts for a flat stand imperfect, so the station it takes on your desk stays (largely) usable.

Yet I basically enjoy a beef with the stand. It mounts to a venerable 100x100mm VESA bracket but doesn’t encompass a clipping mechanism, so it desire to be screwed to the rear of the show screen with four offered screws. That’s now not the stop of the realm, but it absolutely’s a danger. I also found the screws a small bit finicky because the metal they frail modified into tender and simply stripped if too noteworthy power modified into utilized. The stand also adjusts handiest for tilt and height, but doesn’t swivel, which is obtainable with some shows round this keep level.

How is the Gigabyte GS34WQC’s connectivity and menu?

The Gigabyte GS34WQC’s connectivity has strengths and weaknesses. It provides a total of three video inputs—two HDMI and one DisplayPort. That’s conventional for an cheap ultrawide show screen.

Then all as soon as more, the show screen lacks USB connectivity. There’s no USB-C enter and no USB-A downstream ports, so the show screen can’t be frail as a USB hub. That’s a small bit habitual even for an cheap ultrawide show screen. A 3.5mm audio jack for passthrough audio is included, as a minimal.

What the show screen lacks in connectivity it features in menu alternate choices. The GS34WQC has a responsive, straightforward-to-utilize menu managed by a joystick on the decrease-correct bezel. A really helpful downward-going thru LED makes this joystick straightforward to rating.

Menu alternate choices are intensive, too. There’s several coloration temperature and gamma modes, RGB coloration customization, and an sRGB preset, alongside the identical old brightness and incompatibility settings. There’s also several gaming-centric elements, corresponding to an on-show camouflage camouflage crosshair. The huge option of picture quality adjustments is nice to stumble on in an cheap ultrawide and would perhaps well also fair peaceful succor householders customise the show screen’s stumble on to their preferences, if desired.

Audio system aren’t included. That’s no shock, in particular at this keep. Headphones or exterior audio system are compulsory.

The huge option of picture quality adjustments is nice to stumble on in an cheap ultrawide and would perhaps well also fair peaceful succor householders customise the show screen’s stumble on to their preferences.

How is the Gigabyte GS34WQC’s SDR picture quality?

The Gigabyte GS34WQC uses a Vertical Alignment (VA) panel, a form of keep panel technology that is general amongst better shows and a lot value range to mid-differ televisions. It performs neatly right here, providing an within your capability incompatibility ratio and magnificent coloration neatly suited to taking part in magnificent contemporary 3D video games.

With that mentioned, brightness is amongst the show screen’s weaker aspects. It accomplished a maximum brightness of 324 nits in SDR, which (spoiler alert) doesn’t dawdle noteworthy better in HDR. This is in the direction of the low stop of what’s that you simply would possibly well perhaps perhaps factor in from any contemporary gaming shows.

This, to be magnificent, is now not basically a challenge for gaming or entertainment in SDR content material, which is in general viewed in a darkened room the put you’ll enjoy aid watch over over the ambient light. But the show screen would perhaps well also fair appear sad in a truly vivid, sunlit room or company workplace. And while the panel has a semi-gloss abolish, the 1500R curvature can act as some extent of curiosity for glare.

Subsequent up is incompatibility, the put the GS34WQC provides a convincing maximum incompatibility ratio of 3610:1. That’s really an equivalent to the Monoprice 35-budge V2 curved ultrawide, and it’s noteworthy better than most similarly priced widescreen shows (which tend to proceed for IPS keep panel technology as a substitute).

A better incompatibility ratio provides an improved sense of depth and immersion in video games and movies. And, on this case, the incompatibility ratio improves now not for the explanation that panel is vivid, but because it will develop into darkish. That provides factual detail in darkish, shadowy scenes that can stumble on gray and washed-out on other shows.

Color gamut is a safe, because the GS34WQC can keep 95 p.c of the DCI-P3 coloration gamut and 88 p.c of AdobeRGB. These figures put it a small earlier than many identical shows.

A huge coloration gamut is a profit in entertainment, because it will reveal a extra saturated and vivid stumble on that most viewers will experience. It’s also factual for content material creation, because the show screen can literally keep extra colours, a main perk ought to you’re coloration grading video or making improvements to legit photography.

The GS34WQC’s coloration gamut isn’t huge ample to indicate for serious legit creators, but its efficiency is bigger than ample for sketching out tips or making improvements to a YouTube video (except you’re Marques Brownlee).

It’s a identical epic with coloration accuracy, the put the GS34WQC delivers a mid-pack result. Colors largely stumble on realistic and convincing. The show screen’s coloration errors were basically extra famed in the grayscale (which is to claim, shades between shadowy and white), which I rating is less noticeable in conventional utilize.

Talking of which, the GS34WQC hit a default gamma curve of two.1. That signifies content material would perhaps well also fair stumble on a tad brighter than it’ll also fair peaceful, and I did peek that in utilize. Happily, the show screen’s menu provides mammoth gamma settings to modify to your wants. The identical is correct of coloration temperature, the put I recorded a default coloration temperature of 6800K, off the aim of 6500K. That signifies the show screen seems a small bit extra frigid and sterile than our glorious, however the included coloration temperature settings can alter this.

Sharpness is factual, because the show screen’s resolution of 3440×1440 provides roughly 109 pixels per budge. That’s equivalent to a 27-budge 1440p show screen and a gigantic toughen over a 27-budge 1080p show screen, which has roughly 82 pixels per budge. Some pixelation will be visible round small fonts and aliasing can appear all over beautiful objects in video games, but it absolutely’s infrequently ever a main distraction. Those having a stumble on for improved sharpness would perhaps well also fair peaceful set in thoughts a 5K ultrawide savor the LG 34WK95U-W—but that show screen is bigger than thrice the Gigabyte GS34WQC’s keep.

How is the Gigabyte GS34WQC’s HDR picture quality?

HDR is obtainable on the Gigabyte GS34WQC, but it absolutely’s now not essential.

The GS34WQC sustained a maximum brightness of fair correct 333 nits in my testing. The shortcoming of brightness will vague beautiful critical aspects in vivid scenes, which is half the level of HDR. It’s absolutely that you simply would possibly well perhaps perhaps factor in to envision out HDR, but I’m now not particular why you’d desire to. It’s now not going to appear because it’ll also fair peaceful.

I don’t set this towards the GS34WQC. No show screen below $500 offers a factual HDR experience: The cheapest shows we propose for HDR delivery round $700. Right be warned: HDR is supported, but it absolutely gained’t stumble on the style you hope.

How is the Gigabyte GS34WQC’s motion efficiency?

Gamers will be happy by the Gigabyte GS34WQC’s 120Hz refresh rate, that would also fair be increased to 135Hz in Overclock mode. The show screen also supports AMD FreeSync for tender gameplay with neatly suited AMD video cards.

Circulate clarity modified into noteworthy better than I’d expected. Monitors with a Vertical Alignment (VA) panel generally suffer a challenge known as “darkish smear.” It seems as a melancholy blur or hotfoot in the succor of darkish objects and is prompted by late pixel response times when showing darker colours. This field is visible on the GS34WQC but a ways less noticeable than expected. The G34QWC thoroughly outperforms the Monoprice Darkish Matter 35-budge ultrawide.

Readability is otherwise factual for a 120Hz/144Hz show screen. Scrolling test photography from League of Legends reward that persona silhouettes and terrain are straightforward to rep out and that hitpoint bars are visible, even though the particular particular person ticks in the hit aspects bar aren’t famed. Personality names are practically now not doubtless to read in motion, too. This is what I’d seek files from to stumble on from a show screen with this refresh rate and a main improvement over a 60Hz show screen.

How does it examine to a similarly priced 27-budge show screen, savor the LG Ultragear 27GR83Q-B? The Gigabyte GS34WQC is noticeably less spectacular, largely attributable to the lack of clarity in transferring text and small interface elements, corresponding to hitpoint bars. I don’t set in thoughts this a knock towards the Gigabyte, because it’s providing a better keep at a decrease keep. Aloof, highly aggressive players would perhaps well also fair prefer a smaller show screen with a better refresh (savor the LG).

Whenever you aquire the Gigabyte GS34WQC?

The Gigabyte GS34WQC is a essential 34-budge ultrawide for gaming, entertainment, and entry-stage content material creation. It ratings neatly by most metrics of picture quality, offers many picture quality adjustments, and delivers magnificent motion clarity, all at an within your capability keep and alongside a conventional but vivid make. The shortcoming of USB connectivity is a small bit disappointing, but nowhere ample to set succor the show screen. It’s an effortless advice in allege for you to experience the benefits of a 34-budge ultrawide at a keep no better than most quality 27-budge shows.

Most efficient Prices Right this moment time: Gigabyte GS344WQC

Author: Matthew S. Smith