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Our review of the MSI MAG 345CQR is now live. This is a steeply curved (1000R) monitor with 3440 x 1440 (21:9 ultrawide) VA panel. It has been a while since I last reviewed a budget ultrawide offering, with the most recent before this one being the AOC CU34G2X. With 4 years between them, I don’t really feel the MSI offers a lot the AOC didn’t. It has a steeper curve and better build quality (stand surprisingly solid-feeling for a budget monitor – including some coated metal). Plus it reaches 180Hz rather than just 144Hz, making for some extra ‘connected feel’ and reduced perceived blur due to eye movement. But the AOC was better calibrated especially when it came to gamma – and was similar when it came to contrast, colour performance and pixel responsiveness.

In the conclusion one of the alternatives to consider is the Gigabyte G34WQC A, which I’ve received a good amount of positive feedback on. The build quality is certainly inferior to the MSI but people seem generally happy with its performance – it retails for a similar to slightly higher price. I haven’t used it myself so can’t make any detailed comparisons, however. The other option I mentioned is the Philips Evnia 34M2C8600, a much more expensive QD-OLED offering which I’ve used myself and have received some good positive feedback on. It’s largely similar to the AW3423DW we’ve reviewed – but cheaper. Of course apples to oranges in terms of pricing, but one to consider if budget isn’t constrained and you’re really just interested in a solid 21:9 3440 x 1440 experience.

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