[hayhayc86]

Needing some advice Just built a new pc and now hoping to upgrade my monitor can get the two monitor at similar price after some discounts.
on paper the spec of the AOC CU34G2X (a 2020 model) seems better with freesync premium pro, 144hz vs 100hz on the samsung C34J791 (a old 2018 model). In terms of image quality, will the two be similar or one will edge over the other? Are there any other monitors that around this price point I should also take a look at?

p.s will be using it as my day to day work monitor and casual gaming mainly just LOL

[PCM2]

Have a look through this thread, which I’ve merged yours with, as both models are discussed here with your uses in mind. The AOC has a better subpixel structure (better text rendering) and higher refresh rate, the overall image characteristics on the Samsung are otherwise pretty similar. But it doesn’t have any real advantages over the AOC, unless you prefer the styling enough or really want the USB-C port.

[hayhayc86]

Thanks for such a speedy reply! Seems at the same price point the aoc probably a better pick.
There is a iiyama model coming out (appreciate it been mentioned they are not available in NA) but as a general point they offer free sync premium pro vs aoc only with free sync. I have amd 5700rx &3700x & 16gb 3200 ram. It will be for casual gaming mainly just LOL, will I likely to benefit from having premium pro instead of just free sync?
The AOC is available right now vs the iiyama not yet release yet till end of the month.

[PCM2]

Assume you’re referring to the Iiyama GB3466WQSU-B1 which is mentioned earlier in the thread. The only reason that received ‘FreeSync Premium Pro’ certification and the AOC didn’t is because the monitor needs to support at least VESA DisplayHDR 400 for HDR. As per that post, that’s not a big deal either way. League of Legends doesn’t even properly (or at all, officially, as far as I know) support HDR anyway.

[ectoplasma]

Hi, thanks for all your hard work, even on the forums. If you don’t mind I also have a buying advice question. I decided to run a 2 monitor setup, i bought an aw2521hf for competitive games and I wanted to get a 4k or 21:9 WQHD screen for office work and slower single player or sightseeing games. I’m looking at 21:9 right now. I decided to go with a VA panel for better contrast and I want to have at least 100 hz. I don’t want to spend more than 600€. There about 11 screens in contention alot of the models you discussed. There are some alternative models tho and I’m interested to hear if you have any opinions on those.

I’m especially interested in the Philips P-line 346P1CRH, which seems to have a new Panel from the ones you discussed. As far as I can see it tested pretty well from the few tests that are out. It’s also expensive (around 600 right now). I like the KVM, Webcam and USB-C Port it has integrated tho.

Further, LG just released the LG 35WN75C-B, 35″, which seems to have similar specs (could be the same panel) as the ASUS TUF Gaming VG35VQ. Do you have any info or opinions on this?

All in all I’m not quite sure 21:9 is worth the extra cost over a 4k UHD display and hard for me to decide without owning one. While being sensible to motion, I do greatly appreciate the better contrast of VA. On the productivity side my main activity is reading and writing so 4k will be another 50 dpi up but having a 21:9 desktop has its own benefits. Btw. for a 4k UHD display i would probably just get the Lenovo Thinkvision as its around 300 or the LG UL-600 which is around 350.

Any input would be appreciated.

[PCM2]

Hi ectoplasma,

The LG 35WN75C uses an AU Optronics panel, it could well be the same panel as the ASUS VG35VQ. It has a much more restrictive colour gamut so will provide lower vibrancy and saturation levels in general compared to the 34″ Philips models. The AUO panels are also a bit weaker than the Samsung SVA panels models like the Philips use when it comes to colour consistency. And contrast can be a bit weaker as well. Not a massive difference in either respect, but I tend to slightly prefer the 34″ Samsung panels in comparison. As for the Philips 346P1CRH, it uses the same CELL (panel minus backlight) as the Philips 346B1C that we’ve reviewed. So that review will give you a good idea of what to expect. You just get quite limited HDR and higher peak luminance on top. Plus the additional features you mentioned in your post. You can expect a similar contrast, colour and responsiveness experience aside from that.

It’s a very personal thing whether to go for a ~34″ 3440 x 1440 model (which works nicely for productivity) or a ‘4K’ UHD model (which works nicely for productivity as well). I’m very fond of ~32″ screens with a UHD resolution, as I make clear in reviews of such products. The ‘desktop real-estate’ that brings without requiring high levels if any scaling is quite something. But my recommendation is clear and that is the Philips 328E1CA, it’s far superior to the flat models you mentioned which are based on a flat Innolux panel that’s also used by several models we’ve reviewed. Relevant discussions on various other threads on the forum, including this one.

And how are you finding the AW2521HF for gaming?

[ectoplasma]

Hi,

Thank you for taking the time to respond and sharing valuable information. I haven’t received the aw2521hf yet, it was on sale with up to 1 month delivery, so it might be a while.

I did some reading while waiting for my post to be approved and saw that you greatly recommend the Philips. I’m have to admit I’m a bit skeptical because the monitor reviewed mediocre on a German website that does technical reviews that I trust. But maybe there is something lost in the score of why it is a great option. I’m open to reconsider.

I’m probably making my display decision way harder than it needs to be but I’m gonna share the full information with you. I decided to switch from my current display (XF270HU) recently, because I found faults with the motion blur handling and I especially didn’t like the colors or text clarity. So I first debated if I should get a higher tier 1440p screen like Samsung Odyssey G7 or LG GL850. But then I changed my mind to get a 25inch 1080p 240hz, plus a 27 inch 4k IPS display (for work), since they are more specialized for each task. I decided on 27 inch because of text clarity and desk space/size (at the very first, I just wanted to pick up a 24 inch 4k screen for that purpose but there is only one). Then, 2 days ago, I finally configured my LG B9 to work with my PC and gaming on it was purely a dream (it also has godly scaling). Only this led me to reconsider IPS panels and look for higher contrast screens, which let me looking into VA displays and UW screen ratios.

My screens and use cases are as follows: (1) I use an Ipad Pro and large eink Tablet to read scientific articles — which was the first thing that made me want to get a higher DPI screen for my desktop (2) I use my B9 to play controller based PC and console games (3) Im planning to use my AW2521 for competitive games (small screen to have everything in my central vision and 1080p to get maximum frame rate stability), which leaves me with a couple of missing usecases: a big high resolution screen for general work (reading and writing, some coding etc.; music production would actually be a nother use case) but that is also good enough to play mouse and keyboard games, I don’t really want to play on the alienware or with the viewing distance to my TV. This is why I thought a 21:9 VA 100hz+ display would be a great last option to round out my setup, since I dont need excellent motion handling (it shouldnt be terrible tho) but it offers still decent dpi, big workspace and decent contrast and blacks.

I didn’t find the part in your Philips review where you explained why the curved Innolux panel is superior to their flat panels, just mentions that curve draws you in. If you don’t mind repeating yourself, how do you find the panel performs superior? (I’m currently going through the other thread)

Thanks again!
Robert

[PCM2]

I’ve recommended the 328E1CA to many users who are generally very happy with it. And will continue to do so. I’ve clearly explained and justified why I recommend it and why I feel it’s superior to other VA models using the infamous ‘flat Innolux’ panel in the thread I linked to. This post onwards in the thread I pointed out in my initial reply. This thread also covers it. And if you read the Philips review, you’ll see I actually draw the comparison at various points (search for ‘innolux’ in the review – it crops up 6 times). To summarise: the Samsung SVA panel used in the 328E1CA has a slightly lighter (less grainy) screen surface, less ‘black crush’, superior gamma and colour consistency (less saturation loss towards the peripheral regions) and slightly better pixel responsiveness. The downside is that the static contrast is slightly weaker and, for some users at least, the curve can be a detractor. Monitors are very subjective and not everything is perfect with any monitor – that includes the Philips.

You may well find an UltraWide model works well for you. Some people prefer the extra physical horizontal space to spread documents or web pages out and the pixel density is certainly quite respectable, even though significantly lower than on a ~32″ UHD model. It isn’t always the case that ‘more is better’, so you might find the extra pixels offered on a ~32″ UHD over a 3440 x 1440 UltraWide quite redundant really. It’s very subjective, I think either model can work very well but personal preferences will dictate which is the better choice.

[Velectro]

Hi,

Thank you for the detailed review of the AOC CU34G2X. I have been looking around online for ultrawide monitors for a while now and I haven’t been able to decide on one until coming across your review on the AOC CU34G2X. I was about to buy this monitor but I came across the Cooler master GM34-CW.

Now the GM34-CW is £100 more than the AOC but it does include freesync 2, higher brightness as toms hardware report 446.9 nits compared to AOC 232 nits. Toms hardware and TFT central report lower g2g response times of 7ms and lower input lag. Both also report lower ghosting. Also, the GM34 has a higher contrast ratio than the AOC. I am not too fussed about the HDR capabilities as I know HDR 400 is not really effective so I don’t care about that. What seems to pull me towards the GM34 is free sync 2 as the users with AOC have complained about flickering.

So my question to you is that the GM34 goes for £600 and the AOC I can get for £500. Is the extra £100 worth it?

Thanks again!

[PCM2]

Hi Velectro,

FreeSync 2 is actually an obsolete certification process, which has been superseded by ‘FreeSync Premium Pro’. All it means on top of the sort of FreeSync the AOC has is that the monitor supports HDR at the VESA DisplayHDR 400 level. That’s something you said you didn’t care about – that and the higher luminance are really key differentiators. It doesn’t tell you anything about how likely a monitor is to suffer flickering. VA models are very sensitive to the voltage changes that occur in variable frame rate environments, with variable refresh rate technology enabled. G-SYNC modules are able to control this quite finely, but even then there can be some instances of flickering during significant framerate fluctuation. Models which use Adaptive-Sync are more prone to such issues. Because the Coolermaster GM34-CW uses exactly the same panel as the AOC (LSM340YP05) and it uses Adaptive-Sync all the same, the flickering is likely to occur as well.

We accurately measured input lag of 5.28ms on the CU34G2X, which indicates a low signal delay. That’s actually slightly lower than TFT Central accurately measured (using SMTT 2.0 as well) for the Coolermaster. As for pixel responsiveness, both models suffer from the same distinct weaknesses which cause ‘smeary’ trailing in places. The difference is that the Coolermaster speeds up some transitions and replaces some of the trailing with overshoot instead. Whether this is preferable is debatable, especially when you’re left with a mix of overshoot and ‘smeary’ trailing anyway. I don’t really feel there’s a clear winner when it comes to responsiveness out of the two monitors. A more obvious difference between the two, aside from the more powerful backlight of the Coolermaster, is that it also has a very wide colour gamut. This will greatly oversaturate colours for regular sRGB content – and there’s no sRGB emulation mode. Compared to the AOC where there is a degree of oversaturation but it’s less strong and there’s a semi-functional sRGB emulation setting (brightness can be adjusted, but other restrictions per the review). In short; I wouldn’t pay an extra £100 for the Coolermaster, unless you’re particularly drawn into the wider gamut.

[Fman]

Hi

I’m looking into buying an ultrawide monitor for my setup. My budget would be around $400 but wouldn’t mind spending around $500 if its worth it. I would like it to be around 32″ or bigger and >144hz. I was reading on the AOC that was mentioned before but its out of stock on many locations and online near me. Any suggestions?

[PCM2]

Hi Fman,

Well you’ve come to the right thread. The choice of affordable UltraWides that are actually in stock currently is extremely limited. If you’re not willing to drop the 144Hz requirement, waiting for the AOC to come back in stock may be an option. If you’re looking for an UltraWide then it’s going to be 34″+ and you’d be pushing it with the >144Hz, so I assume you mean “at least 144Hz”. How often would you be pushing above 100fps at 3440 x 1440 with your setup?

I’m also going to throw in a wildcard here, which hasn’t been discussed in this thread. The Acer XV340CK. This model is within your budget, offers a 144Hz refresh rate and an IPS panel. I don’t have experience with it myself (yet – I may review it at some point, time permitting) and only have limited feedback to share. But the user that has given me feedback about it was a very happy punter. And shocked by why it was so cheap compared to other 144Hz IPS UltraWide alternatives. Probably worth trying this one out.

[Fman]

Thanks for the quick reply

I have a radeon 5700 xt with a ryzen 7 3800x so i should be over 100 fps on most games on at 3440 x 1440. I have a 3 monitor setup at the moment, but one of them got a white screen and isn’t working. I would fix it but its out of warranty and the cost doesn’t really make sense when i can just buy a newer monitor. I would like to make the new monitor my main monitor and have the other 2 on the side. I currently have 2 LG 27GL650F. I might get the acer since i looked at a couple reviews and they have all been really positive. I dont really want to wait on the AOC ive been without 1 monitor for about 1 week and its torture lol.

[antrhax]

Hey,

my girlfriend wants to update her desktop to an 34″ monitor. Ive got 2x AOC C24G1 and Im happy with them but she still wants a 34″ monitor.

The best 3 options for the moment in the same price ranges are:
1) AOC CU34G2X
2) iiyama G-Master GB3466WQSU-B1 Red Eagle
3) Xiaomi Mi Curved 34

The AOC or iiyama are pretty the same to me (specs, price,..). Xiaomis monitor will be launched at the end of August. The specs seems to be really cool. Some youtubers are giving it positiv feedbacks. What do you think?

She wants this monitor for doing some office stuff, looking films and playing some games (for example RocketLeague, Apex Legends, CsGo).
Her PC:
.) SSD for the games
.) Gainward 1080 GS Phoenix (1974MHz @0.9500V undervolted, standard should be 1847MHz @1.050V) – I guess this card could handle an bigger monitor?

If there is another option with the same specs (or better?) and +- near the same price range, I would be glad if you could let me know.

Thank you!

[PCM2]

Hi again antrhax,

I’ve merged your thread with this one as it’s a suitable place and both the AOC CU34G2X and Iiyama GB3466WQSU are discussed here. The Xiaomi Mi Curved 34 isn’t a model I have any experience with nor user feedback to share at this stage, so it’s an unknown entity. Be wary of “video reviews” on YouTube which are essentially just paid adverts or lack sufficient critical detail to make an informed decision on buying or not buying the product. Xiaomi are new to the monitor market and will give away free products to YouTube influencers to try to get their name out there. You’d need to wait for more solid and unbiased feedback on that one. Another model you and your girlfriend should have on your watchlist is the upcoming Gigabyte G34WQC, but exact release information in Europe isn’t currently known.

The GTX 1080 will handle 3440 x 1440 just fine at decent refresh rates if your girlfriend is happy to make reasonable compromises to graphics settings and isn’t expecting to run everything at ‘Ultra’.

[antrhax]

Hey,

thank you :)!

So Ive read the whole thread and my personal consequent is, that you couldnt test the iiyama, but the AOC would be “a bit better”, isnt it?

Yeah I know, that the Xiaomi monitor is new, but it seems to be really interesting if it works fine – the specs are pretty the same as the AOC or iiyama, arnt they? Ive never heard about the Gigabyte monitor, but after some googling, it seems to be nearly the same like the AOC, iiyama or Xiaomi. They are all like the same?! I think she will accept the lower video settings if she can run this monitor. My 24″ are doing it well – 200fps+ 😀

[PCM2]

They all use the same CELL (panel minus backlight), so they all offer similar characteristics. But there’s more to a monitor than just a panel. I do recommend the AOC out of these models simply because I feel comfortable recommending products I have personal (and largely positive) experiences with. The brand in general has a good reputation for affordable gaming monitors, particularly in Europe when according to certain surveys they’ve the most popular gaming monitor manufacturer by units sold. Xiaomi is a complete ‘unknown’ and although it uses the same panel as the CU34G2X, the tuning could differ. Same with the Iiyama – there are too many unknowns even when a familiar panel is used.

[antrhax]

Thank you! So I will recommend her to buy the AOC or wait for the Gigabyte, but she shouldn’t buy the Xiaomi or iiyama. Will you test the Gigabyte?

[PCM2]

Probably, at some point. Although we’ve got quite a few other models we’d like to look at first (including at least one other Gigabyte model). It partly depends what’s available to us and when, there are many more monitors I’d like to review than I’ve got time to look at. 🙂

[antrhax]

So lets see 🙂

Update: My girlfriend said, that 700-800(max)€/$ is also fine for her. So are there more options now or still the AOC (and maybe the Gigabyte)? Thank you

[Author]

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