[asim]

Any news on the upcoming 21:9 monitors in a price range of 400-700~ euros? I’m trying to figure out if there is anything worth waiting for given the current shortages and the Chinese new year (which from what i understand will slow down production for a month), or would that leave me waiting for a really long time and it would just be better to buy something like a AOC CU34G2X, or a GIBABYTE G34WQC?

[PCM2]

Not at this stage, anything we can share publicly is provided on the main section of the website. For example no further details on the VG34VQL1B, just some spurious placeholder listings from some retailers. And no further details on others that might be using that panel or a new panel from AUO. I suspect the BenQ EX3415R will be using an IPS panel given that the product video mentions a 1900R curve, so I’d expect that to be >€700.

[asim]

Thanks. I hope that Benq monitor is better than the promotional video it was given.

[kllr007]

Hi, I need upgrade monitor and there are two within my budget. They have same price and I need to decide which is better.

– Philips 346B1C

– AOC CU34G2X

It will be used mostly for office things/movie/light gaming.

Which one can you recommend as better ?

Thanks.

[PCM2]

Very simple – the panel used and performance of the monitors is very similar aside from the 44Hz higher refresh rate of the AOC. That’s a nice bonus, as is the slightly lower input lag of the AOC (you may not notice this). The Philips has the ‘PowerSensor’ unit which dims the screen if nobody is present, which I found quite useful. It’s a more solidly built, although the AOC was decent in that regard as well. The Philips also offers integrated speakers, USB-C and KVM functionality.

[kllr007]

Thanks.
Features like dimming screen, KVM, speakers etc is useless for me. I am looking only for best viewing performance, if one or other have more noticeable smearing, flickering with FreeSync and issues like this.

[PCM2]

Well I think you’ve got your answer, but I’d certainly recommend reading and absorbing the AOC CU34G2X review if you haven’t already. Because it certainly has weaknesses in pixel responsiveness – as does the Philips and any UltraWide VA model. Whether the smearing will be “noticeable” is entirely subjective and the pixel responsiveness of both the 346B1C and CU34G2X is largely similar. So tough to separate based on that.

Flickering in a VRR environment is also a given for VA models like this, they’re sensitive to the voltage changes that occur in a VRR environment. But it isn’t necessarily severe and depends on the frame rate fluctuations. Again, make sure you understand the limitations of the technology by reading the reviews. There were further issues with ‘screen blanking’ on the AOC at lower refresh rates, but as noted in the review I’m pretty sure this particular issue was due to the old GTX 10 Series GPU used for the review.

[PCM2]

RTINGS has now published their review of the ASUS VG34VQL1B, which as a reminder is different to many of the other options on this thread due to it using an AUO a CSOT rather than Samsung VA panel. It’s a very positive review overall and this is largely reflected by user feedback I’ve received on this model. It offers superior pixel responsiveness to the models with Samsung panels, weaknesses are fewer and further between. Whilst it also provides a bit of a boost in refresh rate. It still has some distinct weaknesses where darker shades are involved, though, which would create ‘smeary’ trailing and other related issues in places. So it isn’t as responsive as some of the IPS alternatives. And it suffers from the usual VA voltage sensitivity which will cause flickering in a VRR environment, particularly with large fluctuations in frame rate.

The monitor offers very strong contrast. RTINGS measurements are sometimes strangely high for VA models, but they recorded 4781:1 which is very pleasing and significantly above what they’ve recorded for any competing VA UltraWide. And this model does have a specified 4000:1 rather than 3000:1 static contrast, so it really seems to drive home this VA advantage. It has good low input as well and doesn’t have any nasty surprises such as a weird subpixel layout or any unexpected issues under HDR either. I’d like to take a look at this model myself, but ASUS aren’t able to provide a sample currently.

[PCM2]

Some further discussions on the VG34VQL1B can be found on another thread. In this post onwards forum user rudemario compares the VG34VQL1B to the G34WQC. Other forum users with experience of the monitor also chime in later on in that thread – well worth a read if you’re interested in this model.

His thoughts really just reinforce the idea that the panel of the ASUS is more capable when it comes to pixel responsiveness and indeed contrast when compared to the plethora of other models using the Samsung panel. You’ll know from earlier in this thread that the Gigabyte model is a pretty decent example of what the models with 144Hz Samsung VA UltraWide panel can achieve. The ASUS uses rather aggressive overdrive it seems, introducing moderate overshoot even with low overdrive settings. It won’t be a model for everyone, particularly those who dislike overshoot. But some will like the experience it offers and find the balance works well for them.

[Moritz]

Hi there,
as i understand your comment you are saying the CB342CK could be a good monitor. Prad.de recently tested the CB342CKC and was relatively pleased with it. Only aspect they didn´t like was sRGB test result was just 88% instead of the claimed 99%. Other than that it seems to be a good offer including USB-C with power supply.

[PCM2]

The LG 34WP65C has now been listed as an alternative to the ASUS VG34VQL1B. It’s based on the same CSOT VA panel so will share many of its characteristics. But hopefully the pixel overdrive tuning is a bit gentler, particularly for Nvidia GPUs.

[uncia]

I like the panel so far. Though I was irritated with the Asus VG34VQL1B having a single dead pixel. I wasn’t going to make an issue of it, but there is always the hope for getting a monitor without dead pixels. With my time window for returns closing, I got another monitor that hopefully has no issues. Well, it has similar backlight bleed, which wasn’t bad with the first. There are no dead pixels, but there is a hot pixel, and it’s more irritating due to where it’s located and how it sticks out in certain instances. I’ve tried the pixel repair tools out there to no avail.

I still am not upset with Asus. These things are pretty common, especially with VA panels from what I’ve seen. I just have the issue with how to return the monitor they sent as a replacement and keep the original. I don’t want to be shipping back and forth waiting on the perfect panel. I barely noticed the dead pixel before. I can obviously live with it. I also hoped there might be something in the monitor itself causing the issues I have going above 100Hz, but that was a long shot. It’s not different there. However, I do notice a high-pitched whine in certain circumstances, which isn’t present with the first monitor.

Colors with my previously mentioned settings are identical. I doubt I could tell the difference side by side. The calibration I have for gamma also showed identical results. So there is a good chance the panels/model are fairly uniform when it comes to these things. I do think there’s more color shift when changing viewing position. This is pretty easy to notice if you’ve been using an identical monitor for weeks like I have. So I think it’s just luck of the draw, as many things are when it comes to modern monitors.

I’m not sure if I’d opt for the LG over the Asus. The latter has a three-year warranty. Though not having gamma control in the OSD is frustrating. I suggest to anyone seeking an ultrawide like this to consider it at the very least. If you have an Nvidia video card, look at the Samsung variants instead. I don’t think anyone has resolved the issues users have with this panel and Nvidia video cards. I’ve tested and found the same lack of issues with this identical monitor. The BLB is not bad, definitely equivalent to the first. So it’s good to know they have some quality control going on when it comes to these things. Single pixel issues are irritating but to be expected with so many million pixels.

Adam, do you have any suggestions on how to go about asking to return the replacement and just go ahead and keep the original? I’m not sure they register the serial numbers or care that much, but I want to do this as above board as possible. I’ll still recommend this model to anyone looking for an ultrawide, as long as they have an AMD graphics card. I just want to keep the original and move on from here. Technology is such a strange market right now. I didn’t want to try a second, but I finally was convinced it’s worthwhile after spending the money and expecting something without faults. At least without pixel defects. Oh, that’s something. As I’m typing this, I noticed another pixel issue. There’s a dead pixel beneath this text box. It took me almost two weeks to notice the dead pixel on the previous monitor. This one is definitely going back. A dead pixel and a stuck pixel, both noticed in a single night of use. Pair that with the high-pitched whine, and I’d prefer to stick with the first. Thanks for all of your help, sir. You’ve been invaluable in this journey!

[PCM2]

Urgh, the good ol’ quality control lottery. Or should that be lotteries. Just imagine the uproar if smartphones had such a thing going on. Where it’s the case of expecting imperfections and deciding which to deal with and whether to roll the dice again. I don’t envy your position with this. Unfortunately I don’t have any innovative ideas the best way to approach returning the new monitor and keeping the original one. I would’ve thought that if you were to explain the situation to Amazon and emphasise that you’ve used both side by side and have decided you’re happy with the original but not the new one. And mention the new issues such as the whine (that you really can’t stand) that your original doesn’t have. It might be worth saying as well that you’d much rather keep the original than keep juggling with returns and don’t want to cause further hassle.

And I’m happy to have helped you through your journey. I also appreciate the valuable thoughts and feedback you’ve shared here and I’m sure will continue to share in the future. 🙂

[uncia]

It shouldn’t be this way. I realize they have more pixels to deal with, and somehow VA panels tend to have more issues with dead or hot pixels than IPS, but they aren’t exactly charging bargain prices for these monitors. I do think people need to realize this isn’t anything new though. I purchased 19-inch Trinitrons back in the day, and those heavy behemoths had issues of their own. Shipping one back for RMA was a pain. Sony returned it exactly as I’d sent it off with no notes as to what they’d “fixed.” So the whole painful customer support and RMA process experience is very old and set for the monitor market. Bad pixels were even worse back in those days because they were relatively big compared to what we have now. My issue was several rows were deformed, angling up instead of perfectly horizontal. At least that’s what I recall from that specific RMA. Those days “the screen lights up and displays stuff” was pretty much the answer you received from support.

So I contacted Amazon after work tonight, and the rep said it didn’t matter whether I sent back the original or replacement. Just ship something back, pretty much. You’d think returns like this would cost them money, but I suppose it’s not a problem. I’d wanted to square away whether sending back the replacement, which has more issues than the first, was going to work for them Evidently, it all gets logged just the same. I would’ve thought they kept track of specifics such as order numbers being linked to product serial numbers. I suppose as long as they get one monitor back, both being identical, they don’t mind. The rep also said if I had further issues, I could return the one I keep for a refund. Though my return period is nearly closed, I was glad to hear that. For all their flaws, Amazon still does a better job with this kind of stuff than any other online retailer I’ve dealt with.

So there is slightly more backlight bleed with this original monitor I received. Though the dead pixel is not easy to find where it’s located, and I can only see it clearly when there’s a white background. There are no hot/stuck pixels, and I don’t have the whine while displaying certain types of content, that I’ve noticed. It looks like both have the same firmware version as well. I haven’t heard any further news from Asus about this. Considering the monitor isn’t certified by Nvidia as being G-Sync compatible, I wonder if it’s not a concern for them. Asus may not be able to sort out the issue some customers are having when using Nvidia video cards unless Nvidia works with them. Considering Free-Sync is different than the exact method Nvidia uses to handle variable refresh rates, it almost sounds like it will be up to them first to tackle the issue. With that said, both Asus and Nvidia have a reputation to uphold. Let’s hope they will do something to fix the issue before this model gets a bad name. More gamers use Nvidia than AMD after all. It really would be a shame if people were forced to pass this monitor up just because of something that could be fixed in firmware and/or drivers.

[kllr007]

So my update – i bought Gigabyte G34WQC… and i will return it. With GSYNC Compatible, It has brightness flickering in all games, no matter of FPS.

[PCM2]

I’m sorry to see that. Obvious flickering over a broad range of refresh rates is very unattractive. What GPU do you have?

[uncia]

I am left to wonder what about Nvidia’s implementation of adaptive sync is different than AMD’s. Is it that they simply don’t put as much effort into it because it’s not their licensed technology, thus not their priority? I have yet to experience the flickering issues mentioned by others on any monitor I’ve tried, all of them FreeSync. The current Asus VG34VQL1B has FreeSync Premium. LFC also works very well. This is almost always in use due to my sad little GPU. I may just not play modern enough titles to cause issues? I’m more likely to have CC products open or various other productivity software than games, so take my experience with a grain of salt.

[PCM2]

That’s a very good question and something of an ongoing curiosity for me. I’m not sure of the exact reason for the discrepancy between how AMD and Nvidia GPUs handle Adaptive-Sync on some models, particularly VA models. But I’ve certainly observed more widespread and stronger flickering on some models using ‘G-SYNC Compatible Mode’ vs. AMD FreeSync. And this was particularly bad with my old GTX 10 Series GPU with additional issues such as screen blanking also observed – and not just on VA models in that case. The flickering itself is due to the sensitivity of VA monitors to the voltage changes that occur during refresh rate fluctuation. You get this in many cases when using AMD FreeSync on VA models as well, but it is usually only during large refresh rate changes (frame rate fluctuations) and can be less intense. On some models that would occur when passing the LFC boundary, whereas on others that particular sudden change in refresh rate wouldn’t trigger it. The most recent VA model I’ve looked at is the AOC PD27, where I said the following with respect to ‘G-SYNC Compatible Mode’ using my RTX 3090:

“We observed more widespread and noticeable flickering than when using FreeSync on our AMD GPU. This was easier to observe for brighter content and using a higher brightness – for that reason any flickering becomes particularly clear when using HDR. We used multiple DP cable including a high quality braided cable, but this didn’t yield any improvement. With FreeSync on our AMD GPU, flickering only occurred during very large drops and other very large fluctuations in frame rate. On our Nvidia GPU it was triggered by less dramatic fluctuations. It became particularly noticeable if the monitor crossed the LFC boundary, often triggered by in-game menus and cut scenes. This was in addition to the stuttering observed when passing the LFC boundary, as discussed earlier with reference to FreeSync. When in game the flickering wasn’t generally strong or obnoxious, so it won’t bother everyone and isn’t something everyone would notice during normal gameplay. But it’s certainly something to keep in mind if you’re sensitive to this kind of thing – it has the potential to be quite bothersome to some.”

I don’t know the technical reasons for this and why it occurred during seemingly quite stable frame rates. On some models (this was observed with my GTX10 Series) there were sudden very brief spikes in refresh rate that couldn’t be explained by the frame rate. I did observe some similar instabilities on the PD27 as well. They weren’t enough to trigger tearing or even clear stuttering – but definitely flickering. And perhaps the flickering was sufficient to mask any stuttering there would’ve been. Sudden unexpected changes in refresh rate would account for the flickering in my mind, but why this would happen is another issue. G-SYNC modules are certainly very good in this respect as they very tightly regulate voltage. With the VG34VQL1B I’d like to know whether this is observed on even the newest Nvidia GPUs or whether it’s confined to older GPUs from the GTX 10 Series, hopefully kllr007 can confirm what GPU he has.

[kllr007]

Hi, I have RTX 3060Ti.

It is just unacceptable, it is noticeable in a gaming, even when FPS and thus Hz are steady at for ex. 90-95..

[PCM2]

Thanks for confirming. Indeed that is a shame that even the latest Nvidia GPU generation suffers these issues with the VG34VQL1B.

[Author]

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