Ultrawide monitors changed how people game, as they offer a wider field of view and an immersive viewing experience through their broad, and often curved, designs. Now we have ultrawide monitors with OLEDs and extremely high refresh rates, though the pricing may be a bit too steep for most players. For the average consumer, there are a lot of budget-friendly options on the market though, with brands like LG, Acer, and AOC bringing bargain monitors to the table. A color-accurate IPS display with a fairly high refresh rate is all you need to get into the realm of ultrawide gaming monitors.
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Right now on Amazon, you can pick up the LG UltraGear 34GP63A-B QHD 34-inch curved gaming monitor for an unbelievable price of $260. The monitor usually sells for $400, giving players an overall savings of $160.
LG UltraGear 34GP63A-B Specs
The monitor is made of plastic, which still manages to feel sturdy enough with minimal wobbling. You can tilt the monitor and change its height, but you cannot rotate the screen to a vertical orientation. The stand feels rigid and supports the huge screen well, but in case you want to mount the monitor, it supports VESA mounting as well.
The monitor has a diagonal width of 34 inches with an aspect ratio of 21:9, which contributes to a wider field of view, allowing you to fit more elements on the screen. The monitor’s IPS panel is highly color accurate without calibration, covering 99.9% of the sRGG color gamut and 95.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. This makes the monitor a wise choice for video and photo editors, while the wide screen can make scrolling through the timeline a breeze.
However, the IPS panel is also a bane for this monitor, as the contrast levels are mediocre, meaning blacks won’t look deep and inky. You will not get punchy colors like in an OLED or a QLED, but this is expected with an IPS panel, especially when it’s an affordable one. It does admirably in the brightness aspect, mitigates reflections, and the viewing angles are good enough for most users.
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The monitor has a decently high refresh rate of 160Hz, which makes gaming a smoother experience. You will notice less lag and screen-tearing, which is further facilitated by the support of VRR (Variable Refresh Rate). The monitor has a low input lag of 4.0 ms at its native resolution while running at 144Hz. Compatibility with new generation consoles like the Sony PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S is underwhelming, as you cannot achieve a 120Hz refresh rate at 4K. You will need to dial down the resolution and refresh rate settings a bit to enjoy VRR with this monitor. The monitor has fewer issues when plugged into a Mac, but you’re limited to only 144Hz, and you’ll lose VRR if you overclock it.
The monitor has an array of I/O with two USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1) ports, one DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports, one USB-B upstream port for your keyboards and mice, and a 3.5mm audio port. Overall, this monitor is a sensible buy for media editing, gaming, and even programming, provided you vertically mount it using a monitor arm.
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