Bottom Line
If you don’t need built-in speakers and KVM switch, the GS34WQC is an excellent cheaper alternative to the G34WQC model. However, there are a lot of similar alternatives available in this price range, all of which are mentioned in the review, so make sure you check them out too.
The Gigabyte GS34WQC is a 34″ 3440×1440 curved VA gaming monitor with FreeSync, HDR and a 120Hz native refresh rate (overclockable to 135Hz).
Basically, it’s the cutdown version of the popular Gigabyte G34WQC and G34WQC-A variants. Besides the slightly lower refresh rate and brightness, it doesn’t have built-in speakers or a KVM switch, but it’s available at a lower price.
Image Quality
The Gigabyte GS34WQC uses a VA panel with a high 4,000:1 static contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks and vivid details in the shadows of the image for an immersive viewing experience, especially in dark rooms.
In fact, IPS panel monitors have somewhat grayish blacks in comparison due to their lower 1000:1 contrast ratio and IPS glow.
However, VA monitors don’t have quite as wide viewing angles as there are minor gamma/saturation shifts when looking at the screen at certain angles. Unless you plan on doing professional color-critical work though, this won’t be an issue.
Next, the Gigabyte GS34WQC monitor has a peak brightness of 300-nits, which is enough for a comfortable viewing experience under typical ambient lighting.
It offers a 120% sRGB gamut volume (~90% DCI-P3 color space coverage), for a bit of extra color saturation. This also means that the sRGB content will be slightly over-saturated, but there’s an sRGB emulation mode that clamps the gamut. Most users will prefer the extra vibrancy of the native gamut though.
The 3440×1440 UWQHD resolution results in a high pixel density of 109.68 PPI (pixels per inch) on the 34″ sized screen of the monitor. This means that you’ll have plenty of screen real estate with sharp details and text. What’s more, the resolution is not nearly as demanding as 4K UHD.
Further, the 21:9 aspect ratio provides you with an extended field of view in compatible games for a more immersive gaming experience. Most games support the ultrawide format either natively or via mods, except for a few competitive titles, such as Valorant, Starcraft and Overwatch.
The ultrawide format is also beneficial when watching movies shot at the 2.35:1 – 2.40:1 aspect ratio as the image will fill your entire screen without black bars at the top and bottom of the picture you’d get when viewing ~21:9 content on 16:9 screens.
Lastly, the extra horizontal screen space is very useful for productivity work and audio/video editing as you get a wider view of your timeline.
HDR (High Dynamic Range) is also supported, but due to its limited brightness and lack of full-array local dimming, you won’t be getting proper HDR support – as expected in this price range. Some HDR content can still look better than SDR thanks to the wide color gamut and dithered 10-bit color depth for smoother gradients.
Performance
The Gigabyte GS34WQC has a native refresh rate of 120Hz, which you can increase to 135Hz by enabling the overclock option in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.
In truth, there’s no noticeable difference between 135Hz and the usual 144Hz – 165Hz models, meaning that you’ll get a responsive gaming experience.
There are five two response time overdrive modes: On and Off. We recommend using the On mode since it offers the best performance across the entire refresh rate range.
Users sensitive to smearing will find it bothersome, but most gamers won’t mind it. For competitive first-person shooters, you should be looking at smaller and faster displays anyway.
As expected from a budget VA panel display, there are some weaknesses in pixel transitions. There’s noticeable trailing behind fast-moving objects, mainly in dark scenes.
Input lag performance, on the other hand, is excellent and at around 6ms, you won’t be able to notice or feel any delay between your actions and the result on the screen.
Moving on, the Gigabyte GS34WQC ultrawide gaming monitor supports variable refresh rate with a 48-135Hz dynamic range for tear-free gameplay all the way up to 135FPS.
While it doesn’t have official G-SYNC Compatible certification, VRR does work with compatible GeForce GPUs (10-series or newer) over DisplayPort. AMD FreeSync Premium is supported over both DP and HDMI.
Some VRR brightness flickering can be noticed in in-game menus, loading screens and games with fluctuating frame rates, which is a common occurrence on some high refresh rate displays, particularly those with VA panels.
Alternatively, you can use the Aim Stabilizer technology, which uses backlight strobing to reduce perceived motion blur at the cost of picture brightness. However, while Aim Stabilizer is active, VRR must be disabled and there’s added flickering that’s invisible to the human eye, but can cause headaches to those sensitive to screen flicker.
The backlight of the monitor is flicker-free (unless Aim Stabilizer is enabled) and there’s a low-blue light filter mode available.
Features
At the rear of the monitor on the right side, there’s a directional joystick for quick and easy navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.
Besides the standard image adjustment tools (brightness, contrast, color temperature, etc.), you’ll also find some advanced features, such as gamma, sharpness, aspect ratio and saturation (Color Vibrance) controls. Input Auto Switch is supported too.
Other gaming features include various picture presets, Black Equalizer (improves visibility in dark scenes by altering the gamma curvature), crosshair overlays, a refresh rate tracker and on-screen timers.
The monitor also supports Picture in Picture and Picture by Picture, allowing you to display two different sources on the monitor at the same time.
You can also download the Gigabyte Control Center desktop application and make all OSD-related adjustments in the Sidekick tab using your keyboard and mouse.
Design & Connectivity
The stand of the monitor is quite sturdy and offers height adjustment up to 100mm, tilt by -5°/20° and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.
Further, the screen has a light matte anti-glare coating that prevents reflections without making the image too grainy. It also has a moderate 1500R curvature for added immersion.
Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports (limited to 100Hz) and a headphone jack.
Price & Similar Monitors
The Gigabyte GS34WQC price amounts to $330, which is too expensive.
For $250 – $300, you can find 144Hz – 165Hz models, such as the KTC H34S18S and the MSI MAG342CQR.
In case you want an ultrawide monitor with wider viewing angles and faster response time, check out the Gigabyte M34WQ and the Sceptre E345B-QUN168W with flat-screen IPS panels, while the curved models, such as the Acer XR343CKP start at ~$500.
For more options and information, visit our best 21:9 ultrawide monitor buyer’s guide.
Conclusion
Overall, the Gigabyte GS34WQC is an excellent ultrawide display for gaming, productivity work and everyday use.
However, some ultrawide displays with more features and slightly better specifications can be found on sale at a similar (and even lower) price.
Should it go on sale for around $200, it would offer better value for money for those who don’t need those extra features of the more expensive models.
Specifications
| Screen Size | 34-inch |
| Screen Curvature | 1500R |
| Resolution | 3440×1440 (UWQHD) |
| Panel Type | VA |
| Aspect Ratio | 21:9 (UltraWide) |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz (135Hz OC) |
| Response Time (GtG) | Not specified |
| Response Time (MPRT) | 1ms (MPRT) |
| Adaptive-Sync | FreeSync (48-135Hz) |
| Ports | DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0 |
| Other Ports | Headphone Jack |
| Brightness | 300 cd/m² |
| Contrast Ratio | 4000:1 (static) |
| Colors | 1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC) 90% DCI-P3 |
| HDR | HDR10 |
| VESA | Yes (100x100mm) |
The Pros:
- Immersive image quality with high pixel density, contrast, and wide color gamut
- Plenty of gaming features including VRR and MBR up to 135Hz
- Height-adjustable stand
The Cons:
- Minor ghosting in fast-paced games, mainly in darker scenes
