LG 34UC79G Review: 2560×1080 144Hz FreeSync UltraWide Curved Gaming Monitor

Want a fast ultrawide gaming monitor that’ll make your gaming experience both immersive and responsive at a reasonable price?  

The LG 34UC79G is a 34″ ultrawide monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate, an IPS panel for striking colors, and plenty of exclusive features such as FreeSync and 1ms MBR.

Image Quality

The 34UC79G is based on LG’s AH-IPS panel with a 250-nit peak brightness, a 1000:1 static contrast ratio, and true 8-bit color depth.

Further, the panel ensures wide 178-degree viewing angles, which make for the ideal picture quality no matter the angle you’re watching from.

The only flaw of this monitor is its low resolution for the big screen size, but there is a silver lining.

The 2560×1080 UWHD resolution on a 34″ screen results in a pixel density of 81.72 PPI (pixels per inch), which translates to somewhat limited screen space and lack of details.

So, if you plan on doing a lot of work, the LG 34UC79G is not the optimal monitor for you as small text gets a bit smudgy and blurry.

In video games and movies, however, this is not as apparent, allowing you to enjoy the big screen, vibrant colors, and high refresh rate of the monitor.

Additionally, if you want a higher resolution ultrawide display, you’d have to opt for a 3440×1440 monitor, which is a lot more expensive and demanding on your CPU/GPU and would make reaching high frame rates impossible in most of the newer, more demanding titles.

Performance

The LG 34UC79G input lag performance is splendid at only ~4ms of imperceptible delay.

Moreover, thanks to the quick response time speed, there’s no prominent ghosting or motion blur in fast-paced games as pixels change from one shade to another in time.

You can further eliminate motion blur by enabling the 1ms Motion Blur Reduction (MBR) technology, which via backlight strobing reduces the perceived trailing of fast-moving objects.

The 1ms MBR technology only operates at fixed refresh rates that you can set to 60Hz, 100Hz, 120Hz, or 144Hz.

Overall, the LG 34UC79G-B monitor delivers a flawless performance without any visual artifacts and no excessive backlight bleeding nor IPS glow.

The display is factory-calibrated, has flicker-free backlighting (unless 1ms MBR is enabled), and features an integrated low blue light filter.

At 144Hz, the fast-paced motion is significantly smoother, and while it won’t make you a better player in competitive games, it will make gameplay a lot more enjoyable and seamless.

Features

The LG 34UC79G 144Hz gaming monitor also supports AMD FreeSync. This technology allows the monitor to change its refresh rate according to the GPU’s frame rate, which in turn gets rid of all screen tearing and stuttering.

Note that you cannot use this technology at the same time as 1ms MBR.

The LG 34UC79G FreeSync range within which variable refresh rate works is 50-144Hz/FPS (Frames Per Second). If your frame rate dips below 50, the AMD LFC technology is automatically enabled, which makes the display’s refresh rate double or triple the frame rate to maintain smooth performance.

FreeSync also works without any issues when using a compatible NVIDIA G-SYNC graphics card.

Other gaming features including Black Stabilizer for better visibility of objects in dark areas in video games, Dynamic Action Sync for minimal input lag, customizable crosshairs, and pre-calibrated picture presets including two FPS, one RTS, and one customizable gaming mode.

The 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio provides you with a wider field of view, which makes for more immersive gameplay experience and can also be an advantage against other players as you can spot the enemies in corners more quickly.

For this reason, some competitive games don’t support the 21:9 format. Check what games support 21:9.

Design & Connectivity

The LG 34UC79G features a robust design with a height-adjustable stand (up to 120mm). The screen can also be tilted by -5°/20° or mounted to a third-party stand using the 100 x 100mm VESA mount holes. You cannot swivel or pivot the screen, though.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.2, two HDMI 2.0 ports, a headphone jack, and a dual USB 3.0 hub (one upstream and two downstream ports – one with fast-charging). FreeSync works over DisplayPort only.

The 3800R curvature is subtle but noticeable and adds to the gameplay immersion.

Price & Similar Monitors

The LG 34UC79G price amounts to ~$450, which is a bit steep.

There’s also a newer model of this monitor, the LG 34GL750 with similar specifications. It has a slightly higher 300-nit peak brightness, but no USB ports.

The LG 34UC79G was one of the first IPS ultrawide monitors with a high refresh rate and the $450 price tag was reasonable back then. However, nowadays you can buy a 34″ 144Hz IPS monitor with a higher 3440×1440 resolution and a wider color gamut at the same price! So, be sure to check out the Gigabyte M34WQ.

If you’d rather keep the lower and less demanding 2560×1080 resolution, check out the 30″ MSI MAG301RF with a 200Hz refresh rate and a rapid 1ms GtG response time speed.

You can also get the AOC CU34G2X 3440×1440 144Hz ultrawide model with a curved VA panel. It offers a higher contrast ratio, but a slower response time speed.

Visit our always up-to-date best ultrawide monitors buyer’s guide for more information.

Conclusion

Overall, the LG 34UC79G is an excellent gaming monitor and it was worth the asking price back when it was released, but there are much better options nowadays.

Specifications

Screen Size	34-inch
Screen Curvature	3800R
Resolution	2560×1080 (UWHD)
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	21:9 (UltraWide)
Refresh Rate	144Hz
Response Time	5ms (GtG)
Backlight Strobing	1ms Motion Blur Reduction
Adaptive Sync	FreeSync (50Hz-144Hz)
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	2x USB 3.0, Headphone Jack
Brightness	250 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (true 8-bit)
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)