Gigabyte G34WQCP review: An excellent budget ultrawide monitor

Almost a year has passed since PCWorld reviewed the Gigabyte GS34WQC, a budget ultrawide monitor that earned our Editors’ Choice award. Now, Gigabyte is updating that model with the new Gigabyte G34WQCP. It’s similar to its predecessor but increases the maximum refresh rate from 144Hz to 180Hz.  

Gigabyte G34WQCP specs and features 

The Gigabyte G34WQCP’s basic specifications are similar to other budget ultrawide monitors. It’s a 34-inch, 21:9 aspect ratio display with a resolution of 3440×1440. The monitor also uses a Vertical Alignment (VA) panel, which is the more common choice in this category, though some competitors use an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel. The monitor supports Adaptive Sync through AMD FreeSync and also supports HDR. 

• Display size: 34-inch 21:9 widescreen 
• Native resolution: 3440×1440
• Panel type: VA 
• Refresh rate: Up to 180Hz 
• Adaptive sync: AMD Freesync Premium  
• HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR 400 Certified 
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x 3.5mm headphone 
• VESA mount: 100x100mm 
• Speakers: 2x 2-watt speakers 
• Price: $349.99 MSRP 

However, the G34WQCP makes two notable changes compared to the previous Gigabyte G34WQC. As mentioned, the refresh rate has been increased from a maximum of 144Hz to 180Hz. In addition, the monitor now has two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, while the previous model had just one. 

Further reading: See our roundup of the best gaming monitors to learn about competing products.

Gigabyte G34WQCP design  

The Gigabyte G34WQCP’s design is basic. From the front, the display panel is framed by thin black bezels on three sides, with a small chin at the bottom featuring a centered Gigabyte logo. Gigabyte uses matte black plastic for the stand, while the rear of the display panel combines that with some semi-gloss accents.  

While the G34WQCP isn’t much to look at, it’s well-built. The monitor’s plastic panels didn’t warp when I handled the monitor, and I didn’t hear creaks or groans while I set it up. That’s not a high bar to clear, but budget monitors don’t always hurdle it. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The monitor’s display panel is curved with a radius of 1500R (a lower number means a more aggressive curve). This is a moderate, readily noticeable curve, but not so aggressive that it becomes distracting outside of games. With that said, people who work with digital art, photography, and video may not like the curve, as it slightly warps the appearance of images and videos on the display (lines that are straight may not appear so, for example).  

Despite its affordable price, the G34WQCP includes an ergonomic stand with a good range of height and tilt adjustment, though it doesn’t swivel. I found the stand easy to adjust, as it required little force to move, yet stayed firmly in place once positioned. Setting up the stand is finicky, though, as the stand doesn’t clip into place but instead uses screws. It’s a minor annoyance, but it makes setup slightly more complicated. The display also supports a 100x100mm VESA mount for use with third-party monitor stands and arms. 

Gigabyte G34WQCP connectivity and menus  

The Gigabyte G34WQCP provides two HDMI 2.0 ports and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, for a total of four video inputs—one more than is typical for a budget ultrawide monitor. That’s one more port than the older Gigabyte GS34WQC, which had one DisplayPort input. 

However, the new G34WQCP doesn’t  support its maximum refresh rate over HDMI; only the DisplayPort connections can achieve the full 3440×1440 resolution at 180Hz. That’s not a major problem, as the HDMI 2.0 ports are likely to be used with game consoles that can’t achieve 180Hz. Still, it’s worth knowing if you plan to connect a PC over HDMI. 

USB connectivity is also absent. There is no USB-C input and no USB downstream ports for connecting wired peripherals. This is typical for a budget ultrawide monitor, but it’s a minor disappointment, as it makes the monitor less useful if your gaming den doubles as your home office. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The monitor’s on-screen menus are controlled with a joystick located on the rear right side of the display panel. The joystick is responsive, and Gigabyte’s menus are easy to navigate, thanks to well-labeled options. The range of options is extensive and includes adjustments for color temperature and gamma. 

Is Gigabyte Control Center supported? 

The monitor also comes with a pair of 2-watt speakers that provide basic audio. They aren’t loud and lack low-end depth, so they’re not good for games, movies, or music. Most people will prefer to use external headphones or speakers. Still, the built-in speakers are an acceptable option for watching a YouTube video or listening to a podcast. 

Gigabyte G34WQCP SDR image quality 

SDR image quality is, of course, very important for the Gigabyte G34WQCP. While the monitor does support HDR, most PC games still only support SDR, and most Windows applications are also limited to SDR. Fortunately for Gigabyte, the G34WQCP is a strong performer in SDR content.  

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Starting with brightness, the Gigabyte G34WQCP delivered an impressive maximum SDR brightness of 485 nits. This is much higher than necessary for most situations, but it’s a perk if you plan to use the monitor in a brightly lit room or near sunlit windows. 

It’s also worth noting that curved display panels have a tendency to focus light sources behind the viewer, which can make the display less comfortable to view. The G34WQCP’s high brightness helps balance out that problem.  

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Contrast is a real highlight, as the monitor achieved an impressive contrast ratio of 4720:1. That’s an excellent result for a display that lacks a Mini-LED dynamic backlight or an OLED panel.  

The G34WQCP’s image is immersive and provides convincing shadow detail in dark areas under most viewing conditions. The G34WQCP’s edge-lit backlight means it will still display slightly elevated black levels in the darkest scenes, but contrast otherwise looks fantastic. 

Gigabyte has an edge over other monitors in this price bracket. IPS monitors like the RCA Premium Gaming Monitor and Asus ROG Strix XG27QCS have a far lower contrast ratio, which can make their images appear slightly flat and washed out. Other VA panel monitors, like the Xiaomi G34WQi, come close to the G34WQCP, but Gigabyte’s result is the best we’ve seen from a VA panel this year. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The G34WQCP’s color gamut is solid but doesn’t provide any advantage over the competition. It achieves 95 percent of DCI-P3 and 86 percent of Adobe RGB—figures that translate to a bright, vibrant image that looks saturated and lively.  

However, as the graph shows, the monitor’s performance is in line with similarly priced monitors.  

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The same can be said for color accuracy. The G34WQCP’s accuracy is good enough that any errors are generally unnoticeable in typical use. However, even budget monitors now tend to ship with strong color accuracy out of the box, so this is no longer a defining characteristic.  

The monitor produced a gamma curve of 2.3, slightly off our target of 2.2, which means content appears a bit darker than it should. Color temperature came in at 7000K, noticeably higher than the 6500K target, giving the image a cooler tone. The monitor does offer gamma and color temperat