The ViewSonic XG340C-2K Curved Gaming monitor was a breath of fresh air when I first plugged it in, not only did it produce a fantastic picture, but it came in a sleek and well-equipped package. As someone who spends a lot of time on his gaming PC, I know how important it is to have a good monitor to go with your rig. While it’s great to have the latest GPU, such as an RX 7900 XTX or an NVIDIA RTX 4080, if your display is holding things back, you won’t be getting the most out of your PC hardware.
Thankfully, ViewSonic has come up with a solid entry in the form of the XG340C-2K curved gaming monitor, a 34-inch curved ultrawide gaming monitor that not only looks fantastic but also allows you to get the most out of your gaming experience thanks to its 180Hz refresh rate.
At CGMagazine, we have seen our fair share of displays, and despite the wealth of options, the Elite family of gaming displays is always a favourite monitor with the staff. Much like its predecessors, the Viewsonic Elite XG340C-2K 34-inch is packed with features, including HDMI 1.4, a stunning 180Hz refresh rate, a USB 3.1 Type-C port and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. It is amazing to see a brand take into account what you will be doing with your new gaming display and tailor the experience to meet or exceed your expectations.
Since the monitor was set up in our office on the test bench, it has become the centre of attention whenever a game is being played. Video games look fantastic and run smoothly, thanks to the monitor’s cutting-edge capabilities. Movements look fluid, and the curved screen makes for an immersive experience. Games like Doom Eternal, Bioshock, and of course, World of Warcraft all feel cinematic and bring the digital experience to life. Even without going into the specs, the Viewsonic XG340C-2K 34″ curved gaming monitor is a fantastic display that enhances the gaming experience in the ways that matter most.
Looking at the screen, the Viewsonic XG340C-2K 34″ has a top refresh rate of 3440 x 1440, with a response time of 1ms (GTG) and a refresh rate of 180Hz (OC), making it incredibly responsive and snappy for even today’s most intense games. It also features AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA DisplayHDR, giving colours and contrast the depth and vibrancy demanded by the latest games.
“…the Viewsonic XG340C-2K 34″ is a fantastic display that enhances the gaming experience in the ways that matter most.”
The 1000R’s curved display may sound like a gimmick at first, but it’s actually a very immersive way to enjoy your games. Admittedly, it takes a bit of getting used to, and if you’re used to fast-paced shooters like Fortnite or CS:Go, you might have to sit back a bit to avoid missing part of the screen.
However, when you dive into a game like F1 22, the curved display puts you into the experience, making it much more immersive and engaging. I will say that standard work on the 34″ screen can be a little tedious, and I had to sit back a little and change my workflow to make the most of what the large curved screen has to offer.
I never thought I would say this, but the ViewSonic XG340C-2K delivers better sound than I would have expected from built-in speakers. For someone looking for an all-in-one solution for their new gaming setup, ViewSonic has done the work to make sure things sound good. Most of the time, I would advise people to always look for external speakers or invest in a good pair of gaming headphones like the SteelSeries Arctis Pro, but the sound from the XG340C-2K is fantastic.
The highs and mids feel crisp and give the sound enough depth to be enjoyable at higher volumes; the lows are a little soft overall, but good enough, considering you don’t need to hook up any extra cables to enjoy your audio. If you’re a gamer who plays online, a headset is a must, but if you’re more concerned with ease of use than immersion, the monitor’s built-in speakers will do the trick.
The size and sharpness of the ViewSonic XG340C-2K make it an excellent choice for streaming media services such as Netflix, as well as music and film. Movies and media look great on the crisp 3440 x 1440 screen, with the monitor giving enough vibrancy and clarity to the colours that almost all video on the screen looks positively stunning.
Unfortunately, as mentioned above, standard tasks such as writing and spreadsheets are not ideal on the screen. The size combined with the resolution can make things feel a little skewed. Thankfully this can be adjusted with settings, but out of the box, it can be a bit of a challenge.
With such a vibrant screen and fast refresh rate, there is always the urge to pair it with a next-generation console, the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5. Unfortunately, I feel this is one area where consoles lag behind the PC. Although it can be used on both, the Xbox Series X is better suited to its native 21:9 aspect ratio, and even that does not feel as good as it does on the PC.
The ViewSonic XG340C-2K’s interface is intuitive and makes it easy to change the display’s settings. You can always change the display settings on your computer, but this monitor also has a small knob on the bottom that allows you to cycle through different preset settings optimized for different game genres (such as first-person shooter, battle royale, etc.) for more granular control.
“Not everyone needs a 180Hz curved screen, but for those who do, the XG340C-2K is an impressive proposition.”
The ViewSonic XG340C-2K is a fantastic display for gamers, and it comes with some useful extras. It has a hook for headphones or a gaming mouse, it has USB-C for charging your devices, and it even has KVM support so that you can use a single set of keyboard and mouse on multiple systems. It’s not something I knew I’d need in my life, but there’s something oddly satisfying about being able to plug a laptop into the screen and have the same setup I use on my desktop work just as expected.
As with all ViewSonic Elite displays, the base is solid and incredibly easy to assemble. Most people should be able to get the whole box up and running in no more than 10 minutes. Once everything is hooked up, the base offers enough flexibility to tilt, move up and down and adjust as needed. ViewSonic has always been a favourite for its flexibility, and the XG340C-2K is no different.
Setting up the ViewSonic XG340C-2K curved gaming monitor is also simple and intuitive, thanks to the Elite Display Controller software. While there is an OSD adjustment accessible via the joystick button under the Elite logo, the software makes the process incredibly easy. It has clear panels that make changing settings as simple as clicking a button. From turning on the FreeSync Premium Pro settings to changing the RGB lighting, ViewSonic has taken the frustration out of setting up a monitor, and that is something I am happy to see.
This all leads us to the price: at $799.99, the ViewSonic XG340C-2K is one of the more expensive 1440P curved screens on the market, but thanks to the features and level of flexibility, it feels like a worthwhile investment should you need a screen of this size. Not everyone needs a 180Hz curved screen, but for those who do, the XG340C-2K is an impressive proposition.
As someone who never knew just how immersive a curved display could be, I can say that the ViewSonic XG340C-2K gaming display offers an unparalleled experience for PC gamers, albeit at a hefty price of $799.99. You could get a much bigger and better quality TV for a lot less money. However, for a PC gamer who wants the most immersive visual experience without compromise, you can’t go wrong with the ViewSonic XG340C-2K.
