Best Budget Ultrawide · Gaming Monitors

AOC CU34G2XP

This 34-inch curved ultrawide gives you a much wider view in games that support it, plus loads of room for side-by-side windows, with a fast 180Hz refresh rate for the money.

Brand: AOC
Best for: Immersive ultrawide gaming and multitasking
Price range: Budget
Our score: 8.0/10

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Our take

The AOC CU34G2XP is a 34-inch curved ultrawide monitor that gives you a much wider view in games that support it, plus lots of room for side-by-side windows. Its 180Hz refresh rate is fast for the money.

Ultrawide gaming

With a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 3440 x 1440 resolution, the CU34G2XP is about a third wider than a standard 27-inch 1440p monitor. In games that support ultrawide, such as racing games, flight simulators, open-world adventures and strategy games, you see more of the world, and the 1500R curve wraps it around your field of view.

Some games don't support 21:9 and show black bars at the sides, and most console games are 16:9 only. Check that the games you play support ultrawide.

Picture quality

The VA panel has much higher contrast than an IPS monitor, so blacks look deep and dark scenes look rich. Colours are good for the money. Like most VA panels, dark, fast-moving scenes can show some smearing, which competitive players may notice.

HDR10 is supported, but brightness is too limited for HDR to look very different from SDR.

Performance and connections

The 180Hz refresh rate, available over DisplayPort, keeps games smooth, and FreeSync Premium (which also works with most NVIDIA cards) removes tearing. With 3440 x 1440 pixels, it needs about a third more graphics power than standard 1440p. An RTX 5070 or RX 9070 runs most games at high frame rates.

The stand adjusts in height, tilts and swivels, and there's a USB hub for accessories.

Who should buy it

Buy the AOC CU34G2XP for an affordable ultrawide for immersive games and multitasking. If you mostly play competitive shooters, a fast 27-inch IPS monitor is a better fit.

Key specifications

Size	34-inch, 1500R curve
Resolution	3440 x 1440
Panel	VA
Refresh rate	180Hz (DisplayPort)
Response time	1ms (GtG)
Adaptive sync	FreeSync Premium
HDR	HDR10
Connections	2x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4, USB hub
Stand	Height, tilt and swivel

Strengths and weaknesses

Pros

Wide, immersive 21:9 view
High contrast VA panel
180Hz is smooth for fast games
Height-adjustable stand

Cons

Some dark smearing, typical of VA panels
Not every game supports 21:9
Needs a reasonably powerful graphics card

Verdict

This 34-inch curved ultrawide gives you a much wider view in games that support it, plus loads of room for side-by-side windows, with a fast 180Hz refresh rate for the money. It earns our Best Budget Ultrawide award in our guide to the best gaming monitors.

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