ASRock PG34WQ15R2B 34-inch Curved Gaming Monitor Review: Efficient With Balanced Performance at an Attractive Price
As new technologies penetrate the market, prices inevitably fall.It took years, but some best gaming monitor We offer curved ultra-wide panels at reasonable prices. The 34-inch WQHD (3440×1440) gaming screen runs fast and offers solid gaming performance for under $500.
Primarily known for its PC hardware, ASRock introduced a line of Phantom Gaming branded monitors in 2022. The curved entry and my review subject is PG34WQ15R2B (hereafter referred to as PG34WQ). This is his WQHD VA panel with 1500R curve, 165 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR 400 and enhanced color.
specification
| Panel type/backlight | VA/W-LED, edge array |
| Screen size/aspect ratio | 34 inches / 21:9 |
| Curve radius: 1500mm | |
| Maximum resolution and refresh rate | 3440×1440 @ 165Hz |
| Free Sync: 48-165Hz | |
| G-Sync compatible | |
| Native color depth and color gamut | 8bit/DCI-P3 |
| HDR10, Display HDR 400 | |
| Response time (MPRT) | 1ms |
| Brightness (mfr) | 550 nits |
| Contrast (mfr) | 3,000:1 |
| speaker | 2x 2w |
| video input | 1x DisplayPort 1.4 |
| 2x HDMI 2.0 | |
| audio | 3.5mm headphone output |
| USB3.0 | none |
| power consumption | 34.1w, brightness @ 200 nits |
| panel dimensions | 31.9 x 18.4 to 22.4 x 11.1 inches |
| Width x Height x Depth with Base | (809×467～569×283mm) |
| panel thickness | 4.7 inches (120mm) |
| bezel width | Top/Side: 0.3″ (8mm) |
| Bottom: 0.8 inch (21mm) | |
| weight | 19.4 lbs (8.8 kg) |
| guarantee | 3 years |
PG34WQ is off to a great start. VA panel It boasts a native contrast ratio of 3,000:1. The LED backlight has field dimming capabilities that extend the dynamic range of SDR and HDR content. Always active in HDR mode, almost 17,000:1 in my testing. It has plenty of light output, peaking at just under 500 nits. SDR mode is just over 300 nits.
The wide color gamut covers about 85% of DCI-P3, which is average for the category. ASRock designed the color gamut to find a good compromise between sRGB and P3. This makes it suitable for SDR content mastered in small color spaces. You can see the extra color without passing the marker.
The PG32WQ is great value at $430 and has pretty much everything a gamer could want without any extra bells and whistles. Adaptive-Sync This works equally well on Nvidia and AMD platforms. A refresh rate of 165 Hz is achieved without overclocking. Tutors will also appreciate the inclusion of MPRT, also known as backlight strobe, to reduce motion blur.
Aimpoints, timers, frame counters, etc. are not found. And since there’s no LED lighting, you’ll have to leave the fireworks to your PC and other peripherals. But here are some interesting and unique things that make his PG34WQ stand out.
assembly and accessories
The first thing I noticed when I unpacked the PG34WQ were two slim coax cables. After reading the quick start guide, I discovered that ASRock has integrated his Wi-Fi antenna into the stand. A cable runs between the monitor and the coaxial connection on the PC. It’s the first time in my experience. Also available are HDMI and DisplayPort cables with IEC cords for internal power. The stand and base are joined by captive bolts to hold the panel firmly in place.
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The PG34WQ’s 1500R curve is neither subtle nor obvious. It strikes a good balance between immersion and image distortion, with a good deal of the former and no latter. The anti-glare layer is aggressive, but not grainy, and images are sharp without exaggerating edges to reduce resolution. The pixel density is 109ppi, which is the same as a 27-inch 16:9 flat panel. The bezel is thin at 8mm and flat. You’ll hardly notice it when viewing content.
The trim strip on the bottom has the Phantom Gaming logo and barely has a small blue LED to indicate power status. The back has an OSD joystick, two control keys and a power toggle. ASRock is unveiled in glossy lettering set beneath a thin grille that expels heat near the top of the panel.
The two Wi-Fi antenna ports are located on the bottom of the upright, so once connected, cables are out of the way. The stand is sturdy and offers solid movement with -7/20 degree tilt, 20 degree swivel and 100mm height adjustment. Phantom Gaming logo on front and back. Small holes help keep wires tidy. There is a 100mm VESA pattern under the panel mount and includes fasteners.
Inputs are sparse, with just two HDMI 2.0 and one DisplayPort 1.4. To run at 165 Hz, you must use DisplayPort. HDMI input only goes up to 100 Hz. A 3.5 mm jack is provided if you prefer to use headphones instead of listening to the tiny 2 watt internal speaker.
OSD function
The PG34WQ’s OSD is one of the most efficient I’ve ever seen, with just four submenus and only the most essential features needed for high performance gaming. Press the joystick and it will come out. A key takes the user directly to the brightness slider or image mode. Click the joystick left to change the input or right to adjust the audio volume.
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PG34WQ has 6 picture modes, all fixed except the default standard preset. It allows adjustment of brightness and color temperature. The only thing missing from the calibration suite is gamma. This is unfortunate because this monitor looks and measures too bright.The gamma is off by almost 10% which makes the image a bit washed out and lacking saturation. DCR is an effective dynamic contrast option that improves image quality with no obvious drawbacks. Recommended for SDR content. Locked on to HDR. MPRT provides a backlight strobe that reduces blur, but causes very visible phase artifacts.
The Image Setup menu allows you to change the aspect ratio, toggle between Overdrive and Adaptive-Sync, and set HDR to Auto mode. There was only one overdrive setting and it made no difference. We did see some black ghosting in our test pattern, but most of the game content ran smoothly with minimal blur.
The color temperature menu has four fixed options and a user mode adjustable with RGB sliders. You can use them to accurately dial in your PG34WQ with accurate grayscale tracking. If you choose not to calibrate, you can improve the image by choosing sRGB settings. Here’s why.
The last menu has input selector auto set, DDC/CI toggle and factory reset options. At the bottom is the input signal information.
ASRock PG34WQ15R2B Calibration Settings
I found some interesting things while calibrating the PG34WQ. In default mode, the image is cool, gamma is light, and depth and color are desaturated. I adjusted the user’s color temperature and saw a significant improvement without the gamma preset. However, if I lower the contrast slider from 50 to 35, gain It’s a static contrast that shouldn’t happen, but my test results don’t lie. ASRock should definitely add a gamma option in a future firmware update. This monitor needs them. Here are the settings I used.
| picture mode | standard |
| Brightness 200 nits | 51 |
| Brightness 120 nits | 18 |
| Brightness 100 nits | 11 |
| Brightness 80 nits | 3 (minimum 73 nits) |
| contrast | 35 |
| color temperature user | Red 65, Green 54, Blue 43 |
If you do not calibrate, we recommend setting the color temperature to sRGB. This fixes grayscale errors and slightly improves gamma. Turning on DCR can further improve the image. Unlike most monitors, the PG34WQ makes good use of the field dimming feature in his SDR mode. The only downside to this approach is that the brightness slider is grayed out. Without DCR, the peak luminance is around 150 nits. With DCR it is 210 nits.
HDR mode is automatically activated when an HDR10 signal is applied. Color accuracy is very good, with dynamic contrast close to 17,000:1. His HDR content here is excellent, better than most sub-$500 screens I’ve tested.
Games and hands-on
Immediately, I enjoyed the ideal curvature of the PG34WQ. I’ve tried monitors ranging from 2300R to 1300R, but the 1500R is my favorite at 34″ 21:9 size. In applications such as spreadsheets and word processors, there was no image distortion, but in games, you can see the objects around you without turning your head too much, giving you a sense of immersion.
I tried several different configurations to get the best SDR image from the PG34WQ. Standard image mode out of the box is not the best choice. Light gamma and cool color temperature dampen any sense of dimension. Details are less sharp and colors are less saturated.
My testing revealed some fixes. A simple one is to set sRGB in the color temperature menu and turn on DCR. This results in better detail, more color, and makes a big difference. The only drawback is the fixed brightness. With the DCR off it shows about 150 nits and with it on it shows 210 nits. I chose the latter for gaming, but turned it off for Windows to reduce the extra brightness when browsing the web.
The best choice is calibration. If you have no means, try my setup above. This allows you to adjust the brightness to your liking and achieve the best colors. It’s a color gamut compromise between sRGB and DCI-P3 for all content, and ASRock did a great job here.
The biggest feature of PG34WQ is HDR image quality. The DCR option is locked, boosting the contrast ratio to almost 17,000:1. Highlights are super bright, almost 500 nits, with more color saturation and depth. In the sub-$500 category, this is his one of the best HDR monitors I’ve seen.
The video processing options are basic and work so that’s fine. Overdrive can be on or off, but I didn’t notice a difference either way. Blurring is minimal and on par with most other 165 Hz monitors I’ve tested. Adaptive-Sync is working fine, so I saw some fading in the vertical lines rather than frame tearing. But panning left and right quickly would sometimes make the thin line double his.Not a distraction, my success in a familiar game Doom Eternal and tomb raider It was on par with monitors with better overdrive.
MPRTs, or backlight strobes, don’t work well here. This cancels Adaptive-Sync which is a questionable choice at 165 Hz. It also suffers from fading, like most monitors with this feature. It doesn’t reduce brightness much, but I found it to be distracting. I still preferred to stick with AS and Overdrive, and had equal success with both FreeSync and G-Sync platforms.
While using the PG34WQ, I found that it can be used in all areas for work and play. It performed comfortably above its price class with excellent HDR and a solid gaming experience.
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