And while Gigabyte has gone with a VA panel instead of a better-performing (and more expensive) IPS model, it actually performed quite well in our testing. That brings us to the panel itself – the most important component of a gaming monitor, where cost cutting is less than ideal. I'd go so far as to call this a masterclass in effective cost-cutting, hitting the important parts while skipping the less-used bells and whistles – at least, in terms of design and build. The power supply is built-in, so you don't have any power bricks cluttering up your workspace, and the on-screen settings are navigable with a joystick button on the rear of the monitor.

It does have some weak speakers and a headphone jack, if that's your thing, but again – it should serve most users well enough.

In addition, the IO is limited to two DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 jacks – no USB pass-through at all. This won't be a problem for most people looking at the monitor straight on, but it may not work for less conventional setups (not that you'd probably want to use it in less conventional setups anyway, given its slight 1500R curve.) The display is VESA-compatible, so you could use it with a third-party arm if you wanted, but that cuts into the cost savings you're getting from this monitor.

And while that stand offers all-important height and tilt adjustments, you don't have the ability to swivel or pivot the display. For example, Gigabyte's design is basic but attractive, with no RGB lighting or flashy accents – just a mostly frameless bezel atop a flat, two-legged stand that keeps wobble to a minimum.

Gigabyte g34wqc microcenter