With a high contrast VA panel, the CU34G3S brings plenty of dynamic range to the party. Though it doesn’t have a dimming feature for HDR, it still has more image depth than any IPS panel can boast. Vivid color is assured by a wide gamut that covers nearly 87% of DCI-P3. And for purists, there’s an accurate sRGB mode hidden in the color temp options. The color is quite accurate, and I found no need for calibration in either mode.

To keep games running smoothly, AOC includes both flavors of Adaptive-Sync. AMD FreeSync is the native tech, operating over a 48 to 165 Hz range. Nvidia G-Sync works fine, as confirmed by my tests, although the CU34G3S has not been certified by Nvidia. For play aids, you get an aiming point, frame counter and a backlight strobe for blur reduction if you prefer that instead of Adaptive-Sync. Also included is an effective three-level overdrive.

AOC has left out LED lighting, which doesn’t detract from the CU34G3S’s functionality. There are internal speakers and a plethora of USB 3.2 ports, one upstream and four down, to support your peripherals. With a solid and adjustable stand completing the package, this looks like a good deal for users looking to curve their images to the max.

Assembly and Accessories

The CU34G3S comes well-protected in a large carton with its three pieces surrounded by crumbly foam. After mating the base and upright using a captive bolt, the panel snaps in place. Under the attachment point is a 100 mm VESA mount that works with aftermarket arms and brackets. Bundled cables include HDMI and DisplayPort but not USB. The power supply is internal though unusually, the interface is IEC C5-6, commonly seen in power bricks. This is a first for me; I’m more accustomed to seeing IEC C13-14. No matter, with everything hooked up, the CU34G3S worked just fine.

Product 360

  

The seven sub-menus begin with Luminance, including brightness & contrast, plus gamma, dynamic contrast (SDR only) and the HDR modes. There are also eight picture modes, called Eco, focused on specific tasks or game types. Standard is the best place to be and is also the default mode. Coupled with the Game modes detailed below, changing Eco modes can be confusing. And as it turns out, there’s no benefit to tweaking the CU34G3S’s image settings. There is no improvement to be found by calibration, but luckily, the default image is quite accurate.

In Color Setup, you can choose between five presets, one of which is sRGB. This is the way to go if you prefer the correct setting for SDR content. Other options use the monitor’s full native gamut, which covers 87% of DCI-P3. The default option, Warm, is very accurate and cannot be improved.

Picture Boost is unique to AOC monitors. It lets the user create a frame in the center of the screen that’s brighter or dimmer than the surrounding image. Within the frame, you can adjust brightness and contrast along with size and position. Hidden in the OSD Setting menu, you’ll find a DisplayPort version option and a break reminder setting.

Ultra-wide displays are great for viewing multiple sources, and the CU34G3S lets you have two images up simultaneously. It’s picture-in-picture, so you can size the secondary window and change its position.

In Game Setting, you can choose between multiple game modes which alter image and video processing parameters. They get confusing when combined with the Eco modes. I suggest leaving Game Mode off and setting the overdrive to your preference. Strong works fine with no ghosting, but I saw a slight black trail behind moving objects in test patterns, a symptom of undershoot. You can turn on a frame counter here and set up a backlight strobe too. It has 20 levels which provide more blur reduction as the picture darkens.

AOC CU34G3S Setup and Calibration

The CU34G3S is quite accurate out of the box in its Standard mode and Warm color temp with Game Mode turned off. Trying various settings, including the User color temp, produced no gains in performance. It is best to leave the monitor on its default settings and set brightness to taste. I’ve provided the settings for commonly used levels below. If you want the sRGB color gamut, there’s an option for SDR content among the color temp settings. It renders that smaller gamut to near perfection.

In HDR mode, the default option is DisplayHDR which comes closest to the mark. Other settings include Game, Picture and Movie. Those three add edge enhancement which reduces picture quality. Stick with DisplayHDR for the best image with HDR content.

Brightness Settings

200 – 91

120 – 45

100 – 31

80 – 18 (min. 54 nits)

Gaming and Hands-on

If you’ve never used a curved monitor, or the one you’ve been using is gently curved, it would be wise for you to check out a 1000R ultra-wide screen before committing. This is the tightest curve currently available, and it is extreme. Thanks to that tight curve, spreadsheets and text documents will have a pincushion effect. It’s unavoidable, but it isn’t necessarily a problem. Once you get used to it, you’ll barely notice it unless you have flat screens nearby. And that’s another consideration. If you plan to have multiple monitors, they all should have the same curve and size. Three CU34G3S’s make an excellent cockpit for driving and flight simulators. Two screens are ideal for first-person shooters.

Shape aside, the CU34G3S provides plenty of screen area for work. Putting windows side by side is a natural state of affairs, as you’re essentially looking at two 27-inch QHD monitors. Pixel density is the same at 109 ppi, so the image will have the same sharpness.

Color and contrast are pleasing, with true blacks and sharp delineation of dark objects against light backgrounds. Black text on a white field renders cleanly without visible jaggies or anti-aliasing. Just avoid the additional HDR modes if you use HDR in Windows. Only DisplayHDR shows without edge enhancement.

Gaming proved to be an extreme pleasure. The CU34G3S has balanced performance with smooth motion and very low input lag. Though it didn’t blow my tests away (it was solidly average in response and lag scores), it matched my play rhythm with no perceivable lag and no loss of detail in fast-moving sequences. I always go straight to Doom Eternal’s Horde Mode and in this case, I ripped through the first few arenas in seemingly record time. The extra peripheral information certainly helped, and having it closer to my eye was a plus.

Games where I had more time to explore the environment, like Tomb Raider, further showed the value of a 21:9 screen. There is no better way to game than with an ultra-wide. The best 16:9 panel can’t match the extra width and the AOC’s tight curve accentuates the effect.

If you’re willing to accommodate some image distortion in workday tasks, it’s hard to top the gameplay experience offered by a monitor like the CU34G3S.