Budgetgaming monitorshave gotten really good, and theASRock Phantom Gaming PG34WQ15R2Bis a prime example of that. Right now, the company is offering a huge discount on one of its 165Hz ultrawide offerings, and you can grab it for just$200. At that price, there are a lot of features that this monitor brings, making it the perfect upgrade for your gaming setup. Of course, there are some compromises you will be making with the PG34WQ15R2B, so don’t expect an OLED or Fast IPS panel here.
ASRock Phantom Gaming PG34WQ15R2B: Specifications and Features
ASRock is known for its more affordableofferings in the motherboardand GPU space, and that rings true in the gaming monitor space as well. The company has quite a few offerings ranging from 27-inch 1080p to 34-inch 1440p, including the PG34WQ15R2B, which comes in at34 inchesand is3440x1440. It is a curved display with1500Rcurvature. TheVA panelhas a 21:9 aspect ratio and a165Hz refresh ratewith 1ms MPRT response time.
ASRock Phantom Gaming PG34WQ15R2B
The ASRock Phantom Gaming PG34WQ15R2B is a 34-inch ultrawide gaming monitor that boasts a 3440x1440 resolution, 1500R curvature, and a 165Hz refresh rate. It comes with a VA panel with decent color accuracy and support for VESA DisplayHDR 400. The typical brightness is rated at 550 nits and the monitor stand has Wi-Fi antennas built in.
In terms of color accuracy, it will not be as sharp and accurate as IPS or OLED options, but it still does a pretty good job with 91% DCI-P3 and 115% sRGB color space. The viewing angles, however, are just as good as IPS at 178 degrees. The PG34WQ15R2B has an advertised550 nits typical brightnessand isVESA DisplayHDR 400certified. It also has AMD FreeSync Premium support for a tear-free gaming experience.
One unique feature here is the integrated Wi-Fi antennas, so if you use Wi-Fi on your PC and have antennas sticking out the back of it, the PG34WQ15R2B allows you to connect the Wi-Fi receiver to the monitor stand and have a better connection. ASRock says it improved the connection quality compared to having the antennas under the desk.
For connectivity, the ASRock Phantom Gaming PG34WQ15R2B comes with two HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4 port. There is no USB hub here, but you do get an audio jack. The included stand has a V-shaped base that is quite common with gaming monitors. However, it does allow for swivel, tilt, and height adjustments for the perfect viewing angle. For even more adjustability, you can put themonitor on an arm, thanks to VESA 100x100 compatibility.
While most gamers will be using gaming headphones or a headset while in front of the monitor, it does havetwo 2W speakers.
ASRock Phantom Gaming PG34WQ15R2B: Price and availability
The PG34WQ15R2B isavailable at Newegg for just $199, which is a47% discountfrom its original price of $380. It comes in a single black color and there is no RGB lighting on this model. ASRock does have a PG34WQ15R2A model that comes with RGB lighting in the back. There is a Mini-OLED Phantom Gaming logo and two RGB light strips that can be customized using the Polychrome Sync software. Other than that, it’s the same monitor thatcosts a bit more at $326, discounted from its original price tag of $460.