MSI Optix MAG342CQR 1500R Curvature 21:9 Aspect Ratio Narrow Bezel 1ms 3440 x 1440 (UWQHD) 144Hz Refresh Rate Tilt/Swivel/Height/Pivot Adjustment 34" AMD Freesync Gaming Curved Monitor, Black

Great monitor for general productivity use. Colors are sharp. Text is clear. The vast amount of display area is amazing. The curve seems just right: the whole screen stays clear at normal working distance.Many 3440x1440 (UWQHD) monitors are available. I chose this one in part because it is a good value, but also for the adjustable stand. The stand is a triangle with widely spread legs: it is very sturdy. I've used large monitors with tiny stands and they tend to bounce around. The stand is fully adjustable: I was able to get the height and tilt exactly right -- without using packs of printer paper as for other monitors.The 3440x1440 resolution and 34" size is the sweet spot for everyday, boring text-based apps such as text editors, IDEs, the command line and so on. I use Linux Mint which is a great Linux distro. However, support for high resolution monitors is limited. I tried using a 27" 4K monitor. While that monitor worked great with a Mac, Linux Mint just can't use it correctly. Scaling is either normal (text far too small) or 2x, which makes text blocky and provides no more space than the 1080p monitor.So, a better solution is this monitor. The larger size, coupled with greater resolution, gives about the same dot pitch as the 1080p monitor, so no need to mess with scaling. Text is clear at normal scaling, if just a bit smaller than with the old monitor. To see how this will work for you, measure your old monitor's height and divide by 1080. Compare that to the specs of your new choice. Confusingly, some specs list dpi (dots-per-inch), some list "ipd" (inches per dot). One is just the inverse of the other.I've not used newer OLED monitors, so I can't compare colors with one of those. On the other hand, unless you are watching movies or playing games, it hardly matters. On this monitor, web pages are amazingly crisp. There is more space for my development tools. PDFs now display full page large enough to read without having to zoom in and scroll each page. There is plenty of space to display two apps side-by-side to minimize Alt-Tab window switching. Display technology has come a long way: this monitor is amazing when compared with the five-yer-old one it replaces.The monitor is rated at 144Hz refresh. My poor old hardware delivers only 50Hz at this resolution. Perhaps it would be higher if I used display port rather than HDMI. This seems to not be a problem for development work: I can't type that fast anyway. Videos seem fine. Perhaps the higher refresh rates are most important for gamers.In short, this is a cost-effective upgrade for work use when coming from an old-school 1080p monitor. I'm very pleased so far. Just make sure your graphics can handle the resolution.

Stand is nice and sturdy supporting this monitor. The picture quality is huge step up from the Samsung 24 inch I was using. The curve isn't too aggressive at 1500R. It's also perfect for digital audio workstations. Gaming is also a fantastic time with an ultrawide especially if you play first person shooters.

I was a bit concerned from other reviews but I decided to get this monitor since it was at a very great discount during Black Friday week of 2023. It's April of 2025 now, and I don't regret getting this monitor AT ALL. It's worked flawless over the past 1.5 years with constant, everyday use.Definitely money well spent. I'll update if I ever have an issue with it.

Works great performance is amazing

I ordered this monitor on September 28, 2023. On February 23, 2024, I returned to my desk after lunch to find the monitor screen completely white, or completely blank. I tried all the usuals, rebooting, new video cable, factory reset, etc., nothing. The screen remained white.Although my Amazon warranty had expired, the monitor was still under warranty by MSI. I contacted them and got an RMA number and was informed that I was responsible for the return shipping, which in this case was $95 via UPS and that didn’t include the shipping box, which was an additional $25. So off the monitor goes to CA.Several days later I received a text update that the monitor had been fixed and shipped, although I was never provided with a tracking number. So I wait.Skip to March 9, 2024. I receive a text update that the monitor would be delivered on, March 11, 2024 via FedEx. Still no tracking number.Today is March 11, 2024, and after staying home all day waiting for FedEx because the monitor will have to be signed for, I receive another text update that that it has been delayed and won’t arrive until March 14, 2024, and again, someone will have to be here to sign for it.Again, in all my years on Amazon, this is the worst experience I’ve ever had. This seemingly higher-end monitor was a dud, and it cost me additional $125 to ship the piece of junk back. If I could give this experience an additional -3 stars I would.If you’re contemplating this monitor, you should really think it over.UPDATE 03/12/2024: So after being informed via text that my monitor delivery would be delayed until 03/14/2024, it arrived today 03/12/2024. It arrived in a raggedy assed box, the stand was broken (see photo), and it was missing the 3 key screws that actually hold the stand to the base. Upon calling MSI customer support I was advised that my NEW stand and screws would be sent to me via FedEx in 2 days. So I wait… again. MSI apparently has no quality control measures in place whatsoever. More updates to follow.UPDATE 03/15/2024: So, after still not receiving a tracking number, I contacted MSI and asked for it. Come to find out, after their screw up they placed no expedited shipping on my parts. I was provided with regular shipping and now my parts won’t be here until Monday, March 18. So now I have been without my monitor for over 2 weeks because of MSI’s incompetence and zero customer service skills. Update to follow.UPDATE 03/18/2024: So today I finally received the replacement parts that MSI left out or broke from the original shipment. As of today, the monitor is working.If you place any value on quality customer service and attention to detail, you better hope nothing goes wrong with it if you buy this monitor. If mine goes bad again, I won’t be returning it to MSI for repairs, it will going in the recycle bin where it belongs.