As a standalone product, the Cooler Master GM34-CWQ2 is a very good ultrawide gaming monitor. It has a 180 Hz refresh rate, very low input lag, good motion handling, a fully adjustable overdrive level, timers, virtual crosshairs, and everything else you might need to truly enjoy your gaming sessions, and even have a competitive edge over participants with lesser monitors. The curved 34-inch ultrawide panel offers excellent immersion in games but also does wonders for any kind of productivity work, as it lets you comfortably use two Windows side-by-side. You also get the luxury of fully utilizing the available screen real estate, as there's no need to use Windows scaling; the monitor is perfectly usable at 100% scale level.

If we look at it as a successor to last year's GM34-CWQ ARGB, then things become more complicated. You're getting a higher refresh rate panel, reduced input lag, more overdrive options, improved OSD, and an integrated KVM switch. The latter is useful enough to make the decision easy for anyone who's looking to use the monitor with two separate systems connected simultaneously. However, you're also getting a lower quality VA panel, with worse color accuracy (at least before calibration) and halved static contrast ratio. In other words, the Cooler Master GM34-CWQ2 is even more responsive when gaming, and infinitely more practical to use in dual system setups, but its picture looks less punchy.

With the MSRP pricing set to $470, the GM34-CWQ2 should in fact cost less than its predecessor, which currently goes for $500. This is a good call on Cooler Master's behalf, one that makes a slight reduction in uncalibrated color performance easier to tolerate. Also worth pointing out is the fact that competing 34-inch 180 Hz ultrawide monitors cost significantly more - the Asus ROG Strix XG349C goes for $770, and the ViewSonic Elite XG340C-2K will set you back $700. The Asus TUF Gaming VG34VQL3A is $70 less expensive, but doesn't use Quantum Dot technology. There's definitely room on the market for the Cooler Master GM34-CWQ2.