Specs-wise this monitor is ideal for those looking for an “affordable” 1440p ultrawide for gaming and graphic design: 100hz with freesync, 4ms response time, 100% sRGB, and a Samsung VA panel. Unfortunately, it suffers from a few major flaws, the obvious being the lack of height adjustment. Normally this isn’t a big issue since monitors that have un-adjustable stands and sit low to the desk can be easily propped up. But in this case the problem is that the monitor sits too high above the desk – about 3.7 inches, 1 inch higher than my previous monitor. This makes viewing the top portion of the screen for an extended period result in neck strain.Unfortunately the issues don't end with ergonomics. Compared to my previous monitor, another design-series MX27AQ IPS panel, colors are noticeably less saturated and almost look washed out by comparison (using “Standard” preset mode, “Warm” color temperature, 80% brightness & using Displayport 1.2a). This can be compensated for by using the “Scenery” preset mode at the cost of sacrificing color and gamma accuracy. Gamma shift is a significant problem on such a big screen even when sitting directly in front of it. For example, moving a bright colored picture from the top of the screen to the bottom half of the screen causes the picture to lose vibrancy and appear washed-out. Despite being a member of the “designo” line, this monitor probably isn’t the best choice for graphic design and professional photo editors. Although the VA panel offers superior contrast ratio and slightly less “IPS glow”, the downsides (washed-out colors and poor viewing angles) are much more noticeable coming from a high-quality IPS monitor. In some respects, it almost feels like I’ve downgraded to a TN panel.The monitor suffers from backlight bleed that is particularly acute at the bottom corners of the screen. The bleed is noticeable enough that it’s even visible in the desktop at the extreme edges of the screen (see my image attachments). I’m not sure if this is a defect with my specific panel or if this is common for Samsung VA panels, but it’s significantly more noticeable than the backlight bleed on any of my prior monitors. My monitor also has a cluster of three or four dead/stuck pixels; luckily, they are at the bottom left of the screen and aren’t very noticeable.Despite its flaws, the monitor is visually stunning with a very attractive design. As a plus, it comes with decent 8-watt speakers that work fine for youtube and casual gaming. Gaming at 100hz with 3440x1440 is simply amazing, giving an incredible sense of immersion. Even without a freesync-compatible graphics card, using 100hz reduces screen tearing to the point where I no longer need to use Vsync in most games, whereas on my 60hz monitor I always felt the need to use Vsync. For non-gaming applications, the screen is sharp and text is crisp. There is noticeable pixel inversion, but this is common on most high refresh-rate monitors and isn’t much of an issue. Overall the MX34VQ is a strong contender as an “affordable” gaming ultrawide, but suffers from weaknesses in viewing angles and color vibrancy and lacks ergonomic flexibility. If the monitor included a height adjustable stand or sat 0.5”-1” lower to the desk and used an IPS panel instead of a lackluster VA screen, I would have given it a 5 star rating.UPDATE 3/23/17: After using the monitor for over a week, I’ve found the colors to be fantastic, and my initial assessment of its color reproduction to be overly harsh. This is definitely a step up from a TN panel but not quite as good as a high-quality IPS panel, but the difference isn’t as extreme as my initial review made it out to be. Viewing angles and backlight glow are still an issue, and the overall brightness of the screen is a bit on the low side, so using it in a room that gets a moderate amount of sunlight will cause the image to look a little bit washed out. But after using it at night and pushing it further back on my desk to around 30, color reproduction looks fantastic. Unfortunately, the lack of height-adjustment, backlight bleed and poor viewing angles are still an issue. Overclockers might be disappointed with this monitor: I was only able to achieve a stable 104hz on my monitor. Despite these shortcomings, I’ve change my score from a 3 to a 4.UPDATE 4/3/17: I’ve tried a second monitor of the same type and found the backlight bleed to be much better. Interestingly, the “Warm” color profile on the second panel is different and looks more accurate and less-washed out. While still not as vibrant as a good IPS display, the new panel comes close in image quality. There’s still gamma shift/poor viewing angles, but this is mitigated by moving the monitor further back on your desk. The slow pixel transition is very noticeable even when moving the cursor across the desktop, but that’s a necessary evil with VA panels. I’ve also found the built-in speakers to be good enough for gaming, which was a pleasant surprise considering most integrated monitor speakers are subpar. Like the original, I was only able to achieve 104hz overclock. Overall, I’ll attribute most of my initial misgivings to a faulty display; the second one I tried is an excellent value for ultrawide gamers.