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The 5 Best Curved Gaming Monitors from HP
Jolene Dobbin
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March 20, 2020
Serious PC gamers know how much an immersive experience matters to their gameplay. And having the right monitor can make or break that experience.
Curved gaming monitors provide more screen real estate, faster refresh rates, and more detailed imagery, along with higher-resolution screens than traditional displays. We’ll take a look at the best curved gaming monitors that you can get from HP®.
But first, we’ll include a quick overview of what constitutes a curved gaming monitor and then dive in to some of the more important curved gaming monitor features to consider before buying. Then we’ll get into the best curved gaming monitors themselves.
What is a curved gaming monitor?
A curved gaming monitor differs from a traditional flat-screen monitor in that it bends on each end to create a curve that enables a larger and better field of view.
Because you’re seeing more of the screen at once, you don’t need to move your head (and eyes) around as much to look at different areas of the screen. This helps reduce eye strain and produces a clearer, more comfortable, more immersive viewing experience.
Those in the world of gaming especially welcome this immersive experience. Gamers playing first-person shooter (FPS) titles and racing games in particular benefit from having a more expansive field of view within their peripheral vision.
Common curved gaming monitor specs
Screen size
Curved gaming monitors range in size from 22 inches up to the giant ultrawide 49-inch models, measured diagonally. The larger your display, the larger the field of vision for your games and a potentially more enjoyable, even competitive, experience. You’ll want to weigh screen size against budget to get the most bang for your buck.
Resolution
A monitor’s resolution is the number of pixels that it can display within each dimension, or width by height (W x H). Monitor resolutions include:
- High Definition (HD): 1280 x 720 pixels
- Full HD (FHD, also called 1080p): 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Quad HD (QHD): 2560 x 1440 pixels
- Wide Quad HD (WQHD): 3440 x 1440 pixels
- Ultra High Definition (UHD) or 4K: 3840 x 2160 pixels (Note: 4K is also more than 8 million pixels)
- 8K: 7680 x 4320
While you should look for the highest resolution you can afford, QHD (or 1440p) is the minimum we recommend for curved gaming monitors. That resolution is both large enough and clear enough to play games on your monitor.
Aspect ratio
Curved monitors come in two different varieties: wide and ultrawide screen. Wide monitors have 16:9 aspect ratios, which are the standard for streaming media. Ultrawide monitors, on the other hand, have 21:9 aspect ratios, which offer more screen real estate (often the equivalent of combining two or three displays) and thus a wider landscape view of games. They’re designed for a more cinematic experience, similar to that of movie screens.
Refresh rate
The refresh rate, expressed in hertz (Hz), refers to the number of times per second that a monitor displays images on screen. Refresh rates of 60 Hz are acceptable for most users, but higher refresh rates of at least 144 Hz result in sharper images. Gamers, therefore, prefer monitors with higher refresh rates for playing games.
Response time
A monitor’s response time, measured in milliseconds (ms), indicates how quickly a pixel can display a change from either black to white or from one shade of gray to another. Lower response times are better, and good gaming monitors boast response times of 5 ms or less.
For the best gameplay, response times and refresh rates should be the inverses of each other. For instance, monitors with a higher refresh rate and lower response time are the ideal combination for gaming. Again, you will want to consider both your budget and your gaming preferences when considering these specs.
Contrast ratio
Contrast ratio measures the contrast capability and luminance of monitors, meaning the difference between the darkest black and the brightest white colors that they emit. A higher contrast ratio means deeper blacks and thus better picture quality. Most monitors average a 1,000:1 contrast ratio with the better ones featuring 3,000:1.
The Best Curved HP Gaming Monitors
1. HP OMEN X 35 curved display
The OMEN X by HP 35 curved display is a 35-inch diagonal display that surrounds your field of vision to deliver an unmatched viewing experience. It boasts an Ultra WQHD (3440 x 1440) resolution and 21:9 aspect ratio, which is 34% more space than a 16:9 display.
More room for the details of your game
A micro-edge design ensures virtually no bezel encircles the display, giving you more expansive room to fill in the details of your game, and letting you engage and react more quickly. The 2,500:1 contrast ratio lets you see truer blacks adding more depth to shadows and dimly lit scenes.
Smooth, stutter-free gameplay
The monitor’s 100 Hz refresh rate offers clear visuals with minimal interruptions, and a speedy 4 ms response time with overdrive eliminates motion blur for crisp, fluid gameplay. It’s equipped with NVIDIA® G-SYNC technology, which synchronizes the monitor’s refresh rates along with the graphics processing unit (GPU) for sharp and stutter-free gameplay.
Play comfortably for prolonged periods
The HP OMEN X 35 curved display has a height-adjustable stand so you can tilt and swivel it to your ideal and most comfortable height within 130 mm and a range of -5 to +23 degrees. Ambient lighting not only lets you customize the lighting color to match the lighting on your PC, keyboard, and mouse, but it also diffuses your display’s brightness to reduce eye strain. When you’re done gaming, store your headset on the built-in headphone hook.
2. HP S430c 43.4-inch curved ultrawide monitor
The HP S430c 43.4-inch curved ultrawide monitor lets you experience the benefits of two screens in a single 43.4-inch diagonal curved widescreen ultra-extended graphics array (WUXGA) LED-backlit VA display with a 3840 x 1200 resolution. The massive screen’s 32:10 aspect ratio gives you a much larger field of view than 16:9 monitors.
Display two desktops at once
Use HP Device Bridge to control, show, and share content on your screen from two devices, including two PCs or a PC and an Android device. Using only one keyboard and mouse, you can copy and paste or drag and drop files and data between them without your cursor disappearing between monitors. Simply press a button to view images side-by-side, or you can use the entire screen for one device.
Massive screen space with exceptional visual quality
Jump into games or projects with the luxuries of a two-for-one setup: two 24-inch diagonal displays (without cable clutter or bezel breaks) on a 43.4-inch diagonal curved screen. The 3,000:1 contrast ratio gives you exceptional visual quality and color contrast, and a 5 ms response time eradicates blurring images for seamless experiences.
Log in with your face
The HP S430c curved ultrawide monitor features an 1080p integrated FHD webcam with embedded dual microphones so that you can conference with clear audio. This IR-enabled, pop-up webcam lets you log in with your face without needing to remember a password via Windows Hello, and then easily retract the webcam back into the top bezel once you’re done for privacy.
3. HP Z38c 37.5-inch curved display
Immerse yourself in the panoramic views provided by the HP Z38c 37.5-inch curved display. This 4K curved gaming monitor has a 37.5-inch diagonal LED-backlit, anti-glare display with a UWQHD+ (3840 x 1600) native resolution, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and a 60 Hz refresh rate.
Spend more time creating with more pixels
See every detail of your work, project, or game on your screen thanks to the crystal-clear, sharp, 4K-wide resolution. Count on factory-calibrated, reliable color from the first time you power it on. With an optimized pixel density of 111 pixels per inch, your text, fonts, and icons are exactly the right size so you can spend more time creating and less time having to zoom and pan across the screen.
Maximize your visual workspace
The wide viewing angles and 21:9 aspect ratio lets you experience sweeping panoramic visuals across one large viewing area. The 3-sided micro-edge bezel maximizes screen area visibility without having to worry about the distracting bezels in the middle of a dual display setup.
The seamless and large visual workspace helps you boost productivity by working across multiple applications without needing to switch tabs or having to view different displays.
Comfort and ergonomics
Up to 178-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles provide consistent, accurate, and bright images across the entire screen. Get comfortable to work (or play) ergonomically. This monitor swivels within a range of 45 degrees (both right and left), tilts from -5 degrees to 20 degrees vertical, and is height adjustable to a range of 4.7 inches.
4. HP E344c 34-inch curved monitor
The HP E344c 34-inch curved monitor offers a multi-display viewing experience within one ultra-thin, massive, curved screen. This monitor has a WQHD native resolution, 3000:1 contrast ratio, and a 21:9 aspect ratio (without the bezel breaks) so that you can view your content simultaneously and seamlessly.
Manage your display
Minimize on-screen distractions with flicker-free image presentation. This display lets you use HP Low Blue Light mode to filter blue light emission and shift colors to a warmer spectrum for more comfortable viewing. And with HP Display Assistant you can quickly resize screen partitions to work or game within separate regions of the screen.
Free up desk space
Free up valuable desk space with mounting options enabled by the VESA standard pattern at the back of the display. You can easily install systems such as your HP Chromebook, HP Desktop Mini, or select HP thin client models behind the screen and directly on the column stand.
Connect conveniently and quickly
Connect all of your devices easily and conveniently right at the display via DisplayPort and HDMI. This monitor has 3 USB Type 3.1 ports, and 1 USB Type-C port for fast charging and power delivery.
5. HP 27b curved display
Experience vibrant, expansive images within a 27-inch diagonal viewing area with the HP 27b curved display. This monitor is built for fast, fluid, and responsive gameplay with an FHD resolution, speedy response time of 5 ms, and a high refresh rate of 75 Hz.
Vivid visuals
A 178-degree viewing angle and anti-glare panel provide vivid detail from practically any position, and 2 million pixels plus a 16:9 aspect ratio enable crystal-clear visuals with stunning image quality. Its micro-edge design allows for seamless multi-monitor setups.
Outstanding color accuracy
Experience deeper blacks, richer reds, and brighter whites with the 3000:1 contrast ratio of the HP 27b curved display. This monitor features outstanding color contrast and more than 99% sRGB for amazing color accuracy.
Seamless frame transitions for smooth viewing
It includes AMD FreeSync technology, which is adaptive synchronization technology ensuring that the display and GPU refresh at the same time. This significantly lowers display errors and glitches such as stutters, input lag, and screen tearing.
Summary
Searching for the best HP curved gaming monitor for your needs involves several key factors. One of these is knowing what you want to use it for specifically; gaming only, or both gaming and working. Another is figuring out which specs will meet those needs, and then looking for something within that sweet spot in your budget.
While all of the curved monitors we’ve gone into here are perfect for multiple applications, the HP OMEN X 35-inch diagonal curved display is our pick for the overall best curved gaming monitor. Its ultra-wide WQHD resolution and 2500:1 contrast ratio combined with a whopping 21:9 aspect ratio, 100 Hz refresh rate, and lightning-fast 4 ms response time all provide a matchless viewing and gaming experience.
About the Author: Jolene Dobbin is a contributing writer for HP® Tech Takes. Jolene is an East Coast-based writer with experience creating strategic messaging, marketing, and sales content for companies in the high-tech industry.
