Shortly after getting my first ultrawide monitor several years ago, I became a proud member of the “ultrawide gang” — a group of truly cultured PC gamers that enthusiastically use and sing the praises of the wider display form factor. As much as I’ve come to strongly prefer the 21:9 aspect ratio, though, there’s always been one problem that tends to make it a tough sell: pricing. These days, it’s difficult to find an ultrawide gaming monitor that’s under $500, and many high-end options have price tags that exceed $1,000.
For many players, that means taking advantage of things like the Cyber Monday holiday shopping sales event is absolutely crucial if you want to invest in an ultrawide without breaking the bank. There are lots of great deals on 21:9 monitors available right now, but by far, the best one I’ve seen is this huge 37% off markdown on the HP OMEN 34c that cuts the price down to just $299.99 on Amazon. That’s a significant $180 taken off its $479.99 MSRP, making this an absolute steal of a discount.
Ultrawide gaming for just $300 is fantastic
Playing games at 21:9 ultrawide will likely take some time to get used to, especially if you’ve never tried it out before and have gamed exclusively on 16:9 screens for many years. With that said, I quickly ended up falling in love with the wider peripheral vision that 3440×1440 resolution affords you, and can’t imagine going back. Not only does a broader view give you a noteworthy advantage in games like shooters where being acutely aware of your surroundings is important, but it also allows you to take in more of a game’s world at once and bask in the Immersion™. I find that I appreciate that aspect of ultrawide the most when playing single player RPGs, but it enhances my experience across many different genres.
But why get this ultrawide monitor? Well, aside from the fact that $300 is a dirt cheap price for one, it’s 34 inches — this is generally considered to be the ideal size for ultrawide gaming — with a subtle 1500R curve, great colors, support for HDR, solid contrast, AMD FreeSync Premium for eliminating screen tearing, a speedy low-lag 1ms response time, and a sweet refresh rate of 165Hz. Put simply, it looks awesome, has most of the bells and whistles gamers are looking for these days, and can support gaming at up to 144 FPS as long as you’ve got a PC with hardware capable of pushing your framerates that high.
Of course, it’s not without its drawbacks. As my colleague Rebecca Spear touched on in her 4/5 review of the HP OMEN 34c, the lack of USB ports on the monitor’s chassis means that you can’t hook up PC gaming peripherals through it; many other monitors have slots like these. There’s not a webcam, either, and the display’s speakers leave much to be desired as well. I’ll also note that a peak brightness of 400 nits may be too dim for you if your setup is in a room with lots of bright, natural lightning.
Ultimately, though, the absence of USB ports isn’t a huge problem since your PC tower will have several of its own, and I’m sure most people use a headset or dedicated speakers instead of their monitor’s when enjoying their games. If you can look past those issues and aren’t affected much by the other ones, you’ll have a crazy affordable high-quality ultrawide gaming monitor on your hands. Just make sure to take advantage of Amazon’s $300 Cyber Monday price for the HP OMEN 34c ASAP, as it’s impossible to know how long the offer will stick around. Alternatively, have a look at the best Cyber Monday gaming monitor deals we’ve found on other panels for some additional options to consider.
When did Black Friday end?
Black Friday always falls on the Friday directly after Thanksgiving. This year, it was on November 29, 2024 and concluded at midnight when Friday rolled into Saturday. Black Friday is the first of the two major holiday shopping sales events, and is when many deals like this one first went live. Lots of Black Friday deals remained active through the weekend and are still available during Cyber Monday, though others were ultimately taken down.
When does Cyber Monday start?
Cyber Monday refers to the Monday after the Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend, which means that it started on December 2, 2024 — that’s today! Cyber Monday is the follow-up to Black Friday, and is a digital-only extension of the availability of special holiday discounts. Some retailers simply turn their Black Friday deals into Cyber Monday ones, but many others also introduce new markdowns once it starts.
When does Cyber Monday end?
Cyber Monday is scheduled to officially end when the clock strikes midnight tonight, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Cyber Monday deals will. Lots of storefronts extend the lifespan of their discounts by several days to compete with rivals and give shoppers more time to hunt for savings, though not every deal stays online once Monday concludes. I wouldn’t wait on any deals you find today that you’re interested in, but definitely watch for remaining deals you might’ve missed later this week.
