There is no shortage of curved monitors these days. And while the jury is still out on whether or not they offer an objectively better experience than conventional flat monitors, it’s safe to say that emerging tech over the past few years has made these monitors more sleek and stylish than ever.
Viotek’s GNV32DBE is a curved monitor that doesn’t go overboard in any of its features and functionality (and I mean that in a good way). For anyone looking to start using curved monitors, the extreme curvatures of 1000R curved displays might seem intimidating. But GNV32DBE, with its 1500r curved VA panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, sits comfortably in the middle of the curved-monitor market.
It’s a common conception that only the gaming community predominantly uses curved monitors. Still, after being sent the Viotek GNV32DBE for review and using it in my music studio for the last couple of months, we couldn’t have been more impressed by just how versatile and beautiful this thing is regardless of the task at hand, which it was displaying.
So let’s dive into the full review or snag your GNV32DBE here
What I Liked Most About The Viotek GNV32DBE
I had minimal experience with curved monitors before using the Viotek GNV32DBE, having only used them at friends’ houses and colleagues’ studios. Which gave my impressions a clean slate from the moment I opened this monitor and through the months of work I’ve logged on it since it arrived.
And while there is a lot to be stoked about in this monitor, here is what I was most impressed with right out of the gate.
It’s Curvy, But Not Overly So
Being a casual gamer but a professional music producer, I assumed that most curved monitors were only for the hard-core gaming community and that you were burning your money investing in one’s functionality if you weren’t using it for high frame rates and intensive color gamuts.
But after working for hours a day in Ableton, writing articles like the one you’re reading right now, and then playing on the Starcraft 2 ladder whenever time permits, we quickly saw what all the buzz was about.
If the Viotek GNV32DBE had any more curvature than this, we probably would have counted it as one of the cons of the monitor. Still, the moderate curvature and considerable screen size help give a more intimate and hands-on feel to whichever workstations (for us, Ableton) you’re working in.
The Viotek GNV32DBE is a working person’s curved monitor and sits comfortably between the overly-stylized curves used by pro gamers and the conventional yet professional flat workspace monitor.
Its Buttery Smoothness
The monitor hosts a 165Hz refresh rate, a large color gamut, and class-leading color contrast making anything you’re working on come to life in front of your eyes. And yes, that does include the 8-bit aesthetic of DAWs like Pro Tools and Ableton.
To help put it into perspective, its color gamut covers nearly 90% of DCI-P3, the industry standard of RBG color space used with digital theatrical motion picture distribution. This is a fancy way to say that this monitor delivers dark, rich contrast and vivid imagery.
Assembly Was Fast and Easy
The Viotek GNV32DBE required little to no setup to start getting the most out of its features and display, which is a massive benefit for those less tech-savvy users who still want access to a high-quality monitor for their work. And while the monitor doesn’t come with many bells and whistles like LED or RGB lighting, the streamlined application of the monitor cuts down any room for user error (which is fantastic for music producers like us).
The build and design were lightweight and easy to manage by myself alone. While the legs that come packaged with the monitor to Keep it upright on your desk are relatively bulky, the Vesa-friendly mounting system on the back made it easy to mount on my monitor arm, which instantly freed up a ton of desktop space for my synths, keyboard, and other devices which you can see in the above image.
Its Quality-Of-Life Gaming Features
While I don’t spend as much time gaming as I would like, I will give props to Viotek for including a handful of gamer-friendly quality-of-life features to help maximize your gaming experience while using this monitor.
Viotek calls it Game Plus whose features are accessed through firmware and activates onscreen game timers, crosshairs, and even an FPS counter. While not necessary, especially for those looking to use this computer in a more professional setting, it’s good to know what this monitor is capable of.
What You Might Not Be Crazy About
Using this monitor in my studio for the last month or so has brought a lot of perks into my setup and workflow, but there are also some things that I could see more serious gamers and more design-focused professionals not being as excited about. Here are the things that I could see giving certain sects of people pause…
Its Lack Of Bells and Whistles
The minimal design and sleek aesthetic of the Viotek GNV32DBE mean there is little room for any other features on its front or rear panel. No LED or RBG lighting, USB ports, or other minor features that usually come standard with most devoted gaming monitors.
For me and my creative space, this was far from a deal breaker as the streamlined design allowed for a cleaner workspace and fewer cables to manage (at least in addition to the seemingly hundreds of wires from my synths, keyboards, speakers, and controllers). But gamers looking for those extra features to help elevate their gaming setup will likely have to consider this before debating whether this monitor is right for them or not.
It Can’t Rotate
I’ve worked alongside many creative professionals, from digital artists to coders, who need multiple monitors in their setup to help manage all their tasks at once. Often, they like switching their monitors from landscape to portrait to help manage the long strings of code and other tasks at hand.
The Viotek GNV32DBE cannot turn or twist, at least right out of the box, so accessing portrait mode is more complex than other monitors on the market. While this was far from a deal breaker for me as well, I could see it causing raised eyebrows amount certain users.
Is Viotek a good monitor?
We’ve finally come all this way to arrive at the big question of this post; is this monitor good enough for you to invest your money in?
While most monitors of this caliber will run you back a few hundred dollars, my experience says that the near $279 price tag is well justified for the Viotek GNV32DBE. And this stands up regardless of how you intend to use this monitor. Because after using it for gaming, music production, typing, YouTube-watching, Zooming, and more, I was consistently impressed by its color, functionality, size, and clarity.
If you are looking to dive headfirst into the industry-leading gaming gear that the pros are using, I am sure there are many other options out there that will cost three times the price. But for those looking for a crystal-clear monitor that works well in any situation that an average consumer and working professional is after, the Viotek GNV32DBE is an easy recommendation and one of the better monitors I’ve had the opportunity to use.
Viotek GNV32DBE Specs:
Panel Type / Backlight VA / W-LED, edge array
Screen Size / Aspect Ratio 32 inches / 16:9
Curve radius: 1500 mm
Max Resolution & Refresh Rate 2560×1440 @ 165 Hz
FreeSync: 48-165 Hz
G-Sync Compatible
Native Color Depth & Gamut 8-bit / DCI-P3
Response Time (GTG) 5ms
Brightness Brightness
Contrast 4,000:1
Speakers None
Video Inputs 2x DisplayPort 1.2
1x HDMI 2.0
Audio 3.5mm headphone output
USB 3.0 None
Power Consumption 39.4w, brightness @ 200 nits
Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base 28 x 20.5 x 10.5 inches (711 x 521 x 267mm)
Panel Thickness 4.5 inches (115mm)
Bezel Width Top/sides: 0.3 inch (8mm)
Bottom: 0.8 inch (20mm)
Weight 13.2 pounds (6kg)
Warranty 3 years
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
