I was having trouble deciding on which monitor, so I ended up ordering 4 different monitors for testing (three - 32", and a 39").
They are all 16:9 and VA panels, but some using their monitor for Sim'n are going to prefer a 21:9 or even wider aspect, but I also use for work and rendering.

All these monitors are available from Amazon, but a couple of them I bought from Walmart since I did not want to abuse my Amazon return policy.

_____________________________________________________________

32 inch GIGABYTE G32QC A - Curved 1440p --- $300

32 inch SAMSUNG UJ59  - Flat 4k monitor - $320

32 inch Dell S3221QS 32 - Curved 4k monitor - $380

39 inch Deco Gear 39" - TO BE TESTED ONCE RECEIVED - $499
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The Deco Gear 39" is the most interesting one I will be testing, but it will not be here until August 4th or so.
I am very interested to see if this $500 generic 39" monitor can compete with the bigger brand names.

I did not find a 39" made by Viotek or Sceptre (or anyone really), so this monitor seems somewhat unique.
Sceptre does make a 40" for the same price, but I the white colored frame would not work for my room.

The biggest drawback on many of these monitors is the lower 2560x1440p, but to some people they might cite the lack of 144hz as the big drawback. To my aging eyes, I really don't play intense games, so it really makes very little difference to me. I really cannot tell the difference. It mostly affects motion resolution in fast paced action games, but this is hard for my eyes to see anymore, when I was younger I'm sure I could tell (but they didn't exist back then).

I ruled out the Samsung because after trying a curved monitor, I could not go back to a flat one.
So I returned the Samsung. The Samsung has the sharpest image, but the difference is small.
If you want a 32" flat-screen without the curve, the Samsung will be hard to beat at $350, it's a great monitor (incredibly sharp).

It took my eyes a few days to adjust to the curve, but some people will adjust in a few hours.
That said, there are different curvatures, and I just happen to test several of the different curvature ratios.

The Gigabyte uses a 1500r curve radius and has the most prominent curve of them all.
The Dell 32" uses an 1800r curve which is just a little less flamboyant than the Gigabyte's 1500R.
The Deco Gear 39" is a 3000r and has only a very slight curve to it.

Since I use the same PC for browsing, some coding, and some other tasks, the 1800r is a little easier.
I could adjust to any if I had to though, but I find the 1800r just a little more balanced for all tasks
I am testing the Dell later tonight, so will update this thread in a bit.

All four monitors are VA panels, of course OLED-QLED is better, but those get very expensive.

I am probably sending the Gigabyte back because it has some gamma accuracy issues (at least my sample did) and a very very tiny amount of CA around the pixels. Hence, it wasn't quite as sharp as I was expecting. Most people probably would not notice, because the difference wasn't that big (especially) after running Clear Type. It was however very difficult to calibrate and it came with a dE error of about 8, which is far higher than the other monitors here. It took me several hours to get it dialed in. After calibration, I was able to bring the dE error down to 1.65, so it did calibrate fine in the end, but in visually reviewing the calibration, it still had some black crush.

For PC monitors, I first calibrate to the standard color space using my C6 colorimeter with Calman. I then usually end up going with a slightly cooler calibration (adding blue to about 6800k or so).
I find the cooler calibration is easier for web browsing and other reading tasks, and really isn't different enough to have a large impact on gaming either. I only have an older version of Calman (5.2 I guess), but it still gets the job done ok.

The 4k Samsung flat monitor has the best picture overall, but I am sending it back due to preferring the curved screens.

So right now in the running we have the Dell 32" vs. the Deco Gear 39".
I am still comparing and the Deco Gear has not arrived yet, so I will have to finish this thread next week...

... TO BE CONTINUED ...

 

 

Edited July 26, 20223 yr by Alpine Scenery

Have to correct what I said earlier about the Dell, so it turns out the Dell has a minor bug.
Certain settings cause it to lose an extraordinary amount of contrast (from 2500:1 down to 500:1 to 1000:1).

I haven't identified the problem, but I did a factory reset and the contrast is now reading normally.
I read an uncalibrated contrast of 2,550:1, which isn't superb, but it's the same as the Gigabyte.
Before I did the reset, I was getting terrible readings around 800:1.

If I can get over the fact that the Dell has one of the worst menu systems ever designed on a monitor, I may in fact keep it.

The Samsung still beats it in contrast by about a 30% to 50% increase, depending on calibfration.
The Samsung is also sharper than both the 1440p Gigabyte and the 4k Dell. The Dell and Gigabyte are close in sharpness, even though the Dell is 4k.
Just like the Gigabyte, the Dell has a tiny tiny amount of CA around text damaging the sharpness ever so slightly.
It is not really visible with black text on a white background like word processing document, but it is much more visible with white text on a black background.

So now that this problem has been resolved, I would say the Dell is back in the running vs. the Gigabyte.
Again, the Samsung is a perfectly flat screen, and I decided I want curved, so the Samsung is eliminated even though I like it better than the Dell.
It has slightly higher contrast, is easier to calibrate, and has a better menu system with more features.

The Gigabyte is the most interesting monitor since it has more settings, and it has an excellent menu system (the best), and a ton of features to fiddle with.

So since the Samsung is eliminated due to its flat screen, I now have to decide the QHD 1440p Gigabyte 32" vs. the UHD 4k Dell 32" vs. the 39" Deco Gear (generic monitor).
Tough decision, and I won't be able to decide until after I try the Deco once it arrives.

... TO BE CONTINUED ...

Edited July 27, 20223 yr by Alpine Scenery

I messed with the Clear Type text settings on the Gigabyte monitor and now it looks the same as the Dell and Samsung, from seating distances anyhow. All 3 monitors really appear to be about the same sharpness unless I am doing pixel analysis with a magnifying glass (which is what I was doing before).

I do prefer 1800r over 1500r and would highly recommend it, looks to be about the right amount of curve.
1500r - 1000r plays tricks with your eyes sometimes, though I assume after a couple weeks it mostly goes away.

The fact the Gigabyte is a 1500r curve, will probably cause me to eliminate it from the running.
So it's now the Dell 32" vs. the soon incoming 39" Deco Gear (generic) monitor, I will most likely keep one of the two.

The 39" should be hear on Friday now, it's arriving early.

Also, all 3 (Gigabyte, Dell, Samsung) probably have near the same calibrated contrast if you mess with the settings LONG enough, but the Gigabyte gives more calibration control than the Dell. I do not recall how much calibration control the Samsung had, it was so accurate out of the box that I barely calibrated it (I just set it slightly cooler).

The Gigabyte and Dell both had gamma droop issues at certain settings, I had to use custom mode on the Dell but I did eventually get the calibration to look right. I would say the Dell is just as hard to calibrate as the Gigabyte, maybe harder really since it has fewer adjustments available. Of course, if you are using 3D luts in Windows with special software then it probably doesn't matter much.

The Gigabyte's menu and feature set is much better, so if it were 1800r like the Dell, I would probably keep it.

As far as 1440p 165hz vs 4k 60hz, I cannot see any difference really, not for the type of games I play.
Some might, but it's difficult. I am still trying though in various content.

165hz looks about the same to me as 60hz (I mean the 165hz might be a tiny bit smoother, but not much to my eyes).
1440p looks about the same to me as 4k (I cannot see any difference without sitting ridiculously close, like 4" or so).

It could be the content I am testing though, and haven't tested MSFS yet.

Edited July 28, 20223 yr by Alpine Scenery

I picked up at BestBuy this Dell monitor yesterday. I love it. Contrast is very high and I haven't seen settings which reduce it. Any settings I should try to see if contrast is decreased? S322DGM

 

It's $300 at Bestbuy.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dell-s3222dgm-curved-qhd-165hz/5

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-s3222dgm-32-led-curved-qhd-freesync-gaming-monitor-displayport-hdmi-black/6473700.p?irclickid=2Cv210xiXzIJU-Sxqo2f-SYsUkD3CcU1RRCt1c0&irgwc=1&ref=198&loc=AMEA (Affle MEA FZ-LLC)&acampID=0&mpid=2899228&skuId=6473700

The stand platform and pillar are heavy metal with very sturdy spring and screw mount.

That platform is small footprint which leaves more deskspace. 

The monitor is very heavy, the power supply is built in. I'm guessing 25 pounds.

Refresh rate choices are: 165, 144, 120, 60

It turned out that wasn't my issue, I figured it out, it wasn't my monitor settings, it was the AMD software, I had set the brightness to a high negative without me knowing. It's probably because I moved the middle mouse button accidentally without realizing it.
 

57 minutes ago, Fielder said:

I picked up at BestBuy this Dell monitor yesterday. I love it. Contrast is very high and I haven't seen settings which reduce it. Any settings I should try to see if contrast is decreased? S322DGM

 

It's $300 at Bestbuy.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/dell-s3222dgm-curved-qhd-165hz/5

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-s3222dgm-32-led-curved-qhd-freesync-gaming-monitor-displayport-hdmi-black/6473700.p?irclickid=2Cv210xiXzIJU-Sxqo2f-SYsUkD3CcU1RRCt1c0&irgwc=1&ref=198&loc=AMEA (Affle MEA FZ-LLC)&acampID=0&mpid=2899228&skuId=6473700

Just the contrast controls on the monitor, leave it at 100 and use the brightness control to reduce light output or use eco modes (no Eco on my Dell), but you can also use black level compensation if using brightness alone doesn't work (the black level compensation does cause gamma errors though). That said, changing the contrast control won't reduce it much if you keep it above 80.

The brightness control on the AMD severely reduces the contrast,
so don't use software brightness controls in general.

The only reason resetting my monitor worked, is because I had 2 monitors hooked up at the same time,
and when I reset one, it confused the software and AMD disabled the custom corrections.
 

Edited July 28, 20223 yr by Alpine Scenery

Thanks, I filed your message  away for reference.

--

I am using two 32" monitors at the same time, both VA.

After setting up the new Dell for the first time, blacks were not dark enough compared to my old VA monitor which was on at the same time (both in MSFS).

Switching to Extend the two monitors in Windows Display Settings, the Dell blacks were now  jet dark contrast, just like the old Monitor (a Sceptre 32" VA). 

Switching back to Extend and the Dell blacks remained jet dark, Very much contrast, and extremely nice picture that you can't get on any IPS monitor.

I have no clue why going from Extend to Duplicate and then back to Extend (in Windows Display Settings) made the Dell way more nice and contrasty deep blacks).

 

In thinking about this, I sort of think your reason was like what was happening to me. 

I was using 2 monitors like yourself. Before I switched from extend, dup,extend, I had changed some settings in OSD on the Dell as you suggested, but there was no improvement. Next I did the extend, dup, extend and suddenly the contrast deep blacks were there. 

When I reset the options one (the Dell) it confused the software just like what you posted (probably).

The 39" Deco Gear is a bust, not recommended. The sharpness is awful and it appears to be 1080p faking 1440p with a rescale. Even pushing the monitor way back several feet to be about the equivalent to a 32", I can still make out the pixel grid, unlike the other monitors.

I am keeping the 4k Dell I guess, only because I found the 1500r curve to be a bit too extreme on the Gigabyte for everyday usage and browsing. Other than it being too curved, I liked the Gigabyte the best out of all the monitors I tested because it has so many more features and a nicer menu system.

The post-calibrated picture quality between the Dell, the Samsung, and the Gigabyte are virtually indistinguishable and all look the same for the most part, except the Gigabyte is 1440p.

3000r is a bit too flat looking also, I feel that 2200r would be about the perfect curve, but 1800r is fine also.

So that is how I decided to keep the Dell, even though I absolutely detest the menu (which I will try to avoid ever going back into).

 

Edited July 29, 20223 yr by Alpine Scenery

I bought my BenQ PD3200U 16:9 flat display 4 years ago and love it. The fact it can run at 30Hz natively is very important for me. Gives me the smoothest experience in my chosen flight sim.

Being an IPS panel it is the highest quality. Have you considered BenQ?

Well, the Asus vg32p arrived today, this monitor is awful. This is the least sharp monitor I have seen in 5+ years, it shouldn't even be sold.
Have to drive back to Micro Center to return this one.
I have no idea how the reviews are so good on this monitor, to give you an idea, the ranking are like this::

Dell and Samsung a 10 for Sharpness (but both were 4k)
Gigabyte an 8.5 (1440p)
my old Acer (7.0)
my old Benq (8.0)

Asus vg32 (2.5 for sharpness)

This monitor has so much fringing around the pixels, that it feels like I am using a projector again!

This Asus monitor is absolute garbage and I apparently got a defective one.
However, I went to the store and noticed the text wasn't as sharp on the Asus as others, but 
the display model they had was reasonably close. This one is LIGHT YEARS away, defective for sure.
The panel is out of alignment just like a projector with bad convergence.
______________________________________________________________________________

Hey Ray -- Thanks for weighing in...

Yah, some Benqs are great, but for the price there just weren't too many deals in 1800r that I needed and VA panel.
I prefer VA because the contrast is higher, though IPS gives more bang for buck.

 

Edited August 3, 20223 yr by Alpine Scenery

9 minutes ago, Alpine Scenery said:

Hey Ray -- Thanks for weighing in...

Yah, some Benqs are great, but for the price there just weren't too many deals in 1800r that I needed and VA panel.
I prefer VA because the contrast is higher, though IPS gives more bang for buck.

BenQ monitors for photographic and CAD work are good choices. Very accurate colours. I’ve never had a problem with lack of contrast. I use a Spyder 5 Pro to calibrate mine every couple of months and the image quality looks spot on.

Think of a good monitor as a long term investment. Good ones can last 10 years. You’ll never get 10 years out of a graphics card and they’re more expensive.

Good luck in your search. Quality is generally linked to price.

The Samsung 4k was unbeatable if it weren't for it being flat (I am hooked on 1800r), it was the best.
The Dell was just as good from a picture quality standpoint, but the Freesynch doesn't work and Dell is generally buggy.
I may just have to live with turning on Vsynch in games and leaving it disabled on my AMD card, and keeping the Dell.
 

 

Edited August 3, 20223 yr by Alpine Scenery

I'm re-hooking up the Gigabyte in a minute just to make sure I'm not losing my mind that some 1440p monitors DO look good.

 

Edited August 3, 20223 yr by Alpine Scenery

Well I tuned the Asus to have less contrast and a cooler picture and it did HIDE some of the chromaticity of the text a little.
Since there is less visible color and less contrast in the grayscale, it now looks a lot better, but still falls way short.

I give it a 4.5 for sharpness after adjusting it.

I'm not going to bother calibrating it with my C6 or Spyders though, still falls too short in sharpness for my taste.