Derek 'Dez' Maggs 
I recently got the opportunity to use the new Prism X340 34″ Ultrawide Monitor from Aftershock. Never heard of Aftershock before? Neither had I before they reached out.
About Aftershock PC
Aftershock PC has been around for 6 years and started by 2 brothers in Singapore. That now has a team of competitive gamers with a love for building custom PCs. Their love shows too, as they have won multiple awards year after year.
They have grown over the years and are now in Thailand, Malaysia and have just moved into Australia. Aftershock has made a name for themselves creating custom PC and pride themselves on their hand assembled precision. Will that precision carry through on the new Prism X340 34″ Ultrawide Monitor?
Design
This ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio monitor has such elegance in its design. A small bezel on the top and both sides with a slightly bigger in the bottom. Yet, that doesn’t sound very elegant, does it? These aren’t your normal solid black bezels. The bottom has a frosted chrome bezel with a ghosted chrome ‘PRISM’ at the bottom of the monitor. Add that to the ultra-clean white rear of the monitor and the gentle smooth curve of this monitor and it truly is stunning.
The Ergonomic 1800R curve perfectly wraps around your field of vision. Which allowed for an almost total immersion experience while playing Witcher 2. I was so immersed in the game I didn’t hear or see my housemate come into my room. And, when she tapped me on the shoulder, I almost had a heart attack. I may or may not have screamed in a very manly and yet high-pitched manner.
Set up
When I opened the box of the Aftershock 34″ X340 Ultrawide Monitor, the size and weight had me a little nervous. I expected it to be a pain to set up. I thought there would need to be several support arms or big bolt or the monitor stand to have an enormous footprint. Yet, the minimalist and elegant design continues onto the stand too.
The Aftershock 34″ X340 Ultrawide Monitor is remarkably easy to set up. You have 4 small screws to connect the foot of the stand to the upright and another 4 to connect the upright to the monitor. Similar plug in the supplied HDMI and power cable and it is ready to go. Even easier if you are connecting it to a monitor stand.
Dimensions
| DETAILS | VALUES |
| Height | 36.5 cm |
| Width | 81.5 cm |
| Weight | 6.8 kg |
| Height with Stand | 44.5 cm |
| Width with Stand | 81.5 cm |
| Depth with Stand | 25 cm |
| Weigh with Stand | 8 kg |
Features
Aftershock has made the Prism X340 Ultrawide Monitor with one thing in mind: Gamers.
A display that operates at a resolution of up to 3440X1440 and an impressive refresh rate of 100Hz at that resolution. The resolution and widescreen partnered with the refresh rate made games like Overwatch and Paladins simply breathtaking. Not to mention, I noticed a massive improvement in my skill. Not that I was amazing to begin with, but I really noticed a difference.
If refresh rates are important to you, drop the resolution down to 2560×1080 and that deliveries 144Hz. This small change allows for a smoother and noticeable improvement on an already amazing gaming experience. Personally, I left it at the 3440×1440 resolutions for the simple reason, I often forgot to change.
Improvements
The Aftershock 34″ X340 Ultrawide Monitor is an amazing monitor, but not perfect.
The monitor stand is elegant but static. You are unable to adjust the height of the monitor. For my personal set, this meant that I had to lower my chair to the lowest position. I found that I felt a little low and my desk felt too high if my eye level were correctly in line with the monitor. Granted, depending on your personal set up, this may not be an issue but it is worth noting.
If you planned on using the monitor with a modern laptop, note you won’t be able to connect the two via a USB-C Cable. The X340 Ultrawide Monitor doesn’t come with Type-C connection.
The complaints I have are easily fixed with a Type-C to HDMI cable or a monitor stand.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I loved the Aftershock 34″ X340 Ultrawide Monitor. The crisp, stylish and elegant design, the gentle curve and a refresh rate, and field of view has everything for me. Whether I was watching Netflix, playing games, editing videos or writing reviews, it seemed to just look cleaner, fresher and more immersive.
I have looked at getting a curved monitor, but the price point has been a major drawback. At over well over $1,000, it seemed like getting two great gaming monitors and putting the rest into upgrade components was a smarter choice. Yet, the Aftershock 34″ X340 Ultrawide Monitor price point is under $1,000, it is actually a hair under $800. Retailing at $799, this makes this monitor even more impressive.
But I have more good news for you, if you act quickly (at the time of writing this review) Aftershock currently have the Aftershock 34″ X340 Ultrawide Monitor on sale, 25% off and free shipping. For the low price of $599, this monitor is a no brainer. You get a quality monitor with an amazing refresh rate and resolution that will add class to any desk.
If you would like to get your own Aftershock 34″ X340 Ultrawide Monitor or in the market for a custom PC I can’t recommend this brand enough.
If you’re like me and you are lucky enough to live in Melbourne, Aftershock has their first Australian showroom at 298 St Kilda Rd, St Kilda. You can go check out this monitor and all the other great products.
This review was original posted on goto.game on 20th of March 2019
