The Innocn 40C1R is an Reasonably priced 40″ 144Hz Dream Gaming Monitor

Whereas the very best degree of immersion for SIM racing and first-person shooters is undeniably a digital actuality headset. However the subsequent most suitable choice, which works nicely for all sport sorts and even workplace productiveness, must be an ultrawide monitor.

34-inch ultrawide screens are commonplace, however massively ultrawide—40 inches or extra—have till now been prohibitively costly, particularly if you begin searching for gaming options like FreeSync or excessive refresh charges. Innocn is right here to make your dream gaming rig reasonably priced although, with their 40C1R ultrawide 40″ 144Hz gaming monitor. It is a dream to make use of, however will not break the financial institution, at a completely cheap $600 (or nearer to $500 in case you look forward to a sale that will or will not be coming within the subsequent few weeks, however I would not be at liberty to reveal that kind of factor).

Even higher: we have got two of them to disclose to two fortunate readers. Discover out what we considered the Innocn 40C1R first, then enter to win one on the finish of this assessment.

Decision, Design, and Panel Know-how

Operating at 3440 x 1440 px, in any other case referred to as UWQHD (Extremely-Extensive Quad HD), the 40C1R incorporates a 21:9 “cinema” show ratio. At 40-inches diagonal, that works out as round 93 pixels per inch. So it is vital to keep in mind that whereas the decision sounds spectacular on paper (kind of 4Kish…), its tempered by the actual fact this the display is big and very large, so these pixels are unfold out. In actuality, it feels extra like squishing two customary QHD screens subsequent to one another. You are unlikely to take a seat so shut that it issues, however in case you’re utilizing this for work reasonably than largely gaming, it may be a priority.

The panel know-how is ADS (Superior Tremendous Dimension Swap), a sort of IPS show. In sensible phrases there’s little or no distinction between the 2, aside from barely larger panel rigidity, which isn’t one thing you’d usually fear about on a gaming monitor. With a distinction ratio of 1200:1, the 40C1R covers 94% of the DCI-P3 and 100% sRGB colour house, and gives a most brightness of round 500 nits, offering implausible picture high quality for each gaming and extra “severe” productiveness makes use of.

One factor to notice concerning the design is that the Innocn 40C1R is not curved. In idea, a curved monitor is extra immersive just because it wraps round you. It might even have much less distortion due to the angle you see the sunshine emit from, however in follow, I have never skilled any distortion when utilizing this, so I am undecided what enchancment including a curve would make. Some folks truly want a flat monitor, and whereas I have never skilled a curved monitor in prolonged use to match the 2 straight. That mentioned, if you’d like an enormous ultrawide curved monitor, you’ll be able to count on to pay no less than $900 for one thing that is in any other case decrease high quality than this.

For ergonomics, you have got the same old tilt, swivel, and peak changes (~15cm). You may’t rotate the show to be portrait, as a result of that will be absurd. The bottom of the 40C1R is a thick metal plate, and manages to maintain the show sturdy. In whole, the monitor is sort of a meter large. Since most desks are 1.4m, this nearly leaves sufficient room for a tower or pair or slimline audio system.

The one niggle I’ve is the controls, which consist of 4 bodily push buttons on the underside on the decrease proper. Whereas the short capabilities for altering enter supply or quantity are easy sufficient, they’re simply awkward to navigate the pretty complicated menu with.

Lastly, though the bodily bezels of the show are very slim, at round 1mm on the highest and sides, there’s a further 5mm or so of unusable display space. That is extra of a priority for precise multi-monitor setups, the place you need to have the ability to place shows as seamlessly collectively as attainable. With one thing this large, you may solely ever want one monitor.

HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C

By way of connectivity, you’ll be able to present enter from both a single DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports, or USB-C. A DisplayPort cable and USB-C to USB-C are included within the field, however not HDMI. Talking of what is included, you may additionally discover a typical IEC energy cable (no exterior energy brick required), some mounting screws must you want to use a VESA mount as a substitute, and a print-out with the take a look at outcomes of the colour calibration from the manufacturing facility, which is a pleasant contact.

All the pieces was nicely packaged. Regardless of our supply being considerably banged on the journey from Germany, there was no precise harm to the monitor, and it took mere moments to suit the neck onto the bottom and punctiliously elevate this behemoth onto the mount. I would not advocate doing this your self; though not heavy, it’s nonetheless cumbersome and awkward to maneuver.

DisplayPort 1.4 must be your first alternative in case your pc helps it, enabling you are taking full benefit of the very best decision and as much as 144Hz refresh. HDMI 2.0 will restrict you to 100Hz on the full 3440 x 1440, however you’ll be able to drop the decision in case you want the next refresh.

It is also price mentioning the USB-C port. When you’ve got a appropriate machine, you’ll be able to each energy your machine (as much as 90W) and transmit video and audio again over that single port. The standard is extra restricted with a most refresh of 60Hz, however it may be very helpful for issues like a Macbook, or the SteamDeck (our assessment).

Nevertheless, for the SteamDeck particularly, whereas the library interface helps the complete decision and display width, video games are locked to 1200 x 800 px decision until you run them from desktop mode. And in case you did attempt to run them at the next decision, efficiency would not be nice.

Apart from that, there is a 3.5mm jack for stereo out. There are built-in audio system, which are not horrendous, however nor are they price dwelling on. If you happen to’ve spent $600 on an ultrawide monitor, you probably produce other options for audio output.

Of notable absence is a USB hub. This looks like a missed trick contemplating the USB-C connectivity and would have made the 40C1R into the final word docking station for hotdesking and productiveness. However, for many players with a full tower PC, this most likely is not a problem. Even my gaming keyboard has its personal USB hub built-in, so I will not miss one on the monitor.

21:9 Cinema Ratio

If you happen to’ve not used an ultrawide show earlier than, it is price speaking about that 21:9 display ratio because it does have an effect on the content material you’ll be able to comfortably view on it. In spite of everything, a 40-inch TV and 40-inch ultrawide gaming monitor are dramatically completely different beasts, regardless of each being technically 40-inches diagonal.

Historically, TVs and screens had been 4:3 ratio, which is okay for workplace and doc work. However as watching films at residence turned extra commonplace, the trendy 16:9 widescreen ratio was launched as a compromise—considerably halfway between boxy conventional shows and the broader cinema format.

Nevertheless, 21:9 (or 64:27 to be exact) has all the time been the movie trade’s ratio of alternative. That signifies that most theatrical content material goes to fill the 40C1R completely. And when you have this in your desktop, you may virtually definitely need to watch some films on it, as a result of they appear unbelievable.

On the flip aspect, it additionally signifies that something you watch destined for TV goes to have black bars on both aspect.

Older TV content material within the 4:3 ratio might be losing virtually half the complete display space. And a few consoles will not help the complete show ratio both—it is best paired with a desktop PC.

Visible High quality

Visually, the Innocn 40C1R is a feast for the eyes. I have been utilizing a 27-inch Innocn monitor for a number of months now as my most important work monitor, so I am used to the standard, and that is no completely different.

To check out the black ranges, I attempted a quite simple take a look at: watching some content material in 16:9 ratio that resulted in black bars both aspect. With the lights off, I can fortunately report the bars weren’t annoyingly gray. They definitely aren’t pure black both, however there is no discernible mild bleed from the neighboring illuminated pixels, nor do they glow overtly from the backlight. Total, good black ranges.

I additionally ran by means of a typical suite of assessments from Eizo, and located nothing untoward or worthy of reporting. No useless pixels, no smearing, and no distortion in geometries.

Extra importantly, I have been gaming on the 40C1R for weeks now, and it has been unbelievable. Whereas the colours are attractive, it is the smoothness of the refresh charge and sheer immersion supplied by the superwide subject of view that basically make a distinction. In Horizon Zero Daybreak, Aloy’s actions are silky easy as she rolls round fluidly and scrambles up hillsides; you then pause to understand the expansive vista.

The cockpit view in Soiled Rally 2 actually reveals off the aspect of the mountains as I tumble to my dying at 120Hz. Simply kidding—I drive so slowly that’d virtually by no means occur.

… and the neon glow of Cyberpunk has by no means seemed so good.

However even for issues like easy workplace work or internet looking, you get all the advantages of a multimonitor setup, with out the effort of really having a couple of monitor. You may watch your meme stonks tumble perilously near zero on one half of the display, as you doom scroll concerning the finish of the world in one other.

On the draw back, regardless of technically supporting HDR400, very similar to the Innocn 27C1U that I reviewed earlier than, the HDR impact is considerably disappointing. It is just a bit lackluster and simply too darkish for my preferences. It is not similar to the kind of HDR you may discover on a very good 4KTV. Common modes really feel greater than vibrant sufficient, although.

The 40C1R helps sRGB and Adobe colour modes, in addition to Image-in-Image, however these might be of little curiosity to players.What may be of extra curiosity are the presets for issues like “RTS/RPG Mode” and “FPS Enviornment Mode”, which appear to tweak the brightness, saturation and many others. However exactly what modifications are made is not defined, so you may most likely simply need to experiment with the varied modes on supply to seek out which fits you greatest.

Time to Construct Your Dream Gaming PC?

Whether or not it’s for multitasking workplace work or excessive refresh immersive gaming, the Innocn 40C1R is the gaming monitor you’ve got been dreaming of. It is nice for watching films too, with the cinema format utilizing the complete show space.

At $600, the Innocn 40C1R is an effective deal—but it surely’s an absolute steal in case you look forward to a sale and might get it for nearer to $500.