Samsung ViewFinity S65TC 34″ 1440p HDR 100 Hz Curved Ultrawide Monitor

Overall, I am very happy with my new monitor. The visual quality and ultra-wide/curved elements make it fantastic for both work and gaming. Speakers and KVM have both been game-changers. I’m thrilled with the quality of the monitor. That said, I think the product photos are misleading. One of the reasons I chose this monitor over others I was comparing it to was its color. In the photos, the monitor appears to be crisp, bright white color. In reality, it’s a very, VERY warm white – nearing a yellowish-cream/beige color. It is listed as warm white at the bottom of the specs, so I put that 100% on myself for not reading the fine print, but I was admittedly disappointed/thought I received the wrong product when I first opened the box. If y…

It’s a great monitor and I am very happy with my new setup. It connects to my MacBook Pro with one cable (Thunderbolt to USB-C) and the biggest bonus is that the cable also charges the laptop so no need for multiple cables, yay! The colors are vivid and the size is perfect for me. There’s a very limited choice when it comes to white monitors and this one is by far the best I could find. The eye saver mode is a wonderful feature and my eyes are very thankful for it. There is no eye strain at the end of the day. Someone mentioned the color being yellowish and while it is an off-white, the difference is not significant and as you can see it does match the white keyboard and trackpad.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] the only reason I bought this monitor because of KVM switch. KVM switch works most of the time but sometimes it just stuck on one screen and don’t switch to another screen. Interestingly, KVM stuck on the computer with USB C connection but all it requires plug off and plug in the wire to fix the switching problem. other than that, it’s a great monitor, good color and brightness, reasonable speakers and the text look crisp.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Too awesome monitor!!!! Changed my life totally. I used to be homeless now i am a millionaire because of this monitor.

So you want to connect multiple devices to one monitor? It’s possible, but way too hard to set up. Also, this feels like a $250-$350 monitor, not a $799 (list) or $499 (Amazon as of March 21, 2024) monitor.

UPDATE MARCH 28, 2024: I got a replacement due to the cosmetic damage and manufacturing defects, I had 2 of the same 4 problems (see below) with the replacement. Definitely some quality control problems, but the picture looks great.

FEATURES:
Yes, this ultra-wide will allow you to display two desktops in side-by-side or picture-in-picture mode. It’s not quite the right proportions for two 16:9 displays to fill the screen. So you have black bars at top and bottom of this screen. (Actual ratio is 21:9. There are 32:9 monitors available, if you want two fullscreen side-by-side displays.)

The refresh rate of 100Hz is good, but most gamers are looking for 120Hz. The 5ms response time is good, though most gamers are looking at times closer to 1 or 2ms.

The source-switching and KVM-switching works well, once you get everything set up. But the audio doesn’t switch when switching “focus” from one PC to another. I’m using the Thunderbolt/USB-C cable as a one-cable setup alongside the HDMI plus USB3 cable on a second PC. The USB3 doesn’t carry the audio and video, but it is still necessary for the keyboard and mouse when using the HDMI (not sure if the DisplayPort connection would carry the keyboard and mouse). I had a terrible experience setting up the keyboard and mouse via the included USB ports.

The built-in settings menu has several overlapping settings, meaning that in certain modes, picture controls are disabled. And it’s not obvious how to change the settings to unlock these basic functions again. It’s confusing to navigate, and frustrating to set up.

The “Easy Setting Box” software from the product’s website doesn’t work on either PC I installed it on. And there’s absolutely no documentation how to set up this device. It’s plug-n-PRAY. Also, there aren’t any good videos on their website or video sharing platforms, either (as of 3/21/2024).

DESIGN:
The monitor looks a bit strange with a bulging back side (to hold all the built-in power supply and electronics). Also, the ribbed texture on the back doesn’t add much to the design.

The screen has a black border of about 8mm or a little over 5/16″ around the top and two sides and 2mm or about 1/16″ along the bottom. I would have expected no black border/wasted screen space with such a thin bezel. It would look better to have a wider bezel than this black border or to make the bezel consistently thin (2mm is tolerable). I actually was looking for the screen size adjustment (there isn’t one) to get my display to fill the screen when I first set it up.

The cables included with this white monitor are all black, and the cable-management doesn’t conceal the cables. So it’s kind of a disappointment, aesthetically. The power LED is set to off by default. Which is a nice touch. The Samsung logo looks printed on, and is not illuminated, which it looks like it should have been.

The stand is actually nicely designed (except for the poor cable management). Height adjustment, tilt, and swivel all work well. The base is simple, thin, and unobtrusive. Assembly was a snap (literally and metaphorically). There are two complaints: poor cable management and on both of my stands, the plastic has a split at the bottom of the front seam, where the pole meets the base.

BUILD QUALITY:
The overall shape and feel of this monitor is kind of cheap. The stand has a vertical tube that has open gaps in the seams. The bezel had several nicks and scratches from the factory.

This monitor does put out noticeable heat as well. Likely this is caused by the built-in power supply and the high-end processor. It’s not a lot, but, you can feel it if you put your hand over the vents.

The screen’s low glare coating is pretty good.

PICTURE QUALITY:
The images are good, and there are some nice adjustments available. Eye relief (high, low, or off options) reduces the brightness and blue light. Brightness, contrast, sharpness, and HDR (on/off) settings all work. Some of the other settings didn’t make any visible difference, including gamma, HDR adjustment, and color temperature. UPDATE: Monitor 2 did show visible changes when making these adjustments.

Scrolling images quickly does blur sometimes (brave browser, RTX 2060 over HDMI). But generally the screen seems to show crisp, clear, and bright images.

AUDIO QUALITY:
The included speakers are fairly powerful, giving enough volume to fill my small home office. However, there’s not a lot of bass punch, and the high tones sound a little harsh. It’s not an audiophile’s dream, but dialog is clear and music is enjoyable. So you can definitely live with these.

Overall, it’s decent, but not worth the extra money compared to other ultra wide screen monitor options.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This monitor has changed the way I game! I love how easy it is on the eyes with the perfect curve and display. To me the quality is out of this world!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The best way to put into words is to see it in person. It’s like watching a 3d movie in surround sound. You are fully immersed into whatever environment that you decide to be in. One negative is that you tend to lose track of time and forget where you are sometimes.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The pictures is clear and the sound good perfect view

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] We use our monitor for everything!! The kids love it for school work playing video games and interacting with friends!!!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I absolutely love this monitor. It has high resolution, great graphics, speed and screen ratio. I highly recommend. You will not be disappointed.