AOC has announced the Agon AG322QCX curved gaming monitor for a $429 (£320, AU$530) price that won’t break the bank.

The AOC AG322QCX is a 32-inch curved gaming monitor featuring a 2,560 x 1,440 QHD panel with a curvature rated at 1800R. While it’s not an ultra-wide 21:9 display, this monitor does kick up to a 144Hz refresh rate, for immersive and twitchy competitive games. It also features FreeSync technology for a hitch-free, silky-smooth framerate – so long as you’re using an AMD graphics card.

We'e already found the best gaming PC to go with it

The AOC AG322QCX features a VA display panel, which splits the difference between TN and IPS screens to deliver well represented colors along with an admirably high 4ms response rate.

This curved gaming monitor also has a few smart screen tricks up its sleeve, including a low blue light mode to make it more comfortable to use at night, and Shadow Control to brighten dark areas where players might be hiding.

These specs put it above the Samsung CHG70 curved gaming monitor that also supports framerates up to 144fps and integrates Quantum Dot technology for better black levels and color reproduction, but is limited to a 1080p resolution and costs substantially more at $649 (£480, AU$800).

At the same time, it doesn’t cost as nearly as much as Asus’ equally well equipped and non-curved MG278Q gaming monitor, which rings up for $549 (£410, AU$680).

The $429 (£320, AU$530) price is impressive, considering the 31.5-inch AOC Agon AG322QCX that this model replaces was priced at £519 (around $700, AU$870). For now this monitor will only be available at Microcenters in the US, but we're sure this screen will make its way to international shores eventually.

The AOC AG322QCX overall looks like a solidly equipped and affordable curved gaming monitor, and we can’t wait to get it in for a full review.