We would all like to burn a $1000 hole in our pocketbooks to purchase a new gaming monitor. But back in the real world, the Dell S3222DGM wants a budget challenge like most of us actually have.

This is a 32-inch beast with a VA panel that operates at up to 165 Hz and 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. According to many, the 1,440p resolution is the sweet spot for real-world gaming, providing the perfect balance of performance and visual detail. The catch is that the tagline usually applies to 27-inch models; 32 inches is a much larger panel for 1440p pixel density.

To put an actual number on it, that means just 93 pixels per inch. Wait a minute.

Rounding out the basics is the gentle 1800R panel curve. This is a bit of an odd feature for a display in this class, but not really unique. The curvature is more obvious and natural for an ultrawide display. It still needs a little convincing "on a traditional 16:9 panel.

The details are mostly convincing considering the overall objective: a gaming-centric monitor that does not support HDR, but is based on VA panel technology. As such, it has a peak brightness of 350 nits, a static contrast of 3,000:1, and is officially certified for AMD FreeSync Premium.

Interestingly, and actually quite informative, Dell does not cite just one pixel response figure. 8 ms gray-to-gray in "fast" mode, 4 ms gray-to-gray in "ultra-fast" mode, 2 ms gray-to-gray in "extreme" mode, and finally, somewhat confusingly, 1 ms gray-to-gray in "MPRT" mode.

The Dell S3222DGM has two HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort 1.2 socket, a slim bezel design, a height and tilt adjustable stand, no swivel or rotation to portrait mode. And you can get all this for about $350 or £350. On paper, it's hardly the bargain of the century. But it is a very solid value proposition from the industry's biggest brand.

So what about actual performance? Even taking into account the expectations from the modest spec list, this is not the brightest, most punchy panel we've seen. On the other hand, there are no real problems, no banding or signs of compression. However, in terms of color and inherent visual pop, I'm not immediately excited.

Adding movement to the proceedings makes the image a bit clearer, pun intended. The "Extreme" overdrive setting is definitely a bit overcooked, with actual overshoot being seen in-game rather than detectable in the test images; the "MPRT" setting is a non-starter for us, as it thoroughly squashes the brightness, and the "MPRT" setting is a bit too bright for our liking. As a result, there is no overshoot and the response is good, but not absolutely fantastic. Based on the "super-fast" 4ms rating, this is pretty much what we expected.

However, add a 165 Hz refresh and you have a pretty compelling monitor for online shooters, where response is critical. Certainly, if that were a top priority, a high-refresh 1080p IPS monitor with faster response would be better. But if you want something that covers a wider range, the Dell S3222DGM will do the job there with low latency.

But what about eye candy games? Cyberpunk, The Witcher 3, or arcade-like racing games like the Forza series, for example. Undeniably, the visual splendor is lacking, and the sharpness and glamour of 4K is clearly lacking on a similarly proportioned 32-inch panel. However, the S3222DGM is still okay. The same goes for the Stratego title. Ideally, 4K would allow for finer grain in troop movements and more space for menus and other interface items, but 1440p is hardly a constraint.

Panel curvature is also not a problem. Does it add anything?" it is debatable. But there is no denying that it is, after all, a fairly gradual curve. So the overarching point that should not be overlooked here is that 4K is not a panacea if you want such a large panel; it puts a heavy burden on the GPU and, given the mental state of the graphics card market, requires a large investment in a good graphics card.

In fact, it is in Windows where low pixel density is most detrimental. If you like crisp fonts and a large desktop area, this is not the monitor for you. For everyone else, it is a worthwhile proposition. There are faster monitors out there, some with superior image quality in the IPS format. There are also monitors that support HDR that are not shown here. There are also those with far more pixels and more dramatic aspect ratios.

It is worth remembering that pricing for this class of display (32" 165Hz 1440p panel) extends to $800 for the Corsair Xeneon 32QHD165. In other words, the Dell S3222DGM is not that exciting from a technical standpoint, but for the money it is quite compelling.