31.5-Inch Curved Monitors: The Sim Racing Sweet Spot

Feel the rumble of your wheel, hear the engine scream... but does your screen pull you into the cockpit or just show you a picture of it? For thousands of South African sim racers, the gap between the virtual and the real is bridged by one key piece of hardware. The secret isn't just a bigger screen; it's the right screen. A 31.5-inch curved monitor might just be the most immersive upgrade you can make to your rig.

AOC C27G4ZE 27" 280Hz Curved Ultra-Fast Gaming Monitor, 1920 × 1080 (FHD), 0.3ms, Fast VA, 1500R, Adaptive Sync, Three-sided frameless design, Black / C27G4ZE

R4999.00In Stock

AOC 27G42E 27" 180Hz Ultra-Fast Gaming Monitor, 1920 × 1080 (FHD), 0.5ms, Fast IPS, Adaptive Sync, 3-Sided Frameless Design, Black / 27G42E

R3199.00In Stock

AOC 24G15N Gaming Monitor / 24" / VA FHD 1920x1080 / 180hz / 1ms / HDMI DP|VESA / Flicker Fee / Low Blue Mode / Adaptive Sync/ AOC-24G15N

R2299.00In Stock

ViewSonic TD1655 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) Portable Touchscreen Monitor / Ultra-portable Design / Advanced in-cell Capacitive Touchscreen / 2-Way Power With USB Type-C / Frameless Design / Portrait and Landscape Modes / dual integrated speakers / TD1655

R5199.00In Stock

Alienware AW2524HF Gaming Monitor/ 25-inch / IPS Panel / Full HD (1920 x 1080)/ 500Hz refresh rate / 1 ms Response Time / VESA Adaptive-Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium / AW2524HF

R12999.00In Stock

HP OMEN 27k UHD 144Hz Gaming Monitor - Black / 1ms / 27" 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) Anti-glare Display / AMD Freesync™ Premium / Integrated Speakers / Pivot Rotation and Height Adjustable / 780G8AS

R16499.00In Stock

Why Curve & Size Are Critical for Immersion

When you’re hurtling down the Kyalami main straight, you need more than just pretty graphics. You need immersion… that feeling of actually being in the driver's seat. This is where the physical characteristics of your monitor play a massive role. A larger screen fills more of your peripheral vision, tricking your brain into feeling present.

The curve is the second part of this magic formula. A gentle arc, typically 1500R or 1800R, wraps the image around you, mimicking how our eyes naturally see the world. This not only deepens the sense of immersion but also reduces eye strain during those long endurance races. It makes glancing at your mirrors and spotting apexes feel more intuitive. For sim racing, the best curved monitors offer a tangible competitive advantage.

The 31.5-Inch Monitor: Your Sim Racing Sweet Spot

So, why is a 31.5-inch curved monitor the ideal choice? It’s the Goldilocks zone. 🏆

Screens smaller than 27 inches often feel too restrictive, failing to fill your field of view. Go much larger, like a 49-inch ultrawide, and you might find it overwhelming for a single-screen setup, not to mention demanding on your graphics card.

AOC 27G42E 27" 180Hz Ultra-Fast Gaming Monitor, 1920 × 1080 (FHD), 0.5ms, Fast IPS, Adaptive Sync, 3-Sided Frameless Design, Black / 27G42E

R3199.00In Stock

HP OMEN 32q QHD 165Hz Gaming Monitor - Black / 1ms / 32" QHD (2560 x 1440) / AMD Freesync™ Premium / 780K0AS

R9999.00In Stock

Samsung 32" Odyssey G55C QHD (2560 x 1440) Curved Gaming Monitor / 165Hz refresh rate & 1ms response time (MPRT) / 1000R Curved Screen / AMD FreeSync / LS32CG552EAXXA

R5999.00In Stock

MSI MAG 274QPF X30MV 27" 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) Gaming Monitor / 300Hz Refresh Rate / 0.5ms Response Time / Rapid VA with Mini-LED / 9S6-3CF09H-042

R8799.00In Stock

HP 527SF G5 FHD Gaming Monitor - Black/Silver / 27" FHD (1920 x 1080) / Anti-glare / 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x VGA / -5 to +25 degrees Adjustable Tilt / 94F44AS

R4499.00In Stock

ViewSonic VA240A-H 24" Monitor / FHD (1920 x 1080) Display resolution / 1ms Response Time / HDMI and VGA inputs / 120Hz Variable refresh rate / VA240A-H - UK Adapter Included

R1949.00In Stock

A 31.5-inch monitor strikes the perfect balance. It’s large enough to be deeply immersive without dominating your desk or requiring you to move your head constantly. Paired with a QHD (2560x1440) resolution, it delivers a sharp, detailed image where you can easily pick out braking markers in the distance. This size and resolution combo is a fantastic sweet spot for performance and visual fidelity, though you can explore options across all gaming monitors to see what fits your budget and GPU.

Key Specs to Look For

Not all 31.5-inch curved monitors are created equal. When you’re ready to buy, keep these key specifications in mind to ensure you’re getting a display built for speed:

The Non-Negotiables for Racing

• Refresh Rate: Aim for 144Hz or higher. A high refresh rate delivers silky-smooth motion, which is essential for tracking fast-moving cars and reacting instantly.
• Response Time: Look for 1ms (GTG or MPRT). This minimises motion blur and ghosting, ensuring the image stays crisp and clear even in the most chaotic pack racing.
• Resolution: QHD (1440p) is the sweet spot for a 31.5-inch monitor. It offers a significant visual upgrade over 1080p without the massive performance hit of 4K. Of course, for those with top-tier rigs, pushing into 4K or even 5K monitors can provide unparalleled clarity.
• Adaptive Sync: Make sure the monitor supports FreeSync or is G-SYNC Compatible. This technology synchronises the monitor's refresh rate with your GPU's frame output, eliminating screen tearing and stuttering for a flawless experience.

LG 27" UltraGear 4K UHD (3840x2160) Gaming Monitor, 144Hz, 1ms, VESA DisplayHDR 400, G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort, 4-Pole HP Out DTS HP:X, Tilt/Height/Pivot Stand, Black / 27GR93U

R9999.00In Stock

LG 32" UltraGear™ Dual-Mode OLED gaming monitor / 4K UHD / 0.03ms (GtG) / HDR Display True Black 400 / 32GS95UV-B.AFB

R27499.00In Stock

Dahua LM27-E231 27inch Gaming Monitor, 165Hz, 1ms, Adjustable stand, 100% sRGB, FPS/RTS Gaming Modes / DHI-LM27-E231

R3199.00In Stock

MSI MAG 273QP 27" 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) QD-OLED Monitor / 0.03ms GtG Response Time / 240Hz Refresh Rate / VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 / 9S6-3CE69H-012

R14999.00In Stock

Dahua LM22-A200X 22" 100Hz LED Monitor / Ultra Narrow Bezel Design / 5ms Response Time / FHD 1920x1080 / 100Hz Refresh Rate / Anti Blue Light / DHI-LM22-A200X

R1399.00In Stock

Samsung M70D 32″ Smart Monitor / UHD (3840 x 2160) Resolution / 60Hz refresh rate / 4ms response time / LS32DM702UAXXA

R7799.00In Stock

Building the Ultimate Cockpit ✨

A single 31.5-inch curved monitor is a phenomenal starting point, but it also serves as the perfect building block for a dream setup. Many pro sim racers favour a triple-screen setup using three identical 31.5-inch displays for a complete, wrap-around view of the track.

To make this work, you'll need sturdy VESA mounts from our monitor accessories range to get the alignment perfect. Some racers even complement their main display with a smaller portable monitor mounted below, dedicated to showing telemetry data or a track map.

Ultimately, finding the right display is about enhancing your connection to the car. By hitting the sweet spot of size, immersion, and performance, a 31.5-inch curved monitor does just that. It’s time to stop looking at a screen and start looking out of a windscreen. Find the perfect display for your rig from our massive selection of PC monitors and feel the difference on your first lap.