It's basically impossible to tell the difference between 144 and 160hz. I'd go with the cheaper one.

The difference between VA and IPS primarily is viewing angles and contrast. "Black" on a VA will look extremely dark where on an IPS it can look a little more grey. The upside of IPS is that the colors remain accurate at more extreme viewing angles. On a VA panel they can wash out and shift when looking at it not directly from the center.

So if you are the primary user and not having someone look over your shoulder constantly, VA is just fine. If you don't care about color accuracy then it's a bit of a moot point.

VAs can also have a bit of blur to them as their pixels can't quite keep up with the refresh rate. IPS screens handle this better typically. But if this is mainly for office work then it really doesn't matter and really is only apparent to someone who is quite sensitive to blur and during a gaming scenario.

I have a 144hz IPS and a 165hz VA (both 34 inch ultrawides) for my work computer. I really don't notice any difference while I'm working.

Edit: Curved monitors are also a bit of a preference thing. The curve doesn't bother me personally but it can take some time to adjust to. I own one of these and it's a good flat option if you want to go that route for about the same price. 144hz IPS.

https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Ultrawide-Monitor-Display-Response/dp/B09GL7HQ6S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=O6PC0972JU4W&keywords=gigabyte+m34&qid=1689011663&sprefix=gigabyte+m34%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.c3015c4a-46bb-44b9-81a4-dc28e6d374b3

If you don’t mind possible cosmetic damage and loss of speakers, I would suggest the LG IPS panel from the auto mod recommendation: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DWD38VX?&linkCode=ll1&tag=18-69-20&linkId=29c85d522d9f152e9c6a3e3a1eeb9895&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

Go to “other sellers” to find the Used from Amazon warehouse option for $405 and use the savings to get a set of desktop speakers for $20-50.

I was about to buy a VA panel myself before seeing the videos of ghosting artifacts at high refresh rates and decided it wasn’t worth messing with. I’m sticking with IPS until OLEDS are more affordable

EDIT: I also found this Gigabyte Ultrawide IPS for only $400 and it includes speakers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GL7HQ6S/

Techspot review: https://www.techspot.com/bestof/gaming-monitors-2023/#246285