It all starts here. Is the new Alienware 34 AW3423DW QD-OLED the gaming monitor that will revolutionize OLED on PCs? Something we've been waiting for years" Please let it be.

As you can see, this monitor is not perfect. But it is dramatically better than any LCD-based monitor in several essential gaming metrics. And it's really exciting to use. Of course, that's getting ahead of myself. Let's get the basics out of the way first.

By many measures, this is not a very radical display. 34" 21:9 proportions, a gentle 1800R curve, and a native resolution of 3,440 x 1,440 are all relatively routine in the current gaming monitor market. The same goes for the refresh rate. This new OLED panel is not to be outdone, but LCD screens with higher refresh rates are available at much lower prices.

Yes, money is an issue: the AW3423DW is priced at $1,299 in the US (UK price not yet determined). That's a lot of money for a gaming monitor, but surprisingly reasonable for a product on the cutting edge of new technology. After all, this is the first true PC gaming panel based on OLED technology.

And it's not just any OLED kit. Many OLED TVs, including the LG sets that have become so popular among gamers, use the WRGB sub-pixel structure to increase brightness at the cost of reducing saturation; WRGB assumes an RGB sub-pixel structure for fine-tuning rendering, including fonts, PC This can be a problem for applications as well. This issue is less relevant for games. But the bottom line is that WRGB OLED panels do have drawbacks.

That is why this new Alienware is doubly exciting: in addition to being an OLED, it also uses Samsung's new QD-LED technology, which combines an ideal RGB sub-pixel structure with quantum dot technology to deliver superior color saturation and an even brighter panel and brighter panels by combining the ideal RGB sub-pixel structure with quantum dot technology. As a result, Alienware claims 99.3% coverage of the demanding DCI-P3 color space and 1,000 nits brightness.

All OLED technologies share two decisive advantages over LCD panels: contrast and response. Simply put, each pixel of an OLED panel is its own light source and can be turned off completely, essentially allowing for "true" black levels and nearly infinite contrast. no complicated and problematic local dimming is required to stop light from leaking from the LCD panel. oLED is It is real HDR.

OLEDs are also much faster than LCDs. How much depends on how it is measured. The fastest current IPS monitors are estimated to have a gray-to-gray response of about 1 ms. However, this only measures a portion of the transition between colors. The complete change takes much longer. By comparison, Alienware estimates this OLED panel at 0.1 ms. And that would be for a complete transition. At least an order of magnitude faster.

Anyway, now that we have briefly explained why this product promises to be so good, what is the real story? First impressions were disappointing: the Alienware 34 AW3423DW QD-OLED, booted up in SDR mode, looks a bit dull and dim. There is also mediocre pixel density resulting from the combination of a 34-inch diagonal and a native resolution of 3,440 x 1,440. Frighteningly, this is a dud.

Don't panic; unlike LCD monitors that claim HDR capabilities, this OLED screen only works in HDR mode. And that applies to SDR content as well; Alienware offers two HDR modes, HDR 400 True Black and HDR Peak 1000. The latter allows for up to 1,000 nit performance in a small area of the panel, but actually appears less vivid and punchy in most cases.

Instead, it is the HDR 400 True Black mode that generally gives the best results. This includes SDR content. To get the best display of SDR content, you need to increase the SDR brightness from the Windows "Display Settings" menu, which is really convenient because once the AW3423DW is properly configured, that's all you need to do. No need to switch modes between SDR and HDR content.

But back to the game. This is a special display. In terms of responsiveness, it is incredible. No matter how hard I move the mouse around on the mat, everything on the screen remains crisp, clear, and sharp. This amazing in-game response is backed up by test animations like TestUFO. I have never seen a small alien spacecraft look so blur-free.

When it comes to color and contrast, this panel is an absolute bomb. Thanks to the pixel-by-pixel lighting, the in-game images have depth, saturation, and clarity. Suddenly, all of the previous LCD monitors seemed to be viewed through a filter, and they were all just a little watery and translucent.

"Wanting Examples" On many panels that are supposed to be HDR-compatible, the Cyberpunk 2077 actually looks best in SDR mode. Not so with this Alienware: in HDR mode, sunlight shines brightly in outdoor scenes, while deep, jet-blacks contrast dramatically with indoor neon light sources. This is truly something special.

Even visually underwhelming titles like Call of Duty: Warzone look great thanks to the quantum dot-enhanced saturation and quick response. When flying around the map in online shooters and other fast-paced games, there is no slight softening of the image that any LCD panel would have to endure.

This may sound a bit exaggerated, but not all LCD monitors are terrible. In fact, when it comes to refresh rate and latency, LCD monitors with refresh rates above 360 Hz are clearly faster. Latency is a traditional weakness of OLEDs, and while we did not perceive any subjective problems with this 175 Hz monitor, there is no doubt that faster screens are available if gaming enjoyment and success depend on the lowest possible latency.

Of course, latency is not the only OLED-related problem. Burn-in is a major fear, which leads to several quirks. First, the entire image can shift by a pixel or two. In practice, the panel is overprovisioned by about 20 pixels on each axis, which is plenty of room. This is a bit like over-provisioning the memory cells in an SSD, which allows Alienware to prevent static elements from "baking" into the display over time.

Another anti-burning measure is the ABL (automatic brightness limiter) system. If you look carefully, you will see that the brightness of the entire panel changes slightly according to what is being displayed on the screen. For example, if there is a large bright object, the panel will darken slightly to reduce overall power consumption and protect the panel. It's not terribly intrusive, but it's something to be aware of; Alienware offers a three-year warranty against the risk of burning out OLEDs.

Time will tell if this becomes a serious problem, but one thing is certain at this price point: there are better general-purpose panels with superior pixel density, higher resolution, and desktop screen area. the lack of USB-C connectivity is also a broad usability limitation when considering this. If you want a really big display, an OLED TV with 120 Hz at a similar price is clearly a better bargain.

It is also worth noting that only one DisplayPort input is available to achieve the full 175 Hz; the two HDMI sockets are limited to 100 Hz. This is one of the reasons why it is not suitable for use with the latest gaming consoles; it is optimized for use with PCs only. However, this is currently the best way to enjoy most types of games on that platform. Simply put, the Alienware 34 AW3423DW sets new standards in contrast, HDR performance, and response.