THIS IS THE DAWN of a new age of screen
tech. We give you the Alienware 34
AW3423DW, the first true OLED monitor
for the PC. That’s a qualified ‘true’
because it’s not, strictly speaking, the
first OLED monitor of any kind. Instead,
it’s the first aimed at consumers and
marketed at a vaguely attainable price.
The AW3423DW is designed for
gaming, where OLED promises much
thanks to response times an order of
magnitude faster than any LCD. But the
basic form is entirely familiar. The 34-
inch panel has a gentle 1800R curve, 21:9
ultrawide aspect ratio, 175Hz refresh,
and 3,440x1,440 native resolution. It’s
right at the sweet spot, striking a balance
between detail and frame rates.
Nothing radical so far, but make no
mistake, this screen is special. Enhanced
by quantum dot technology for ultra-
vibrant colors, it’s ridiculously quick. The
rated response time is 0.1ms, five times
faster than the quoted GTG response of
the fastest existing IPS monitors.
Per-pixel lighting, perfect black levels
and effectively infinite contrast are on
the menu, too. Even the latest mini-LED
LCD monitors with fancy local dimming
can’t compete. Alienware says the
AW3423DW is good for 1,000 nits peak
brightness, a decent figure by any
measure and particularly strong for
an OLED panel. Core specs aside,
you also get Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate,
wide color coverage including
99.3 percent of the DCI-P3 digital
cinema space, and a three-year
warranty covering OLED burn-in.
There are also two HDMI ports and
a DisplayPort socket, the former
pairing limited to 100Hz refresh.
First impressions are underwhelming.
In standard SDR mode, it doesn’t feel like
1,000 nits. Inevitably, the pixel density of
110dpi is unimpressive on the Windows
desktop and the OLED panel’s triangular
rather than rectangular subpixel
structure interferes with Windows’
ClearType font smoothing. If crispy fonts
are your thing, stick with an LCD.
But this display needs to be in HDR
mode to do its thing, including regular
SDR content, for which you hop into the
Windows Display Settings menu and
ramp the SDR brightness up. The result
is the kind of zingy all-round image you
were hoping for.The best things come to those who wait...
Alienware 34 AW3423DW
9
VERDICT Alienware 34 AW3423DWCHRIS ROCK Incredibly fast;
true HDR performance;
fantastic contrast.
WILL SMITH Relatively low-
resolution for the money; not a great
productivity tool.
$1,299, http://www.dell.comSPECIFICATIONSScreen size 34-inch
Panel type QD OLED
Resolution 3,440 x 1,440
Brightness 1,000 nits peak HDR
Response time 0.1ms
Refresh rate 175Hz
Viewing angle 178° H&V
Contrast ratio 1M:1
Color coverage 99.3% DCI-P3
Connectivity DisplayPort 1.4,
HDMI 2.0 x2, USB hub
Other Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate,
AlienFX lighting
Warranty Three years, inc burn-inStill, it’s with HDR content in games
where this monitor shines. The colors and
contrast are explosive. Compared with
most so-called HDR monitors, where
games such as Cyberpunk 2077 often
look better in SDR mode, this Alienware
sets new standards. Shafts of sunlight
pop against dark backgrounds, while inky
blacks contrast with neon lights.
The same goes for pixel response. Rip
your mouse around its mat as fast as you
like, the visuals remain clear and crisp. No
LCD monitor comes close. One cautionary
note involves the AW3423DW’s ABL
(Automatic Brightness Limiter) system.
It’s one of several anti-burn-in measures
and it varies the overall panel brightness
in response to what’s on-screen. As these
things go, it’s not particularly intrusive.
That aside, this is a stellar monitor for
gaming, likely the best we’ve seen. It’s
not even ridiculously expensive given the
huge step forward it delivers. As an all-
rounder, factors such as the pixel density
and subpixel structure are limitations.
But if the remit is gaming, this is as good
as it currently gets. –JEREMY LAIRDJUN 2022 MAXIMU MPC 79