Alienware - AW3423DW

I’ve shared my feedback on other posts but will reiterate here given there aren’t many reviews or real world experience users out there to share. For context, I’ve spent the last couple of years on OLED, first the Alienware 3423dw, then the MSI mpg321urx and a Samsung G80sd. I’ve also tried (and returned) the MSI and Samsung 49 inch super ultra wides. I “downgraded” to the g75f 40 and it’s been a pleasant surprise for me. I like it way more than I thought I would and giving up perfect blacks was a lot easier to do. Part of that may be because I don’t play a lot of really dark games, but I think part of it is this monitor has really good contrast. Colors seem great and calibrating with my Calbrite went well. My use case is 80% productivity and 20% gaming, maybe 90/10 or 100/0 on really busy weeks. I can’t understate how much easier it is on my eyes after a 10 or 12 hour day of spreadsheets and legal memos. Not having to set low brightness to avoid burn in helps with that I’m sure. Not having to hide taskbars, keep a bland black background are pluses for general usability/ enjoyment. The 5k2k and 40 inch form factor feels best for productivity, and while the Dell or LG IPS monitors have more productivity features, most of their convenience is covered by my work issued thunderbolt dock. Viewing angles aren’t nearly as good comparing to OLED but in practical use I’ve not had any issues. On occasion at the farthest edge of the screen I can see slight brightness / gamma shift. But otherwise, I sit in front of my monitor and haven’t found it problematic. Overall, seems to strike the right balance of productivity, gaming, and peace of mind for my admittedly very fringe use case/needs. At $676 all in with Samsung EPP through my work, I feel like I get good value out of it. Not worth it at retail or really anything above $850 in my opinion. I know the “OLED or die” crowd will pan it as poor value and for the gaming enthusiasts/ priority buyer, I’m sure it is bad value. But if you fall in a similar use case as me, I’d recommend giving it a shot if you get it on sale, you might be surprised. Worst thing that can happen is you don’t like it and return it.

Yeah, the [AW3423DWF](https://a.co/d/ivttxsk) probably the way to go. I don't see the justification of +$230 for the AW3423DW.

I don't know what OLED you had previously but I had the same issues on a first gen Alienware OLED and also ended up not keeping it. I now have the MSI 49" OLED and have no text issues. All of the 49" OLEDs are Samsung Gen2 with the subpixel updates so they should be similar. I have also worked on this monitor for about a year with no burn in issues. Not trying to change you mind but it may be worth looking at one.

I have the 3423dw and code on it more than I game on it. The subpixel layout was annoying for all of maybe a week and my brain got used to it and now I don’t really notice it. At the time I thought it was my astigmatism giving me free text aliasing but I’ve since gotten lasik as well and it looks fine.  My one gripe is that it doesn’t have a KVM for switching between my Mac and PC. I’ll occasionally get lines from my IDE but doing the pixel cleaning takes em away.  They are also on clearance too right now since they are the older model. My one gripe is that it has bubble wrap scuffing on it. Although I can’t see it during use 

I have an Alienware AW3423DWN at home and an MSI MPG341CQPX at work. Both have the same quantum dot oled panel and look gorgeous. Text is super clear and readable plus in HDR movies and games are incredible. The coding monitors are a DELL 16:10 and an ASUS 4:3.

OLED is a serious game changer. It even makes World of Warcraft, a 20+ year old game, look gorgeous. I wouldn't go back, and I've had zero burn-in on both my monitors with this panel (one MSI, one Alienware).

Yes, I have an AW 34" QD-OLED at home and the MSI 34" QD-OLED at work. Same panel inside both. I do both video editing and game development (coding). I used Cleartype and picked the best option and haven't had any issues with eye fatigue or reading text. I have a monitor arm for each so they're the perfect comfy distance from my face, and use dark themes and low lighting to keep the contrast in the room reasonable. I do have a side 4:3 monitor for additional code or reference web pages, especially for game dev where I may have 2-3 editor windows up in addition to the C++ code. Three years in, would not switch to anything else (I've tried a few times just out of curiosity). Maybe in 6-7 years when the next OLED tech comes out.

I returned my MSI VA panel after a week and got the AW3423DW. Holy cow, what a difference. Worth the extra $ for sure.

I went from always having two 24" monitors to having one AW3423DW. Best thing I ever did.

Fr. Panel is my biggest issue atm with my aw3423dw. Idk how but I've had 3 panels now with burn in from one game. THE FINALS. And what's wierd is I've had other static stuff on screen more then that game and somehow not gotten burn in from all the other shit. But the UI from the final burns in in less then a month on a brand new panel. I've tested rtx hdr off. Low brightness, low contrast. Nothing seems to be working. The screen just hates that game. I saw Samsung unveiled a new UW panel a week or two ago. 360hz seems to be a gen 3 or even 4 panel. Definitely gonna upgrade to it if that's true

(Owned alot of monitors) I owned a 21:9 AW3423DW for 2 years and loved every second of it but always felt like I needed a little bit more My friend had the 32:9 57” G9 and that was not the greatest experience for games due to fisheye effect in some games (which is caused by games only having one focal camera and not two) also the crazy curvature, just was too big. But I still wanted more so I bit the bullet and got the smaller 32:9 49” OLED G93SD which I have absolutely loved for all types of gaming even competitive & perfect curvature, barely notice the fisheye effect and rarely need to turn your head, went back to a 16:9 OLED 480hz for a bit, also tested the 21:9 some more but ended up going back to the 32:9 G9 in the end - only thing that would make it better is a 4K upgrade. That 5K2K LG looks interesting but the curvature is too much for me.

AW3423DW. I run it in 5K2K with DSR via the NVIDIA app and it's absolutely gorgeous. It's such a great monitor that I even got my wife one, too. Had a Neo G9 49" (32:9) before I got the Alienware. Unfortunately 32:9 is absolute dogwater in the genres I play most, so 21:9 is my personal sweet spot. Been going ultrawide for 5 years and there's no way I can ever go back to 16:9.

You didn't ask me, but I had the same feeling. Considered switching from AW3423DW to AW3225QF but after I had them side by side I knew I can't ever go back to 16:9. 16:9 feels just cramped. 4k is crisp though, but then you can run a 34" in 5K2K with DSR with a NVIDIA GPU. The only monitor that intrigues me is the Samsung Neo G9 57", but then it's not OLED and I don't think I can ever go back to IPS or VA, either.

Run your 34" in 5K2K with DSR like I do.

That's what I did. Love it so much on my AW3423DW in fact I cancelled my preorder for the LG. Matte coating, not the PPI I was hoping for, then throw in the vignette and then the price being almost 3x that of the AW3423DWF (on sale) - it's a hard sell for me. I doubt the LG will wow me more than seeing 5K2K on my old AW3423DW.

Nonsense. I'm very happy with my AW3423DW in HDR but apparently I'm one of those rare people who prefer to play without welding goggles.