I tested Alienware's new OLED monitor. I love its image quality and aggressive price

Alienware AW3425DW design

The Alienware AW3425DW’s design doesn’t comply with the identical script as its predecessor. Like different current Alienware displays, it ditches the older mannequin’s retro-futuristic vibe for a curved, natural look. It’s additionally obtainable in only one shade: darkish blue.

To be trustworthy, I don’t very like the look of it. I believe it’s a transparent downgrade from Alienware’s earlier fashions, which appeared extra premium. The AW3425DW additionally reduces the RGB-LED lighting components discovered on earlier fashions. Only the Alienware emblem and the facility button present RGB-LED lighting, and each are reasonably small.

It’s not all dangerous information, although. While the design isn’t exceptional, it’s inoffensive, and the monitor feels strong in-hand. I additionally just like the monitor’s refined curve. Personally, I favor flat-screen ultrawides (within the 34-inch dimension, a minimum of). The AW3425DW isn’t flat, however the curve is usually unnoticeable in day-to-day use.

I additionally just like the small and compact stand, which minimizes the monitor’s affect in your desk. It’s an improve over the massive, wing-shaped stand that shipped with the AW3423DWF. Like its predecessor, and most opponents, the AW3425DW’s stand adjusts for top, tilt, and swivel. It can even “slant” as much as 5 levels for fine-tuning the angle at which the panel sits relative to your desk.

A 100x100mm VESA mount is obtainable for connecting a third-party monitor stand or arm.

Alienware AW3425DW connectivity

The Alienware AW3425DW’s video connectivity consists of two HDMI 2.1 ports and a single DisplayPort 1.4, all of which may deal with the monitor’s full refresh charge and determination.

What you received’t discover, nonetheless, is a USB-C port with DisplayPort and USB Power Delivery. Many aggressive displays now supply USB-C with Power Delivery, so the shortage of USB-C is notable. The lack of USB-C additionally means the monitor doesn’t have a KVM swap.

The monitor’s downstream USB connectivity doesn’t impress, both. It has only one USB-A downstream port and one USB-C downstream port. The USB-C port gives 15 watts of Power Delivery, and each ports present 5Gbps of information. Because the AW3425DW doesn’t have USB-C upstream, homeowners as a substitute want to attach their PC to the monitor over a USB-B upstream connection (a USB-A to USB-B cable is included within the field).

You received’t discover a 3.5mm audio-out jack for audio passthrough, both. This is uncommon for a gaming monitor in 2025, and it’s dangerous information when you use headphones with a 3.5mm connector.

In brief, the AW3425DW’s connectivity is as fundamental because it will get for an OLED monitor in 2025. This is precisely the other of what I’d have anticipated, as most of Alienware’s opponents are going all-in on USB-C.

However, USB-C carries a premium, and opponents with it are sometimes dearer. The MSI MPG 341CQPX is similar to the AW3425DW however gives USB-C with 98 watts of Power Delivery, and it retails at $899.99.

Alienware AW3425DW menus and options

Owners can management the Alienware AW3425DW’s choices with a joystick centered behind the monitor’s decrease bezel. This is a typical association for a 34-inch monitor, and the AW3425DW’s joystick feels responsive.

The monitor’s options will also be modified via Alienware’s Command Center software program. It’s a horny utility that gives fast entry to many monitor settings together with brightness, distinction, and enter, to call just a few. It doesn’t supply adjustment for gamma or shade temperature, nonetheless.

The AW3425DW’s vary of picture high quality choices is first rate, although there’s nonetheless room for enchancment. Alienware gives a Creator picture mode preset, which has sub-modes for sRGB and DCI-P3 shade gamut, in addition to gamma calibration which targets exact values.

However, this mode doesn’t permit for shade saturation, temperature, achieve, and offset changes. These as a substitute are discovered in several modes; all recreation modes, in addition to the customized shade mode, present important shade calibration. There’s sufficient right here for many customers to calibrate the monitor’s picture high quality as desired, however it’s odd that Alienware doesn’t present a picture mode that permits adjustment for all of the above concurrently.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Moving past picture high quality, the AW3425DW gives an excellent vary of gaming-centric options. It has a darkish stabilizer, which may improve brightness in darkish scenes to make enemies simpler to see, plus an on-screen crosshair, timer, and FPS monitor. Gamers can even customise and choose from three Alienvision presets, which apply a few of these options to a restricted portion of the show (kind of like wanting down the scope of a gun in an FPS recreation).

One characteristic you received’t discover is a pair of built-in audio system. This is frequent amongst gaming displays, as built-in audio system hardly ever carry out properly sufficient to do video games justice. Still, the shortage of built-in audio system means you’ll have to make use of headphones or desktop audio system if you wish to hear something in any respect.

Much as with connectivity, the AW3425DW’s characteristic set feels constructed to a finances. It covers the fundamentals however doesn’t present any important options not obtainable from opponents.

Alienware AW3425DW picture high quality

The Alienware AW3425DW has a Samsung QD-OLED panel with a refresh charge of 240Hz. Monitors with QD-OLED panels are inclined to look nice in SDR (in addition to HDR), however there’s usually not a lot distinction between displays from totally different producers. The AW3425DW doesn’t change that pattern, although it does rating just a few small victories.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

First up is brightness. As anticipated, all of the OLED displays carried out kind of the identical. The Alienware AW3425DW’s most sustained SDR brightness of 258 nits is slightly greater than some QD-OLED alternate options, however in the true world, these outcomes will look reasonably comparable.

It must also be famous that the LG Ultragear OLED 45GX950A-B scored the very best of the displays used for comparability, and it makes use of an LG WOLED panel. So, when you do need one of the best SDR brightness, you may wish to take a look at that monitor, though it’s fairly a bit bigger than the 34-inch alternate options.

Even so, the Alienware AW3425DW’s SDR brightness is greater than enough to be used in a typical house workplace or a gaming den. However, when you’re attempting to make use of it in a brightly lit room or room with giant home windows that don’t have shades or blinds, it may not be vivid sufficient. Also, the AW3425DW has a reasonably shiny end over the show panel, which may make glare extra apparent.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Next up is distinction. There’s not a lot to say right here as a result of all OLED displays carry out exceptionally properly. OLED gives an successfully infinite distinction ratio resulting from its capability to succeed in a minimal brightness of zero nits. This permits for a particularly immersive and deep picture. This is a perk for the AW3425DW, however it’s additionally not a aggressive benefit, as all OLED displays supply the identical degree of efficiency.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Next up is shade gamut. QD-OLED displays supply a number of the widest shade gamuts of any show that you may put in your desk. The Alienware AW3425DW hits 100 p.c of sRGB, 98 p.c of DCI-P3, and 95 p.c of Adobe RGB. As the graph reveals, all of the QD-OLED displays have principally the identical degree of efficiency, give or take a share right here and there.

The LG Ultragear OLED 45GX950A-B, which once more makes use of an LG WOLED show, is the one monitor at a notable drawback as a result of it solely shows as much as 95 p.c DCI-P3 and 89 p.c of Adobe RGB.

These outcomes are extra relevant to content material creators than they’re to avid gamers. All of those displays have a shade gamut that’s greater than vast sufficient to make video games look vibrant, however if you would like a really vast shade gamut to make sure that you’re seeing as many colours as doable when modifying a video or a photograph, the Alienware AW3425DW is an efficient selection.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The Alienware AW3425DW excels in shade accuracy, delivering a median shade error that considerably outperforms its opponents. While any common shade error beneath 2 usually produces reasonable imagery (and none of those displays battle with accuracy), the Alienware has a transparent benefit for content material creation duties like video and picture modifying.

Gamma and shade temperature testing revealed each strengths and weaknesses. The AW3425DW ships with a super gamma curve of two.2, which is what most PC functions goal. This ensures pictures don’t seem artificially darkish or vivid, and it’s a welcome enchancment over QD-OLED opponents that have a tendency towards a gamma curve of two.3, which shows content material barely darker than meant.

Color temperature, nonetheless, misses the mark. At 50 p.c brightness, I measured a shade temperature of 6100Ok, which is hotter than the usual 6500Ok goal. While I personally don’t thoughts a hotter tone, this deviation is noticeable.

The AW3425DW’s sharpness is merely enough. Like all 34-inch QD-OLED ultrawides presently obtainable, the AW3425DW gives 3440×1440 decision (roughly 110 pixels per inch). This feels more and more dated because the market shifts towards new 27-inch and 32-inch 4K QD-OLED shows. For these prepared to go bigger, choices like LG’s UltraGear 45GX950A-B ship 5120×2160 decision, which works out to about 125 pixels per inch.

Overall, the AW3425DW’s SDR picture high quality is superb. Its nice out-of-box shade accuracy and spot-on gamma curve ship a barely extra refined and reasonable picture than alternate options just like the Gigabyte MO34WQC. QD-OLED displays are inclined to look much more comparable than totally different, however a win is a win, and my testing reveals the Alienware has a slight edge in SDR picture high quality.

Alienware AW3425DW HDR picture high quality

Things get extra attention-grabbing in HDR.

The Alienware AW3425DW helps HDR and has VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification. Testing outcomes present the AW3425DW is an distinctive HDR performer that outshines many previous WOLED and older QD-OLED displays. It reached a peak brightness of 978 nits in a 10 p.c window, which is the second highest on this aggressive set, simply behind the MSI MPG 341CQPX. The Alienware additionally carried out properly in a 50 p.c window, once more coming in simply barely behind the MSI.

The AW3425DW gives a major benefit over older QD-OLED shows in HDR content material. I measured peak brightness of simply 400 to 500 nits from the Gigabyte MO34WQC and the veteran Alienware AW3423DWF. If you’re in search of a motive to improve from the older Alienware QD-OLED, HDR efficiency is it.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Beyond the check outcomes, HDR content material seems improbable on the AW3425DW. In the “Into the Storm” scene from Mad Max: Fury Road, lightning bolts streak via the mud storm with eye-searing brightness. Viewing the gargantuan scene from Interstellar, I might see glorious element within the accretion disk across the black gap—an space that usually seems blown out and featureless in SDR or on much less succesful HDR shows.

While the AW3425DW is strong in HDR, I used to be dissatisfied to see that it wouldn’t let me modify brightness whereas in HDR. Some QD-OLED displays now supply optionally available HDR adjustment. It’s a helpful characteristic, as HDR content material can at occasions really feel overly vivid on a pc monitor.

The AW3425DW is an efficient monitor for HDR content material. Only Mini-LED displays, which may attain greater brightness ranges when giant parts of the show are lit, will outperform it. However, Mini-LED hasn’t gained a lot traction out there, so looking for a Mini-LED different is probably not well worth the effort.

Alienware AW3425DW movement efficiency

The Alienware AW3425DW has a most refresh charge of 240Hz, that means the picture can replace as much as 240 occasions every second. It additionally has a minimal pixel response time of 0.03 milliseconds, which is typical for a QD-OLED monitor. For comparability, IPS LCD displays sometimes have a response time between 1 and 8 milliseconds.

These specs conspire to supply glorious movement readability. Fast-moving objects are rendered with good element and fast digicam pans preserve most of a recreation’s surroundings intact. Viewing fast-scrolling check pictures from League of Legends, I discovered character silhouettes and terrain regarded crisp. Character names and transferring UI components (like HP bars) could possibly be slightly onerous to make out however had been usually legible.

This is nice efficiency and, when you occur to be upgrading from a 60Hz or 144Hz IPS LCD, it’s going to knock your socks off. However, nearly all of Alienware’s direct opponents supply a 34-inch 240Hz QD-OLED ultrawide, and so they all have comparable movement readability. 240Hz is desk stakes for a gaming monitor in 2025.

Alienware additionally gives official assist for VESA Adaptive Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. Most aggressive displays solely record official assist for one or two of those requirements. The Gigabyte MO34WQC2 lists AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, for instance, whereas the Corsair Xeneon 34WQHD240-C lists Nvidia G-Sync.

Should you purchase the Alienware AW3425DW?

Much like new Alienware’s 27-inch 4K QD-OLED, the Alienware AW3425DW takes the model in an surprising course. The AW3425DW doesn’t attempt to beat its opponents on design or options. Instead, it’s all about delivering one of the best picture high quality doable at an reasonably priced worth.

If this was Alienware’s mission, I have to admit it was profitable. The monitor’s retail MSRP of $799.99 is decrease than the MSRPs of comparable displays and nonetheless aggressive with one of the best sale costs I’ve seen on opponents. Yet regardless of its pricing, the AW3425DW delivered nice ends in each SDR and HDR.

On the opposite hand, the Alienware AW3425DW is slim on options. There’s no USB-C video enter with Power Delivery, no audio system, and no KVM swap. RGB-LED lighting is technically included, however it’s so refined it’s principally non-existent. The monitor additionally lacks an HDR brightness adjustment.

If it had been my cash, I’d spend slightly bit extra on the MSI MPG 341CQPX, which gives practically an identical picture high quality and does have USB-C with 98 watts energy supply, a KVM swap, and different options not discovered on the Alienware. But when you simply need QD-OLED picture high quality and a 240Hz refresh charge at a horny worth, the Alienware makes loads of sense.