Alienware
Alienware today announced a new QD-OLED monitor SKU that is very similar to the Alienware AW3423DW released this spring for $1,300. The AW3423DWF has many of the same specs, but skips Nvidia G-Sync certification and hardware in favor of AMD’s and VESA’s open standards for fighting screen tearing, while costing $200 less than its predecessor.
Like the AW3423DW, the AW3423DWF uses Samsung’s QD-OLED technology. This is a form of OLED that uses a blue self-emissive layer as the light source, passing through a layer of quantum dots. The primary goal is better color coverage, including more consistent colors across brightness levels, combined with the deep blacks and incredible contrast that OLED displays are known for.
The specifications of the 34.18-inch AW3423DWF and AW3423DW are closely matched, including 3440 × 1440 resolution, 1800R curve, 99.3 percent DCI-P3, and 149 percent sRGB color coverage, up to a 165 Hz refresh rate via DisplayPort and 100 Hz over HDMI 2.0, and 0.1 ms gray-to-gray (GtG) response time.
But while the AW3423DW uses G-Sync Ultimate, which confirms 1,000 nits of brightness with HDR and also fights screen tearing when paired with an Nvidia GPU, the new AW3423DWF uses AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA’s AdaptiveSync standards.
Alienware
AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro works with AMD GPUs, including those in the latest Xbox and PlayStation consoles. The Premium Pro rating confirms that the feature works with HDR (the monitor is VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack400 certified) and adds low frame rate compensation, which displays frames multiple times to compensate when frame rates drop below the monitor’s lowest supported refresh rate.
VESA announced its AdaptiveSync certification program in May. It includes testing for vibration, dropped frames and more strenuous GtG response time tests looking at 20 GtG combinations.
VESA’s AdaptiveSync requires functionality with refresh rates of at least 60-144 Hz and a GtG response time of 5 ms according to VESA’s testing. Support with graphics cards from Nvidia, AMD and Intel, meanwhile, simplifies the compatibility question.
Even before VESA announced its AdaptiveSync program, the lines between G-Sync and FreeSync were narrowing, with many FreeSync monitors also being able to run G-Sync without Nvidia hardware and thus maintain lower prices.
By skipping Nvidia certification or using the G-Sync module, Alienware has a cheaper $200 QD-OLED monitor with much the same performance expectations. When VESA announced the AdaptiveSync performance layer (there is also a MediaSync version), the industry group acknowledged to Ars Technica that while it’s not the goal, the layers could lead to the end of GPU-specific flavors of variable refresh rates (VRR).
Alienware has also added a number of additional features to the new AW3423DWF, including supposedly improved cable management and a five-way joystick that can summon different picture modes, including a new Creator mode that switches the color gamut to sRGB and lets you adjust the gamut. However, at 149 percent sRGB color coverage, you’ll need to calibrate significantly for color-critical work in this space.
Alienware also claims that the new monitor is easier to mount than the previous one, thanks to a slimmer profile. The AW3423DWF is 5 inches deep without the stand versus the 5.4 inches of the AW3423DW.
Alienware
With a 21:9 aspect ratio that provides black bars in 16:9 console gaming, and HDMI 2.0 connectivity at a maximum of 100Hz at the monitors’ maximum resolutions, neither QD-OLED display is the perfect fit for modern console gaming. However, the screen should support VRR up to 120 Hz on the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 with a resolution of 2560×1440.
Alienware will begin accepting orders for the AW3423DWF this fall.
Ars Technica may earn compensation through affiliate programs for sales of links on this post.
Editor’s Note: This article originally stated that orders for the monitor would begin on a specific date, but an Alienware representative contacted Ars and said the company is no longer providing a specific date for taking orders.
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