GAMING SUPPORT – During its presentation, the Alienware AW3423DW had already caught our eye thanks to an exceptional technical sheet. In particular, we can find the mention of a QD-Oled panel, the first on the PC market, but also G-Sync Ultimate and HDR True Black 400 certifications as well as a peak brightness announced at 1000 cd / m².
All for a 3440 x 1440 pixel screen, with a refresh rate of 175 Hz. On paper, it’s a screen that seems to tick all the boxes to suit a gamer, but also display a quality image for others. types of content.
Our interest in the screen grew even further when Alienware announced an introductory price of 1300 euros, well below the price one would expect from such a technological showcase and a reputable expensive brand like Alienware.
Design Alienware 34 QD-OLED (AW3423DW)
The Alienware AW3423DW is a 34-inch curved widescreen in 21:9 format. It’s always impressive the first time you see this kind of monitor placed on a desk: it necessarily takes up a lot of space compared to a more traditional screen. With a curvature of 1800R, the screen remains flat enough to provide pleasant reading outside of video games, without breaking the immersion in them.
The screen has finishes in the good average, but let’s face it, it is not in this area that the brand has spent most of its budget. We therefore have a chassis composed mainly of matte plastic, pleasant under the fingers, but definitely not of high quality.
The target audience, gamers, is not known to ask for a particularly sober design with noble materials according to the manufacturers. No aluminum here, but a configurable LED backlit logo. Finally, the chassis is a not so important design element: apart from the beauty of your interior, you will rarely admire the back of your screen, let’s face it.
Facing the screen, it is rather the integration of the slab that you will have in front of you. The edges are quite thin, which is expected of a modern screen. The real downside is the lower edge, on which we find the Alienware brand logo.
CONNECTORS
It’s hard to be unhappy with the fine selection of ports offered by Alienware on this screen. There is a DisplayPort 1.4 port, two HDMI 2.0 ports and a 3.5 mm headphone jack output. Another good point, the screen includes a USB 3.0 hub with two USB-A 3.0 ports. It’s practical, it allows you to connect a few peripherals such as a webcam on the screen.
It is a plastic strip placed on top of the rest of the product and you can easily slide your fingernail through it. In other words, one has the impression that one could easily tear it off by pulling. The kind of details that do not really reassure. There is also a defect in Dell screen design: the outline of the plastic frame protrudes slightly from the glass of the slab and allows dust to slip in over the long term.
Last point to note: the screen integrates its power supply. So just connect a conventional cable to turn on the screen. This is convenient for those who use a sit/stand desk, which requires a longer cable than the one supplied.
Dell has also considered end-to-end cable management. A cover allows you to hide the ports on the back of the screen and the foot offers a guide for the wires, which is rather practical to use. In the end, we have a screen which, if it takes up space, knows how to remain as discreet as possible and allows you to properly store your play or work space.
SUPPORT
The screen is offered with a foot that is fairly easy to mount. Only a hand screw to fix the base and the stand, then you can slide the screen on the base. It takes a few minutes, watch in hand, without the need for any tools.
Once the installation is complete, we find the excellent work done by Dell on most of its screens. The stand is complete and ergonomic: you can adjust the height of the display, rotate it slightly to the sides or back and forth.
With such a display format and a curved panel, you can’t really imagine being able to adjust the screen in portrait mode and this option is not offered. If this is really your need, note that the Alienware screen is VESA compatible, which means that it is possible to use other supports than the one provided by Dell.
We could certainly find fault with some design choices, but overall, we feel that Alienware is the gaming brand of a work screen specialist who knows how to think design and ergonomics together. This gives a gaming screen that is convenient to install and put on your desk and whose display can be adjusted for your comfort.