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Gaming monitors have been getting more popular for all types of gaming, but ultrawide gaming monitors are still something that\u2019s unique to PC gaming. There\u2019s just something about the ability to stretch out the games you\u2019re playing to a wide 21:9 aspect ratio that really sucks you into the game. <\/p>\n
Now, premium ultrawide monitors traditionally came at a high premium, costing more than a thousand bucks. That\u2019s where I expected the Alienware AW3426DW to fall, especially considering its gorgeous QD-OLED display and Dolby Vision compatibility. But unlike the gaming PCs that power this kind of display, gaming monitors are pretty much the only thing in PC gaming that isn\u2019t going way up in price, with the AW3426DW coming in at $799. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s still a lot to spend on a display, but this is the kind of monitor that you\u2019ll keep on your desk for years, likely through multiple GPU upgrades. <\/p>\n\n\nPurchasing Guide<\/h2>\n The Alienware AW3426DW is available now for $799 on Dell’s website. Luckily, Dell is also known for putting on a lot of sales, so you should be able to get it for an even better price at some point.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n
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Alienware AW3426DW Gaming Monitor \u2013 Hands-On Photos<\/h3>\n<\/span><\/output><\/p>\n
Design and Features<\/h2>\n Right out the gate, the AW3426DW has the distinct look of an Alienware gaming monitor. It\u2019s got the same galaxy purple colorway as some of the company\u2019s recent laptops around the back, and it does look stunning, albeit a little plasticky. There are ventilation holes drilled in an oval pattern around the center of the monitor, with an RGB alien head punctuating it on the right. <\/p>\n
However, just like any other gaming monitor with a fancy design, the back of the monitor will be facing the wall for most people most of the time. The front of the monitor, on the other hand, is surprisingly no-frills. There\u2019s an Alienware logo emblazoned across the center of the bottom bezel and a lit-up power button on the bottom right corner. But even for a large ultrawide monitor like the AW3426DW, the bezels are surprisingly narrow. <\/p>\n
But no matter how narrow the bezels are, that doesn\u2019t stop the AW3426DW from being an absolute behemoth of a display. This thing measures roughly 32 inches wide and 14 inches tall without the stand, and weighs in at about 17 lb. That\u2019s not terrible by any means, especially for an ultrawide display, but you will need to make sure you have the space for it. I, for one, don\u2019t really have the space at home for the AW3426DW to make sense as a daily driver, even if the picture is beautiful enough to make me miss it when I send it back. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\nI already mentioned the lit-up power button, but there\u2019s another button on the bottom of the AW3426DW, at the center, which will bring up the OSD. There\u2019s nothing particularly special here \u2013 you can change picture settings, activate PIP (Picture-in-Picture), and swap between inputs. There is a USB-B port around the back that\u2019ll let you connect the monitor via USB to your PC, and then you can use the Alienware Control Center to change settings like RGB lighting. <\/p>\n
And, just like a lot of modern gaming displays, the OSD will let you turn on \u2018Alienvision\u2019. Rather than letting you see out into space or anything, this just turns on one of several aiming reticles that stay at the center of your screen. This is especially handy in first-person shooters, as it lets you center your aim, even when your in-game reticle is expanded. Some might call it cheating, but hey, it\u2019s a feature that\u2019s there \u2013 take it or leave it. <\/p>\n
You can also enable \u2018Esports Mode,\u2019 which will essentially turn the AW3426DW from a 34-inch ultrawide into a 25-inch 16:9 display. The benefit here is that it becomes much easier to see the entire screen without having to move your head. For pro gamers that\u2019s simply more important than having a ton of visual real estate that you can\u2019t see at all times. <\/p>\n
However, keep in mind that Esports mode drops the resolution to 2368×1332. Instead, I\u2019d recommend manually setting the resolution down to 1920×1080, so that you can maximise your frame rate. Because, really, what\u2019s the point of enabling an esports mode if you\u2019re not going to take maximum advantage of the 280Hz refresh rate while you\u2019re at it. <\/p>\n
Even if you can\u2019t fully saturate that high refresh rate, the AW3426DW supports Freesync, and is G-Sync compatible, so you won\u2019t have to worry about screen tearing at lower frame rates. Granted, VRR, in whichever flavor, is expected in a gaming monitor of this caliber. I\u2019m just glad that it supports both of the major solutions for PC gaming. <\/p>\n
For everyone who isn\u2019t an esports athlete, you\u2019re going to want to take full advantage of this beautiful display. This is a 34-inch 21:9 panel with a 3440×1440 resolution at 280Hz. And, because it\u2019s a QD-OLED display, it\u2019s absolutely gorgeous, with deep blacks and one of the best HDR implementations I\u2019ve ever seen in a gaming monitor, especially under $1000. <\/p>\n
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Gaming and Performance<\/h2>\n I\u2019ve spent the last three days obsessively playing games on the Alienware AW3426DW, and it is frankly stunning. Even dealing with the headache that is HDR on Windows, I\u2019ve been blown away by how beautiful games look on this display. <\/p>\n
Alienware claims that the AW3426DW hits 99% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and in my colorimeter tests, the monitor absolutely hits that level. It also hits 100% sRGB and 97% Adobe. This isn\u2019t exactly the type of monitor that photographers and video editors are going to go in for, but you can absolutely do that kind of work with this level of color accuracy. And for games, it\u2019s more than enough. Just sailing through the high seas in Assassin\u2019s Creed Black Flag Resynced this week, the bright blue water just pops off of the screen.<\/p>\n
Even in Diablo 4, which isn\u2019t exactly known for being a visual showcase, the AW3426DW has incredible contrast, especially in dungeons with a lot of dark scenery punctuated by little light sources. Pretty much every game I\u2019ve played on this display has looked stunning, even games like World of Warcraft, which don\u2019t support HDR for some reason. <\/p>\n
But it\u2019s more than just a pretty picture. I paired the AW3426DW with a gaming PC running an RTX 5080, and was able to keep the display fully saturated, even if I had to lean on frame gen a couple times to get me there. Games look smooth and feel extremely responsive running on this display, and it doesn\u2019t hurt that Alienware rates the display with a 0.03ms response time. <\/p>\n
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It\u2019s worth remembering that, while $799 makes the Alienware AW3426DW seem like an expensive piece of kit, it\u2019s quite a bit cheaper than competing monitors like the LG Ultragear UWQHD or the Asus ROG Swift PG34WCDN, both of which come in over $1000. But even with Alienware\u2019s lower price tag, it doesn\u2019t falter in the ways that more affordable gaming monitors typically do. <\/p>\n
I put the AW3426DW through Blur Busters, and got nary a trace of ghosting or motion blur when running at the full 280Hz. I also didn\u2019t really experience any light bleeding, even in games with a lot of contrast, or when I ran games at a 16:9 resolution. My only real criticism of the monitor is the plastic back panel, and that\u2019s really not much of an issue once it\u2019s set up on the desk. <\/p>\n
That latter point actually comes with the benefit of being easier to move, because it doesn\u2019t weigh 50 pounds like some of the more premium displays do. All told, the Alienware AW3426DW reminded me how much I miss playing games on an Ultrawide display, even though I had to make some questionable organizational decisions to fit it into my apartment.<\/p>\n
If you have the space, though, this is an absolutely stunning gaming monitor. The wide aspect ratio really helps keep you immersed in your games, and the OLED display keeps you locked with a beautiful image, especially in games that support HDR. Just make sure you have a beefy gaming PC to power this thing. <\/p>\n
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her <\/em>@Jackiecobra<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n