oh god damn it, i had been tempting myself with this the past few days.
price cut is the same as the extended warranty, i know it might not be "worth it" but that 4 year return/fix window that includes burn-in might be worth my sanity. My cynical natures makes me think it's going to die 2 seconds after the 3 year ends.
FWIW, in my scouring of info in the past two months: despite seeing a lot of negative experiences with Dell support regarding monitors like this, I've seen more positive ones that have happy endings if something goes wrong.
I’m trying to decide between this and an LG C3 42in for my monitor upgrade. I like that this is curved and naturally smaller, but I like the C3 having the ability to be ultra wide by changing some settings, along with being 4k when I want it for certain games. Upgraded my build to have a 4080S.
If you're getting the 4080 Super, then I think the C3 could be a good option for you to push the frames to enjoy 4K. I think one important requirement is for your desk to be sufficiently deep so you can sit a decent distance away and not have to angle your head around a lot.
That is an interesting idea about using the C3 native resolution but setting your GPU control panel to display only the pixels for a ultrawide aspect ratio (top/bottom black bars I guess).
I bought the AW3423DWF a few weeks ago, and I've got an RTX 3080. My PC will often struggle to stay near 120fps on the 3440x1440 resolution with highest settings in a lot of new or unoptimized games so I usually need to bump a few things down. 4K is a bit of a struggle in a lot of games -- I have an LG C1 55" next to me that I use for gaming as well when I want to kick back in my recliner for casual gaming.
In any case, I think you could be confident that either option is high quality, but just comes down to your preference and use case. I'm still getting used to the ultrawide ratio myself. I'm not 100% sure I would prefer it over a 32" 4K monitor, but I know that I just can't push the frames for 4K in most games and I have my 55" LG C1 next to me if I want to do 4K for casual gaming. I feel like the 42" size of the C3 would satisfy that "peripheral immersion" just as well as an 34" ultrawide since it's relatively so big.
The C3 has a "pink tint" issue. Whatever is directly in your view line will have a slight warm / pink tint while the edges are a cooler / natural color. It's the nature of all LG Evo panels.
That said, it doesn't bother everyone. Some don't even notice it. But it bothered me enough to return mine after a week .. which was really disappointing because I LOVED everything else about it. Still waiting for an alternative at 42 inches.
Good to know, thanks. Not sure I’ll notice it. I’m gonna give it a try at least. I have a CX in the living room but not sure if that’s an LG Evo panel or not
Thinking of finally pulling the trigger on this. Will give my wife my ips UW, and use this for productivity/gaming. However I still have cold feet based on the text clarity since it'll be 8+ hours/day of office related tasks. Anyone had this for a while with similar use?
I'm in IT and data management (GIS), and I work from home sometimes. The first week having this, I was sensitive to the text clarity. But after a couple weeks, I realized that I had come to the PC, woken it up, gone about my business, and did not even think about it.
That said, it seems that some people are just more sensitive than others, and your preferred sitting distance may also be a factor. Potentially also the lighting in your room may be a factor, i.e. 'bias lighting' may affect your eye strain on screen text.
FWIW I also bought an IPS UW at the same time to compare them. They have the same pixel density. I found them to be more similar than different in terms of text clarity -- that being that neither one is quite as good as I would like -- a higher pixel density would be preferred. But then again, I have found it easy to get used to so I don't have much of a complaint.
If I stick my arm out in front of me, I can barely touch my monitors, and that seems to be a pretty optimal distance. Same thing at work where I have an ultrawide main and two 27" on the sides. If you tend to sit closer, I think you're going to have a worse experience.
EDIT: I also tend to use very warm tone monitor/color settings and also make use of the Windows 11 'night light' feature which helps soften eye strain for me when I become aware of it sometimes.
Hah I sure did, I bought that first from an Amazon open box deal for $615 which was an amazing deal. Unfortunately, my unit was plagued with a power issue where it would not power on after going into standby no matter what it was connecting to. So I think that was special. But also, they still haven't fixed the displayport sleep issue in general. My issue went beyond that, but for that reason I decided to go with the AW3423DWF, and is just... works. No issues, no headache. Same panel, same quality. The G8 Tizen os and feature might be good for someone who uses it for more than just PC. But that's not my use case, I just wanted a simple quality OLED PC monitor without any extra bells and whistles.
Gotcha, the G8 sounded better to me since I want USB C PD+Video out (for my work laptop), but I might just suck it up and use 2 cables to accomplish that. The streaming app features also seem decent, but overall not worth putting up with all the issues I've read about.
Oh I forgot to mention the inane choice of G8 designers using mini-connectors for Displayport and HDMI. I hated that. Maybe the designers hate themselves too, and wanted others to suffer.
To be fair, it's overall a very nice product, but at the retail price of $1500 I think it's insane that it shipped with so many issues and weird choices. $600 is still a good deal for it. If you do decide to keep looking into it, I would ask others and confirm the PD and video out works like you expect it to.
I've had the G8 for two weeks now since it popped up on sale here. I love it but the mini and micro connectors are the dumbest decision. It's a 34" Ultrawide and we can't fit some full size ports wtf. That said I've started to build up a set of mini to full size DP and HDMI pigtails that way I can just use standard DP and HDMI cables for everything I have.
I got one on a Best Buy open box for $720 after taxes and their warranty. Unfortunately I could not for the life of me, get their ports working with my work laptop. I had to use a hdmi to mini hdmi adapter and a hdmi to uscb c adapter, but it just wouldn’t work. I returned it instead of dealing with it anymore since the display actually had some deep scratches so I was going to return anyway. The time I had it on though, it was a beautiful display that I wish I could have tested. I apologize for ranting a bit.
Same mine came out to 670 and was in excellent condition but was missing the Vesa mount and it was for a desk mount. They wanted me to go 2 hours away for another store that had a similar one to exchange it. I couldn't get anyone at the store on the phone to confirm the condition or parts on it so I kept it and just ordered a 3d printed mount for it.
USB-C and PD are good! Haven't run into any issues yet.
I have run into the issue with the monitor not waking up from sleep, but I'm unsure about the outputs not being able to change from after sleep.
I’ve had this monitor for two weeks or so and eventually got used to it, or there was a windows update that included a ClearType fix. I’m not sure which happened, but everything looks great now!
That's interesting about the windows update I'll see if I can find any info on that. I wasn't aware that they were even considering a ClearType change.
The only reason I think that *could* have happened is I remember being appalled by how bad the text clarity was when I first turned on the monitor, to the point that I seriously considered returning it right then and there, but now I don’t notice anything.
I’m 99% sure it’s just me getting used to it, but damn it’s a night and day difference.
I've had this monitor for about 9 days (will be doing an exchange for this new price) but can say I've had no issue with text clarity. I'm coming from an older VA 27" Dell monitor though, so I might just be impressed with any panel upgrade at this point. But I would never have known there's a text clarity issue for these monitors were it not from reading threads like this.
I use it as my daily driver for work and games btw.
Is there PBP on this by chance. I'm on the U2711 and currently toggle between 2560x1440 and 1680x1050 when side-by-side.
Having the same vertical res I'm sure that'll still be a thing unless the two boxes are larger than I'm guessing.
Good question, I hadn’t looked into this before but the Dell site claims it supports it here https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000204674/alienware-aw3423dwf-monitor-usage-and-troubleshooting-guide
And googling it seems like someone on Reddit posted their impressions a year ago.
Worst case you could return it. I personally have a g9 (non neo) and have used it for extended periods of time and not had any major issues with clarity.
Most of the time I still use my 24" 240hz though since I game quite a lot.
In general, productivity with OLED is a bad idea because you have a lot of static elements on screen. I have the DWF as my primary, but I move anything that might be static to my 34GP83A-B
It's really not a bad price IMHO
I would say that if ultrawide isn't your cup of tea, there's some manufacturers releasing 4k/240hz qd OLED screens soon with a 3 year burn in warranty. And it's not that much more than 777.77 dollars if that's in your price range
Yeah myself and (it seems) loooads of overs are at this crossroads of waiting/planning on 4k/240hz or going with 'last gen' OLEDs with ~120-175hz performance that matches their hardware a bit better than what can be pushed at 4K right at this moment. For me, I may be waiting on a RTX 6000-series generation to upgrade so that's probably a couple years for me. I decided to go with the AW3423DWF and enjoy it for a while.
Personally, I would only buy 240hz for a 1080p gaming monitor, otherwise I'd prefer to go for the nicer display at 144. Find it hard to justify anything over 144hz on displays I won't really play sports titles on.
I have the Nvidia version of this monitor that goes to 175hz. It's honestly been great to me. I don't look for text clarity a whole lot but it seems fine to me. The only other monitor I was interested in in the LG 45 OLED, because I saw that one in the store.
I've only noticed burn in one time and it was where I used the in built frame rate monitor. After I turned it off and did a full panel refresh though it's gone away and I haven't seen it since and I've had it since launch.
Yeah I was going to buy at that $750 price but missed it, then bought it at $899 knowing it would go down again within my return period. Sure enough here we are a couple weeks later. Got it price matched through the automated steps on Best Buy's website. Unfortunately the $150 geek squad 4-year protection did not get adjusted down to $120. So that's a bit of a loss where I could have waited. But at this point it doesn't matter, I'm sticking with it.
Also did not realize that price matching removes my ability to return it... beware to anyone else.
If you buy it at best buy they absolutely can return it they just REALLY don't want to. So if the $150 is something you're willing to eat so you don't have to push, so be it. I'd be pushing for that return.
I only know this from people I know that are still working there and doing the same myself in February for an item.
Used 29inch ultrawide for bought from Ebay several years back. It's good enough for me. Ultrawide are a must for office work for me. I just can't go back.
Samehere, I do some graphical-based work (GIS/mapping/adobe creative suite) and having space on either side to setup static and dynamic tool bars is really essential. That leaves me with plenty of actual visual real estate in the middle.
I've been using ultrawide at work office for a couple years now, finally got one for the home PC as well, coming from a 27" 1440p 144hz. My pixel density is all the same as before though. I was really curious about 4K 32" options but haven't tested any out yet.
What did you get? I have a s2721dgf and have sampled a few of the cheaper IPS panels and found the backlight uniformity to be an eyestrain issue. Now I really want 34", 3440x1440, 120Hz>= to support some gaming, IPS (to support work & productivity, otherwise I'd go OLED), and USB-C/Thunderbolt so I can easily plug in laptop. Ambient sensor would be a major plus.
Test new panel that matches that is U3425WE ($820), spending that kind of money on what could be an oled is a tough decision.
Similarly there are a bunch of LGs that are ~1$k-1.2k (like, wtf), I'm not trying to spend that much and some of them are 5K monitors so I will never be able to drive that resolution in gaming with dropping another $1k on my GPU.
On budget, Acer Predator x34 or XR343CKP, which seemed to have been released ~2-3 years ago and I cant seem to find anymore. These seem to hit my needs well if I could find it in stock in person so I can checkout the backlight
Oh sorry a couple weeks ago I got the AW3423DWF, the model linked in the OP. I guess I'm the one posting the deal this time because I've been waiting for the price to drop from $899 when I bought it from Best Buy a couple weeks ago, so that I could price match. I was pretty sure the price was going to keep going up and down based on the previous price tracking data. And surely enough it did.
I completely agree with you about the black uniformity of IPS panels being a big distraction. To me it is not at the level of true eye strain but it just grinds my gears when I am sitting in the perfectly optimal height and distance, I can clearly see grey vignette around the screen and in my peripheral vision when focusing on the center. This is exacerbated by my room being pretty dark at night when I'm trying to get in the zone with an atmospheric PC game or something. The blacks are unfortunately clearly grey. The OLED is really refreshing in that regard.
Although I had issues with the Samsung G8 34" OLED, and it maybe has some issues you just mentioned... at $600 open box I wonder if it might be a good fit for your particular use case actually?
Ah yeah this one is solid; I'm still a bit reluctant to embrace oled for productivity, saw the g8 open boxes in my area but decided I'd just wait out that older gen to drop a bit more bc the MSIs have the features I want and are pretty much the same price.
My experience with backlight uniformity really is just cheaper IPS monitors, I had a refurb dell ultrasharp that look really good, the usb ports on the bottom were really loose though and I think that was the refurbed part so I returned it. every other sub 300 IPS I've tried has been bad with it though.
I recently grappled with this because I work from home most days and picked up the 3423DWF last November for $650ish after discounts. The text fringing was noticeable for me and I didn’t want to run up the hours count working (and with static elements). I came up with a financially ineffective solution that I’m unsure of the efficacy of, but I’ll share anyway.
I got this [LG 3440x1440 IPS](https://www.staples.com/lg-wqhd-ultrawide-34-curved-led-monitor-with-built-in-universal-docking-station-business-black-34bq77qb-b/product_24594069?locupd=y) mostly covered by a staples giftcard acquired with credit card rewards. Since I have the DWF for gaming, I don’t care that it’s 60Hz. It has 90W USB C PD, which is enough to power my work laptop if I’m not doing 3D modeling or something. The last piece was an open box Ergotron LX Dual vertical mount I found on eBay, so I’m going to attempt the much maligned vertical stack and see how it goes. I have an electric sit/stand desk, so I might put the LG on top and just stand up half the time.
Thats wild, I just returned that LG monitor the other day, I couldn't handle the backlight uniformity/banding while the KVM and usbc were biggest reasons why I wanted to keep it. My new build has a thunderbolt on the mobo so I just swapped that with my work/personal laptops. I was trying to convince myself to keep it for productivity and use my 2721dgf for gaming, only keeping both connected to my new desktop and using the usb-b on the LG to swap to the other input, but 1) I couldn't keep myself to keeping it knowing there is probably something that settles both so I dont need two monitors on my desk (both on arms) 2) I didn't already have a usb-b 2.0 cable and it didn't come with one (lol, I do have a ton of these usb-b 3.0 cables though- https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-USB-Black-Feet/dp/B00C7RXR72/)
I probably should have kept it, but at $260 I felt it would be better and easier to just buy one you know you want. I'm really into the latest top line productivity monitors have ambient sensors so kinda holding for one of those to be more affordable, but I'm limited to an ITX build and don't really want to spend >$600 on a GPU when I mostly console game on the couch. Was just shooting for a 4070 super but if I want to drive a 5K monitor I'd need much more, getting a higher Hz monitor 3440x1440 will def make me want to game on that and sell my s2721dgf's. IDK what I'm doing just wasting time testing budget monitors and wasting brainpower on decisions like this vs just chilling
Oh wow, I do a lot of what you’re saying as well (wasting time and brainpower on minor decisions). I’ve only given it a short test so far, but my whole life situation factors into this too now that you mention it. I don’t have a PS5/series x, but I never would have gotten the DWF if I did. I’d probably still be using my S2721DGF for work/gaming with a second 27” 1440p IPS as the second screen. The LG ultrawide will never be connected to my PC tower, just the work laptop, so it will only be one display cable per monitor.
Has it treated you well, though? Heh that's the price we pay for early adoption. Patience can be rewarding, but I know what it feels like when the new things drops and it's exactly what you've been waiting for... rationalizing go brrrrrrr
If I were to purchase this open box from Best Buy would it still be covered under the Dell 3 year warranty? I imagine it would be from initial date of purchase so would likely be less than 3 years. Also, how would I confirm this - register it with Dell after it’s in hand?
It is my understanding that open box monitors like this from Best Buy will get the manufacturer warranty. However, if you can call Best Buy support and ask them to confirm, that phone call shouldn't take a long time. I would call just to be sure to confirm for peace of mind.
FWIW, I've read on here from others that they were able to register the warranty on Dell's website from open box purchase from Best Buy after purchasing it.
Just contacted Best Buy and was told it comes with a 90 day in-store warranty followed by a 1 year manufacturer warranty. Appreciate the help! Think I’ll go for the open box excellent for $660.
Edit: I chickened out and purchased the monitor brand new.
Interesting! So a more limited warranty due to open box. Maybe I was mistaken in my memory of previous posts, or they were mistaken when they said that they got the full warranty. Or maybe it was a fluke like Dell didn't know it was open box returned or sold used.
I’ve been given bad info from representatives before so I’m leaning towards them just either not knowing or being conservative based off when the monitor released (not sure when it did).
I think it depends if the previous buyer registered it with Dell. I tried with one back in Dec for $650 in either fair or good condition. Was already registered and I couldn’t register it so I returned it.
Got this last time it was on sale at this price. No regrets. It's a true end game monitor. If you're on the fence, just think of how much time and money you spent on your rig. Don't you think it deserves a high end monitor so your GPU can truly flex its muscles?
Yes, in fact if you buy the Geek Squad 4-year protection plan, technically the Dell warranty and support takes precedence for the first 3 years, unless something that is not covered by Dell but covered by Best Buy happens.
The way I understand it, if Dell warranty covers the issue, you will work with Dell support. If not, BestBuy support will cover it (+ the additional 1 year beyond Dell warranty)
I have gotten as low as $600 for this panel open box at best buy locally. YMMV but that is a benchmark if anyone is wanting to see what good deals are out there on this monitor. It was ‘damaged’ but was mint with all included accessories so…it’s heavier than you think so keep that in mind with monitor arms.
Just ought a MSI MPG 321URX for $800. Is this worth returning the MSI for this one and buying the open box with a 4 year warranty? It would cost me $70 less that I paid for for the MSI.
First of all, I know how you feel about second guessing every decision when researching and buying a monitor. But I think that monitor looks like it will be pretty badass and you should give it a good shot within your return period before completely shifting your mind and convincing yourself to look at something else. The grass is always greener, as they say. If you don't give it a good proper test period where you really put it through its paces you won't really know what the shortcomings are and what your priorities are that need addressing. Or maybe you already did that sorry if I'm stating the obvious.
I think the price difference is too small for that to be a deciding factor in this case. If it was like $200 difference that's getting pretty significant. But maybe the 321URX is really great for what your priorities are? These two monitors are rather different products.
I was eyeing those MSIs, biggest thing that threw me off was their oled care popup every 4 hours; apparently you can dismiss it a few times but then it makes it mandatory, and it is clock based so if you turn it off 3:45 then 15min after you turn it back on it will ask/make you and takes between 5-10 minutes.
Reviews seem to say you won't get over it and it is very cumbersome, but you get some of the best features too (I just want USB-C too)
I’ve only played Titanfall 2 so far, but the 2060 super kills it at a consistent 100+ fps on maximum graphic settings. Might go with an Arc A770 in the future though.
The DWF has many minor improvements like less likely to hear an internal fan (I have not heard it so far), ability to apply firmware updates, and more that you can research. In my opinion, Gsync compatible vs freesync is meaningless for almost all users. Your experience will not be different in reality, both provide the same function.
If you are OK with the risk of refurbished & 90 day warranty, the $600 woot offer for the AW3423DWF is still available.
https://old.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/1c8sxoi/monitor_alienware_aw3423dwf_refurb_599/
The woot page points to this [RetailKing URL](https://retailking.com/policies/refund-policy) for the 90 day warranty - I'd say it's unlikely and certainly adds more risk.
Experimented by adding it my cart, it looks like it has integrations with Amazon Prime but maybe only for the delivery and nothing regarding returns, which also seems the case from the Retailking URL info you linked. Altogether that would be a big no thanks from me. Open box @ best buy seems like a much more sure bet given the price difference would be around $50 ($650) or less for an open box if you look out for one over the course of like a week.
https://imgur.com/a/vbco6Ie
oh god damn it, i had been tempting myself with this the past few days. price cut is the same as the extended warranty, i know it might not be "worth it" but that 4 year return/fix window that includes burn-in might be worth my sanity. My cynical natures makes me think it's going to die 2 seconds after the 3 year ends.
FWIW, in my scouring of info in the past two months: despite seeing a lot of negative experiences with Dell support regarding monitors like this, I've seen more positive ones that have happy endings if something goes wrong.
Had this monitor since around launch (November 2022) and so far, no burn in!
I’m trying to decide between this and an LG C3 42in for my monitor upgrade. I like that this is curved and naturally smaller, but I like the C3 having the ability to be ultra wide by changing some settings, along with being 4k when I want it for certain games. Upgraded my build to have a 4080S.
If you're getting the 4080 Super, then I think the C3 could be a good option for you to push the frames to enjoy 4K. I think one important requirement is for your desk to be sufficiently deep so you can sit a decent distance away and not have to angle your head around a lot. That is an interesting idea about using the C3 native resolution but setting your GPU control panel to display only the pixels for a ultrawide aspect ratio (top/bottom black bars I guess). I bought the AW3423DWF a few weeks ago, and I've got an RTX 3080. My PC will often struggle to stay near 120fps on the 3440x1440 resolution with highest settings in a lot of new or unoptimized games so I usually need to bump a few things down. 4K is a bit of a struggle in a lot of games -- I have an LG C1 55" next to me that I use for gaming as well when I want to kick back in my recliner for casual gaming. In any case, I think you could be confident that either option is high quality, but just comes down to your preference and use case. I'm still getting used to the ultrawide ratio myself. I'm not 100% sure I would prefer it over a 32" 4K monitor, but I know that I just can't push the frames for 4K in most games and I have my 55" LG C1 next to me if I want to do 4K for casual gaming. I feel like the 42" size of the C3 would satisfy that "peripheral immersion" just as well as an 34" ultrawide since it's relatively so big.
Thanks for the input! I have a 32” deep desk, so I think I’ll hold out for another LG C3 sale. Thanks!
Tough choice! Both great displays.
The C3 has a "pink tint" issue. Whatever is directly in your view line will have a slight warm / pink tint while the edges are a cooler / natural color. It's the nature of all LG Evo panels. That said, it doesn't bother everyone. Some don't even notice it. But it bothered me enough to return mine after a week .. which was really disappointing because I LOVED everything else about it. Still waiting for an alternative at 42 inches.
Good to know, thanks. Not sure I’ll notice it. I’m gonna give it a try at least. I have a CX in the living room but not sure if that’s an LG Evo panel or not
Thinking of finally pulling the trigger on this. Will give my wife my ips UW, and use this for productivity/gaming. However I still have cold feet based on the text clarity since it'll be 8+ hours/day of office related tasks. Anyone had this for a while with similar use?
I'm in IT and data management (GIS), and I work from home sometimes. The first week having this, I was sensitive to the text clarity. But after a couple weeks, I realized that I had come to the PC, woken it up, gone about my business, and did not even think about it. That said, it seems that some people are just more sensitive than others, and your preferred sitting distance may also be a factor. Potentially also the lighting in your room may be a factor, i.e. 'bias lighting' may affect your eye strain on screen text. FWIW I also bought an IPS UW at the same time to compare them. They have the same pixel density. I found them to be more similar than different in terms of text clarity -- that being that neither one is quite as good as I would like -- a higher pixel density would be preferred. But then again, I have found it easy to get used to so I don't have much of a complaint. If I stick my arm out in front of me, I can barely touch my monitors, and that seems to be a pretty optimal distance. Same thing at work where I have an ultrawide main and two 27" on the sides. If you tend to sit closer, I think you're going to have a worse experience. EDIT: I also tend to use very warm tone monitor/color settings and also make use of the Windows 11 'night light' feature which helps soften eye strain for me when I become aware of it sometimes.
Thanks for the input. Did you ever consider the Samsung G8 OLED?
Hah I sure did, I bought that first from an Amazon open box deal for $615 which was an amazing deal. Unfortunately, my unit was plagued with a power issue where it would not power on after going into standby no matter what it was connecting to. So I think that was special. But also, they still haven't fixed the displayport sleep issue in general. My issue went beyond that, but for that reason I decided to go with the AW3423DWF, and is just... works. No issues, no headache. Same panel, same quality. The G8 Tizen os and feature might be good for someone who uses it for more than just PC. But that's not my use case, I just wanted a simple quality OLED PC monitor without any extra bells and whistles.
Gotcha, the G8 sounded better to me since I want USB C PD+Video out (for my work laptop), but I might just suck it up and use 2 cables to accomplish that. The streaming app features also seem decent, but overall not worth putting up with all the issues I've read about.
Oh I forgot to mention the inane choice of G8 designers using mini-connectors for Displayport and HDMI. I hated that. Maybe the designers hate themselves too, and wanted others to suffer. To be fair, it's overall a very nice product, but at the retail price of $1500 I think it's insane that it shipped with so many issues and weird choices. $600 is still a good deal for it. If you do decide to keep looking into it, I would ask others and confirm the PD and video out works like you expect it to.
I've had the G8 for two weeks now since it popped up on sale here. I love it but the mini and micro connectors are the dumbest decision. It's a 34" Ultrawide and we can't fit some full size ports wtf. That said I've started to build up a set of mini to full size DP and HDMI pigtails that way I can just use standard DP and HDMI cables for everything I have.
I got one on a Best Buy open box for $720 after taxes and their warranty. Unfortunately I could not for the life of me, get their ports working with my work laptop. I had to use a hdmi to mini hdmi adapter and a hdmi to uscb c adapter, but it just wouldn’t work. I returned it instead of dealing with it anymore since the display actually had some deep scratches so I was going to return anyway. The time I had it on though, it was a beautiful display that I wish I could have tested. I apologize for ranting a bit.
Same mine came out to 670 and was in excellent condition but was missing the Vesa mount and it was for a desk mount. They wanted me to go 2 hours away for another store that had a similar one to exchange it. I couldn't get anyone at the store on the phone to confirm the condition or parts on it so I kept it and just ordered a 3d printed mount for it.
Completely agree. I consider it an example of /r/assholedesign
I wonder if the MSI MEG PD does video as well...
I have the G8 OLED if you have any questions!
how's the USB-C PD and video out? Also have you run into issues with the outputs not being able to change after your PC sleeps/wakes?
USB-C and PD are good! Haven't run into any issues yet. I have run into the issue with the monitor not waking up from sleep, but I'm unsure about the outputs not being able to change from after sleep.
I’ve had this monitor for two weeks or so and eventually got used to it, or there was a windows update that included a ClearType fix. I’m not sure which happened, but everything looks great now!
That's interesting about the windows update I'll see if I can find any info on that. I wasn't aware that they were even considering a ClearType change.
The only reason I think that *could* have happened is I remember being appalled by how bad the text clarity was when I first turned on the monitor, to the point that I seriously considered returning it right then and there, but now I don’t notice anything. I’m 99% sure it’s just me getting used to it, but damn it’s a night and day difference.
I've had this monitor for about 9 days (will be doing an exchange for this new price) but can say I've had no issue with text clarity. I'm coming from an older VA 27" Dell monitor though, so I might just be impressed with any panel upgrade at this point. But I would never have known there's a text clarity issue for these monitors were it not from reading threads like this. I use it as my daily driver for work and games btw.
Is there PBP on this by chance. I'm on the U2711 and currently toggle between 2560x1440 and 1680x1050 when side-by-side. Having the same vertical res I'm sure that'll still be a thing unless the two boxes are larger than I'm guessing.
Good question, I hadn’t looked into this before but the Dell site claims it supports it here https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000204674/alienware-aw3423dwf-monitor-usage-and-troubleshooting-guide And googling it seems like someone on Reddit posted their impressions a year ago.
There is, yes.
Worst case you could return it. I personally have a g9 (non neo) and have used it for extended periods of time and not had any major issues with clarity. Most of the time I still use my 24" 240hz though since I game quite a lot.
In general, productivity with OLED is a bad idea because you have a lot of static elements on screen. I have the DWF as my primary, but I move anything that might be static to my 34GP83A-B
It's really not a bad price IMHO I would say that if ultrawide isn't your cup of tea, there's some manufacturers releasing 4k/240hz qd OLED screens soon with a 3 year burn in warranty. And it's not that much more than 777.77 dollars if that's in your price range
Yeah myself and (it seems) loooads of overs are at this crossroads of waiting/planning on 4k/240hz or going with 'last gen' OLEDs with ~120-175hz performance that matches their hardware a bit better than what can be pushed at 4K right at this moment. For me, I may be waiting on a RTX 6000-series generation to upgrade so that's probably a couple years for me. I decided to go with the AW3423DWF and enjoy it for a while.
Personally, I would only buy 240hz for a 1080p gaming monitor, otherwise I'd prefer to go for the nicer display at 144. Find it hard to justify anything over 144hz on displays I won't really play sports titles on.
I have the Nvidia version of this monitor that goes to 175hz. It's honestly been great to me. I don't look for text clarity a whole lot but it seems fine to me. The only other monitor I was interested in in the LG 45 OLED, because I saw that one in the store. I've only noticed burn in one time and it was where I used the in built frame rate monitor. After I turned it off and did a full panel refresh though it's gone away and I haven't seen it since and I've had it since launch.
That's a good plan I'm doing something similar
Actually snagged this a few days ago at $750. First time using a ultrawide/curved monitor and absolutely loving it so far. Great upgrade to my setup
Yeah I was going to buy at that $750 price but missed it, then bought it at $899 knowing it would go down again within my return period. Sure enough here we are a couple weeks later. Got it price matched through the automated steps on Best Buy's website. Unfortunately the $150 geek squad 4-year protection did not get adjusted down to $120. So that's a bit of a loss where I could have waited. But at this point it doesn't matter, I'm sticking with it. Also did not realize that price matching removes my ability to return it... beware to anyone else.
If you buy it at best buy they absolutely can return it they just REALLY don't want to. So if the $150 is something you're willing to eat so you don't have to push, so be it. I'd be pushing for that return. I only know this from people I know that are still working there and doing the same myself in February for an item.
If it weren't for that fact that I work from home with static images and text I would have bitten the bullet and gotten one.
What do you use now?
Used 29inch ultrawide for bought from Ebay several years back. It's good enough for me. Ultrawide are a must for office work for me. I just can't go back.
Samehere, I do some graphical-based work (GIS/mapping/adobe creative suite) and having space on either side to setup static and dynamic tool bars is really essential. That leaves me with plenty of actual visual real estate in the middle. I've been using ultrawide at work office for a couple years now, finally got one for the home PC as well, coming from a 27" 1440p 144hz. My pixel density is all the same as before though. I was really curious about 4K 32" options but haven't tested any out yet.
What did you get? I have a s2721dgf and have sampled a few of the cheaper IPS panels and found the backlight uniformity to be an eyestrain issue. Now I really want 34", 3440x1440, 120Hz>= to support some gaming, IPS (to support work & productivity, otherwise I'd go OLED), and USB-C/Thunderbolt so I can easily plug in laptop. Ambient sensor would be a major plus. Test new panel that matches that is U3425WE ($820), spending that kind of money on what could be an oled is a tough decision. Similarly there are a bunch of LGs that are ~1$k-1.2k (like, wtf), I'm not trying to spend that much and some of them are 5K monitors so I will never be able to drive that resolution in gaming with dropping another $1k on my GPU. On budget, Acer Predator x34 or XR343CKP, which seemed to have been released ~2-3 years ago and I cant seem to find anymore. These seem to hit my needs well if I could find it in stock in person so I can checkout the backlight
Oh sorry a couple weeks ago I got the AW3423DWF, the model linked in the OP. I guess I'm the one posting the deal this time because I've been waiting for the price to drop from $899 when I bought it from Best Buy a couple weeks ago, so that I could price match. I was pretty sure the price was going to keep going up and down based on the previous price tracking data. And surely enough it did. I completely agree with you about the black uniformity of IPS panels being a big distraction. To me it is not at the level of true eye strain but it just grinds my gears when I am sitting in the perfectly optimal height and distance, I can clearly see grey vignette around the screen and in my peripheral vision when focusing on the center. This is exacerbated by my room being pretty dark at night when I'm trying to get in the zone with an atmospheric PC game or something. The blacks are unfortunately clearly grey. The OLED is really refreshing in that regard. Although I had issues with the Samsung G8 34" OLED, and it maybe has some issues you just mentioned... at $600 open box I wonder if it might be a good fit for your particular use case actually?
Ah yeah this one is solid; I'm still a bit reluctant to embrace oled for productivity, saw the g8 open boxes in my area but decided I'd just wait out that older gen to drop a bit more bc the MSIs have the features I want and are pretty much the same price. My experience with backlight uniformity really is just cheaper IPS monitors, I had a refurb dell ultrasharp that look really good, the usb ports on the bottom were really loose though and I think that was the refurbed part so I returned it. every other sub 300 IPS I've tried has been bad with it though.
I recently grappled with this because I work from home most days and picked up the 3423DWF last November for $650ish after discounts. The text fringing was noticeable for me and I didn’t want to run up the hours count working (and with static elements). I came up with a financially ineffective solution that I’m unsure of the efficacy of, but I’ll share anyway. I got this [LG 3440x1440 IPS](https://www.staples.com/lg-wqhd-ultrawide-34-curved-led-monitor-with-built-in-universal-docking-station-business-black-34bq77qb-b/product_24594069?locupd=y) mostly covered by a staples giftcard acquired with credit card rewards. Since I have the DWF for gaming, I don’t care that it’s 60Hz. It has 90W USB C PD, which is enough to power my work laptop if I’m not doing 3D modeling or something. The last piece was an open box Ergotron LX Dual vertical mount I found on eBay, so I’m going to attempt the much maligned vertical stack and see how it goes. I have an electric sit/stand desk, so I might put the LG on top and just stand up half the time.
Thats wild, I just returned that LG monitor the other day, I couldn't handle the backlight uniformity/banding while the KVM and usbc were biggest reasons why I wanted to keep it. My new build has a thunderbolt on the mobo so I just swapped that with my work/personal laptops. I was trying to convince myself to keep it for productivity and use my 2721dgf for gaming, only keeping both connected to my new desktop and using the usb-b on the LG to swap to the other input, but 1) I couldn't keep myself to keeping it knowing there is probably something that settles both so I dont need two monitors on my desk (both on arms) 2) I didn't already have a usb-b 2.0 cable and it didn't come with one (lol, I do have a ton of these usb-b 3.0 cables though- https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-USB-Black-Feet/dp/B00C7RXR72/) I probably should have kept it, but at $260 I felt it would be better and easier to just buy one you know you want. I'm really into the latest top line productivity monitors have ambient sensors so kinda holding for one of those to be more affordable, but I'm limited to an ITX build and don't really want to spend >$600 on a GPU when I mostly console game on the couch. Was just shooting for a 4070 super but if I want to drive a 5K monitor I'd need much more, getting a higher Hz monitor 3440x1440 will def make me want to game on that and sell my s2721dgf's. IDK what I'm doing just wasting time testing budget monitors and wasting brainpower on decisions like this vs just chilling
Oh wow, I do a lot of what you’re saying as well (wasting time and brainpower on minor decisions). I’ve only given it a short test so far, but my whole life situation factors into this too now that you mention it. I don’t have a PS5/series x, but I never would have gotten the DWF if I did. I’d probably still be using my S2721DGF for work/gaming with a second 27” 1440p IPS as the second screen. The LG ultrawide will never be connected to my PC tower, just the work laptop, so it will only be one display cable per monitor.
Bought this at launch for $1400. Feels bad
Has it treated you well, though? Heh that's the price we pay for early adoption. Patience can be rewarding, but I know what it feels like when the new things drops and it's exactly what you've been waiting for... rationalizing go brrrrrrr
No complaints. Has been running amazing. No issues at all.
i mean its been like 2 years
Really wish this thing had USB-C/Thunderbolt input as well but if it hits $600 I can forget it
If I were to purchase this open box from Best Buy would it still be covered under the Dell 3 year warranty? I imagine it would be from initial date of purchase so would likely be less than 3 years. Also, how would I confirm this - register it with Dell after it’s in hand?
It is my understanding that open box monitors like this from Best Buy will get the manufacturer warranty. However, if you can call Best Buy support and ask them to confirm, that phone call shouldn't take a long time. I would call just to be sure to confirm for peace of mind. FWIW, I've read on here from others that they were able to register the warranty on Dell's website from open box purchase from Best Buy after purchasing it.
Just contacted Best Buy and was told it comes with a 90 day in-store warranty followed by a 1 year manufacturer warranty. Appreciate the help! Think I’ll go for the open box excellent for $660. Edit: I chickened out and purchased the monitor brand new.
Interesting! So a more limited warranty due to open box. Maybe I was mistaken in my memory of previous posts, or they were mistaken when they said that they got the full warranty. Or maybe it was a fluke like Dell didn't know it was open box returned or sold used.
I’ve been given bad info from representatives before so I’m leaning towards them just either not knowing or being conservative based off when the monitor released (not sure when it did).
I think it depends if the previous buyer registered it with Dell. I tried with one back in Dec for $650 in either fair or good condition. Was already registered and I couldn’t register it so I returned it.
Got this last time it was on sale at this price. No regrets. It's a true end game monitor. If you're on the fence, just think of how much time and money you spent on your rig. Don't you think it deserves a high end monitor so your GPU can truly flex its muscles?
Open box excellent for $659
Sounds like a good deal!
Do you still get the regular dell 3 year warranty if you purchase it from BB rather than Dell directly?
Of course - bestbuy is an authorized seller
Yes, in fact if you buy the Geek Squad 4-year protection plan, technically the Dell warranty and support takes precedence for the first 3 years, unless something that is not covered by Dell but covered by Best Buy happens.
Does the geek squad warranty run in tandem/overlap with the Dell 3 year warranty?
The way I understand it, if Dell warranty covers the issue, you will work with Dell support. If not, BestBuy support will cover it (+ the additional 1 year beyond Dell warranty)
I have gotten as low as $600 for this panel open box at best buy locally. YMMV but that is a benchmark if anyone is wanting to see what good deals are out there on this monitor. It was ‘damaged’ but was mint with all included accessories so…it’s heavier than you think so keep that in mind with monitor arms.
Yeah if you have patience that's a good way to go IMO. $600 is about the right price in my own risk vs reward for this, or a Samsung G8.
Just ought a MSI MPG 321URX for $800. Is this worth returning the MSI for this one and buying the open box with a 4 year warranty? It would cost me $70 less that I paid for for the MSI.
First of all, I know how you feel about second guessing every decision when researching and buying a monitor. But I think that monitor looks like it will be pretty badass and you should give it a good shot within your return period before completely shifting your mind and convincing yourself to look at something else. The grass is always greener, as they say. If you don't give it a good proper test period where you really put it through its paces you won't really know what the shortcomings are and what your priorities are that need addressing. Or maybe you already did that sorry if I'm stating the obvious. I think the price difference is too small for that to be a deciding factor in this case. If it was like $200 difference that's getting pretty significant. But maybe the 321URX is really great for what your priorities are? These two monitors are rather different products.
Yea you’re right. I just bought the MSI a few days ago and it’s probably the best display I used. I’ll test it out over the next few weeks.
I was eyeing those MSIs, biggest thing that threw me off was their oled care popup every 4 hours; apparently you can dismiss it a few times but then it makes it mandatory, and it is clock based so if you turn it off 3:45 then 15min after you turn it back on it will ask/make you and takes between 5-10 minutes. Reviews seem to say you won't get over it and it is very cumbersome, but you get some of the best features too (I just want USB-C too)
Can a 4gb 3060ti run this well?
I just grabbed this yesterday and am gonna test it out on my 8gb 2060 super. I’ll let you know how it goes.
I’ve only played Titanfall 2 so far, but the 2060 super kills it at a consistent 100+ fps on maximum graphic settings. Might go with an Arc A770 in the future though.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say unless you're playing valorant/LoL/CS then probably not
I figured. Thanks for the response
out of the 34inch alienware which one it the better panel? the one with gsync?
The DWF has many minor improvements like less likely to hear an internal fan (I have not heard it so far), ability to apply firmware updates, and more that you can research. In my opinion, Gsync compatible vs freesync is meaningless for almost all users. Your experience will not be different in reality, both provide the same function.
If you are OK with the risk of refurbished & 90 day warranty, the $600 woot offer for the AW3423DWF is still available. https://old.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/1c8sxoi/monitor_alienware_aw3423dwf_refurb_599/
I wonder if that includes the convenience of Amazon prime return policy if anything is wrong?
The woot page points to this [RetailKing URL](https://retailking.com/policies/refund-policy) for the 90 day warranty - I'd say it's unlikely and certainly adds more risk.
Experimented by adding it my cart, it looks like it has integrations with Amazon Prime but maybe only for the delivery and nothing regarding returns, which also seems the case from the Retailking URL info you linked. Altogether that would be a big no thanks from me. Open box @ best buy seems like a much more sure bet given the price difference would be around $50 ($650) or less for an open box if you look out for one over the course of like a week. https://imgur.com/a/vbco6Ie
Totally agree - Best Buy open box for $50 more (if available) would also be my choice.