Pros
- Adjustable Height, curved design
- 2K QHD 34-inch display
- 120 Hz refresh rate
- USB + HDMI + Display Port Connectivity
Cons
- No USB connectors
- Does not have speakers
Once you reach a professional-grade gaming category you really need to up your game in terms of displays. Any old monitor simply isn't going to cut it and you're going to need to fetch a high-end monitor with a good refresh rate, great color reproduction and solid viewing angles, amongst many other things you should take into account.
However, with so many solid monitors cluttering the market it can be hard to cut through all that noise and find a monitor that really suits your needs. That's why today we're tackling the Alienware AW3420DW review, one of the most compelling and reputable curved gaming monitors in the market and just a joy to work with all-round. But, is it worth it? That's what we're here to find out!
Index
- Technical specifications
- Who's it for?
- Design
- Ports and Connectivity
- Gaming performance
- Work performance
- conclusion
Alienware AW3420DW Technical Specifications
| Make model | Alienware AW3420DW |
| Dimensions with stand | 32.04 x 22.10 x 10.77 inches |
| Weight with stand | 34.54 pounds |
| Panel | LED | Nano IPS | 34 inches |
| Resolution | WQHD (3440 x 1440 pixels) |
| Response time | 2 ms (GtG) |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz |
| Color depth | 16.7 M (98% DCI-P3) |
| Aspect ratio | 21: 9 |
| Speakers | No |
| VESA support | Yes |
| Connectivity | USB-A 3.0 Rear (x3) USB-A 3.0 Front (x2) HDMI 1.4 DisplayPort 1.2 Headphone output PC audio connector |
Who's it for?
The AW3420DW is aimed at those gamers who want to enjoy a gaming experience that a conventional monitor simply cannot offer, whilst also avoiding having to resort to the most high-end models in the market.
From the outset, its 120 Hz refresh rate and native 2K resolution allow you to play games with twice the speed and definition that you'll find in most monitors, whilst also delivering a more immersive gaming environment thanks to its curved display and bezel-free design.
Design
The Alienware AW3420DW reviewed today boasts a solid, elegant and, above all, versatile construction, since the stand that supports its curved display allows it to be adjusted in height as well as inclination to better adapt it to your needs as a gamer. It can not, however, shift it's orientation, meaning you can't place it in portrait mode, something that isn't really the norm within curved displays anyways.
The set has a matte black (front) and white (rear) finish, and to personalize the gaming experience with dynamic lighting effects, it incorporates a 4-zone RGB lighting system that you can customize through the AlienFX software. This resembles Phillips's ambilight technology which, while it looks quite "gimmicky" ultimately helps deliver a more immersive experience.
As you would expect with a monitor if this size, it does support vesa mounts so you can easily mount it to the wall.
Ports and Connectivity
As far as connectivity is concerned we should point out the inclusion of 3 USB-A 3.0 inputs located on the back of the monitor as well as another two ports of the same standard located on the lower front part of the monitor to allow the connection of multiple compatible gaming devices and peripherals. Essentially having the monitor double as a USB Hub which these days is something we can appreciate.
In addition, it has a single HDMI 1.4 input as well as a single DisplayPort 1.2, to facilitate the connection of your laptop or gaming console. We should say that to use the RGB lighting on the back of the monitor it needs to be connected via the DisplayPort as it also acts as a data transferring cable.
And although this model does not incorporate stereo speakers -which is fine by us -, it does allow you to connect headphones from its 3.5 mm output, or the PC audio connector located on the back.
Gaming performance
If there's one thing about the AW3420DW monitor that buyers have been unanimous about in their reviews is that it's a gaming beast. This is due to several features, most notably the fact that it features a native 120 Hz refresh rate. If you've only ever played on standard 60 Hz monitors you're in for a treat, more so if you like to play shooters as well as other similarly "fast" gaming environments,
Couple that with a true 2ms GtG response time and an Nvidia G-Sync chipset to be fully compatible with Nvidia Graphics cards and you've for yourself a monitor that will only show a frame once it's fully loaded on the GPU, meaning no more tearing, ghosting or whatever you want to call these uncomfortable experiences that take you out of the game.
Trully, for gamers this monitor is a game-changer. It's just the perfect combination of spectacular display quality coupled with a high reaction speed and all the connectivity options you could dream for in a monitor. We're drooling just talking about it!
Thanks to its 1900R curvature and ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio, this alienware curved gaming monitor delivers a truly immersive user experience and under common multitasking uses such as editing documents, streaming movies, browsing the web and so forth it's a true pleasure to work with such a crisp picture-quality.
Resolution-wise it should be noted that its 34-inch LED screen boasts a brand new 2K (WQHD) resolution with Nano IPS technology, to favor its viewing angles no matter where you are without sacrificing image quality.
Sure, this technology might be slightly dimmer than a TN display but the quality is substantially better both in terms of viewing angles as well as color reproduction. That said, brightness on this particular monitor is set at 350 cd/m which is quite good overall.
Aditionally, since it boasts a color fidelity of 98% of the DCI-P3 spectrum it's an even better alternative than your standard monitors that cover 99% of the sRGB spectrum, offering more vivid colors with more of a punch.
Conclusion: Is the Alienware AW3420DW worth buying?
Taking into account the needs of todays gamer, in terms of image quality and smoothness when playing games, we are convinced that the Alineware AW3420DW reviewed is quite simply of the best options in the market, especially considering its relatively tight price-point when compared to other high-end monitors of its caliber.
Aditionally, thanks to its elegant, immersive curvature and 2K resolution, you will be able to experience a level of detail that's as close to using VR as you're going to get without actually using VR; while its extensive connectivity options allow you to complement your gaming sessions with the necessary devices to fully enjoy each game.
Overall, a monitor that's unsurprisingly, become one of the most popular gaming monitors in the market amongst those who can afford it. An absolute pleasure to use that you should definitely buy if you can.