Choosing a new, high-quality PC gaming monitor is no picnic. Once you know your budget, you need to consider the image resolution, refresh rate, and size that will work for your desk, not to mention the actual quality of the screen. Even after you select a brand, you still have to sort through the monitor names that read like poorly thought out email passwords. Do you want the S32BG85 or the OL231UHD? (Only one of them is real!)
We plan to simplify the process for the average monitor seeker who is willing to spend money on the right screen. If you want an excellent, reliable choice (and would rather spend time playing games than researching the latest and greatest display hardware), we recommend the Alienware AW3225QFwhich we initially wrote about when it debuted in mid-January.
This monitor makes the most of what your PC has to offer with support for 4K resolution, a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz, and a QD-OLED panel with near-instant response times and generous viewing angles. Worried about variable refresh rates? It supports all common formats, including G-Sync and FreeSync compatibility. Have no idea what variable refresh rates are? That’s fine, it takes care of everything for you and looks damn good doing it.
What I love about this monitor is that it can do almost everything well, without any major caveats. This hasn’t been the case for OLED monitors, with some of the best models of 2023 still emphasizing one use case over the others. For example, previous Alienware QD-OLED models were great for gaming but had mediocre text clarity; that was a big deal for anyone like me who expected the monitor to do double duty for work and play. Furthermore, using an OLED for stark white text documents would cause the overall brightness to plummet. This model, on the other hand, is a much more polished version of Dell’s QD-OLED efforts, equally solid for gaming, working or watching movies – the latter being a reasonable option compared to Alienware’s 21:9 monitors, as the screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio and is roughly the size and shape of a small to medium TV.
Because the screen is OLED (no backlight is needed, as pixels can be turned on and off individually), the contrast is as good as it gets. QD-OLED technology only improves on this, with better brightness and improved image quality compared to some standard OLED panels. Horror games and moody shooters are particularly impressive, with a character’s flashlight appearing against pitch-black shadows in a game like the Resident Evil 4 remake. The screen has usable HDR brightness, but as is the case for all but the most expensive UHD TVs, there’s a lingering feeling that HDR generally has plenty of room to improve on the PC side, especially when it comes to switching between SDR and HDR without hitches. It’s less of an issue on consoles, where the HDR experience is more seamless and enjoyable.
What sets this Alienware monitor apart from most other OLED gaming monitors today is its glossy coating. While it can pick up more reflections like OLED and other types of high-end TVs, it offers slightly higher sharpness and color saturation than others our team tested, including the company’s previous 32-inch curved QD-OLED, the AW3423DWas well as the flexible one Corsair Xeneon Flex.
As I said, there is little tinkering required, even when it comes to color reproduction. The colors look fantastic right out of the box, and while calibrating the screen is an option, it’s hardly necessary. For people who aren’t obsessed with things like “sRGB color space,” the great color reproduction gives you the closest experience to what a game’s creators intended. When you see a red stop sign, good color reproduction means you’re seeing what the artist saw when designing the game. Color reproduction is even more important if you plan to make your own things, whether that’s art, video or games.
The quality of color reproduction on the monitor remains valid in SDR and HDR modes and has been a boon when playing games that make broad use of the color spectrum, from indies like Hotline Miami to big-budget open worlds like this year’s Like a dragon: infinite wealthlocated in Hawaii full of blue skies, azure beaches and lots of neon lights.
There are, as with any such expensive purchase, limitations to consider. Maximalists may prefer the extra capabilities that ultrawide and super-ultrawide monitors offer. But as someone who just retired their super ultrawide after four years, please trust me when I say that your neck will be grateful for a large traditional monitor instead of a horizontal obelisk that takes up the entire length of your desk and requires you to your whole head turns towards him. see the sides of the screen. And for those planning to connect their consoles, the monitor delivers both 1080p and 4K resolution with simple, effective HDR support (however, the monitor does not support 1440p resolution with the PS5 or Xbox Series X).
OLED skeptics may also be troubled by the lingering fear of burn-in – an issue that plagued more screens in the technology’s early days than it does today. To calm your nerves, Dell offers a three-year warranty that covers burn-in, among other things. However, judging by user reviews of Alienware’s recent OLED screens, image burn-in seems unusual.
Finally, there is the matter of price. At $1,199.99, this is the price of a nice TV. This is where I recommend that those considering a new monitor take a moment to calculate the daily time they spend in front of their gaming PC. If you spend more time at your desk than on the couch, it stands to reason that your monitor should be just as good (if not better) as your television. And if you’re like me and work on the same screen you game on, then the decision is all the easier. But if you only use a PC monitor occasionally, anything over a thousand is probably a big ask for most of us.
If you have the resources and want the best monitor right now, this is a great choice. And if now isn’t the best time, that’s okay because we’ll be tracking the price of this throughout 2024 and noting when it drops to near or below $1,000.