Charles Esther
Alienware’s latest curved ultrawide gaming monitor, the AW3425DW, offers a refined design, a 240Hz refresh rate, and vibrant QD-OLED visuals. While it builds on an already excellent predecessor, this refresh plays it safe, delivering incremental improvements rather than groundbreaking innovations. Here’s everything you need to know before buying.
Design Overhaul: Sleeker and Space-Saving
As part of Alienware’s 30th anniversary initiative, the AW3425DW features a modern redesign that’s both stylish and functional. The monitor’s base is significantly smaller, with a footprint of just 10.63 x 9.13 inches, sitting mostly behind the screen. This new stand design is a big upgrade from the former bulky V-shaped legs, freeing up desk space and making setups feel less cluttered.
The monitor’s navy blue chassis adds a mature, sleek look that blends well with black setups, though it would be great if Alienware offered black and white color options to cater to different tastes. However, the thick and uneven bezels—especially the branded bottom edge—feel outdated compared to rivals like the LG 34GS95QE, which sport uniform thin bezels.
There is a minor downside: the screen wobbles slightly when touched, and the monitor may shake on unstable surfaces. Still, this trade-off is worth it for the space-saving stand, and it never felt insecure during regular use.
Display and Performance: High Refresh Rate Meets Vibrant QD-OLED
The AW3425DW boasts a 240Hz refresh rate and an ultra-fast 0.03ms response time, significantly improving over the previous model’s 165Hz and 0.1ms specs. This makes fast-paced games feel more responsive and smooth. Titles like Balatro and Monster Train 2, which can easily hit 240 FPS, felt noticeably sharper, while games running at lower framerates still benefit from the quick response.
The monitor supports G-Sync, which syncs frame rates for tear-free gameplay, but the full benefit of 240Hz depends on your GPU’s capability. HDMI ports have been upgraded to HDMI 2.1, but DisplayPort remains at 1.4 instead of the newer 2.1 standard, which feels like a missed opportunity to future-proof the device.
HDR and Curvature: Great Contrast, But Missing Dolby Vision
One disappointment is the absence of Dolby Vision HDR, a feature available on Alienware’s AW2725Q model. Dolby Vision dynamically adjusts brightness and color frame-by-frame, enhancing HDR quality in supported games and media. The AW3425DW sticks to standard HDR10, which, combined with the QD-OLED panel’s perfect contrast and a peak brightness of 1000 nits, still delivers vibrant, deep images with stunning black levels.
The monitor maintains an 1800R curvature, offering an immersive but natural viewing experience. Unlike monitors with sharper curves that can feel overwhelming, this curvature comfortably fills your field of view without distortion, making it ideal for both close and slightly distant viewing—especially for gamers using controllers.
User Interface: Easy to Navigate and Control
Alienware excels with its user interface, featuring a joystick-like control nub that makes menu navigation smooth and intuitive. Once familiar with the layout, adjusting settings is quick and hassle-free.
For those who prefer software control, the AlienFX app offers a convenient alternative to tweak display options without needing to physically access the monitor’s controls. While the app could benefit from a cleaner design, it’s a useful tool that expands customization options.
Price and Availability
The Alienware AW3425DW retails for $799.99 and includes a power cord, DisplayPort 1.4 cable, HDMI 2.1 cable, USB-A to USB-B 5 Gbps cable, and a microfiber cloth. All cables measure 5.9 feet, providing ample length for most setups.
Should You Buy the Alienware AW3425DW?
If you’re in the market for a premium ultrawide gaming monitor, the AW3425DW is an excellent choice. Its improved refresh rate, sleek new design, and stunning QD-OLED panel make it one of the best 1440p ultrawide monitors currently available.
However, if you already own the previous Alienware ultrawide or a similar high-end monitor, upgrading may not be worth the steep price, as the improvements feel incremental rather than revolutionary.
Ultimately, the AW3425DW is a confident, polished update that sticks to what works—but I hope Alienware takes bolder leaps in future models to truly stand out.
