Alienware's 34 inch QD-OLED gaming monitor is set to cost an entirely reasonable $1,299

Alienware AW3423DW QD-OLED monitor
(Image credit: Dell)

The Alienware AW3423DW 34 inch QD-OLED monitor that was shown off at CES 2022 has been given a price. $1,299 looks to be entirely reasonable for what many will consider to be an almost perfect gaming monitor, myself included.

This gorgeous monitor boasts a resolution of 3440x1440 with an aspect ratio of 21:9. It supports Nvidia's G-Sync Ultimate with refresh rates of up to 175Hz over DP and 100Hz over HDMI. It includes one DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports, three USB 3.0 5Gbps ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a line-out jack.

These would be impressive specs on a VA or IPS screen but the real selling point is the inclusion of Samsung’s QD-OLED tech. Quantum Dot OLED technology is designed to simplify the production of OLED based televisions and monitors (and therefore lower costs), while supposedly delivering a wider color gamut. If the price of the Alienware 34in is any indicator, Samsung has succeeded. QD-OLED tech includes all the benefits of an OLED display including ultra fast response times, high contrast ratios and deep blacks. These are characteristics that gamers will definitely appreciate.

Screen queens

(Image credit: Future)

Best gaming monitor: pixel-perfect panels for your PC
Best high refresh rate monitor: screaming quick screens
Best 4K monitor for gaming: when only high-res will do
Best 4K TV for gaming: big-screen 4K PC gaming

When you compare the Alienware screen to an LG 32EP950-B 32” 4K OLED monitor at just under $4,000, the price of the Alienware seems very reasonable indeed. That kind of pricing has prevented the adoption of OLED screens in the gaming space. Also, there seems to have been little desire to produce panels at sizes smaller than those of televisions.

Of course, $1,299 isn’t exactly cheap, but for brand new monitor tech that ticks most of the boxes, it’s a pretty reasonable starting point. We can surely expect more affordable versions from other vendors in the months ahead. A less flashy design without the USB ports or G-Sync support and a 120Hz refresh rate could attract prices that are within the reach of mainstream buyers.

Let’s hope the Alienware 34 is the first of many very exciting gaming monitors to come during the rest of 2022.

Chris Szewczyk
Hardware Writer

Chris' gaming experiences go back to the mid-nineties when he conned his parents into buying an 'educational PC' that was conveniently overpowered to play Doom and Tie Fighter. He developed a love of extreme overclocking that destroyed his savings despite the cheaper hardware on offer via his job at a PC store. To afford more LN2 he began moonlighting as a reviewer for VR-Zone before jumping the fence to work for MSI Australia. Since then, he's gone back to journalism, enthusiastically reviewing the latest and greatest components for PC & Tech Authority, PC Powerplay and currently Australian Personal Computer magazine and PC Gamer. Chris still puts far too many hours into Borderlands 3, always striving to become a more efficient killer.

Read more
New Alienware OLED monitors
Alienware launches two new OLED gaming monitors and one of them is its cheapest yet at $550
LG UltraGear 45GX950A
LG's new 45-inch 5K2K OLED could be the pixel-packed gaming monitor you've been waiting for
LG UltraGear 45GX950A
LG's new 45-inch 5K2K uber OLED monitor goes into mass production and will land soon on a desk near you. For $2,000
Alienware 27 AW2725Q QD-OLED
Alienware 27 AW2725Q QD-OLED review
LG UltraGear 45GX950A
It's hard to believe but 22% of PC gaming monitors are now OLED panels
MSI MPG 272URX
MSI, Asus and Samsung are announcing new 27-inch 4K models with '4th gen' QD-OLED panels but they're not a huge step forward
Latest in Gaming Monitors
Samsung 3D monitor
Samsung has a crack at ye olde glasses-free 3D monitor thing but its new cheaper 49-inch ultrawide OLED is far more interesting
Acer Predator Z57 dual-4K monitor
Acer Predator Z57 gaming monitor review
Sony RGB LED panel tech
Sony's fixing the wrong panel problems while showing off its new 'RGB LED' backlight tech with outrageous colours and brightness
Alienware 27 AW2725Q QD-OLED
Alienware 27 AW2725Q QD-OLED review
Asus's new ultrawide sucks as hard as it blows
Asus' new monitors purify 90% of airborne dust from your desktop and I've definitely seen some gnarly gaming setups that would benefit
Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM gaming monitor
Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM review
Latest in News
A long bendy arm stealing money from people in a subway car
'You're a very long arm. You steal things. It's a comedy game,' explains developer of comedy game where you steal things with a very long arm
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway
Image of Cersei Lanniser from Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Steam early access trailer
A new Game of Thrones RPG is coming to Steam today with a cast of 'familiar faces,' which is good because it's really the only way to tell it's a GoT game at all
The new Prime Asset featured in the upcoming update for the Outlast Trials.
The Outlast Trials puts its already paranoid players under surveillance for a time-limited story event