Alienware’s AW3926QW Ultrawide Gaming Monitor Review: Measurement Actually Does Matter

Unfortunately for us all, Alienware has satisfied me that I’ve grow to be a measurement king. I don’t wish to admit how a lot of a distinction an ultrawide-sized display screen makes in a viewing expertise—not to mention for luxurious desk-side gaming. Let’s simply say that curved screens don’t should really feel such as you’re buying and selling verticality for wingspan. No different monitor I’ve tried has made that extra clear than with Alienware’s 39-inch 5K2K OLED show.

You can’t say that about each single curved ultrawide, not even all these made by Alienware itself. Just a couple of months in the past, I spent hours in entrance of the $800 Alienware AW3426DW, a 34-inch 1440p ultrawide monitor with a lot of the identical display screen know-how contained in the extra premium $1,100 5K 39-inch monitor (the complete product identify is the AW3926QW). The bigger monitor makes use of the identical 21:9 facet ratio however achieves the coveted 5,120 x 2,160 decision. Even past pixel density, it’s the two,160 vertical pixels that you simply’re right here for. The bigger monitor doesn’t really feel as squat. It takes up your area of view in a snug method, with out a lot must bodily flip your head to see the japanese or western edges of the show.

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Suffice it to say, it’s a vibrant, clear, and rattling fairly tandem OLED monitor that prizes immersion with out swallowing your desk—physique and soul. It’s paying homage to Aliewnare’s former flagship 32-inch QD-OLED curved display screen from two years in the past (a display screen I initially referred to as a “massage for the eyeballs”), however it packs all the newest display screen know-how you’ve in all probability solely seen in passing. It’s not all helpful, nevertheless. This monitor additionally guarantees dual-mode refresh charges for the supposed e-sports professionals who think about they want an ultrawide. It additionally shoots your decision right down to a large 1080p simply so you’ll be able to hit a 330Hz refresh fee.

If you’re actually so devoted to turning into the following e-sports life-style, you’re even higher off with a quick TN flat display screen. Hell, Alienware is planning to craft a high-refresh-rate, high-brightness OLED show that must be round by 2027. Let’s all admit that the AW3926QW is constructed for these with a strong PC who wish to see their video games with out compromise, and in that method, it hits a excessive water mark.

A vibrant display screen between giant bezels

There’s loads happening contained in the AW3926QW. First off, the monitor is utilizing the RGB Stripe Tandem OLED panel. That means, on prime of the 4 layers of natural light-emitting diodes to boost brightness, it has one other sub-pixel layer as effectively. The RGB stripe know-how is meant to boost the sharpness of textual content. You might have seen occasional friziness on some older OLED shows, however textual content appears to be like extremely sharp on this 5K display screen.

There are a couple of extra refined components to this monitor that you could be not be capable to see at first look. Alienware can be utilizing an anti-reflective filter on prime of the show. It does the job of containing glare, however I might nonetheless see my ugly mug staring again at me on darkish pictures even in wan mild. It additionally didn’t defend in opposition to mild fringing from studio lights we used to take images of the display screen itself.

And chances are you’ll be questioning about the entire 5K aspect to all of this. I’ve sat down in entrance of Samsung’s 6K gaming monitor sporting an identical max refresh fee at its highest decision. At a sure level, you actually can’t inform the distinction at resolutions above 4K, particularly not if you’re sitting a couple of ft away from a display screen with a better pixel density. Apple’s Studio Display XDR additionally hits a 5K decision, however that display screen was constructed for professionals or artistic staff, not players.

The 5K facet is extra to boost the look of the ultrawide display screen. For instance, the incoming 49-inch Samsung Odyssey G9 (G95SJ) from Samsung maxes out at 5,120 x 1,440 pixels. The Alienware 39-inch Alienware hits 5,120 x 2,160 pixels, which I can now say from expertise makes your show appear sharper than many different ultrawides. The 39-inch Alienware sits at a 143 ppi (pixels per inch) density, whereas the Odyssey G9 sits at 110 ppi. However, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57-inch sits at 140 ppi at its 7,680 × 2,160 decision. The Alienware display screen is sitting within the Goldilocks zone of excellent for this display screen measurement.

There’s numerous display screen to have a look at, and that mass of display screen can completely take over your desk should you let it. However, the 39-inch curved display screen additionally contains large, irregular bezels which can be smaller on prime (9.29mm) and bigger on each the flanks (11.35mm) and backside (15.32mm) of the display screen. The non-uniformity is barely semi-distracting, and the monitor is giant sufficient in your eyes to keep away from the black borders throughout use.

What is extra vital is how vibrant the display screen can get. Alienware claims it hits a regular 300 nits throughout common use and peaks at 1,300 nits in HDR. At its brightest settings, the display screen remained completely legible for normal work use. My check desk in my workplace sits subsequent to 4 floor-to-ceiling home windows, which didn’t hamper the AW3926QW one bit.

So rattling fairly

As should you wanted to ask, the tandem OLED show is attractive to behold. I used the monitor to play video games just like the Resident Evil 4 remake and Halo: Campaign Evolved in addition to more moderen titles like Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and in each title the monitor makes for a extra immersive expertise than different, smaller shows.

Alienware claims it hits 99% of the DCI-P3 shade gamut, and primarily based on my expertise with this and different OLED displays, the AW3926QW presents an correct, contrast-fueled viewing suite. The Dell-owned gaming model additional suggests its monitor’s distinctive polarizer helps preserve black ranges regular even in ambient mild. Monitor makers usually depend on these imprecise applied sciences to make huge, unverifiable claims. Still, in my vibrant workplace, I by no means as soon as needed to ask myself if I used to be getting the height visible expertise.

The subsequent query is about how effectively it’s for gaming and the way lengthy you’ll be able to anticipate the monitor to final. Alienware says it employed a specialised algorithm to foretell pixel utilization. This means the monitor tries to boost brightness and colours for the most-used pixels. It’s the type of factor that’s principally unimaginable to check, particularly with only some weeks of energetic use. Alongside the 165Hz refresh fee, the display screen additionally helps VRR (variable refresh fee) by VESA AdaptiveSync, Nvidia G-Sync, and AMD FreeSync. This matches your monitor’s refresh fee to the in-game body fee, lowering the danger of display screen tearing.

One factor that at all times comes up with OLED screens is the danger of burn-in. This is a state of affairs the place the display screen might begin to present the ghost of outdated pictures you get from static pictures, like your PC’s desktop or out of your HUD in a sport you play method too usually. Burn-in isn’t as huge a deal as some detractors might declare, however it’s nonetheless a priority. Alienware claims it’s utilizing a pixel shift and pixel refresh know-how to cut back the prospect of burn-in. Either method, you get a three-year guarantee with the monitor. Just ensure to maintain your monitor and never depart it standing on the identical desktop picture when you fall asleep.

The standard plasticky base

Alienware’s displays are extraordinarily simple to arrange. There aren’t any separate screws concerned; you merely connect the arm to the stand, slot within the mount to the display screen, and take it out of the field and over to your desk. However, at this level, I could also be discovering the plasticky texture adorning each floor a bit low cost. It doesn’t assist that the monitor doesn’t embody any backup audio system, a regular that appears to be slipping among the many high-end gaming displays over the previous few years.

Every one among Alienware’s displays that I’ve reviewed over the previous two years has used the identical primary “AW30” design language—together with that darkish purple hue that appears extra grey in dim mild. The round arm looks as if it’s simply barely floating above the flat base. However, the sheen of sunshine on the stand reminds you instantly of that plastic construct. The again of the monitor is made from the identical materials, and it’s solely damaged up by the warmth exhaust and the small additions of a glowing Alienware emblem on the again.

I additionally discovered that the plastic surrounding the display screen bezels may be moved away from the display screen with solely a small quantity of power. I wouldn’t say this is able to put the show in peril, although it’s a small concern should you ever want to maneuver your monitor and also you’re afraid about clipping in opposition to any partitions or furnishings.

With all that being stated, there’s nothing explicitly mistaken with the best way the monitor is designed. It grants you a single thumbstick to vary settings. Thankfully, there’s a wide array of ports so that you can peruse. It accommodates a single DisplayPort 2.1 slot and two HDMI 2.1 ports in your numerous shows. The monitor additionally helps a DisplayPort 2.1 connection by the only 10GBps USB-C port (which additionally permits for as much as 90W of energy supply, excellent for a gaming handheld like a Steam Deck or Asus ROG Xbox Ally X). In addition, you’ll be able to cost a couple of of your gadgets by the 2 USB-A and different USB-C ports. Hell, there’s even a 3.5mm headphone jack for all these individuals who nonetheless love their outdated wired earbuds, headphones, or headsets.

Even although it’s not a lot of a looker in comparison with another displays, the stand can be comparatively versatile. It permits for as much as 4.3 inches of stage adjustment and a tilt angle between -5 levels and 21 levels. While you in all probability received’t have a lot room to swivel the 39-inch Alienware monitor, you’re technically capable of spin the display screen as much as 20 levels in both path. You can slant the display screen a naked 5 levels, however in the long run you’re going to wish to place it the place you’ll be able to maximize the beautiful image in your area of view.

Not all image modes are all that helpful

One of the standout options for the AW3926QW is the dual-mode capabilities. You can dig into the monitor’s settings and alter the decision to 2,560 x 1,080 working at a blistering 330Hz refresh fee. At the decrease decision, a lot of the anti-fringing capabilities dissipate, and textual content appears further fuzzy if you’re usually working, not such as you’d do something however sport at this decision anyway.

As I discussed initially, this mode is explicitly designed for e-sports sorts who think about they should push their framerates as excessive as they are going to go. The mode works for that, however I nonetheless don’t assume anyone with pro-level ambitions can purchase one thing like this. You’re higher off with a flat display screen that’s standardized throughout all aggressive video games. At least, there are different modes you may additionally take into account.

Alienware shows additionally permit for an “e-sports mode” that cuts the display screen to both 25 or 27 inches on the extra conventional 16:9 facet ratio. You then get to play your video games at a righteous 1,680 x 945 decision at 330HZ. That doesn’t precisely appear price it in my e-book, even for wannabe “pro” players.

Alienware features a 32-inch mode that shrinks your display screen measurement to a conventional 16:9 format at 4K decision. Obstensibly, this is able to be excellent for players who wish to have their Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 plugged in on the identical desk subsequent to their high-end gaming PC. The drawback is after I truly tried to have my PS5 run at that decision, it defaulted to 720p, as if it had been working within the e-sports mode. I reached out to Alienware for clarification on this mode, and we’ll replace the assessment if we hear again.

The full 1080p+ setting is best for individuals who actually think about they may use the quicker display screen, even when which means sacrificing decision. It could also be arduous to sacrifice the prized 240Hz speeds chances are you’ll come to anticipate from the vast majority of 4K+ QD-OLED displays obtainable right now. However, except you’re working your ultra-expensive PC with AMD’s or Nvidia’s body technology or diluting your graphic settings, you received’t simply hit the required fps to make it depend when gaming on the ultrawide 5K.

All that display screen for the way a lot cash?

There are few examples of an reasonably priced ultrawide. The beforehand talked about $800 Alienware 1440p curved show could also be extra up your alley should you don’t intend to spend $1,100 on a monitor. However, I wouldn’t say this value is out of bounds for what it affords. At the identical time, you could possibly discover a Samsung Odyssey G9, just like the G95C mannequin, for method lower than its commonplace $1,300 when on sale.

I’ve reviewed a heap of pricy OLED gaming displays in 2026. The majority of them are fairly rattling good, and so they dwell in quite a lot of value ranges. The $800 Lenovo Legion Pro 27UD-10 is a flexible and rattling fairly display screen. The giant and in-charge Asus ROG Swift OLED (PG32UCDM) monitor launched for $1,300, although you could find it for beneath $1,000 these days.

This leaves the $1,100 39-inch Alienware display screen in a really particular value bracket. I can’t inform anyone to exit and spend a lot on a display screen. However, if I had all the cash on this planet, the AW3926QW could be my first selection, if solely my desk at dwelling had the area for it.