Alienware AW3418DW Review

The Alienware AW3418DW gaming screen is every other ultrawide Show that offers immersive gameplay experiences by means of filling the player’s peripheral vision with an elongated, 21:9 facet ratio.
While most brand new screens and widescreen TVs have a side ratio of 16:9, a 21:9 side ratio manner the display is so much wider on the horizontal airplane. This further visual actual estate would not just benefit games, as a much wider display can lend a hand productiveness as neatly, permitting you to have far more open home windows than general.
Alternatively, with the Alienware model, It Can Be no surprise that the AW3418DW is a gaming monitor firstly, and it goes up in opposition to the likes of the AOC Agon AG352UCG and LG 34UC79G-B, two implausible screens which have made it onto our highest gaming reveal checklist.
So, with some pretty stiff competitors, let’s see how the Alienware AW3418DW performs.

Price and availability

Alienware is a brand which is ceaselessly related to top class prices, and with ultrawide gaming displays rarely coming low-cost, it may come as little shock that the Alienware AW3418DW is a dear display, with a $999 Value (£1,One Hundred, AU$2,099).
In Comparison With the AOC Agon AG352UCG’s Worth of $899 (£799, round AU$1,200), it is a some distance dearer proposition. Which May Be just a little of a topic for the Alienware, as – on paper – the AOC offers a relatively higher reveal measurement (35-inches), together with some of the same options, akin to G-Sync (high refresh charges for smoother gameplay) and a 3,440 x 1,440 decision.
So, the AW3418DW has to show the extra money is price it within the Performance department.
One thing that the Alienware AW3418DW has that its rivals do not, and which can make the high price ticket lucrative, is its ability to be overclocked to a 120Hz refresh charge, making it faster than its rivals.

Design

Probably The Most major issues Alienware products are known for (apart from their excessive costs), are the sleek and eye-catching designs that include gamer aesthetics with out being too over-the-prime and garish. So, colored LEDs, metallic colorings and sharp angles are all current and correct, But There’s Additionally a, shall we embrace, ‘maturity’ concerning the design that means It Is a good-taking a look gaming display, with out offending anyone’s tastes.
Because Of the size of the display, the Alienware AW3418DW comes in an extraordinarily large field. Thankfully, Once opened, it is easily put collectively with out the necessity for any instruments. This makes setup much more straightforward, and the hardware nonetheless feels good and sturdy. As Soon As set up, the display may also be simply adjusted to make it more at ease to make use of.
The Skinny bezels across the screen, especially the highest and backside, means the reveal is not taking up wasted area – But, be mindful that it is a huge monitor, and it’ll dominate pretty much any desk you put it on. The stand, constructed from metal-lined plastic and featuring the Alienware logo in more than a few places, does take up rather a bit of of area on the desk as smartly, more so than the stands we have seen on other ultrawide displays.
Alienware AW3418DW logo
The Back of the display is silver, with some other Alienware ‘alien head’ logo that lights up, and some more LED strips. Overall, the design here is quite good and, If You Are now not a fan of the LED lighting fixtures, That You May flip it off the use of the onscreen menu.
Back to the entrance, and there’s a simple, yet pleasing, line of text in the middle of the underside bezel that simply says ‘Alienware’. Alongside the bottom-proper aspect of the display are the buttons that keep watch over the onscreen menu, along with the power button (which is lit up with an LED, which You Can trade the color of, like the opposite LED lights on the monitor).
There are not any icons or pointers of what each button does on the bezel, which retains things looking neat and tidy. But, that can result in confusion when attempting to make use of the buttons to move during the menu options. Thankfully, Alienware shows the icons for what every button does when the onscreen menu appears (which happens when any of the buttons are pushed), making issues a little more straightforward.
Connection-wise there may be an audio-in jack, DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, a USB upstream port (for connecting to your PC), and two USB 3.Zero ports, permitting the display to be used as a USB hub. There are every other two USB Three.Zero ports on the underside of the display, along with a headphone jack. Should You prolong the reveal to the top of the stand, these ports are so much more straightforward to get entry to than the ones on the Again, so we commend Alienware for the suave placement.
Alienware AW3418DW underneath
Overall, the Alienware AW3418DW is an extraordinarily properly designed gaming display that sticks with reference to the look and feel of alternative Alienware gadgets. In Case You Have an Alienware Aurora R6 desktop gaming PC, as an instance, this display will compliment it extremely smartly. Even Though you do not personal another Alienware stuff, the design is sufficiently subtle to fit in with PCs and peripherals.

Efficiency

Probably The Most first things you can notice while you load up a game and begin playing on the Alienware AW3418DW, except for the immersive side ratio that fills your vision, is just how gloriously smooth gameplay is. That Is due to the 100Hz refresh charge and G-Sync technology, which supply high body charges without reveal tearing. The Implications are exceptional.
For Many avid gamers, going Again to a screen with out G-Sync will probably be a real fight.
While 100Hz is a better refresh price than many standard screens (which usually max out at 60Hz), It’s not reasonably the very best refresh fee conceivable for G-Sync displays, which might be capable of up to 240Hz. Alternatively, It’s beautiful same old for 21:9 screens, with the LG 34UC79G-B and AOC Agon AG352UCG both providing 100Hz refresh rates.
The Alienware AW3418DW has an ace up its sleeve, On The Other Hand, with an overclock surroundings that u.s.a.the refresh charge to 120Hz.
Alienware AW3418DW performance
The jump from 100Hz to 120Hz is pretty substantive. When overclocked, the action onscreen turns into incredibly smoother. In enjoying Wolfenstein II, which maxes out at 100Hz, and make contact with of Accountability: WWII, both at 100Hz and 120Hz – in each video games, the Performance of the Alienware AW3418DW impresses.
The bounce from playing at 60Hz to 100Hz actually is impressive, and It Can Be something that you really want to experience your self. Everything feels way more smooth and responsive, particularly with Fast-paced action. Going Again from 100Hz to 60Hz may also be very jarring, just like the character you might be taking part in as is wading via quicksand.
Going up to 120Hz is also sizeable. When You’ve Got the hardware to cope – we played with an Nvidia Titan Xp snap shots card, permitting us to whack graphical settings to the max Whereas maintaining those excessive refresh and body rates – you’ll be able to in reality see the variation.
We’re now not exaggerating when we say this can be a game changer.
That You May Additionally permit a quicker response time using the on screen menu, choosing between ‘Standard’, ‘Fast’ and ‘Tremendous Fast.’ The Idea is that the quicker the response time, the less lag there’s. So, there may be less time between the actions you make with your mouse and keyboard and the way your personality strikes on the display.
Alienware AW3418DW menu
While this can be a welcome option to have, we find that hanging the response time to ‘Super Fast’ provides an element of ghosting on reveal. This manifests itself all the way through video games with a faint grey outline all over Quick motion.
We Also notice it outside of gaming and all through, for example, shopping websites where the outlines appear round pictures and text when scrolling. It’s a minor complaint, and it may be remedied with the aid of environment the responsive time to ‘Customary’, and even ‘Fast’. But, for us, the benefits are not worth it. The response time of the Alienware AW3418DW (4ms) will have to be low sufficient for most people anyway.
As we’d expect from a G-Sync panel, there are no cases of reveal tearing when playing. Total, games seem to be amazing on the monitor, and there are enough options for you to tweak the display to get your required Efficiency.
The Alienware AW3418DW Also gives you the option of overlaying the frames per 2d (FPS) depend within the prime-left hand corner of the reveal, which is at hand if you want to see how well your hardware is performing. There are enough useful features like this for players that help justify the Alienware AW3418DW’s excessive ticket.
As Far As same old picture quality goes, the IPS (in-airplane switching) panel of the Alienware AW3418DW does an important job, although some people may just in finding it just a little vibrant at its default surroundings. Luckily, the onscreen menu is easy sufficient to use that tweaking the settings takes no time in any respect, and there’s a decent collection of pre-set configurations to lend a hand as well.
The IPS panel Also offers very vast viewing angles, which is lovely crucial for an ultrawide display (especially a curved one), with coloration accuracy retaining up in every a part of the reveal.
General, we find the Alienware AW3418DW to be an incredible gaming screen on the subject of Efficiency, with superb image quality. Also, when overclocked to 120Hz, This Is the quickest ultrawide monitor presently in the marketplace. That Can just be sufficient to justify its more expensive price tag Compared To its opponents.

Remaining verdict

There Is lots to love about the Alienware AW3418DW. It’s large, with the 21:9 aspect ratio really serving to to immerse you for your video games. This Will Additionally give you a competitive facet in that you simply see extra of the battlefield than your rivals.
Additionally It Is Quick, with an overclocked refresh rate of 120Hz, making it a faster ultrawide than any of its rivals. If You Are looking for the quickest 21:9 monitor available on the market, There’s only one possibility: the Alienware AW3418DW.
G-Sync support (There’s Additionally a version that helps AMD’s competing FreeSync standard), is the icing on the cake, making video games much more of a pleasure to play on this monitor.
Then, There May Be the design. We’re very desirous about the understated, yet still simply identifiable, aesthetics of the Alienware AW3418DW. It Can Be certainly a gaming display, but it would not beat you over the head with a brash design. As An Alternative, it leaves its (very good) monitor to do the speaking.
Alternatively, there are some factors of the Alienware AW3418DW that we don’t seem to be too keen on, However Fortunately these were easily out numbered by using what we favored.
The excessive price tag is clearly considered one of them. Ultrawide monitors are never cheap, however the Alienware AW3418DW is a good bit costlier than its competitors. If You’re aware of you price range, then the AOC Agon AG352UCG is a helpful possibility.
Then Again, If You Are keen to pay a top class for the quickest ultrawide reveal on the market, then you can need to shell out for the Alienware AW3418DW. You is not going to be upset.

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