Dell Alienware AW3418DW Review: 3440×1440 120Hz G-SYNC UltraWide Curved Gaming Monitor

Are you looking for the ultimate ultrawide gaming monitor? Well, the Dell Alienware AW3418DW ticks nearly all the boxes and delivers both immersive and responsive gaming experience.  

It features a giant 34″ curved screen with vibrant colors and high resolution for a stunning image quality and a 120Hz refresh rate, low input lag, quick response time, and NVIDIA G-SYNC for a flawless performance.

Image Quality

The Dell AW3418DW is based on an LG’s IPS panel with a 300-nit peak brightness, a 1,000:1 static contrast ratio, and a 99% sRGB color gamut.

Now, these specs are a bit weaker than those of entry-level HDR displays, which sport at least a 400-nit peak brightness and 90% DCI-P3 color gamut, but the picture quality of the AW3418DW is vibrant and crisp nonetheless.

Other panel-related specs including wide 178-degree viewing angles, true 8-bit color depth, and the 3440×1440 UWQHD resolution, which provides a high pixel density of 109 pixels per inch.

Overall, the Alienware AW3418DW hits the sweet spot between screen space and detail clarity while offering vibrant, accurate, and consistent colors.

While IPS monitors can be used for professional editing, keep in mind that the Dell Alienware AW3418DW monitor is not factory-calibrated and lacks gamma settings, so you will need a calibration device for the optimal image quality.

Performance

First off, the Dell Alienware AW3418DW input lag performance is top-notch and amounts to only ~5ms.

Next, the 4ms response time speed removes most of visible trailing behind fast-moving objects.

In the On-Screen Display menu, you will find the Response Time setting with three options: Normal, Fast, and Super Fast. We discovered that ‘Normal’ works best as ‘Fast’ and ‘Super Fast’ introduce overshoot or reverse ghosting.

The 100Hz refresh rate gives a significant boost in motion clarity, and further decreases input lag, which makes for a more enjoyable and responsive gaming experience, especially in first-person shooters and racing games.

The IPS glow and backlight bleeding was minimal on our unit, and it was only visible in extreme scenarios (watching dark content in a dark room).

Note that the screen is flicker-free and has a filter for the harmful low blue lights.

Lastly, the 21:9 aspect ratio provides you with a wider field of view for a more engaging gaming experience – given that the game supports the ultrawide resolution.

You can check all games that support 21:9 here.

Features

To overclock the display, you simply go in the OSD menu and set the Overclock setting to 105Hz, 110Hz, 115Hz, or 120Hz. Even at 110Hz, you will be able to notice a slight increase in responsiveness and faster pixel transition.

The OSD menu is navigated by four buttons placed beneath the bottom bezel. While not on the menu, these buttons can be used as hotkeys for shortcuts, which you can customize and assign in the OSD’s ‘Personalize’ settings.

Standard adjustments such as brightness, contrast, and color temperature are available, but as already mentioned, there are no gamma settings.

Gaming features include ‘Dark Stabilizer’ for better visibility in dark parts of video games, ‘Game Enhanced Mode,’ which consists of an on-screen timer and a frame rate tracker, and lastly, pre-calibrated picture presets including FPS, RTS, RPG, and three customizable profiles.

The Dell Alienware AW3418DW also boasts the AlienFX RGB lighting technology with four individually adjustable zones, including at the back of the monitor, at the stand, at the bottom bezel, and the power button.

Finally, the monitor supports NVIDIA G-SYNC technology which, when connected to a compatible NVIDIA card, allows the display to change its refresh rate according to the GPU.

The result is a variable refresh rate which eliminates all screen tearing and stuttering without adding noticeable input lag. The dynamic refresh rate range is 30Hz-100Hz or 30Hz-120Hz if you overclock the monitor.

It’s also important to note that the Dell Alienware AW3418DW does not have the NVIDIA ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur) backlight strobing technology, which is often paired with NVIDIA G-SYNC.

Design & Connectivity

The Dell Alienware AW3418DW design has a somewhat sci-fi vibe to it, which may not appeal to everybody, but more importantly, the monitor is sturdy with a metal stand and matte chassis.

Next, the monitor has ultra-thin bezels at the top and at the sides, which in addition to the 1900R curvature, provides a cinematic viewing experience. You can tilt, swivel, and elevate the screen up to 130mm or VESA mount using the 100 x 100mm pattern.

Connectivity consists of a single HDMI 1.4 port and one DisplayPort 1.2 port. Only the DP port supports 3440×1440 up to 120Hz and G-SYNC. Other ports include an audio line-out, a headphones jack, and a quad-USB 3.0 hub (one port with fast charging).

Price & Similar Monitors

The Dell Alienware AW3418DW price is around $850.

At this price range, we highly recommend going with the newer LG 34GP83A. It has a higher 144Hz refresh rate, a wider 98% DCI-P3 color gamut, and a faster 1ms GtG pixel response time speed.

It doesn’t have a G-SYNC module, but it’s certified as G-SYNC Compatible and offers flawless VRR performance with both AMD and NVIDIA cards.

If you’re looking for something similar but cheaper, check out the AOC CU34G2X 3440×1440 144Hz ultrawide gaming monitor priced at ~$450.

It has a VA panel with a slower response time speed, so some smearing will be noticeable, but it also has a higher contrast ratio for deeper blacks.

Visit our best gaming monitor buyer’s guide for more information and the best deals available.

Conclusion

All in all, the Dell Alienware AW3418DW is an excellent gaming monitor, however, there are newer, better, and more cost-effective models available nowadays. So, unless you find the AW3418DW on a huge discount, we recommend going with the LG 34GP83A.

Screen Size	34-inch
Screen Curvature	1900R
Resolution	3440×1440 (UWQHD)
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	21:9 (UltraWide)
Refresh Rate	120Hz
Response Time	4ms (GtG)
Adaptive Sync	G-SYNC
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4
Other Ports	4x USB 3.0, Audio Line-Out, Headphone Jack
Brightness	300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (true 8-bit)
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)