Alienware Reveals Two Expensive Ultrawide Gaming Monitors

Alienware

While I’m sure many of our readers are sceptical of the Alienware brand, from time to time, they’ve created some pretty awesome hardware. The “extreme” gaming side of Dell computers, Alienware are often known for their bonkers pricing. However, prices aside the hardware can often be pretty cool too. Their latest products are the AW3418DW and AW3418HW Ultrawide and Curved Displays look great, but are they priced right? Nope.

Revealed at IFA

Revealed at IFA, the new monitors feature a stunning curved panel, with a staggering 34-inches of panel in an ultra wide 21:9 format. The panels deliver over 100 Hz refresh rates, as they can also be overclocked for optimal performance. If high refresh rates excite you, you’ll also be happy to hear there is NVIDIA G-Sync technology to prevent screen tearing.

RGB?

Obviously, they have RGB, thanks to Alienware’s AlienFX lighting. Do you need it? Nah, but it’ll look cool when you’ve got mates round.

Resolution

The AW3418DW is the flagship of the range, sporting a gorgeous 3440×1440 panel, and a fast 4 ms GtG IPS panel. It can also be overclocked to 120Hz. The more “affordable” of the two is the AW3418HW. It only features a 2560×1080 IPS G-Sync display, although it does have the same 4 ms GtG response. The G-Synch panel used in this model can hit up to 160 Hz refresh rate while overclocked.

Curve!

The DW features a more common 1900R curve, while the HW panels feature a subtle 3900R curvature, giving the extra wide monitors a nice wrap around feel.

Should I Buy One?

The flagship monitor can hit 300 nits of peak brightness, but don’t expect HDR performance. However, with an IPS panel, you should see lovely 1000:1 contrast ratios and wide viewing angles on both. The higher refresh rates and lower resolution panel is going to appeal to a pro gaming crowd too. However, we don’t know the peak brightness at this time.

The flagship AW3418DW is an eye watering $1499, while the AW3418HW is $1199. That’s pretty expensive for non-HDR panels and more than monitors already on the market with similar features. You could pick up the Predator X34 (review) for less, and it’s not exactly a lesser monitor.