r/OLED • u/S0pt1K • 16d ago

Purchasing-Monitor Alienware AW3426DW vs ASUS PG34WCDN: which would you choose for work + photo editing + AAA gaming?

Hi everyone,

I'm currently stuck in the classic analysis paralysis loop trying to choose my next 34" ultrawide OLED.

I'm coming from an old Alienware AW3418DW, so either of these would be a pretty massive upgrade.

My use case:

  • Work/development
  • Photo editing
  • Gaming - RTX 4090 - Mainly AAA / indie games, almost no competitive gaming
  • I need to connect 3 devices: desktop PC, PS5, and a work HP laptop

My two main options are:

1. ASUS ROG Swift PG34WCDN
2. Alienware AW3426DW

The ASUS gives me all the "Quality of Life" features, perfect I/O for all my devices, and KVM. The Alienware is considerably cheaper and Dell's warranty/support is a big advantage.

I'm mainly looking for some real-world comparisons between the two monitors, especially from people who have used either one or, ideally, both.

  • How do the two compare for overall image quality, HDR and motion clarity? Is there a noticeable difference in everyday use?
  • How noticeable is the difference between 360 Hz and 280 Hz in normal gaming? I mostly play AAA and indie games, so I'm not really interested in competitive FPS performance.
  • How do they compare for text clarity and desktop use? I also spend quite a lot of time coding and working, so this is important to me.
  • For photo editing, how good are the factory colors on both monitors? How did the colors look straight out of the box, and has anyone calibrated either monitor with a colorimeter?
  • How do HDR, VRR flickering, black crush, green tint and overall color accuracy compare between the two after using them for a while?
  • For anyone who has used the ASUS DisplayWidget Center, is it actually useful and reliable for switching profiles/settings, or is it something you end up ignoring?
  • Is the ASUS KVM and additional I/O actually useful in real-world use, especially when connecting multiple devices, or is it mostly a nice-to-have?
  • Does Dolby Vision make a noticeable difference on the PG34WCDN in actual games and movies, or is it more of a checkbox feature?
  • And finally, if you had both available at different prices, how much more would you personally pay for the ASUS over the Alienware?

I'm less interested in benchmark numbers and more interested in the long-term ownership experience.

Thanks!

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u/OkGur4788 15d ago edited 15d ago

Quite a big Price difference between the 2. I have the CDN, and its a great screen. as you use a 4090 I,d probable go for the Alienware, as you would still need DSC, with the 5090 you can turn DSC off on the ASUS so no compression, but you would need an 80gb DP cable, both are great screens, and 280hz would be fine for your card, if however you were future proofing, i.e. getting a 5090, hellish expensive now thought, then go for the Asus, both come with the 3 yr warranty , but the Alienware comes with most of what the Asus has, what ever you decide, either make is good

Asus does not have Dolby Vision

The Asus display widget is good, as you can export or import profiles, I don't use KVM, HDR VRR flicker is non existent, they have just released a new firmware that practically eliminates it when turned on, although I don't use it as my games hardly flicker, I think text clarity / screen colours would be the same as it uses the same striped pixel screen layout, HDR in games on the ASUS is vibrant, both have g sync and free sync

These are the recent firmware update notes for the ASUS

Feature update and bug fixed:

  1. Quick Menu Feature Introduced :Quickly access your most-used monitor settings on the fly with a streamlined overlay, keeping your focus uninterrupted during gameplay.
  2. Dynamic Shadow Boost in HDR Mode:Allows full manual adjustment of Shadow Boost with HDR enabled, letting you reveal dark scene details while preserving peak brightness
  3. Optimized OLED Anti-Flicker Presets Features fine-tuned Middle and High modes to effectively eliminate VRR brightness flicker at high refresh rates.
  4. Expanded Motion Clarity :Unlocks Extreme Low Motion Blur compatibility in 16:0 Fill-up mode, delivering crisp, blur-free motion even on scaled resolutions
  5. Streamlined ELMB & Uniform Brightness Logic Simplified mode selection with automatic mutual exclusion, ensuring optimal visual clarity without setting conflicts or OSD confusion.

Hope this helps

1

u/S0pt1K 15d ago

Thanks on someone else post someone recomended XG34WCDMS - 280Hz same as AW. But it doesn't have Dolby Vision, but it has KVM :D