Alienware debuted its first monitors in the spring, and it’s following up with a pair of 34-inch curved displays, the AW3418DW and AW3418HW. There’s a lot that’s similar between the two, but the differences are important and probably bound to cause confusion.
First the commonalities: they use the same stand, have the same connections and menu system, support game-specific lighting effects via the company’s AlienFX software and are G-Sync compatible. It’s not clear from the information I have whether the HW uses an IPS display or whether that’s just in the DW.
Everything else is different. The DW is more expensive at $1,500, thanks in part to its 3,440×1,440 resolution; the HW has a lower 2,560×1,080 resolution and price, $1,200. They have different curves — based on the numbers, the HW’s is much tighter, about the same as the LG 34UC89G (a monitor with very similar panel specs). Dell only provides maximum overclocked refresh rates. I don’t have UK or Australian prices yet, but those convert directly to about £1,160/AU$1,890 and £930/AU$1,510, respectively.
Alienware’s functional stand isn’t terribly attractive, but you can distract yourself with lighting schemes.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The stand isn’t terribly attractive, but it does seem well designed — in addition to hidden cable organization, it supports tilting and swiveling as well as height adjustments, features which aren’t as common as they should be.
The AW3418DW is shipping immediately; the AW3418HW won’t be available until it’s time to start holiday shopping.
Basic specs
Alienware 34 AW3418DW | Alienware 34 AW3418HW | |
Price (MSRP) | $1,499 | $1,199 |
Panel type | IPS | n/a |
Backlight type | Edge-lit LED | n/a |
Size (diagonal) | 34 | 34 |
PWM backlight dimming | n/a | n/a |
Curve radius | 1900R | 3800R |
Resolution | UWQHD (3,440×1,440) | WFHD/UWUXGA (2,560×1,080) |
Aspect ratio | 21:9 | 21:9 |
Pixel pitch (mm) | 0.23 | 0.31 |
Maximum gamut | 99 percent sRGB | n/a |
Rotates vertically | No | No |
Bit depth | 8 | 8 |
Typical brightness (nits) | 300 | n/a |
Sync standard | G-Sync | G-Sync |
Maximum vertical refresh rate (at HD or higher resolution) | 120Hz (overclocked) | 160Hz (overclocked) |
Gray/gray response time (milliseconds) | 4 | n/a |
HDMI | 1 | 1 |
USB Type-A (out) | 4 x USB 3.0 (1 x BC 1.2) | 4 x USB 3.0 (1 x BC 1.2) |
USB 3.0 (in) | 1 | 1 |
DisplayPort | 1 | 1 |
Headphone jack | Yes | Yes |
Release date | August 2017 | Winter 2017 |