After nearly four years of using a 1440p 144Hz IPS screen, I was itching to upgrade to something different. It’s not that my monitor is “old” in any way; still, it did everything pretty well. That said, I’ve been wanting a new monitor for a long time to make my gaming sessions feel more immersive. A 4K 240Hz display it seemed like a natural next step for richer image quality and increased motion response. However, I spotted the Alienware AW3423DWF, an attractively priced 34-inch ultrawide 3440×1440 165Hz QD-OLED display, and I was hooked. It wasn’t an increase in resolution or refresh rate, however Switching from IPS to OLED changed the game by itself. Moreover, the immersion was added by a 34-inch ultra-wide screen, which was the whole point of buying a new monitor. Technically, I “went to life” with another 1440p monitor instead of going 4K, but I boosted gaming immersion without paying a bomb or beating the GPU.
I went from 1440p 144Hz to 1440p 165Hz
1440p is still the sweet spot for gaming
A monitor upgrade should ideally come with a healthy specification. So after four years of using a 1440p 144Hz monitor, I figured I’d at least need a 4K 240Hz display to make it feel like an upgrade. When I actually got to work, I realized that I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on such a high-end screen. The jump from 1080p to 1440p in 2021 was sharp, but the jump to 4K will be less impressive. Moreover, 4K is still brutal, even on high-end graphics cardsand even with upscaling, I wasn’t going to saturate the 240Hz refresh rate on most titles. The 144Hz–180Hz refresh rate range was plenty to enjoy a smooth gaming experience, and the PPI of my 27″ 1440p display was more than enough.
The fact is, I was already at the maximum on the upgrade curve when it came to image resolution and refresh rate. My RTX 3080 was no longer a high-end GPU, and loading it with a 4K 240Hz display made no sense for a small bump in image quality. And in this market, buying a new graphics card on top of a new monitor was a dream I did not dare to dream. I spent four years playing at 1440p, but it was still the sweet spot for gaming, no matter what the internet said.
I care more about OLED than higher resolutions or refresh rates
Immersion doesn’t always come from more pixels or FPS
I once had one monitor features wish list was on my mind and only thought I’d upgrade when the monitor didn’t cost $1000 each of those boxes. Among other things, it had an OLED panel, 4K resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate. After creating this wish list, I waited about two years for prices to come down, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Then I realized that I had simply upgraded every single spec of my existing monitor to create the monitor I wanted, when the only upgrade I really wanted was more immersion. I’ve already realized that I don’t really want a 4K monitor or a 240Hz refresh rate. It also became clear that I wanted an OLED panel for a game-changing upgrade from my IPS monitor.
My LG 27GL850 had an excellent Nano IPS panel, making it one of the best gaming monitors of its time. And in late 2025, OLED monitors have been around for a few years now, and they’re finally getting somewhat affordable. My LG monitor suffered from terrible IPS glare in complete darkness, making it nearly impossible to see anything in dark scenes. Plus, thanks to low brightness, poor contrast, and no local dimming, HDR was a non-issue on its IPS panel. Compared to other OLED options available in my area, the Alienware AW3423DWF was a few years old, but it was still recommended by reviewers and Reddit users with personal experience. It was capable of true HDR, had a fantastically bright QD-OLED panel, and was far from outdated even by 2026 standards. The moment I put it on my desk, I was fired up Control and Alan Wake 2and I was amazed at how different the games looked compared to what I remembered from my IPS days. The FPS drop due to the extra pixels wasn’t insignificant, but it didn’t detract from my gaming experience in any way.
The ultra-wide screen took things to another level
And at under $650, it’s a sweet deal
Of course, the main reason I chose the AW3423DWF over other OLEDs was the lower price tag. Every other OLED display, including the Alienware AW3425DW, was at least $200 more. For that premium, I could get a newer generation panel, a higher refresh rate, and a few tweaks here and there. The only point of contention was the burn protection on the AW3423DWF versus the newer model. Thankfully, all the reviews and personal accounts have shown that the OLED panel on the AW3423DWF is more than protected from image retention. His prevention of combustion the mechanisms were solid, and the QD-OLED panel was not inferior to anything that came after it. At around $630, the 2023 Alienware OLED was still a great value in late 2025.
Plus, the 34″ ultra wide panel raised the level of immersion. Combined with the QD-OLED panel, it added a new dimension to my gaming sessions. The curve of the 1800R was average, but curved enough to fill my field of view. Even outside the game, I was happy to work on the ultra-wide screen. The curved content on the screen made working more enjoyable and the extra real estate gives me more comfort than ever. With the AW3423DWF, I successfully accomplished two things on my wish list: an OLED panel and a curved ultra-wide screen. The other items on the list wouldn’t have made a world of difference anyway.
Game immersion does not always depend on high-end features
An OLED monitor often beats higher resolutions and refresh rates when it comes to enhancing your gaming experience. The OLED panel’s perfect blacks and superior HDR capabilities are more important than a sharper image and more FPS. So when I needed a new monitor, I switched from a 1440p 144Hz IPS model to a 1440p 165Hz OLED monitor. The 1440p 165Hz setup will last me a few more years without feeling like I’m “settling”.
