Alienware announces the AW2725DF and AW3225QF (worlds first 4k 240hz and worlds first 1440p 360hz QD-OLED monitors - launches January 2024)
- Thread starter Grim5
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If you WFH three days a week (Excel/Word/PDFs, etc) and then used it for PC gaming an hour each night, would you avoid the AW2725DF and go for an IPS panel instead such as the ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQ to avoid the eye strain then? Price difference is only about £150 but to be fair, my PC setup isn't the latest and greatest - I mainly play a bit of CS2. It would be nice to setup up from my 7 year old VA display though. Budget around £500 (though less would be preferred). The Dell came in at that as it was refurbished.
Tempted to go for the ASUS and then give it a few years and upgrade to latest OLED when I upgrade my desktop. My graphics card is probably the limitation at the minute (Gigabyte RTX 2070).
Tempted to go for the ASUS and then give it a few years and upgrade to latest OLED when I upgrade my desktop. My graphics card is probably the limitation at the minute (Gigabyte RTX 2070).
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I think you'd be fine from a burn in perspective but it depends on how your eyes react to QD-OLED and text fringing. I swap monitors a fair bit but I did run an AW2725DF as my main monitor for full 5 day WFH and games in the evening for about 9 months without any burn in at all. I bumped Windows res to 125% which helped with eye strain although it was never perfect for me from that side. Great for gaming, 360hz OLED is honestly fantastic.
I'd would suggest not going for the XG27AQ monitor if you do want to get an IPS monitor as a few year stop gap, instead the XG27ACS is a newer version (180hz vs. 170hz) and is cheaper too (on sale for £229 in various places) and is one of the better recommendations for a 1440p medium refresh monitor. It's got really good variable overdrive, I quite like the ELMB mode as well for back light strobing too.
If you want around the 300hz mark with an IPS monitor I also really like the XG27AQMR from Asus too - although it is a lot more pricey (around 500/600) and I'm not really sure the extra 120hz for an extra £300 is worth it unless you're a super competitive gamer.
You've sent me down a rabbit hole haha. Have you seen anything about the LG 27GS85Q? Seems to be 200hz refresh for similar price to the XG27ACS. Man, if there was something that really stood out as an improvement at £350-£400 I'd go for that. My current (dead) monitor is a VA panel so contrast will be better than any of these, but I heard text readability isn't as good as the IPS.
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Yeah, there don't seem to be loads of reviews about for that one (I think there's a Spanish one on YouTube?!)
I did have a look at it before I picked up the XG27ACS but ended up going with the ACS in the end as my IPS monitor, I really liked how VRR worked over HDMI for the PS5 even though it's only HDMI 2.0 - and it actually worked great for games at 120hz on the PS5 using ELMB.
If you still want to go for a monitor that has good contrast and still has better-than-OLED text clarity then the AOC Q27G3XMN is a VA Mini-LED monitor. 1440p and 180hz and is often one of the most recommended monitors for anyone wanting better than IPS contrast but also still needing text clarity to be better than on an OLED.
Dell have a great return policy though so it's almost worth trying out the AW2725DF to see how you get on. You might find that text is a non-issue and you don't have any eye strain at all - in which case you're sorted!
Cheers for the feedback. Good shout on the Dell - unfortunately I bought it refurb from an official partner so will need to reject the delivery to get it sent back that way.
The ACS gets a great write up on Unboxed Monitors to be fair.
Yeah, the ACS is well reviewed across most places. I like the YouTuber 'Techless' who also gave it a good review, particularly in that mid '165-200hz' refresh bracket.
There were a few comments online about the matte coating being a little stronger than on other panels but nothing that I noticed when comparing it to any of the other IPS monitors with matte coatings that I've used.
When I bought the ACS it was initially only meant to be a 'temporary' monitor but it's been 4 months now and at this point it's probably the monitor I use the most and I think will be the one that I keep until it fails. The cost definitely comes into it, £229 felt like a great price compared to the price I paid for my 32GS95UV 4k 240hz wOLED.
The only annoyance I have with the ACS is the coil whine when the monitor is in 'idle' - but it's such a rare occurence that my monitor is on standby and my PC is in sleep that I can overlook it.
Soldato
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So I'm in a position to pick the Dell up for a big discount with my Blue light card . Not fussed about the slight curve .
Am I really just Splitting hairs here over the MSI or Asus model of this panel or ars they worth the extra money .
Am I really just Splitting hairs here over the MSI or Asus model of this panel or ars they worth the extra money .
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I would 100% say to anyone to try and try a QD OLED in store before purchasing to see if you get eye strain or look slightly 'off' compared to what you're used too.
You can always return but saves the hassle if you can see one first.
Associate
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What store can you go in and view one of these?
Maybe a Currys superstore
The AW2725Q (27" 4k 240hz) is now available in the UK if anyone wanted 4k QD-OLED but at a smaller 27" size!
£799 (which is already great compared to the Asus and MSI versions) but you can get it down to around 715/720 if you have a Dell Advantage code.
£799 (which is already great compared to the Asus and MSI versions) but you can get it down to around 715/720 if you have a Dell Advantage code.
Soldato
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And as the new owner of said AW2725DF I feel I can offer an opinion
I was more worried about text fringing than I needed to be but figured I'd give this a go. Text isn't quite as sharp as on the 27 inch IPS I have, but I've found a text scale of 115% to have me satisfied with how text is displayed. It's good enough for my old eyes and really nothing as bad as I'd imagined it'd be, it's a trade off for a good gaming and media content display but not a big one at all IMHO if you tweak things a bit.
Gaming and media content is obviously outstanding, really good.
Finally got my quidco cashback
Lol. I got my monitor way after you. The £100 from Amex and TCB came in ages ago
Lol. I got my monitor way after you. The £100 from Amex and TCB came in ages ago
Yeah my quidco one had issues as for some reason, it showed like 5 ones which were tracking, they all got denied so that one there was the last I raised!
Not a bad price in the end at all
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I’ve just ordered the Alienware AW2725DF on a 12-month plan for £48/month (£576 total). It came down to this or the LG 27GS95QE, which was also tempting.
Both are 27" 1440p OLEDs, but the Alienware has a 360Hz refresh rate compared to the LG's 240Hz. I’m hoping I made the right choice—keen to hear from anyone who’s used either of these panels.
Was the AW2725DF the better pick in the long run?
Both are 27" 1440p OLEDs, but the Alienware has a 360Hz refresh rate compared to the LG's 240Hz. I’m hoping I made the right choice—keen to hear from anyone who’s used either of these panels.
Was the AW2725DF the better pick in the long run?
Yes.
360hz is better than 240hz - although on the LG you could hit max refresh rate over HDMI without having to use DSC. You'll always have DSC enabled with the AW model.
Text clarity is much better on the AW monitor compared to the LG monitor - that LG one was using the RWGB layout which caused some pretty rough text fringing. The text on the AW model, whilst not perfect, is better.
Glossy vs. matte - total personal preference here but the AW glossy panel is lovely.