OLED quality 4k ~38" HDR600+ 120hz+ what are the chances?

[Haggisman]

Just two reasons mainly, Dell's support is generally considered to be much better than LG's and the build quality is better on the Alienware, also you can swivel it, not so with the LG. They are the same panel and performance is much the same, the LG does have one clear advantage though, an sRGB gammut clamp, which could be of use to some people. I have an RTX 3070 so the native Gsync monitor is nice to have, although that's not a deciding factor it's more the build quality and support.

I actually have an LG 27GN850 aswelll as an AOC VA Ultrawide and I don't really have any issues with the nano IPS contrast ratio tbh, it's motion handling and colour reproduction are very good, much better than my VA's. While contrast isn't amazing it is 'ok' and it's quite a bit better on the 38" pannels it seems anyway. The LG I have also has the same stand as the 38" model, the newer more angular one it's a good stand, but I do like to have swivel ideally, at times anyway. Compared to the LG though the VA panel I have is quite blurry when you move about rapidly in a game and look at a fixed point, but I do love 21:9, how much better the motion handling is on the LG nano IPS panels is quite startling when you see it side by side for the first time ...obviously the OLED is even better but we've already been there

Thanks, a lot to go on there!

Agree about the blurriness in VA vs IPS, the increased contrast makes it better in SP games (thinking stuff like Metro Exodus, Cyberpunk etc. with quite a lot of dark sections and dramatic lighting) but playing more competitive games like PUBG, I do sometimes regret swapping out the Dell, as it did feel smoother despite being lower refresh...

Definitely very tempted by either the Alienware or LG, longer (and better) warranty is definitely a plus point considering I'd be keeping it long term (also appears you can extend the Alienware warranty to 5 years for ~£100).

If I was using it for purely gaming then OLED would be a clear winner, but the thought of ending up with a cross of window borders in the middle of the screen due to screen burn gives me nightmares

 

[Scottland]

I’ve got both panels you mention in the op, the Dell and BenQ. The benQ was supposed to be an upgrade but I’ve been disappointed with it since I got it and am currently looking to replace. Like you I’m looking at the Alienware and LG - I did consider some of the newer IPS 32” models but ultimately I don’t think that will work for me.

At the moment I’m leaning towards the LG as I’ve heard some mixed things about the Gsync module on the Alienware (fan noise, coil whine). That being said it can usually be had cheaper so I’ve not fully made up my mind yet.

 

[Haggisman]

Yeah, agreed completely about the benq being a disappointing upgrade, luckily I managed to get a good price for it b grade from OcUK, and sold the Dell to a work mate for a reasonable amount, so the "upgrade" cost wasn't much, but still...

As you say, the Dell and Alienware both have their pros and cons, I think what I'll do is wait for the 42" OLED to come out, and also see what is happening with WFH - if we're expected back in the office full time at some point then maybe it will work out

 

[Haggisman]

Had an update from work - not expected back in the office at least until next year, at which point it will be "flexible" and down to team leaders. My team leader is already aware I'm keen to remain WFH as much as possible, so it looks like OLED is going to be not ideal.

I've also found out we get the Dell Employee Advantage discount through work, which means I get 20% off the AW3821DW, bringing it down to £1040. Currently have it in my basket, hovering over the buy button!

Have been reading quite a few horror stories about LG's quality control and warranty/CS, which has put me off the 38GN950 a bit, especially since it is ~£150 more than the Alienware.

The other option I'm now considering is the Gigabyte FV43U. It's about £100 cheaper, and from the reviews I've read it seems to be a very good display - while a bit slower than the AW due to being VA rather than IPS, the contrast & blacks are going to be much better, plus the extra height could be useful for work, however that extra height is also what is putting me off. Max viewing distance would be ~80cm which is potentially too close :S

There's also the difference in returns/warranty policies - Dell have free returns, and do doorstep swap out for warranty, for the Gigabyte e.g. from OCUK, I assume I would have to pay to return it in the 14 days, plus the RMA process is to send it off and wait for repair/replacement, leaving me with no monitor* for potentially several weeks.

Too many choices (which £1k monitor should I purchase... worst 1st world problem ever)!






* I have a laptop I could use or could repurpose another TV or monitor, so not the end of the world, but also not ideal.

 

[Scottland]

I picked up the LG 38GN950 last week, I've not had much chance to play with it yet - but it appears fine by all accounts. No dead pixels and I haven't noticed much glow/BLB.

I wasn't sure if I'd notice much size difference between the 34/35 in screens, but it's definitely better to have more space and the extra resolution is noticeable.

 

[Haggisman]

I ended up getting both the AW3821DW and Gigabyte FV43U to compare. Spent most of yesterday evening and this morning with both side by side.

Gaming wise - the FV43U was lovely in terms of picture quality - HDR content really popped - Ori and the Will Of The Wisps was absolutely stunning, as was Cyberpunk. The A3821DW was close, but not quite there, I noticed a bit of loss of detail in very dark scenes in some HDR demo videos on Youtube.

For motion clarity however, the AW3821DW was far superior playing Doom, the FV43U wasn't bad as such, just that the AW3821DW was on another level in comparison.

I did noticed some issues with the FV43U due to viewing distance, and getting a bit of "glow" at the edges (and particularly corners) of the screen. It improved when I viewed those sections of the screens straight on, but from normal viewing distance at the centre of the screen it was unfortunately very visible.

This morning while working, the "glow" areas of the FV43U turned into "dirty" brownish areas - again fixed by moving my head. I also ended up with a sore neck due to the vertical size of it. BGR pixel layout also was very evident in text clarity (even after enabling Cleartype), and the glossy screen did have some bad reflections from my window.

Overall, the FV43U was more "impressive", but not without flaws (at least for my usage), the AW3821DW is pretty close, but far more "usable" on a daily basis.

Due to the issues above, I've boxed the FV43U up, and it's going back, keeping the AW3821DW.