World first QD-OLED monitor from Dell and Samsung (34 inch Ultrawide 175hz)

Protobyte said:
Hi chaps, I could really use some of your collective wisdom. Sorry for the wall of text I am about to subject you to.

I bought this gem of a monitor on Saturday the 5th Nov and it was delivered last week on Wednesday. Purchase price was £846 using a discount code and I also have a cashback claim in place.

I've had a chance to play around with it over the weekend and I'm in overall awe with the picture quality in comparison to my IPS XB271HU monitor.
  • No pixel or uniformity issues.
  • No discernable flickering (some minor VRR/G-SYNC fluctuation during paused menu in Outer Wilds).
  • I cannot notice or am not bothered by the text clarity / fringing having come from a similar PPI display.
  • Elevated blacks during the day are dissapointing but it still looks miles better than my IPS.
  • July 22 manufacturing date, M0B102 FW ver.
I have two issues however with one of them being a deal breaker. The first issue (not a deal breaker) is that I have bubble wrap imprints and marks along the top half of the screen; I haven't properly gone at it with a microfiber cloth but did do gently when it arrived which removed only a minor amount of the markings.

The second big issue which is a deal breaker is the fan noise which has started doing my head in. To share some context, my PC is on the floor to the right of me and has a mix of 140mm Noctua and BeQuiet fans. I previously had all Noctua but they generated some odd harmonic resonance at low RPM which drove my crazy. There's also a server to my left with a similar fan setup where I have set up scripts to turn off the screeching hard drives during idle (yup, I'm super anal about noise).

Now, the monitor fan noise. It's okay within the first 15-30m of web browsing but after the initial period and once it warms up it'll start spinning at a rather uncomfortable frequency and can be heard from a normal seating distance of about just over an arms length. If I put my ear near the panel, the sound is obviously much louder and distinct. Honestly it almost sounds like someone is using the vacuum somewhere in the house. Room temp fluctuates between ~19-21 degrees. Someone on Reddit /u/NartDota captured the noise which sounds similar to mine, albeit amplified: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G16Q0Eb-lrgTs8KPyydAgNqIzWIj3-s3/view

On top of that it also does a whooshing fan noise (which is the panel fan itself as I understand it?) at random intervals but this doesn't bother me as much due to its irregularity and more pleasant acoustic tone. I cannot hear it during gaming when PC fans and audio kick in. I don't usually wear the headphones due to having bookshelf speakers. I also have a minor case of tinnitus which most would think would drown out noise, but nope.

I don't know what to do. As I've said I'm in awe with the screen, paid a fair price but don't think I can live with the noise.
  • Other people report no fan noise or can only barely hear it when placing ear next to screen, so did I get unlucky? I think it's either:
    • They really have minimal fan noise.
    • They have other noise sources drowning out the noise.
    • They are not sensitive to the noise.
    • They are partially deaf and unaware, perhaps tinnitus is drowning it out.
  • Do I gamble a screen replacement in the hopes I get one with no marks and lower noise?
  • Should I return it and wait for the AWF version to release in the UK at the cost of gsync which as I understand it doesnt really add that much apart from an extended VRR range?

TL/DR: Bought AW3423DW and its gorgeous but 2 issues, one screen marks and other fan noise. I'm anal about noise and can hear a faint vacuum noise during non-gaming from the screen.
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This is an issue where I am afraid it is up to you. I am not sure which of the fans tends to be the noisy one. I have a G-Sync Ultimate module in my monitor and I can never hear it, even after intense high refresh rate gaming, so I remain unconvinced that it's the source of the problem, meaning going for the F version may not help. I have also heard people saying that their AW3423DW makes no discernable noise, but some say it is very audible. I am just wondering whether you run Windows in HDR more and or what refresh rate you use for browsing? The more power the panel gets the hotter it will run.
It may be worth asking Dell. If noise complaints are infrequent then they will advise you to swap it for another. If frequent then they will advise you to refund it.
I have to say that if it was me, I would return the monitor for a refund and await more information about the F variant, but that's just me - I like to get things sorted in one hit.
 
Protobyte said:
  • Should I return it and wait for the AWF version to release in the UK at the cost of gsync which as I understand it doesnt really add that much apart from an extended VRR range?

TL/DR: Bought AW3423DW and its gorgeous but 2 issues, one screen marks and other fan noise. I'm anal about noise and can hear a faint vacuum noise during non-gaming from the screen.
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i bought one a few days ago, and im returning it on wednesday for the same issue, the fan noise for me is too much.
 
I'm always sceptical with how people describe sound issues. According to some they had "whisper quiet" PS4 pros (hint, they didn't).

If sound bothers you as much as it does me I'd go for the F variant and hope that mitigates the issue, 1 fan is better than 2 regardless.
Took me long enough to get my pc quiet, last thing I expect is noise from a monitor of all things.
 
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SpellowHouse said:
This is an issue where I am afraid it is up to you. I am not sure which of the fans tends to be the noisy one. I have a G-Sync Ultimate module in my monitor and I can never hear it, even after intense high refresh rate gaming, so I remain unconvinced that it's the source of the problem, meaning going for the F version may not help. I have also heard people saying that their AW3423DW makes no discernable noise, but some say it is very audible. I am just wondering whether you run Windows in HDR more and or what refresh rate you use for browsing? The more power the panel gets the hotter it will run.
It may be worth asking Dell. If noise complaints are infrequent then they will advise you to swap it for another. If frequent then they will advise you to refund it.
I have to say that if it was me, I would return the monitor for a refund and await more information about the F variant, but that's just me - I like to get things sorted in one hit.
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Please bestow me with some of your non-dithering strategy :). My settings are set to 175hz in the NVCP, non-HDR in Windows. Monitor brightness set to 39% (100cd/m2). I'll likely give Dell a call as you've suggested to see what they say about the screen marks and fan noise.

mohawk said:
i bought one a few days ago, and im returning it on wednesday for the same issue, the fan noise for me is too much.
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Ah that sucks man. Did you report it to Dell as the reason for the return? The more complaints they receive the higher the chance I hope is they address it in upcoming versions. I'd hope so anyway, but knowing Dell.... perhaps not.

Noxia said:
I'm always sceptical with how people describe sound issues. According to some they had "whisper quiet" PS4 pros (hint, they didn't).

If sound bothers you as much as it does me I'd go for the F variant and hope that mitigates the issue, 1 fan is better than 2 regardless.
Took me long enough to get my pc quiet, last thing I expect is noise from a monitor of all things.
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Haha ikr! I've similarly spent hours on sound management (custom fan curves etc) only to be defeated by... a monitor.
 
Protobyte said:
Please bestow me with some of your non-dithering strategy :). My settings are set to 175hz in the NVCP, non-HDR in Windows. Monitor brightness set to 39% (100cd/m2). I'll likely give Dell a call as you've suggested to see what they say about the screen marks and fan noise.
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It's hard not to dither because really it's very personal and no one can really tell you how you feel other than you. I have never really been bothered by IPS Glow, so IPS monitors are great for me, but I have known people to be driven nuts by them, returning monitor after monitor and never getting that perfect result. Anyway, I'll try a non-dithering reply -"if you don't like fan noise, don't buy a monitor with a fan"!

Oh, and I wonder if the fan is kicking in because you have the brightness set pretty high? (fishing).
 
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SpellowHouse said:
I have the AW3821DW and frequently find the same issue. The monitor is an HDR600, but it calibrates to approximately double that with the tool. I also find this in games that have calibration, it calibrates at about double the actual figure. I suspect it's just a lack of understanding on my part and I never looked in to it.
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It's quite possible it's just a Windows HDR thing really, it's for some reason reading the 1060~ nits as double that which can be the only explanation!

SpellowHouse said:
That seems odd to me (That there is no 10 bit). Surely that is a really good reason to get the DW rather than the DWF?
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Depends on how you look at it, with an nvidia card this almost certainly is no issue as nvidia do 8-bit dithering pretty much perfectly with no visible banding etc. AMD is unknown as nobody seems to have done any tests with the F on AMD yet, but I believe those that have with the non F, see no issue either.

It's just nicer to know you are in a native colour mode when your content being watched is outputting in native 10-bit too (HDR stuff).

Protobyte said:
I have two issues however with one of them being a deal breaker. The first issue (not a deal breaker) is that I have bubble wrap imprints and marks along the top half of the screen; I haven't properly gone at it with a microfiber cloth but did do gently when it arrived which removed only a minor amount of the markings.
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A clean microfibre cloth that's slightly damp will get rid of them like I found on this one.

Noxia said:
I'm always sceptical with how people describe sound issues. According to some they had "whisper quiet" PS4 pros (hint, they didn't).

If sound bothers you as much as it does me I'd go for the F variant and hope that mitigates the issue, 1 fan is better than 2 regardless.
Took me long enough to get my pc quiet, last thing I expect is noise from a monitor of all things.
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Same, my PC is quieter than alaptop in all situations other than gaming where the GPU fan spools up, but all other times any other noise, even the wind outside can be heard over my PC, so any other noise however small to my ears is really audible. At this stage I have just trained my mind to ignore the fan noise of the non F but from what I've been seeing so far of the F version, seems that the fan noise is much better since there is no Gsync fan to tend to and a new firmware sorted out long term fan noise issues too.

If they release another update that adds 144Hz 10-bit then that's good news for those looking for similar specs without the fan noise.

Grim5 said:
His color calibration says the model is, which is Freesync right? https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/ali...dwf/apd/210-bfrp/monitors-monitor-accessories
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The chart photo isn't mine, it's off reddit from someone with the F model, I was just sharing the chart here with ref to factory calibration as this wasn't known previously if it is or isn't calibrated like the DW is.

The screenshots after the edit are mine after observing the quirks in Windows HDR lol after using the tool.

Protobyte said:
Please bestow me with some of your non-dithering strategy
:)
. My settings are set to 175hz in the NVCP, non-HDR in Windows. Monitor brightness set to 39% (100cd/m2). I'll likely give Dell a call as you've suggested to see what they say about the screen marks and fan noise.
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Interesting I am going to run mine at 39% brightness for a few days see how I fare. I have been at 53 all this time as my i1Display Pro measured that as 100cd/m2 and it visually looked similar to my old LG calibrated too. Granted brightness can be whatever you please as it doesn't affect colour accuracy so it's all down to eye comfort levels of each person. I do use the screen in dim lighting 85% of the time though so so maybe 39 will be a better value going forwards.

Plus a lower brightness for SDR only mode means the less chance of long term burn-in too I guess.
 
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Yep I read the guy's review on reddit and it does seem 10-bit is only there below 100Hz which is very weird. There is also a 12-bit mode too but that seems a bit pointless.
 
mrk said:
Interesting I am going to run mine at 39% brightness for a few days see how I fare. I have been at 53 all this time as my i1Display Pro measured that as 100cd/m2 and it visually looked similar to my old LG calibrated too. Granted brightness can be whatever you please as it doesn't affect colour accuracy so it's all down to eye comfort levels of each person. I do use the screen in dim lighting 85% of the time though so so maybe 39 will be a better value going forwards.

Plus a lower brightness for SDR only mode means the less chance of long term burn-in too I guess.
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What software program did you use to calibrate to 100cd/m2? I similarly used an i1Display Pro with the DisplayCal software to generate an ICC profile.

Settings were:
- White level drift compensation checked
- Correction: Spectral: Unknown (Dell, Dell AW3423DW (i1Pro2))
- D6500k
- Gamma 2.2

I find 100cd/m2 strikes a nice balance with the added benefit of lower burn-in risk as you've mentioned, but this is entirely subjective of course.
 
I used both DisplayCal and the Xrite software just to measure the luminance values and get a baseline set of numbers to get a better understanding with.

I do not use the created icc profiles as I found them to be unnecessary for SDR use and in fact end up interfering with colours in non-colour management aware apps like web browsing and even the Windows Photo viewer app which shows colours differently to other apps like Photoshop with or without Proof mode enabled. So skipped icc profile generation entirely and use the monitor's Creator mode.

The monitor in Creator mode in SRGB, Gamma 2.4 appears to be near 1:1 to my old LG IPS which was calibrated via its internal LUT using the same i1Display Pro, and HDTVTest also found the same OSD values to be nice and accurate for black shades and colour accuracy. Contrast is set to 66% btw.
 
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SDR brightness should not be affected at all. When you are not in HDR mode in Windows (which should be at all times you are not playing HDR games or watching a HDR video), the HDR calibrated profile is not active, it's only applicable to HDR mode, and as long as you leave the colour saturation at the end of the vcalibration on 0 (default), then SDR colour accuracy will remain natural too.

It sounds like to me you have HDR enabled in Windows at all times, which is not the correct way to be using HDR under Windows since Windows is crap at handling HDR mode and displaying SDR content at the same time.
 
No didn't have HDR enabled, what the problem ended up being was under colour management it had enabled use windows display calibration and wouldn't enable me to uncheck the box, a restart fixed it and was able to disable it, all good again, minor annoyance at best like the wife and brat!
 
Just received another AW3423dw and unfortunately, looks to have an issue. The screen flickers for 0.1s once every 2-3 minutes. Tried the cable that works with the other one, unplug from the wall and reset monitor settings, fresh display drivers but and still have a flicker :s
 
Sc00p007 said:
Just received another AW3423dw and unfortunately, looks to have an issue. The screen flickers for 0.1s once every 2-3 minutes. Tried the cable that works with the other one, unplug from the wall and reset monitor settings, fresh display drivers but and still have a flicker :s
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I've had a couple of random flickers, I just assumed my DP cable or iffy port on GPU, was meaning to swap cable and/or try another port, but it hasn't happened since then which was about a month ago. Had the monitor since end of Aug.
 
Thankfully I've not had any of these problems some people tend to have. I can't hear the fan, I've not had flickering and there was no damage, marks or smudging on the screen.
Guess I got one of the good ones... Does seem to be a bit of a lottery though :confused:
 
no_1_dave said:
Thankfully I've not had any of these problems some people tend to have. I can't hear the fan, I've not had flickering and there was no damage, marks or smudging on the screen.
Guess I got one of the good ones... Does seem to be a bit of a lottery though :confused:
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It always is with monitors. It's actually surprises me they can ever make money on them. I mean the number of IPS monitors that are returned for bleed must be insane. You would think, though, that for this particular monitor they would use a high quality fan!!
 
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