**The Great Debate: Alienware 34 QD-OLED vs LG UltraGear OLED 27**

In recent years, gaming monitors have become increasingly popular among gamers and enthusiasts alike. Among these options, two stand out for their impressive features and capabilities: the Alienware 34 QD-OLED and the LG UltraGear OLED 27. Both of these monitors offer unique benefits and drawbacks that may sway a buyer's decision. In this article, we'll delve into the details of each monitor, exploring their respective strengths and weaknesses.

**Supporting 21x9: A Necessity for Immersive Gaming**

For those who have only ever used 16x9 displays, switching to a 21x9 monitor can be a revelation. This aspect ratio offers an immersive experience that cannot be replicated by the traditional 16x9 format. The extra peripheral field of view makes games feel more expansive and engaging. Games like Final Fantasy 14 and Cyberpunk 2077 take full advantage of this feature, drawing you into the game world in ways that 16x9 monitors simply cannot.

That being said, not all games are created equal when it comes to supporting 21x9. Some titles still have elements locked to 16x9, even if they're rendering at 21x9. This can result in black bars on the sides of the screen or harsh cut-offs for certain UI elements. Additionally, some console gamers may find that their system's lock to 16x9 displays makes a 21x9 monitor less practical.

**Workarounds and Compromises**

To overcome these limitations, some users have discovered workarounds. For example, programs like Flawless widescreens can adjust display settings to make 21x9 monitors more compatible with older games. However, these solutions may not always be effective, and some users may still encounter issues with certain titles.

**Console Considerations**

For console gamers who don't have a PC, a 21x9 monitor is less practical due to the lack of compatibility. Most consoles are locked to 16x9 displays, making it difficult to enjoy the full benefits of a 21x9 monitor. However, this doesn't mean that these monitors are not worth considering – they're still excellent options for PC gamers who can take advantage of their features.

**Ultimate Power and Productivity**

In terms of power and productivity, both monitors excel in their respective areas. The Alienware 34 QD-OLED offers a super useful OLED display with a glossy coating that provides improved brightness and color accuracy. Additionally, its OSD is highly customizable, making it easy to adjust settings for optimal viewing.

The LG UltraGear OLED 27, on the other hand, boasts a matte anti-glare coating that reduces reflections and improves overall image quality. While this may seem counterintuitive, as we're discussing a glossy coating in the Alienware monitor, the difference is actually noticeable. The LG's matte finish provides a more immersive experience without sacrificing brightness or color accuracy.

**The Verdict: Which Monitor Reigns Supreme?**

Ultimately, the choice between these two monitors comes down to personal preference and gaming needs. If you're looking for an immersive experience that can't be replicated by 16x9 displays, the Alienware 34 QD-OLED may be the better option. Its advantages in brightness, color accuracy, and OSD customization make it a standout in the world of gaming monitors.

However, if budget is a concern or you're a console gamer who doesn't have the luxury of switching to a PC, the LG UltraGear OLED 27 is still an excellent choice. While it may not offer all the bells and whistles of its Alienware counterpart, it provides a superior display experience that's hard to beat.

**Conclusion**

In conclusion, both monitors are excellent options for gamers who want to take their viewing experience to the next level. The Alienware 34 QD-OLED offers unparalleled immersion and power, while the LG UltraGear OLED 27 provides a more budget-friendly alternative with impressive image quality. Whether you're a PC gamer or console enthusiast, there's never been a better time to invest in a top-notch gaming monitor.

**A Note on Controlling the Monitors**

Finally, it's worth noting that controlling these monitors can be a bit of a challenge. The Alienware 34 QD-OLED offers an OSD that can be accessed through a joystick on the bottom of the monitor, providing quick and easy access to settings like picture profile and burn-in prevention.

In contrast, the LG UltraGear OLED 27 requires using the included remote control to access its menu options. While this isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, it's still frustrating for some users who would prefer to be able to adjust settings directly on the monitor itself.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enin the span of only a few months OLED has flooded the world of gaming monitors but there are really two displays that stand on the shoulders of the rest alienware's 34 qdo LED and LG's Ultra gear OLED 27. they're both fantastic monitors and honestly you can pick either of them and have a great experience but there are some important differences between them I've used both monitors extensively and I'll get this out of the way up front for me the Alienware 34 QD LED is the way to go but that's largely because of how I used my Monitor and the LG OLED 27 still has some unique advantages of its own so what should you buy let's get into it but hold up before we do I'm going to ask you kindly to hit that subscribe button and leave a like on this video like you don't have to but would be really cool if you did foreign let's start with the pricing discussion because a lot has changed with these monitors there would be a pretty large gap in price between the ultra year OLED 27 and the 34 qdo LED if Alienware had Givens display a mid-gen refresh at the time I'm recording this you can get both monitors for the exact same price a thousand bucks there's a little more to the pricing though for starters a thousand dollars is the price for the Alienware aw3423dwf or the freesync version of the 34 qdo ad the original version comes a g-seek ultimate and it's thirteen hundred dollars otherwise the two displays are very similar the g-sync version has a slightly faster 175 Hertz refresh rate while the freesig model is limited to 165 Hertz honestly the vast majority of people are fine with the freesync version you can find variable refresh rate for both Nvidia and AMD gpus so the extra 300 is going to the g-sync ultimate module inside the display this g-sync module apparently offers some minor advantages if you pair the Nvidia GPU but they don't really matter when 300 on the table for the purposes of this comparison the monitors are identical a thousand dollars is the cheapest I've seen the freesync version though it occasionally goes for eleven hundred dollars the ult skier OLED 27 goes in the opposite direction it lists for a thousand dollars but I've seen open box and refurbished models for as little as 750 bucks for the purposes of this comparison they're the same price that said you can spend a little more on the Alienware or if you're on a tight budget and you still want an OLED panel the LG model is available for cheaper if you shop around a little bit alright so for that thousand dollars what are you getting the ultra gear OLED 27 is a 27 inch 1440p monitor according to LG specs it has a typical brightness of 200 nits and a peak brightness of a thousand nits along with a contrast ratio of 1.5 million to one that contrast ratio spec is kind of irrelevant though OLED has perfect black levels so you're theoretically getting an infinite contrast ratio the big distinction is that it's a 27 inch 16x9 monitor with a 240 hertz refresh rate the Alienware 34 qdo LED is a 34 inch 21x9 monitor with a 165 Hertz refresh rate or 175 Hertz if you pick up the g-sync model that 21x9 aspect ratio is commonly known as Ultra wide pushing out the sides for more horizontal screen real estate it has a slightly higher resolution 3440x1440 but it's basically 1440p with more on the sides due to the fact that it's an ultra wide display Alienware includes a very slight 1800r curve I actually really like how subtle it is much unlike the 800r curve we see on something like the ultra gear OLED 45 there's a very important difference between the monitors outside of the specs too they're both OLED but the Alienware 34 uses a cutie OLED panel while the LG is straight over it's technically mlao LED but we don't need to get into all that right now Caleb has an explainer on what QD OLED is so make sure to watch that if you want in in-depth look the short explanation though is that QD OLED includes a layer of quantum dots in front of the OLED panel bypassing the need for a color filter that traditional OLED needs to produce colors that color filter saps OLED of brightness which is why OLED monitors and TVs are often so much dimmer than most LCD displays QD OLED is supposed to be a Best of Both Worlds type of display offering solid brightness while still using that silky OLED backbone and that theory mostly holds up based on our testing at least between these two monitors the LG display could barely hold 200 nits peaking at less than 250 nits when fully crank LG claims the monitor can hit 1000 nits for three percent of the screen but I measured just below 600 nits for three percent of the screen the LMR 34qd OLED isn't much brighter but it's definitely brighter typical brightness is somewhere around 300 nits and it can crack that 1000 nit barrier in HDR for three percent of the screen now it might sound like there's a big difference but it's much smaller than than you might suspect using the two monitors the Alienware is at a comfortable level of brightness while the LG feels just a little dim by comparison it's certainly not unusable though unlike I've seen some Reddit comments suggest on the brightness front LG isn't your only option I've also reviewed asus's take on this panel the pg27aqdm and it gets much better brightness out of the exact same panel so there are definitely alternatives to the ultra gear OLED 27 that get the brightness up to par Corsair also has its zenion OLED 27 but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to test that display outside of brightness both monitors are fairly color accurate out of the box in SDR the LG was a little more accurate based on our testing with a color error of 1.5 the Alienware really isn't that far behind though it has an error of 1.9 overall particularly due to some issues with the greens that you could easily correct with the colorometer like the spider X I gotta be honest though neither is really a great option for intense color work they both offer great color coverage 97 percent of DCI P3 for the LG and 95 percent for the Alienware but they really throw accuracy out the window at higher brightness due to the way these monitors increase brightness colors start to desaturate as the brightness increases making them less accurate for instance the LG monitor had a color error of over 6 in HDR you can do some light photo or video editing work and SDR but there are really better options if that's your main priority make no mistake these are media consumption monitors not media creation monitors and they succeed on that front both OLED and QD OLED provide exceptional color and contrast and if you play a game like cyberpunk 2077 or destiny 2 on either display with HDR turned on honestly it's really hard going back but if you frequently watch this channel you probably already knew that and there are some important differences between the two displays when it comes to gaming first and foremost the refresh rate now the difference between 165 Hertz and 240 hertz is a lot smaller in practice than it is on paper but it's not totally irrelevant it's a difference in feel not necessarily in the smoothness you see like yes there is a difference in smoothness but it's just not super significant the main advantage of having something like a 240 hertz refresh rate is when you have a main game one that you're perfectly attuned to and you can play like you're riding a bike a 240 hertz refresh rate isn't going to make you better but it might give you a little Edge when you feel like you could play better I'll give you an example so OverWatch 2 is a game I could play on a 240 hertz refresh rate and feel that difference but if I was playing Counter-Strike Global Offensive which is a game I don't play very often I'd have a hard time telling between 144 Hertz 165 Hertz and 240 hertz this is an important discussion because the type of games you play factors heavily into the buying decision between these two monitors the Alienware 34 QD OLED is a good all-arounder with a fast refresh rate that looks good across the board the LG looks good across the board too but the main advantage of that higher refresh rate really shows up when you have a main game that you return to over and over again either way though these are two of the fastest monitors you can buy not only due to the fact that they have high refresh rates but also due to the fact that they use OLED OLED has super fast response time so although that 34 QD OLED has a slower refresh rate you can definitely take it out in competitive games without having any issues refresh rate isn't the only thing they consider here the aspect ratio is very important as well and the script flips for the two displays 16x9 on the LG it's going to work with basically everything no problems 21 by nine on the other hand doesn't work with everything well it works but I'll get to that in a second especially among recent games you'd have a hard time finding something that doesn't support 21x9 that's not true for older games though which are often locked to 16 by nine you can typically find workarounds like Flawless widescreens of program that supports a few dozen games but you may still encounter some titles that have black bars on the sides of the screen additionally and this is where 21x9 starts to lose some luster for me some games have elements that are locked to 16 by nine even if the game is rendering at 21 by nine it sounds a little confusing but as an example something like speed lines and Destiny 2 when you're sprinting the game will still show up in 21x9 taking up the full screen but there will be a hard cut off on the edge for that HUD overlay and almost universally games that render in 21x9 have cut scenes that are baked at 16 by nine so you'll be jumping back and forth between having black bars and not having them there's also consoles to consider if you don't have a PC a 21x9 monitor really isn't going to play well with your console where everything is basically locked at 16 by nine it's definitely not a deal breaker just something to be aware of if you've only ever used 16x9 displays on the flip side 21x9 is much more immersive when it's working that extra peripheral field of view makes a world of difference in a game like Final Fantasy 14 or cyberpunk 2077 pulling you into the game world it's something that a 16x9 display just can't match I got the honest I really prefer 21x9 for desktop use too now neither of these monitors are great for extensive desktop use the risk of OLED burn-in is present even if it's a little overblown and they can have some minor issues with text Clarity due to having a white subpixel regardless 21x9 really does wonders for productivity main reason is that you can have two windows side by side and still have a full view of they are nearly perfect squares while on a 16x9 monitor having two windows side by side they're longer vertically than they are horizontally honestly I couldn't live without a 21x9 monitor for work it allows me to have an article or whatever I'm working on one window while having a research window right next to it and that's huge Baxter space does a lot in Creative apps too for example you can see more of the timeline in Premiere Pro or Pro Tools that doesn't mean the ultra gear OLED 27 is bad on the desktop but it's certainly not as good as what an ultra wide can offer one final note on image quality is the coding the ultra gear OLED 27 uses a matte anti-glare coating while the animore 34 qdo light has a glossy finish for being a matte coating the ultimate Ola 27 still looks super vibrant the coating really doesn't get in the way contrary to what you might read online however the glossy coating on the 34 qdo lid still looks better even if that sometimes means dealing with harsher Reflections before I get out of here I need to make a note on controlling the monitors I'll just get this out of the way up front the Alienware wins you can access the OSD through a joystick on the bottom and you can quickly see what picture profile you're on as well as your panel Health this is super helpful to remind you you use the built-in OLED maintenance features to prevent burning LG has the same burn-in prevention features but unfortunately no panel Health option worse you can't access the full OSD including the burn-in prevention features with the joystick you have to use the included remote to access the menu it's not a deal breaker but it's definitely annoying you should really be able to access the menu with the controls on the monitor itself especially considering features like burn-in prevention are only available there alright time for some conclusions I'll say it once again you can pick up either of these monitors and you'll have a great gaming experience they're both awesome but the edge is definitely an alienware's Camp here it has small advantages here and there like a bump in brightness a glossy coating and a super useful OSD that collectively make it just a little better than the ultra gear OLED 27 you shouldn't ignore LG's monitor though it still has its place particularly if you play competitive games and don't want to fuss around with some of the Oddities that 21x9 can bring but hey I want to know what you think do you agree that the Alienware is a better option or does something stand out more about the LG for you let me know in the comments below while you're down there make sure to leave a like on this video and get subscribed alright everyone thanks for watching I will see you in the next videoin the span of only a few months OLED has flooded the world of gaming monitors but there are really two displays that stand on the shoulders of the rest alienware's 34 qdo LED and LG's Ultra gear OLED 27. they're both fantastic monitors and honestly you can pick either of them and have a great experience but there are some important differences between them I've used both monitors extensively and I'll get this out of the way up front for me the Alienware 34 QD LED is the way to go but that's largely because of how I used my Monitor and the LG OLED 27 still has some unique advantages of its own so what should you buy let's get into it but hold up before we do I'm going to ask you kindly to hit that subscribe button and leave a like on this video like you don't have to but would be really cool if you did foreign let's start with the pricing discussion because a lot has changed with these monitors there would be a pretty large gap in price between the ultra year OLED 27 and the 34 qdo LED if Alienware had Givens display a mid-gen refresh at the time I'm recording this you can get both monitors for the exact same price a thousand bucks there's a little more to the pricing though for starters a thousand dollars is the price for the Alienware aw3423dwf or the freesync version of the 34 qdo ad the original version comes a g-seek ultimate and it's thirteen hundred dollars otherwise the two displays are very similar the g-sync version has a slightly faster 175 Hertz refresh rate while the freesig model is limited to 165 Hertz honestly the vast majority of people are fine with the freesync version you can find variable refresh rate for both Nvidia and AMD gpus so the extra 300 is going to the g-sync ultimate module inside the display this g-sync module apparently offers some minor advantages if you pair the Nvidia GPU but they don't really matter when 300 on the table for the purposes of this comparison the monitors are identical a thousand dollars is the cheapest I've seen the freesync version though it occasionally goes for eleven hundred dollars the ult skier OLED 27 goes in the opposite direction it lists for a thousand dollars but I've seen open box and refurbished models for as little as 750 bucks for the purposes of this comparison they're the same price that said you can spend a little more on the Alienware or if you're on a tight budget and you still want an OLED panel the LG model is available for cheaper if you shop around a little bit alright so for that thousand dollars what are you getting the ultra gear OLED 27 is a 27 inch 1440p monitor according to LG specs it has a typical brightness of 200 nits and a peak brightness of a thousand nits along with a contrast ratio of 1.5 million to one that contrast ratio spec is kind of irrelevant though OLED has perfect black levels so you're theoretically getting an infinite contrast ratio the big distinction is that it's a 27 inch 16x9 monitor with a 240 hertz refresh rate the Alienware 34 qdo LED is a 34 inch 21x9 monitor with a 165 Hertz refresh rate or 175 Hertz if you pick up the g-sync model that 21x9 aspect ratio is commonly known as Ultra wide pushing out the sides for more horizontal screen real estate it has a slightly higher resolution 3440x1440 but it's basically 1440p with more on the sides due to the fact that it's an ultra wide display Alienware includes a very slight 1800r curve I actually really like how subtle it is much unlike the 800r curve we see on something like the ultra gear OLED 45 there's a very important difference between the monitors outside of the specs too they're both OLED but the Alienware 34 uses a cutie OLED panel while the LG is straight over it's technically mlao LED but we don't need to get into all that right now Caleb has an explainer on what QD OLED is so make sure to watch that if you want in in-depth look the short explanation though is that QD OLED includes a layer of quantum dots in front of the OLED panel bypassing the need for a color filter that traditional OLED needs to produce colors that color filter saps OLED of brightness which is why OLED monitors and TVs are often so much dimmer than most LCD displays QD OLED is supposed to be a Best of Both Worlds type of display offering solid brightness while still using that silky OLED backbone and that theory mostly holds up based on our testing at least between these two monitors the LG display could barely hold 200 nits peaking at less than 250 nits when fully crank LG claims the monitor can hit 1000 nits for three percent of the screen but I measured just below 600 nits for three percent of the screen the LMR 34qd OLED isn't much brighter but it's definitely brighter typical brightness is somewhere around 300 nits and it can crack that 1000 nit barrier in HDR for three percent of the screen now it might sound like there's a big difference but it's much smaller than than you might suspect using the two monitors the Alienware is at a comfortable level of brightness while the LG feels just a little dim by comparison it's certainly not unusable though unlike I've seen some Reddit comments suggest on the brightness front LG isn't your only option I've also reviewed asus's take on this panel the pg27aqdm and it gets much better brightness out of the exact same panel so there are definitely alternatives to the ultra gear OLED 27 that get the brightness up to par Corsair also has its zenion OLED 27 but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to test that display outside of brightness both monitors are fairly color accurate out of the box in SDR the LG was a little more accurate based on our testing with a color error of 1.5 the Alienware really isn't that far behind though it has an error of 1.9 overall particularly due to some issues with the greens that you could easily correct with the colorometer like the spider X I gotta be honest though neither is really a great option for intense color work they both offer great color coverage 97 percent of DCI P3 for the LG and 95 percent for the Alienware but they really throw accuracy out the window at higher brightness due to the way these monitors increase brightness colors start to desaturate as the brightness increases making them less accurate for instance the LG monitor had a color error of over 6 in HDR you can do some light photo or video editing work and SDR but there are really better options if that's your main priority make no mistake these are media consumption monitors not media creation monitors and they succeed on that front both OLED and QD OLED provide exceptional color and contrast and if you play a game like cyberpunk 2077 or destiny 2 on either display with HDR turned on honestly it's really hard going back but if you frequently watch this channel you probably already knew that and there are some important differences between the two displays when it comes to gaming first and foremost the refresh rate now the difference between 165 Hertz and 240 hertz is a lot smaller in practice than it is on paper but it's not totally irrelevant it's a difference in feel not necessarily in the smoothness you see like yes there is a difference in smoothness but it's just not super significant the main advantage of having something like a 240 hertz refresh rate is when you have a main game one that you're perfectly attuned to and you can play like you're riding a bike a 240 hertz refresh rate isn't going to make you better but it might give you a little Edge when you feel like you could play better I'll give you an example so OverWatch 2 is a game I could play on a 240 hertz refresh rate and feel that difference but if I was playing Counter-Strike Global Offensive which is a game I don't play very often I'd have a hard time telling between 144 Hertz 165 Hertz and 240 hertz this is an important discussion because the type of games you play factors heavily into the buying decision between these two monitors the Alienware 34 QD OLED is a good all-arounder with a fast refresh rate that looks good across the board the LG looks good across the board too but the main advantage of that higher refresh rate really shows up when you have a main game that you return to over and over again either way though these are two of the fastest monitors you can buy not only due to the fact that they have high refresh rates but also due to the fact that they use OLED OLED has super fast response time so although that 34 QD OLED has a slower refresh rate you can definitely take it out in competitive games without having any issues refresh rate isn't the only thing they consider here the aspect ratio is very important as well and the script flips for the two displays 16x9 on the LG it's going to work with basically everything no problems 21 by nine on the other hand doesn't work with everything well it works but I'll get to that in a second especially among recent games you'd have a hard time finding something that doesn't support 21x9 that's not true for older games though which are often locked to 16 by nine you can typically find workarounds like Flawless widescreens of program that supports a few dozen games but you may still encounter some titles that have black bars on the sides of the screen additionally and this is where 21x9 starts to lose some luster for me some games have elements that are locked to 16 by nine even if the game is rendering at 21 by nine it sounds a little confusing but as an example something like speed lines and Destiny 2 when you're sprinting the game will still show up in 21x9 taking up the full screen but there will be a hard cut off on the edge for that HUD overlay and almost universally games that render in 21x9 have cut scenes that are baked at 16 by nine so you'll be jumping back and forth between having black bars and not having them there's also consoles to consider if you don't have a PC a 21x9 monitor really isn't going to play well with your console where everything is basically locked at 16 by nine it's definitely not a deal breaker just something to be aware of if you've only ever used 16x9 displays on the flip side 21x9 is much more immersive when it's working that extra peripheral field of view makes a world of difference in a game like Final Fantasy 14 or cyberpunk 2077 pulling you into the game world it's something that a 16x9 display just can't match I got the honest I really prefer 21x9 for desktop use too now neither of these monitors are great for extensive desktop use the risk of OLED burn-in is present even if it's a little overblown and they can have some minor issues with text Clarity due to having a white subpixel regardless 21x9 really does wonders for productivity main reason is that you can have two windows side by side and still have a full view of they are nearly perfect squares while on a 16x9 monitor having two windows side by side they're longer vertically than they are horizontally honestly I couldn't live without a 21x9 monitor for work it allows me to have an article or whatever I'm working on one window while having a research window right next to it and that's huge Baxter space does a lot in Creative apps too for example you can see more of the timeline in Premiere Pro or Pro Tools that doesn't mean the ultra gear OLED 27 is bad on the desktop but it's certainly not as good as what an ultra wide can offer one final note on image quality is the coding the ultra gear OLED 27 uses a matte anti-glare coating while the animore 34 qdo light has a glossy finish for being a matte coating the ultimate Ola 27 still looks super vibrant the coating really doesn't get in the way contrary to what you might read online however the glossy coating on the 34 qdo lid still looks better even if that sometimes means dealing with harsher Reflections before I get out of here I need to make a note on controlling the monitors I'll just get this out of the way up front the Alienware wins you can access the OSD through a joystick on the bottom and you can quickly see what picture profile you're on as well as your panel Health this is super helpful to remind you you use the built-in OLED maintenance features to prevent burning LG has the same burn-in prevention features but unfortunately no panel Health option worse you can't access the full OSD including the burn-in prevention features with the joystick you have to use the included remote to access the menu it's not a deal breaker but it's definitely annoying you should really be able to access the menu with the controls on the monitor itself especially considering features like burn-in prevention are only available there alright time for some conclusions I'll say it once again you can pick up either of these monitors and you'll have a great gaming experience they're both awesome but the edge is definitely an alienware's Camp here it has small advantages here and there like a bump in brightness a glossy coating and a super useful OSD that collectively make it just a little better than the ultra gear OLED 27 you shouldn't ignore LG's monitor though it still has its place particularly if you play competitive games and don't want to fuss around with some of the Oddities that 21x9 can bring but hey I want to know what you think do you agree that the Alienware is a better option or does something stand out more about the LG for you let me know in the comments below while you're down there make sure to leave a like on this video and get subscribed alright everyone thanks for watching I will see you in the next video\n"