Question Getting a new display soon and looking for AT's expert opinion (so I don't make any potentially life-altering mistakes!)

[Captante]

I'm getting a new display soon and find myself torn between an LG 48 inch 16:9 OLED (48GQ900-B), an Asus 43 inch 16:9 VA (XG43UQ) and an Alienware 38 inch 21:9 IPS ultrawide (AW3821DW).

I'm leaning towards the Alienware ultrawide.

Note I like the LG version of the IPS ultrawide panel better (38GN950-G) but LG support is bottom of the barrel plus with just a 1 year warranty so if you have a problem 2 years in you're SOL, while Dell despite what you hear is pretty good IME and includes a 3 year advanced exchange warranty. Also the LG is several hundred dollars more money!

As mentioned I already tried a 34 inch ultrawide and it was just too small vertically for 16:9 and especially for viewing older 4:3 media for my tastes. As for the new 43 inch LG OLED TV, it has no DP 1.4, plus auto-dimming cannot be fully disabled. (actually OLED's scare me for desktop use due to burn-in)

Any thoughts/opinions, experiences OR alternate suggestions in the area of a grand are welcome!

Will be buying this week or shortly thereafter!

 

[aigomorla]

Mah.. if you want blacks you get OLED... lol..
Sometimes i have to move my mouse over to the OLED to see if its on or in Sleep mode.
It has like 0 light bleeding, which tricks me thinking its off.

But if you want to see something funny with your alienware 38.

1. put on a black background.
2. Turn off your light
3. Move your mouse pointer from one end to the other.

You'll see the FALD zones light up and light bleeding as your mouse pointer glides across the screen.
Also the 38 inch is not so great with HDR, so you probably want to turn it off.

I always found 60hz horrible especially for games.

Id say this is a case by case.
For example, if its something like Diablo 2 Ressurected, DoTA, LoL, 60fps is not so horrible. The extra frame will not prevent ghosting if you have vsync on.

If its for CoD, or any FPS, then yes, i think around 75-90 is probably the sweet zone, if your GPU can handle it.

 

[Captante]

I've already played around with pretty much all the settings... I prefer the variable backlight turned off myself most of the time although "mode zero" does seem to help a bit in some games. HDR is turned off as well.

Surprisingly I've also found the "ambient light sensor" works really well in a dark room .... not so great when I turn up the lights though!

Still have a couple weeks to send it back to Amazon if I change my mind for some reason but right now I'm very happy.

Really the only problems I've run into so far have been some unexpected issues with older games refusing to function properly in "ultrawide" 21:9 aspect-ratio.

 

[Shmee]

Mah.. if you want blacks you get OLED... lol..
Sometimes i have to move my mouse over to the OLED to see if its on or in Sleep mode.
It has like 0 light bleeding, which tricks me thinking its off.

But if you want to see something funny with your alienware 38.

1. put on a black background.
2. Turn off your light
3. Move your mouse pointer from one end to the other.

You'll see the FALD zones light up and light bleeding as your mouse pointer glides across the screen.
Also the 38 inch is not so great with HDR, so you probably want to turn it off.



Id say this is a case by case.
For example, if its something like Diablo 2 Ressurected, DoTA, LoL, 60fps is not so horrible. The extra frame will not prevent ghosting if you have vsync on.

If its for CoD, or any FPS, then yes, i think around 75-90 is probably the sweet zone, if your GPU can handle it.

For most FPS games, I think 120 FPS to 240 FPS is desired. I try to get closer to 240.

 

[Captante]

For most FPS games, I think 120 FPS to 240 FPS is desired. I try to get closer to 240.

The issue with the Alienware 38 inch and higher frame-rates is the 3840x1600 resolution which adds up to substantially more pixels than 1440p.

The maximum supported refresh-rate of 144hz is mostly pointless because even a 4090/13900k will struggle to maintain it in AAA titles without using DLSS/DSR with vsync enabled. (although the hardware G-Sync will prevent any visible screen-tearing)

I use 120hz no DLSS/DSR on my 3080/5800x with 10-bit color vsync enabled.

 

[DooKey]

Why don't i show you how these look
View attachment 75803

The really really big monitor on the left is the 48GQ900-B.
The really wide monitor on the center is the Alienware 38
The monitor above is a 32inch monoprice.

What i like about the 48GQ900-B. OLED.... need i say more?
What i don't like about the 48GQ900-B Its too Big... goes into cleaning mode a LOT if you leave something static on it. It also goes to sleep mode really quickly if you leave static on it. It autodim's a lot, and HDR is horrible if your in a well lite room.

What i like about the Alienware 38. NanoIPS, Gsync Ultimate, Absolute Silent Gsync cooling fan.
What i don't like bout the Alienware 38. It has 4 FALD zones, which will cause massive light bleed in a dark room. You can move your mouse from one end to the other and activate the FALD zones, and you will see the light bleed migrate across the screen. The screen has light bleeding issues, but almost all IPS's will have some degree of light bleeding issues.

My Opinion... i do not think i could ever use a OLED as a primary display unless i have OCD and leave no desktop icons. Unfortunately im the opposite and clutter my desktop with notes and icons.
I really love the ultrawide, im actually addicted to them in gaming, but in some games its annoying as you wish you had a higher height then width. (LoL, Dota, Sims where top and bottom is just as important as left and right.) Im always trying to rotate the screen so i get the longer FoV, but in some games your locked in FoV.

I would also consider taking a look at the Samsung Neo G9, and Neo G7.
These are MiniLED's with 1100 FALD zones. They will absolutely destroy both monitors i have in HDR, and offer very close blacks the OLED have. Overall i am in consideration of replacing the 48GQ900-B to a 43 inch NEO G7 if they hit stateside.

Meet the Odyssey Neo G7 43″ — The First Mini-LED Flat Gaming Monitor From Samsung Electronics

The huge 43’’ Quantum Mini-LED screen immerses gamers in the world they play in

news.samsung.com

The OLED monitor is nice, but there are some things which annoy me, although i think if it was the only monitor, and not a secondary monitor, most of those issues would not be present.

Good info. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a Neo G7. Hardware Unboxed liked it and so have a few other reviewers. It's time for me to upgrade from my 34" ASUS UW 1440 Gsync 100Hz display.