Yeah, I commented on this earlier in the thread. It's annoying as hell.
Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor
- Thread starter Vanta Aurelius
- Start date
- Tech
Yeah, I commented on this earlier in the thread. It's annoying as hell.
I had my screen at 120 nits and it still kicks in. Bear in mind I'm referring to ABSL, not ABL. Dimming the screen works OK for ABL, but not ABSL in my experience.
I have not tried every possible brightness combination though. Maybe it's possible to get the screen dim enough in a very dark room that ABSL does not activate. But even if that's the case, it's not exactly a great condition for doing productivity work in either.
Ah right, yeah think the requirements for ABSL is just a static image rather than brightness because if I think back I've definitely seen it when watching stuff and the scene's been a bit dark for quite a while.
I think splitting the screen in half for productivity alleviated it a bit, but I don't use the oled much for work stuff any more.
I think I'd hold off on a regular lg oled for word processing stuff for other reasons anyway. I think burn in is still a bit of an issue on the LG screens if you're using programs with static ui's for a long time over a given period. Probably won't be for a year or two but will probably still happen. That's honestly what interests me most about these new qd-oled screens, the idea that burn in is less likely if you have ui's up for a long long time. The main reason I wouldn't use a OLED for my main monitor at the moment is because I play WoW too much. It'd legitimately get burned into the screen at some point, there's no doubting it.
It wouldn't be too bad if it only kicked in for completely static images. The problem is that it also kicks in if a certain fraction of the screen is static.
For instance, when I write code, the addition of the text and movement of the cursor is not changing the screen enough so ASBL kicks in. It also happens when I play certain games, like visual novels. If it's just a changing textbox against a static background, ASBL will gradually dim the screen until I am leaning forward to make out the text. Then the background will change and the TV instantly snaps back to full brightness, blinding me.
Doesn't happen here?
Could the preset mode you are in matter? I'm in creator
Creator mode is disabled for HDR content. It gets greyed out and overridden. HDR mode also overrides and greys out contrast as well.
Thanks, I thought I may be doing something 'wrong'.
Happens to me in the default 'Standard' preset.
What preset are you using?
If I use SDR it's on creator. If HDR then I use the custom color one I calibrated it with.
Ideally for me (others?) I could just keep it in Standard SDR when using the desktop, then launch a game and it would auto set to HDR 1000. So no going back and forth between presets/configs :) The "it just works" dream.
Yep that would be ideal, but until Windows gets it's shit together with HDR, it's just a "dream" indeed lol.
Well the thing is that it does work with some games such as Elden Ring... But only in HDR400 as it keeps reseting to that for me when I restart the monitor :/
Not sure if this always applies – Elden Ring is DX12 and HDR works even if I set Windows 11 to SDR.
Well yeah that's what I mean, it only works like that for some games. Not all.
Except that HDR400/1000 issue you have that's weird. Don't have that issue on my end.
That's odd. I've been following a lot of chatter on this monitor and people have been saying it keeps the HDR setting when they change between them. Presumably there is a setting somewhere which locks them in.
It's not as good as it just flipping on automatically for HDR content, but you can quickly turn it on with Win+Alt+B shortcut. Not sure if that's only in 11 though.
I did some more testing, and I think it may be related to the Eco Mode. With Eco enabled, it takes some time for the setting to return to HDR400 (just turning off and back on again doesn't do it, surprisingly). With Eco mode disabled, it kept HDR1000 even after leaving it off for 2h.
I read somewhere that disabling Eco mode made the fan keep spinning when the monitor is off, but I can't hear it anyway so...
I read somewhere that disabling Eco mode made the fan keep spinning when the monitor is off, but I can't hear it anyway so...
Must be that then, I have Eco mode disabled too
I haven't checked if leaving Eco off keeps the fan running. If it does run while off, I wonder if that's just the panel running some maintenance, and eventually will turn off when finished. I'll check next time I shut it off.
I don't know if it's windows, the monitor or both but something just doesn't play well whenever I try to switch between 2 machines on this monitor.
I have my work and personal computers connected to this over HDMI and Displayport, respectively. Waking up over HDMI works most of the time but whenever I switch to my personal, the machine wakes up but the monitor never detects a signal. It'll be fine if I force the machine to reboot. Anyone else encounter this?
I do have a KVM but then I'd lose out on the higher refresh rate for gaming.
I have my work and personal computers connected to this over HDMI and Displayport, respectively. Waking up over HDMI works most of the time but whenever I switch to my personal, the machine wakes up but the monitor never detects a signal. It'll be fine if I force the machine to reboot. Anyone else encounter this?
I do have a KVM but then I'd lose out on the higher refresh rate for gaming.
I have my PC connected to my 65" CX OLED and it's fine. I only use it when I want to play something on the couch but I've tried Ms Word and browsing online and it seems fine. I assumed having a higher pixel density on the 42" would be better. Not sure what other options I have. I really don't want to get an LCD based monitor.
I have the service remote but I've never used it. I can see ASBL being an issue though and I'm not sure I'd risk voiding the warranty.
edit** So I just noticed weird fringing reading Era in dark mode. When I used MS Word the text is black so it looked fine but reading the white text it does have issues. Took a quick photo with my phone
Last edited:
Yes, turning Eco off keeps the fan spinning (I just checked overnight). I don't really care about the noise which is minimal, or the power consumption, but there may be some longevity issues with the fan. If it does fail, hopefully it's before the 3 year warranty expires :)
Average life span of a pc fan is ~30,000 hours. It'd have to be running 24/7 for 3 years to reach that.
From personal experience fan failures are few and far between.
Even if it did fail it'd be a cake walk to replace.
That's interesting. I have most of my applications configured for dark mode, so that's probably why I noticed text issues right away. Using dark mode apps on WOLED seemed like it would be preferable to avoid ABL, reduce power consumption, and increase screen longevity.
If you set desktop scaling to 150% or 200% the text issues become less noticeable. You are sacrificing real estate to do that, but depending on the type of work you do, maybe that's acceptable.
Personally I ended up buying an LCD monitor, and I use that for work. I also have the PC connected to an OLED TV that I can use for couch gaming and movies. That seemed like the best tradeoff with current tech, although not everyone will have the space or budget for it.
Mine has apparently been dispatched. Didn't get any notification so you might want to check your order on Dell if you were expecting it early April.
What settings are folks rolling with on their monitors? I had it in "standard" with no changes (and HDR 400 True Black) but am now trying the "Creator" setting per what is discussed here: https://youtu.be/lNG2s0yPIDY?t=135
Not sure what my area's measured luminance is and right now brightness is I think 63%- feels pretty dark after running "standard" for a while and would welcome feedback. This is with HDR disabled at the OS level in Windows 10.
Not sure what my area's measured luminance is and right now brightness is I think 63%- feels pretty dark after running "standard" for a while and would welcome feedback. This is with HDR disabled at the OS level in Windows 10.
No, manual specifically says not to do that. I'd guess it's a cooling issue.
Nice, mine has been pushed back to end of May, so I don't hold out much hope
You can definitely have it start making obnoxious noises before it fails though. I've had that happen semi-recently with both a pc case fan and a nintendo switch, both happened within 2 years of owning the product. Fortunately the case was still under warranty so got a free replacement. Wasn't quite as lucky with my Switch though.
Mines still confirmed. I think all the ones which had April the 3rd as a shipping date shipped out. Should hopefully mean mine and any others who had the 6th of april shipping date be in line to get it next week...
Mine just arrived, never knew I could get so excited over blacks being true black. Can't even tell where the borders are in HDR videos. HDR itself is stunning too.
Unfortunately the text fringing is noticeable but I suspect I'll get used to it soon.
What settings are people running? Specifically regards to ABL? It feels pretty aggressive.
Unfortunately the text fringing is noticeable but I suspect I'll get used to it soon.
What settings are people running? Specifically regards to ABL? It feels pretty aggressive.
Monitor Caveats
OP
OP
Main Takeaways:
- Windows' text rendering does not account for the triangle subpixel structure of the panel
- OSD software does not have proper calibration controls across all picture modes
- The anti-refective coating gives blacks a grayish tint in a brightly lit environment
Last edited:
OP
OP
None of the stated caveats are a deal breaker for me. It's cool that the majority of issues can be fixed if Dell/Alienware is willing to update the monitor's firmware to add the missing calibration features, and Microsoft is willing to update Windows to provide a clear type setting that accounts for QD-OLED's unique subpixel structure. Unfortunately, I'm not confident in either happening.
The one con I'm surprised Vincent didn't emphasis more in this video is that the the monitor doesn't support DSC. If it did, the montior could support 175Hz at 10bit color. I guess the fact that he didn't measure any obvious color differences between 8bit and 10 bit color in his previous video made it less of an issue?
The one con I'm surprised Vincent didn't emphasis more in this video is that the the monitor doesn't support DSC. If it did, the montior could support 175Hz at 10bit color. I guess the fact that he didn't measure any obvious color differences between 8bit and 10 bit color in his previous video made it less of an issue?
Last edited:
I'm gonna pass on this monitor. Since I'd use it for work with programming and other stuff, text clarity is of utmost importance to me. Hell, that's why I got 2 27" 4k displays within the last year. Have a third monitor that's just 1080p and which I'd replace in the future. Absolutely loath the IPS glow all of them have, though. Love my phone and tablet AMOLED screens in comparison.
Part of why I also didn't take my shot here is that I don't want to buy a new graphics card right this moment, and then I couldn't drive that Alienware + the rest properly anyway.
So yeah, I'm just hoping for the graphics card market to calm down with next generation (currently it's on a good track but I'm not gonna jinx it) and, ideally, there's a 4k-equivalent monitor of this in a year or two, with a new g-sync module and what have you. But yeah, I'll stress ideally.
I can't even imagine what eye-heaven programming in some ultrasharp OLED at 170+ HZ must be like...
Part of why I also didn't take my shot here is that I don't want to buy a new graphics card right this moment, and then I couldn't drive that Alienware + the rest properly anyway.
So yeah, I'm just hoping for the graphics card market to calm down with next generation (currently it's on a good track but I'm not gonna jinx it) and, ideally, there's a 4k-equivalent monitor of this in a year or two, with a new g-sync module and what have you. But yeah, I'll stress ideally.
I can't even imagine what eye-heaven programming in some ultrasharp OLED at 170+ HZ must be like...
OP
OP
I wonder how high the pixel density needs to be in order to overcome the deficiencies in Windows cleartype when it comes to the QD-OLED's pixel structure? If you need a pixel density of 157ppi, then only a 28" or smaller monitor at 4K will deliver that density. As 55" is the smallest screen size we've gotten so far for 4K with QD-OLED, it'll likely be a long while before we see more normal monitor sizes at 4K.
Assume your monitor has been delivered, how are you finding it?
Now that I finally paid mine and am among those waiting for delivery, I'm curious how the black/grey screen will look on my desk with the office light that I use.
Also considering the upcoming Samsung QD OLED monitor, I'm wondering whether Samsung monitors generally have better calibration controls than this Alienware display.
The text is noticeable at first if you know what to look for, other than that it just comes off as a little weird. It didn't really take long for me to get used to it though.
I think the fan gsync fan will be more problematic long term for some people, at first I didn't hear it but now that I know what to listen for, it does bug me when ambient noise is low enough
I think the fan gsync fan will be more problematic long term for some people, at first I didn't hear it but now that I know what to listen for, it does bug me when ambient noise is low enough
More Questions Answered
OP
OP
OP
OP
Jealousy activated! Anyway, for people who have the monitor what picture preset are you all playing on? I've read that the Standard preset works well.
I've been using the Creator preset in sRGB and it's an absolute joy.
It doesn't even have an ETA, I think you're going to be waiting quite a while...
Who knows. We thought the same about the Samsung QD OLED TV.
This was a good watch.
I really would need to see in person I think or just try it out.
I am 90% productivity work so I'm curious how much the text would bother me.
I still want it.
Finally got to spend a bit of time with it. It might be more of a statement about my eyesight these days, but I can't make out the fringing on text on a white background, and barely on a black one. There's a touch of blurriness if I look closely, but that's it. I probably shouldn't have made Death Stranding the first game to try out as I opened a menu and saw the fringing everywhere, but of course that game is stuffed with CA and I realised I was being a plonker. One thing I am seeing is flickering. I really hope that gets addressed in a future update. Fan sound is inaudible to me, and I don't have a loud system. The motors in my xbox pad are more of an annoyance. HDR isn't doing much for me, but I've only tried the one game so far. The blacks are amazing though.
This is my first time with an ultrawide and I'm really seeing the appeal. I can understand why people want even bigger screens to play on as the immersion is fantastic. I couldn't imagine having a bigger screen on my desk though. This already feels somewhat obscene with the amount of space it takes up.
OP
OP
I was on a waitlist for a year before I got my 3080. Not sure if this is quite that bad.