AW3821DW (Nov 2020) with GSync Ultimate

Got an email this morning saying my replacement screen is pushed out to 1/11. I'm not too sure I trust that given the date has slipped once already.
So does that mean your order was scheduled to ship on the 6th? EDIT: Maybe try requesting to have your shipping upgraded for free due to multiple delays, assuming you chose regular shipping.

That’s disappointing, sounds like mine will be delayed if your order was, hopefully the 11th will have a large batch that covers more orders.

Maybe it’s a good sign the 2nd delay wasn't another month like the first one. Though, I won’t get my hopes up.

Side topic: Price Match
I sent an email the other day through their online form about when the price dropped to $1390 just after my order was delayed, about $60 cheaper. Though, the response said my order was already lower, as they compare my final price after the 10% coupon. I obviously wanted the lowest sale price with my coupons reapplied. I gave up after that, as it wasn’t worth going back and forth over $50-$60.
 
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So does that mean your order was scheduled to ship on the 6th? EDIT: Maybe try requesting to have your shipping upgraded for free due to multiple delays, assuming you chose regular shipping.

That’s disappointing, sounds like mine will be delayed if your order was, hopefully the 11th will have a large batch that covers more orders.

Maybe it’s a good sign the 2nd delay wasn't another month like the first one. Though, I won’t get my hopes up.

Side topic: Price Match
I sent an email the other day through their online form about when the price dropped to $1390 just after my order was delayed, about $60 cheaper. Though, the response said my order was already lower, as they compare my final price after the 10% coupon. I obviously wanted the lowest sale price with my coupons reapplied. I gave up after that, as it wasn’t worth going back and forth over $50-$60.

I was supposed to receive my replacement screen 12/31. My original defective screen shipped the beginning of Dec.
 
I was supposed to receive my replacement screen 12/31. My original defective screen shipped the beginning of Dec.

I just received a shipping notice from Dell moments ago, 2 days early. I chose Next Day FedEx, so I may get tomorrow, or hopefully Friday and test it over the weekend.

I fear your replacement is likely stuck in line with regular orders for availability. Hopefully my early shipment could mean things are picking up.
 
Finally got the new driver... because 1080Ti is fixed with it... Check out the description of the highlighted box. That sounds like sRGB?

1610042339988.png
 
Such a strange call with Dell. I called because FedEx Next-Day shipping seems to = 3 business days (Estimate from the start, not a mid-shipment delay).

I asked the Dell representative what shipping was used compared to what I paid for (Noting it's 1-day, but showing longer). I'm put on hold, he came back and said my order is arriving on Monday, in a positive tone. I again noted I paid for next day, please confirm what method was used to ship (FedEx site notes FedEx Express with no other details). He seemed confused and didn't understand, again repeating that my order will arrive Monday. Felt like I was caught in a loop, I'd say: I chose 1-day, why is it 3-day, Dell: It will arrive in 3 days, Me: I chose 1-day, why is it 3-day, Dell: It will arrive in 3 days. He didn't seem to understand the problem or want to research it.

At the end, he couldn't give me any info, other than recommending I call back after it arrives and report if it was delayed.
 
FedEx confirmed Dell used "FedEx Express Saver 3-day" instead of the paid "Next Day" on an order already delayed a month. So it's sitting at the local FedEx with a status "Not Due for Delivery," so they will hold it over the weekend until Monday.
 
FedEx confirmed Dell used "FedEx Express Saver 3-day" instead of "Next Day" on an order already delayed a month. So it's sitting at the local FedEx with a status "Not Due for Delivery," so they will hold it over the weekend until Monday.
I'd definitely be chatting with them about a refund for the shipping cost if you paid extra.
 
I'd definitely be chatting with them about a refund for the shipping cost if you paid extra.

Yep, paid the for the fastest, not too bad at $25 for something of this size, and maybe less time being kicked around during longer shipping.

As noted recently, when I called Dell the other day, the guy I got was not helpful and would only tell me when it was arriving (same thing I see in tracking) and would not confirm the shipping I paid for vs what they used. Several instances in my order say Next Day. Very odd experience.
 
Hey fellows,

Do you think they'll implement an sRGB emulator for the desktop, since, I believe the color flickering in Win10 environment when HDR is on is due to the lack of that. Any thoughts on how to fix it? Otherwise, I am thrilled by having this monitor. It's amazing.
 
Hey fellows,

Do you think they'll implement an sRGB emulator for the desktop, since, I believe the color flickering in Win10 environment when HDR is on is due to the lack of that. Any thoughts on how to fix it? Otherwise, I am thrilled by having this monitor. It's amazing.
I’ve been using the monitor exclusively with Windows HDR enabled and not seeing any flickering.
 
I’ve been using the monitor exclusively with Windows HDR enabled and not seeing any flickering.
When I say flickering, I mean very swift and hardly noticeable color changes to and from HDR from what I can see (not to black). I do not think it's a hardware issue, but a poor HDR implementation in Windows and lack of sRGB emulation in the monitor. Try this for me: Open a text document on a white background and move your cursor within the document to see if you can notice any slight changes in color (they are hardly noticeable).
 
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When I say flickering, I mean very swift and hardly noticeable color changes to and from HDR from what I can see (not to black). I do not think it's a hardware issue, but a poor HDR implementation in Windows and lack of sRGB emulation in the monitor. Try this for me: Open a text document on a white background and move your cursor within the document to see if you can notice any slight changes in color (they are hardly noticeable).
I do that every day and haven't noticed anything abnormal. I just checked and tried to focus in on it and see nothing wrong.
 
Hi guys! Torn between these two monitor: LG 38GN950-B and DELL AW3821DW. It seems strange to me there isn't an official thread of the 38GN. By the way, it seems both of them has the same panel(?), with some differences beyond me, bit depth color, for example (how is ti possible?! o_O ).
I made a list of pros of each of them.

DELL AW3821
10 bit color
nVidia Gsync Ultimate
customer service

LG 38GN
HDR 10
166Hz in OC
Sphere Lighting 2.0

What do you suggest? Which one is the best in your opinion?

Thanks! ;)
 
Hi guys! Torn between these two monitor: LG 38GN950-B and DELL AW3821DW. It seems strange to me there isn't an official thread of the 38GN. By the way, it seems both of them has the same panel(?), with some differences beyond me, bit depth color, for example (how is ti possible?! o_O ).
I made a list of pros of each of them.

DELL AW3821
10 bit color
nVidia Gsync Ultimate
customer service

LG 38GN
HDR 10
166Hz in OC
Sphere Lighting 2.0

What do you suggest? Which one is the best in your opinion?

Thanks! ;)

The 38GN950 also has 10-bit color.

IMO the LG is a better/more complete product with fewer failures than the AW from what I could find. The AW has better aesthetics and human factors.

I'm also not expecting to receive my replacement AW panel tomorrow like they said I would since I never received a shipping notice and the Dell status still only shows "parts ordered." Their CS isn't anything to rave about when they give unrealistic dates and can't actually get product.
 
Hi guys! Torn between these two monitor: LG 38GN950-B and DELL AW3821DW. It seems strange to me there isn't an official thread of the 38GN. By the way, it seems both of them has the same panel(?), with some differences beyond me, bit depth color, for example (how is ti possible?! o_O ).
I made a list of pros of each of them.

DELL AW3821
10 bit color
nVidia Gsync Ultimate
customer service

LG 38GN
HDR 10
166Hz in OC
Sphere Lighting 2.0

What do you suggest? Which one is the best in your opinion?

Thanks! ;)

Dell:
  • Has more edge lights zones to help with HDR.
LG
  • sRGB mode
  • Additional controls here and there, such as turning off lighting zones in HDR mode

I'll be getting my AW3821DW tomorrow
 
The 38GN950 also has 10-bit color.

IMO the LG is a better/more complete product with fewer failures than the AW from what I could find. The AW has better aesthetics and human factors.

To be exact, the 38GN has 8bit+FRC, the Alienware has a 10 bit native. :sneaky:

Dell:
  • Has more edge lights zones to help with HDR.
LG
  • sRGB mode
  • Additional controls here and there, such as turning off lighting zones in HDR mode

I'll be getting my AW3821DW tomorrow

Are you sure Dell has no sRGB mode? According to this source, it has it. Sorry, maybe it's just my fault, I don't understand a lot of it... :blackeye:

https://www.displayspecifications.com/en/model/e291224e
 
To be exact, the 38GN has 8bit+FRC, the Alienware has a 10 bit native. :sneaky:



Are you sure Dell has no sRGB mode? According to this source, it has it. Sorry, maybe it's just my fault, I don't understand a lot of it... :blackeye:

https://www.displayspecifications.com/en/model/e291224e
Yes, it lists sRGB 130%, which will make the colors more vivid, pop, and saturated (especially reds and magenta). Same with the LG models. But LG has a picture mode called sRGB that dials it back to sRGB 100%, which is better for most design work or those that find the 130% colors too harsh in games. That’s why a lot of people here are using workarounds, such as running with HDR always on, which seems to set Windows to almost normal sRGB 100%, or use your video card’s control panel, like the Nvidia screenshot earlier, to lower vibrancy.
 
More edge light zones on AW? Do you have a source for that?

Hh

Don’t have the specs list, other than reports from users.

Check this AW local dimming text:



Now check out LG:



The AW seems to have quiete a bit more local dimming zones on the too and bottom. LG has very large zones, so even when a small white circle is on the screen, the 2-3 zones it triggers covers a large portion. Just look at how quickly the corners light up.
 
Unboxed the AW, definitely feels more impressive for the money, in terms of design and build quality. Even the Box is well thought out, where you attach the stand before removing the screen from the box (has a cut in the screen bag and hole in the box to accommodate the stand sticking out), plus nicer packing materials that didn't break, bubble sheet tapped on the screen, etc. (LG, you have to remove the screen and find a small piece curved foam to rest it on)

Love the overall design with the clean flowing curves, off-white color, silk finish. Has a more premium feel over the LG 38WN95c. The back of the stand is a huge step in quality and weight.

Wish I could use the stand, it's huge and the screen sticks so far out. I have a Cintiq 24 below it, so in anticipation of this screen, I installed an Ergotron HX. The stand on the 38WN95c is almost usable, but nothing like the compact 38UC99.

Speaking of the Ergotron HX, I worry cable length may be a problem since the AW connectors point down, where-as LG has the ports right next to where the arm connects and face outward.
 
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So I just encountered a fan bug, and found a fix with the Alienware. Turned it on and the fan ran to maximum and stayed there. Now I will say even at max it was still a quiet fan... but it was audible and one of the things I liked about this display is the totally inaudible fan. Turning it off an on didn't do it.

What fixed it was pulling the power and plugging it back in. That gave it enough of a reset that now the fan is normal. So should you notice your fan is suddenly audible and you aren't doing something like displaying a fully bright screen in a hot room, try unplugging it and plugging back in, that should hopefully fix it.
 
Question:

Are AW's 3 "Response" settings different (other than name) compared to LG's? For example, does AW's lowest setting, "Fast" = LG's lowest setting ,"Normal"? Or did AW just remove "Normal" and Fast is equal to LG's Fast?

For example, I don't recall seeing much overshoot with LG's Fast setting, the middle option. While AW's Fast, middle option, has noticeable ghosting.


AW OPTIONSLG OPTIONS
FastNormal
Super FastFast
Extreme
Faster
 
I think AW probably just removed the normal setting. From looking at reviews of the LG, Normal wasn't that useful as Fast had no inverse ghosting and better response times. Also there may not be a direct correlation, AW may have their own overdrive settings at each level not directly comparable to LG.

Basically I find on the AW they go as follows: Fast = Good response, no inverse ghosting, use it unless there's a reason not to. Super Fast = A tradeoff setting. A bit of inverse ghosting but not usually too noticeable, presumably better response times. Extreme = Well, extreme. Tons of inverse ghosting, I'd not use it unless you demand to have the lowest possible response for some reason.
 
I think AW probably just removed the normal setting. From looking at reviews of the LG, Normal wasn't that useful as Fast had no inverse ghosting and better response times. Also there may not be a direct correlation, AW may have their own overdrive settings at each level not directly comparable to LG.

Basically I find on the AW they go as follows: Fast = Good response, no inverse ghosting, use it unless there's a reason not to. Super Fast = A tradeoff setting. A bit of inverse ghosting but not usually too noticeable, presumably better response times. Extreme = Well, extreme. Tons of inverse ghosting, I'd not use it unless you demand to have the lowest possible response for some reason.

Thanks, this is what I figured. Hopefully tonight I’ll arrange my desk with the LG and AW side by side to really compare.

I plan to see if the AW’s input response is similar to LG by putting them side by side with a window crossing over between them and see which one lags behind the other with high speed recording.

Another test, in Modo, a 3D modeling program, I have a project file where I have a large sphere with a teal base color and thin gray wireframe lines. I will see how readable those wireframe lines are in motion.

Next, will test local dimming. I have the LG unplugged, but when I was using it, I swear the local dimming never dimmed to where it looked off. There was always a glow. While the AW, if you have an all black screen, it would dim the zones enough to look like it was off. Will confirm this soon. In the end, this can make the zone changes more noticeable due to the contrast difference.

Will test desktop for local dimming flickering while in HDR. At one point I noticed something where I dragged Chrome across the screen and triggered some kind of flickering near the top, slightly left of the middle. Will try to recreate that on both.

Will compare color temperature

Initial impressions of backlight and uniformity,
AW IPS glow seems more under control and less distracting compared to the stronger bottom blue tinted IPS glow on the LG. Bleed, only a smidge in the corners (mainly bottom left), less than the LG, low enough that it doesn’t bug me. Uniformity, AW seems to suffer here, I can tell a small top middle area is darker and bottom right, while the LG seems even.

No pixel issues so far with a full screen color test, but I only scanned quickly, not as thorough.
 
Looks like Dell in Canada was ahead of the game, my monitor was scheduled to ship on the 15th and arrive on the 27th. I received it today.. Only issue with that is that I have not received my monitor arms and the stand (This thing is huge) makes the monitor sit really forward on my desk.

Here's a picture of the widescreen home office
IMG_0769(1).JPG
 
Here are some initial observations between the AW3821DW and LG 38WN95c

Inverse Ghosting:
  1. Alienware's lowest setting "FAST" still has some inverse ghosting (if that is what you call it - see image below). So if you are sensitive to that, you may be disappointed.
  2. LG's middle setting "FAST" had no inverse ghosting, from what I could tell by eye.
Basically, this means the AW always has some kind of inverse ghosting. In general, 95% of the time I don't notice it in normal use (but I haven't done much gaming yet). In the example below, if I rotate 3D model with a wireframe and I noticed a slight lighter trail on the edges. I tried to capture it below, using the some turntable rotation speed.

Inverse-Ghosting.jpg



Input Lag:

I feel the LG might be slightly fast than the AW. Recording at 240 frames per second, and moving a window up and down crossed between monitors, the LG always moved first just slightly. This could be noticeable to some, making the LG feel snappier. Though, it's so close, who knows what glitches are happening in Windows 10 by having a window split across two screens.



Color, Uniformity, Glow/Bleed:

Color:

AW is a bit less saturated compared to the LG in standard mode (Could tell quickly with oranges). Using Nvidia's vibrancy slider, increase it by 3% seemed to bring the AW closer to the LG in my eye. Both are still very saturated.

White balance seemed more natural to my than the really warm LG. the AW seems more natural and even made my older LG white look a bit on the green/blue side for white.

Uniformity:
LG wins there. The AW has a couple areas that appear darker in a full white screen test, top middle section and a bit on the bottom right corner side).

(Left AW, Right LG - Note - off angle view may be causing left side of AW to be dimmer)
Uniformity.jpg



Bleed:
AW wins here
AW: Almost no bleed, just a smidge in the bottom left corner, even less in bottom right.
LG: Has similar bleed, but much stronger and a bit more at top right.

Glow:
AW wins here. Less glow, more uniform less blue tint at bottom, thus, not as distracting as the LG.

The Glow and Bleed improvement may be the better trad-off over the uniformity on the LG.

(Left AW, Right LG - separate photos, similar distance and angle. Exposure should be same, except white balance. Monitors set to brightness 50)
Glow-Bleed.jpg



Local Dimming:

This interesting. AW has both more zones and more diverse local dimming modes.

AW Modes:
Note:
I may of tested this in SDR mode, I don't think it was in HDR mode - which may be a huge flaw if that changes these results considerably)
  • Mode 0: Zones dim to near off and remains near off even if one zone is activated (pure black screen will almost appear off, even in a dark room). Each zone is individually controlled
    Mode-0.gif
  • Mode 1: Zones dim to near off like above, but if one zone is activated, all zones increase to 20-30% (possibly to reduce the visual change). Each zone is individually controlled
    Mode-1.gif
  • Mode 2: Zones dim to maybe 20-30%, but never near pure black like above. Zones almost appear to all activate when the curse is on the screen, which slight fluctuations that are to make any sense out of. Maybe a single curse isn't enough to fully test this mode's behavior. (Could be a mode to leave on when trying to use HDR for SDR desktop, but I've seen odd single zone flickers here and there)
    Mode-2.gif
LG Modes:
I didn't fully test these modes, but I also didn't notice much difference between them, and it never dims to near full black like the Alienware, that caught me off guard.

Stand Wobble:
I noticed the LG wobbling more often than the LG. Both will, and who knows if it was because the LG was on the right of my desk, closure to my drawer with the mouse.

AW stand is strong, larger, and can rotate left and right.

Setup, almost couldn't fit both, and had to angle them just slightly. Thankfully the AW stand rotates some.

Setup.jpg
 
I got the AW as soon as it became available in my country; had it for almost 5 weeks now.

A few observations:
I can see the flickering in Windows while HDR is active... it's bothersome enough that I decided to keep Windows in SDR, and only activate HDR when playing games (more on that later).
The oversaturation due to the lack of an SRGB emulation mode on the display is a non-issue for (my) regular usage, since I've calibrated it with DisplayCal to an SRGB curve (using an i1D3) and I've updated Firefox settings for color management.
It is, however, a problem in games. That new feature in the Nvidia Control Panel does not emulate SRGB on wide-gamut displays. What it can do (if switched to reference mode) is bypass the ICC profile created during calibration... that is if games actually made use of the Windows ICC profile. The ones I've tried so far (around 10, all in FSE) all graciously ignore the profile - so changing the NCP setting does absolutely nothing for them.
To each his own, but I cannot stand the oversaturation in games. Enabling HDR helps with keeping the colours in check... but I don't enable HDR in games that support it because at least on my display it causes black crush; easily visible in the first setting of the benchmark of Shadow of the Tomb Raider and at the beginning of the tutorial of Gears 5, to name just these two.
Dunno, maybe it's not fair to compare an IPS with local dimming to an OLED, but the differences in HDR rendering are night-and-day. I don't have another IPS or VA with HDR to compare with. I'll have to stick to running games in SDR, but with HDR enabled in the display.

Just before the free return period for the Dell ended, I got an LG 38WN95C because I wanted to see how that one's SRGB emulation mode behaved.
But here's the thing: the LG had awful backlight-bleeding in multiple regions, and at least 7 dead/stuck pixels (I gave up counting them at that point). The AW has only a smidge of backlight-bleed in the lower-left corner (not visibile normally, but the camera caught when I snapped a picture) and no dead pixels as far as I could tell.
Also the LG was quite wobbly and felt pretty cheap, compared to the Dell. I repackaged it in less than one hour and sent it back...
(the only thing I didn't think to check was HDR behaviour in games, unfortunately)

Bottom line is... HDR in-game aside, I'm quite happy with the AW. Yes, it's a shame it doesn't have an SRGB mode, but with no real good alternatives at this resolution, refresh rate and G-Sync... guess I'll keep it for the next few years.
 
I got the AW as soon as it became available in my country; had it for almost 5 weeks now.

A few observations:
I can see the flickering in Windows while HDR is active... it's bothersome enough that I decided to keep Windows in SDR, and only activate HDR when playing games (more on that later).
The oversaturation due to the lack of an SRGB emulation mode on the display is a non-issue for (my) regular usage, since I've calibrated it with DisplayCal to an SRGB curve (using an i1D3) and I've updated Firefox settings for color management.
It is, however, a problem in games. That new feature in the Nvidia Control Panel does not emulate SRGB on wide-gamut displays. What it can do (if switched to reference mode) is bypass the ICC profile created during calibration... that is if games actually made use of the Windows ICC profile. The ones I've tried so far (around 10, all in FSE) all graciously ignore the profile - so changing the NCP setting does absolutely nothing for them.
To each his own, but I cannot stand the oversaturation in games. Enabling HDR helps with keeping the colours in check... but I don't enable HDR in games that support it because at least on my display it causes black crush; easily visible in the first setting of the benchmark of Shadow of the Tomb Raider and at the beginning of the tutorial of Gears 5, to name just these two.
Dunno, maybe it's not fair to compare an IPS with local dimming to an OLED, but the differences in HDR rendering are night-and-day. I don't have another IPS or VA with HDR to compare with. I'll have to stick to running games in SDR, but with HDR enabled in the display.

Just before the free return period for the Dell ended, I got an LG 38WN95C because I wanted to see how that one's SRGB emulation mode behaved.
But here's the thing: the LG had awful backlight-bleeding in multiple regions, and at least 7 dead/stuck pixels (I gave up counting them at that point). The AW has only a smidge of backlight-bleed in the lower-left corner (not visibile normally, but the camera caught when I snapped a picture) and no dead pixels as far as I could tell.
Also the LG was quite wobbly and felt pretty cheap, compared to the Dell. I repackaged it in less than one hour and sent it back...
(the only thing I didn't think to check was HDR behaviour in games, unfortunately)

Bottom line is... HDR in-game aside, I'm quite happy with the AW. Yes, it's a shame it doesn't have an SRGB mode, but with no real good alternatives at this resolution, refresh rate and G-Sync... guess I'll keep it for the next few years.

Sounds very similar to experience I had between the same two monitors, even down to the bad blacklight bleeding on the LG (Pic in my post above yours)

I'm confused on your Nvidia Control Panel comment regarding game saturation. Are you saying you can't use it to lower the saturation for games? For example, if I drop vibrancy to 0%, I could play games in B&W

I really wish LG's picture didn't have backlighting issues (Didn't notice bad pixels), as it's difficult to give up that monitor's added functionality (USB-C for future PC or Mac, Speaker, sRGB, Picture-by-Picture, disable dimming in HDR, other controls). But when the AW is cheaper and also includes a 3 year warranty, I figure by the time I really really need those extra features, there may be an ultimate monitor out by then.
 
Sounds very similar to experience I had between the same two monitors, even down to the bad blacklight bleeding on the LG (Pic in my post above yours)

I'm confused on your Nvidia Control Panel comment regarding game saturation. Are you saying you can't use it to lower the saturation for games? For example, if I drop vibrancy to 0%, I could play games in B&W

I really wish LG's picture didn't have backlighting issues (Didn't notice bad pixels), as it's difficult to give up that monitor's added functionality (USB-C for future PC or Mac, Speaker, sRGB, Picture-by-Picture, disable dimming in HDR, other controls). But when the AW is cheaper and also includes a 3 year warranty, I figure by the time I really really need those extra features, there may be an ultimate monitor out by then.
Sorry for not being clear enough. I was referring to the "Color accuracy mode" setting under Display - Adjust desktop color settings that has been introduced in recent drivers, not the vibrance controls.
A couple of folks have mentioned it as the solution for emulating SRGB, and on paper it is that... trouble is it's not working as intended in games.
By default it is set to "Accurate" - the adjustments included in an ICC profile are used - it sounds like exactly what we would want to use if games actually made use of the ICC profiles, but they don't.
"Reference" mode would ignore the ICC adjustments, games already do this. always.
Maybe Nvidia will keep working on this feature and enforce it, in future driver releases.

As for the vibrance slider: to my eyes, dropping it to about 40% in SDR mode brings the reds and oranges to "decent" levels, but I've no idea how much of a negative impact it will have on other colours, I've not looked into it further.

Oh and since you mentioned it: I've got a 5 year warranty for the Dell, vs 2 that I would have got with LG :)
 

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And now a new problem : sometimes the HDR button in Windows doesn't work at all. It is displayed as normal in the display settings menu but when I activated it, the monitor goes black and returns back to SDR mode. After 5-10 tries, it's finally working but this is really annoying.
In conclusion:
+ Good HDR rendering
+ Nice resolution/size ratio (I couldn't go back to my old 35inch 3440*1400 monitor now)
- upper part of the screen flickers with HDR activated in Windows AND games (I suspect that Variable Backlight does that)
- bad color uniformity : reddish in the left part - greenish in the right part
- bad contrast ratio : 850:1 without VBL, 1000:1 with VBL activated (Mode 1 seems to be the best setting)
- sometimes HDR activation is bugging (it could be a Windows 10 bug)
- can't edit the RGB values in the 3 custom presets

It's my first alienware monitor (coming from an Acer Z35P) and I begin to think that it is a pretty crap monitor company. Now the question is if these problems are common on all these generation of panels or specific to my unit? I wonder if another model from another brand does the job better in 3840*1600? Does Dell release firmware updates often?

Edit : Finally, HDR also flicker in games :( this monitor is totally crap for its price. I probably will return it. My simple advice is don't buy it.


Here's one bug I experienced with Windows 10 HDR button using the AW.
  1. HDR already on
  2. Open Display Settings (Intending to lower SDR brightness)
  3. HDR button shows off, but I know it is on
  4. If I click a 2nd monitor (LG OLED TV) and click back to the AW, the HDR button is suddenly on again
It might be related to having a 2nd screen, plus one that is HDR capable.

HDR mode.gif
 
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Oh and since you mentioned it: I've got a 5 year warranty for the Dell, vs 2 that I would have got with LG :)

What was the price for the upgrade to 5 years, did you do during check our or added later? I recall seeing it during check out, but hesitated, thinking maybe I should call later to see if pricing is flexible on it (As I remember someone saying they got it added free for some reason).

I need to call them anyone to get my next-day shipping cost back after they shipped it 3-day.
 
What was the price for the upgrade to 5 years, did you do during check our or added later? I recall seeing it during check out, but hesitated, thinking maybe I should call later to see if pricing is flexible on it (As I remember someone saying they got it added free for some reason).

I need to call them anyone to get my next-day shipping cost back after they shipped it 3-day.
Ah, so... I'm in Romania.
Dell don't do direct sales here, I bought it from a reseller. Standard warranty was indeed 3 years, but during checkout I had the option to get 1 or 2 extra years, went with the latter as the extended warranty cost was about 1% of the standard price. It was a rather good deal, other resellers might ask as much as 10% for 2 extra years.
 
Here's one bug I experienced with Windows 10 HDR button using the AW.
  1. HDR already on
  2. Open Display Settings (Intending to lower SDR brightness)
  3. HDR button shows off, but I know it is on
  4. If I click a 2nd monitor (LG OLED TV) and click back to the AW, the HDR button is suddenly on again
It might be related to having a 2nd screen, plus one that is HDR capable.

View attachment 319023
Yeah it's a Windows bug/flakey functionality. I once managed (accidentally) to put the Dell in HDR mode, start RDR2 and leave it running in the background, connected a second non-HDR monitor (the CF791 I replaced with AW), duplicate screens which turned off HDR on the AW, then when I brought RDR2 back in full-screen the AW went back into HDR mode, even though Windows thought it was in SDR :)
 
cezarL and TimothyB, thank you for your insights.

I was curious how that reference checkbox worked, but it makes sense now; its unfortunate that games can ignore a ICC profile and do their own thing; even if HDR is not on. Here's to hoping that dell pushes a sRGB emulation or even adds a firmware with that mode. Luckily for me, the saturation doesn't bother me; but since I do web dev, I do turn HDR on when I'm working.

Personally, I don't see flickering in the desktop with HDR on, but maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. I tried hovering the mouse over text in notepad, but it all looks fine to me? What flickers? The whole screen? the mouse area?
 
cezarL and TimothyB, thank you for your insights.

I was curious how that reference checkbox worked, but it makes sense now; its unfortunate that games can ignore a ICC profile and do their own thing; even if HDR is not on. Here's to hoping that dell pushes a sRGB emulation or even adds a firmware with that mode. Luckily for me, the saturation doesn't bother me; but since I do web dev, I do turn HDR on when I'm working.

Personally, I don't see flickering in the desktop with HDR on, but maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. I tried hovering the mouse over text in notepad, but it all looks fine to me? What flickers? The whole screen? the mouse area?
If you have access to a meter, it might make sense to calibrate your display, then you could use SDR as usual? Just a thought...

As for the flickering - see the attached screenshot.
It's a Firefox window over a Notepad++ one; they're positioned in the upper right side of the screen but I don't think it matters much. if I move the cursor quickly between the two windows roughly within the distance I highlighted, most (but not all) times there will be a flicker as the cursor hovers over the delimiting frame of the window on top.

LE- This might be an issue only with a few displays, might have something to do with the OS version+drivers version+video card combination, or it might be one of those things only certain people are sensitive too.
On another forum, discussing Panasonic OLEDs, there are folks who see a particular issue on those sets having to do with motion processing but I can't for the life of me see it although I am sure it's present on all TV sets. And I am sensitive to another motion issue, which others don't notice. What can I say...
 

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No meter (at least not yet; never calibrated my own stuff. Would be cool, but I lack knowledge).

Using a 1080Ti on 461.09 windows 10 latest.

Tried again to reproduce the flicker, but for the life of me... I can't see the flicker. I tried side by side..overlapping, snapped, everything. I am convinced I just physically am not capable of seeing it, since you are the 2nd person who noticed it.
 
I’ll test and see if I can capture any flickering on the desktop with HDR on, using any methods mentioned above.

Trying to trigger it yesterday, with an overall green background image, I’d drag a small window from left to right and right to left, and as I moved across, every dimming zone would flicker once (the green desktop would visible pop darker for a split second). Depended on speed and could happen in any of the dimming modes.
 
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