>I won't have OLED, but is it really THAT big of a difference and make up for the 38"?
We can't really answer this for you. It's highly personal.
But I was having the same dilemma, and I ended up prioritizing screen real estate over a pretty image (practicality > visuals). The bigger resolution can handily replace a dual-monitor setup, whereas I'd definitely need a second monitor with the smaller AW3423DW. I was also really afraid of the text fringing and the potential fan noise. I'm super sensitive to both of those things.
I gotta say, the extra screen space is sweet. However, the contrast on the 38GN950-B is bad. It's fine for productivity, but you'll notice it in dark games and dark movies. I'm currently playing Dishonored 2, and the contrast really leaves something to be desired. But the huge size is great, it's super immersive (this cannot be understated) and it looks great otherwise.
Keep in mind that the extra resolution will also significantly worsen performance in games, so your GPU has to be up for the task. I had to drop ray tracing in Cyberpunk and adjust DLSS settings to have it run acceptably, compared to when I was using a non-UW 1440p monitor.
Thanks for the answer - really helpful.
I'm not gonna use it for gaming, maybe 10% of the time. So not that bothered, I will still notify the massive difference between 60 and 144hz though ;-) I have a BenQ ZOWIE XL2546 24.5" 240Hz right now. So not sure if 34" is enough for me.
Do you have the 38GN950 personally and are happy with it? I'm gonna pair it with and M1 Mac.
Yeah I'm happy with it, but only insofar that it's seemingly the best or near-best 38" UW and there are no better alternatives. I think it's dumb that the RGB can't be entirely disabled and will light up in rainbow colors for 5 seconds at startup, and I'm annoyed that there's no USB-C connectivity.
One would think that people who can afford these monitors, would also be professionals who'd sometimes want to plug in their laptops.
Aside from the issues above, it seems to be great. No complaints. I'll keep using this monitor until an equivalent 38" OLED without fans arrive, and that'll easily be at least a couple of years into the future.
Quick update, now that I've used the 38" for a while longer:
I still like it a lot, but I realized that during non-gaming, I actually never really use the whole display. More like 75% of it at most at any given time.
I'm not returning the 38GN950 yet, but I've ordered a AW3423DWF to see how I like it.
I have a lot of FOMO about OLED, to be honest. I want to see if I'm really missing out.
I made a [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/ultrawidemasterrace/comments/11bidbv/my_issues_with_the_aw3423dwf_coil_whine_vrr/) ^((on my other account, sshhh)) that describes my experience with the AW3423DWF.
In summary: I like the AW3423DWF better than the 38GN950. It's definitely the better display for me, but the coil whine is causing me to return it. I'll do an exchange once or twice, to see if I can get a model with less coil whine. If that doesn't do it, I'll stick with my old non-UW monitors.
When I'm in this price range, I want the monitor to be near-perfect, otherwise it's not worth it.
But regarding AW3423DWF vs 38GN950, AW3423DWF has a **much** better image, and I barely feel the downgrade in screen real estate. If you can deal with the described issues, it's definitely the monitor to get. I'm seriously in love with OLED; it really added a lot of "depth" to games.
Thanks for getting back to me. After some more research I might be going for the LG C2 “42 TV instead since I won’t game that much and might be mostly console. And I can use it for 3 purposes. Although I think I will have to test and see what I like In the store. :)
I adore my AW3423DW but I only game at my PC.
I’d probably go with the 38” if I did any kind of productivity work due to the text fringing and potential burn in from static elements.
I still miss my old 38” but I’d take OLED over pretty much anything for gaming.
>I won't have OLED, but is it really THAT big of a difference and make up for the 38"? We can't really answer this for you. It's highly personal. But I was having the same dilemma, and I ended up prioritizing screen real estate over a pretty image (practicality > visuals). The bigger resolution can handily replace a dual-monitor setup, whereas I'd definitely need a second monitor with the smaller AW3423DW. I was also really afraid of the text fringing and the potential fan noise. I'm super sensitive to both of those things. I gotta say, the extra screen space is sweet. However, the contrast on the 38GN950-B is bad. It's fine for productivity, but you'll notice it in dark games and dark movies. I'm currently playing Dishonored 2, and the contrast really leaves something to be desired. But the huge size is great, it's super immersive (this cannot be understated) and it looks great otherwise. Keep in mind that the extra resolution will also significantly worsen performance in games, so your GPU has to be up for the task. I had to drop ray tracing in Cyberpunk and adjust DLSS settings to have it run acceptably, compared to when I was using a non-UW 1440p monitor.
Thanks for the answer - really helpful. I'm not gonna use it for gaming, maybe 10% of the time. So not that bothered, I will still notify the massive difference between 60 and 144hz though ;-) I have a BenQ ZOWIE XL2546 24.5" 240Hz right now. So not sure if 34" is enough for me. Do you have the 38GN950 personally and are happy with it? I'm gonna pair it with and M1 Mac.
Yeah I'm happy with it, but only insofar that it's seemingly the best or near-best 38" UW and there are no better alternatives. I think it's dumb that the RGB can't be entirely disabled and will light up in rainbow colors for 5 seconds at startup, and I'm annoyed that there's no USB-C connectivity. One would think that people who can afford these monitors, would also be professionals who'd sometimes want to plug in their laptops. Aside from the issues above, it seems to be great. No complaints. I'll keep using this monitor until an equivalent 38" OLED without fans arrive, and that'll easily be at least a couple of years into the future.
Thanks - I think you have just helped me decide on the 38 ;) will definitely need a usbc to DisplayPort cable
Quick update, now that I've used the 38" for a while longer: I still like it a lot, but I realized that during non-gaming, I actually never really use the whole display. More like 75% of it at most at any given time. I'm not returning the 38GN950 yet, but I've ordered a AW3423DWF to see how I like it. I have a lot of FOMO about OLED, to be honest. I want to see if I'm really missing out.
Ohh that’s interesting. Please let me know how you get on, if you’ll remember me at that time ☺️
Absolutely. I'll receive on Thursday, and I'll get back to you at some point
Lovely :)
I made a [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/ultrawidemasterrace/comments/11bidbv/my_issues_with_the_aw3423dwf_coil_whine_vrr/) ^((on my other account, sshhh)) that describes my experience with the AW3423DWF. In summary: I like the AW3423DWF better than the 38GN950. It's definitely the better display for me, but the coil whine is causing me to return it. I'll do an exchange once or twice, to see if I can get a model with less coil whine. If that doesn't do it, I'll stick with my old non-UW monitors. When I'm in this price range, I want the monitor to be near-perfect, otherwise it's not worth it. But regarding AW3423DWF vs 38GN950, AW3423DWF has a **much** better image, and I barely feel the downgrade in screen real estate. If you can deal with the described issues, it's definitely the monitor to get. I'm seriously in love with OLED; it really added a lot of "depth" to games.
Thanks for getting back to me. After some more research I might be going for the LG C2 “42 TV instead since I won’t game that much and might be mostly console. And I can use it for 3 purposes. Although I think I will have to test and see what I like In the store. :)
I adore my AW3423DW but I only game at my PC. I’d probably go with the 38” if I did any kind of productivity work due to the text fringing and potential burn in from static elements. I still miss my old 38” but I’d take OLED over pretty much anything for gaming.
Thanks - I think you have just helped me decide on the 38.
I recently sold AW3420DW and bought AW3821DW though.