As a long-time user of the Alienware AW3423DW, one of the first OLED gaming monitors to hit the market in 2022, I was genuinely excited when the company launched its successor, the AW3425DW. The main difference between the two is that the newer model has a 240Hz refresh rate, whereas the older one was limited to 175Hz. That alone was enough to convince me to upgrade since I enjoy playing competitive games at high refresh rates.

At first glance, it seemed like a worthwhile upgrade. I was already using my AW3423DW to immerse myself in AAA single-player games, but I just needed a higher refresh rate to play fast-paced shooters, which made the AW3425DW appealing. But once I actually started using it, the jump from 175Hz to 240Hz wasn't as groundbreaking as I expected, and the 21:9 aspect ratio had its own quirks for competitive gaming. I quickly learned that chasing higher refresh rates, especially on an ultrawide form factor, often comes with trade-offs that most people don't warn you about.

175Hz to 240Hz is a subtle upgrade

The visual jump from 175Hz to 240Hz isn't as big as you'd think

Before I purchased the original AW3423DW, I used the Acer Predator X34 ultrawide monitor, which had a 100Hz refresh rate. Going from 100Hz to 175Hz felt like a huge leap because every game that ran at such high frame rates felt smoother and more responsive to my inputs. Naturally, I expected the jump from 175Hz to 240Hz to deliver that same kind of "wow" factor when I purchased the AW3425DW, but that wasn't really the case.

Sure, games that took advantage of the higher refresh rate, like Valorant and Fortnite, did feel a bit smoother and more responsive, but it wasn't anywhere near the upgrade from 100Hz to 175Hz. That extra 65Hz definitely didn't help me rank up from Ascendant to Immortal in Valorant. That's when I realized diminishing returns become more obvious at higher refresh rates. Each step up from 144Hz delivers smaller gains that become harder to appreciate, especially once your eyes have adapted. It's almost like upgrading your graphics card for a mere 10% increase in frame rates.

You won't hit 240FPS consistently

Even the best GPUs won't deliver 240FPS on many modern AAA games

The biggest problem I face with the AW3425DW right now is that only a few games that I play hit 240FPS consistently, like Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, and Marvel Rivals. These are mainly well-optimized competitive esports titles that aren't too demanding on the hardware, so my RTX 4090 has no trouble maintaining such high frame rates. But as soon as I launch a modern AAA game, I get nowhere near the frame rates needed to benefit from the monitor's higher refresh rate.

For instance, I recently played Assassin's Creed: Shadows and Battlefield 6 (Open Beta), and neither could hit anywhere close to 240FPS even with the graphics settings turned down. Sure, enabling DLSS frame generation helped in Battlefield 6, pushing the frame rates slightly above 200FPS, but that also introduced input lag, which is far from ideal for multiplayer gaming. For these games, my old AW3423DW's 175Hz refresh rate was more than adequate. I feel like I wasted $800 on a new monitor chasing a marginal improvement in motion clarity for competitive gaming.

You'll be tempted to spend more on your PC

You'll want a new CPU and GPU to get closer to 240FPS in every game

Once you spend $800 on a high-end ultrawide gaming monitor like the AW3425DW, you'll want your PC to be more powerful to take advantage of that extra refresh rate. After all, like I mentioned above, it's not easy to run modern games at 3440x1440 while pushing over 200FPS. Even if you have an RTX 4090 like I do, trust me when I say that you'll be tempted to upgrade to the RTX 5090. That's a $2,000 purchase if you're lucky to find one at MSRP, but it doesn't end there.

You'll also want to upgrade to a newer, faster CPU to make sure it doesn't hold your GPU back while gaming at high frame rates. Investing in a new processor typically also means getting a new motherboard and possibly even a new RAM kit. All in all, you're looking at approximately $3,000 worth of PC components just to make the most of your $800 monitor. And if you're anything like me, you'll try to justify every single one of those upgrades in the name of "unlocking your monitor's full potential," even if your wallet hates you for it.

Ultrawide isn't ideal for competitive gaming

Competitive FPS titles can feel awkward on a 21:9 aspect ratio

I rarely used the original AW3423DW for competitive gaming because of its lower refresh rate. Back then, I had a faster BenQ Zowie 240Hz monitor, which was much more suited for competitive shooters like Valorant. I assumed upgrading to a faster ultrawide monitor would make me want to play competitive games on it more, but unfortunately, it wasn't just the refresh rate that was the problem. Most competitive games don't utilize the extra screen real estate to their full advantage, which prevents me from truly benefiting from it.

Unlike AAA single-player games that let you fully immerse yourself with their cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio support, most competitive games are designed to be played at 16:9 from the ground up. Making use of that extra screen real estate would give you an unfair advantage in competitive play, so developers resort to adding black bars or stretching the image on ultrawide monitors. And when your game is stretched to fill the screen, it can distort proportions and make aiming feel inconsistent. If anything, the ultrawide form factor ends up being more of a distraction during competitive matches.

Chasing higher refresh rates on an ultrawide rarely pays off

Most people chase refresh rates above 144Hz mainly for competitive gaming. But in reality, ultrawide monitors aren't really designed with competitive play in mind. If they were, you'd see esports professionals using them at tournaments—but you don't, and there's a reason for that. Competitive games limit ultrawide support and introduce visual scaling issues that can throw off your aim. Even if you wanted one to play single-player games, you'll need the fastest GPU available to get anywhere close to your monitor's refresh rate, especially at 3440x1440 resolution. And if you already have a 144Hz display, you'll be underwhelmed by the marginal improvements in smoothness. At this point, I'd rather opt for a higher-resolution ultrawide monitor, such as the LG 45-inch 5K2K OLED model we reviewed, to elevate my single-player immersion to the next level.