It’s amazing how OLED gaming monitors have evolved over the years, isn’t it? The latest third-generation OLED panel technology allows for refresh rates up to 360Hz, brighter levels, and burn-in protection features. Last year, Asus released the impressive PG27AQDM, one of the brightest and fastest OLED monitors available at the time.
This year, Asus has gone a step further and introduced the ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM, its first curved ultrawide monitor. If you thought the PG27AQDM was impressive, wait until you see this one! The new monitor boasts a resolution of 3440 x 1440 pixels, a gentle 800R curve, 240Hz with 0.3ms response time, DisplayHDR 400, ELMB, Smart KVM switch, and 90W USB Type-C. Admittedly, it’s quite a bit pricey at $2,299.00, but it’s worth every penny.
Compared to the excellent Alienware AW3423DW QD-OLED, the PG34WCDM is superior in almost every way, although the Alienware monitor is two years old and costs half as much. I’ve been using the Asus monitor for over a month now, and I have to say, I’m in love with it!
Asus ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM
The ROG Swift line of monitors share a similar design. The PG34WCDM, which is a 34-inch panel, has an 800R curve that allows for easy navigation of the screen. It also has minimal bezels and a compact heatsink at the back to ensure cool operation. The heatsink features the signature Asus slash design that separates the panel diagonally. Additionally, there is some ROG Aura Sync lighting that looks impressive, but it is hidden behind the monitor and cannot illuminate your back wall.
The stand is sturdy with a wide base that ensures stability. It also has RGB lighting and a projected logo that illuminates your desk. The stand has a cable management cutout along its length. The PG34WCDM offers limited movement, which includes height, swivel, and tilt adjustments. The top of the stand has a 1/4-thread screw for mounting your camera – a useful feature for streamers.
The PG34WCDM monitor provides various ports for DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, and USB Type-C, allowing multiple video inputs. The USB port has a power delivery of 90W, enabling the user to output video from their MacBook Pro while charging it simultaneously. The PG34WCDM also features a USB hub with three USB Type-A downstream ports and one Type-C upstream.
Asus has included a KVM switch, which allows you to share peripherals connected to the monitor between two different devices. For instance, you can share your keyboard and mouse between your gaming rig and MacBook Pro. The monitor can automatically switch whenever you change inputs, or you can control it manually if you are viewing both devices in Picture by/in Picture mode.
The controls for the PG34WCDM are located on the center chin under the monitor. It has two buttons and a joystick for navigation. The menu is straightforward, clear, but detailed, offering precise control over all the monitor’s features. You can even adjust colors with the 6-axis control for precision work, as well as adjust the aspect ratios and screen size when gaming.
The PG34WCDM monitor comes with both Optical and 3.5mm audio out options. However, it is unfortunate that this monitor does not have built-in speakers considering its high price tag. Asus is known for producing excellent speakers in its laptops and ROG Phone, making the lack of speakers on the PG34WCDM a bit of a disappointment.
Asus has included a KVM switch to enable users to share peripherals connected to the monitor between two separate devices. This means that your keyboard and mouse can be shared between your gaming rig and MacBook Pro. The monitor can automatically switch whenever you change inputs, but you can also control it manually if you are viewing both devices in Picture-by-Picture mode.
The controls for the PG34WCDM are located on the center chin that juts out below the monitor. It has two buttons and a joystick for navigation. The menu is simple, clear, and in-depth, giving you precise control over all the monitor’s features. You can even adjust colors with the 6-axis control for precision work as well as adjust the aspect ratios and screen size when gaming.
While the PG34WCDM has both Optical and 3.5mm audio out, it doesn’t have built-in speakers which is kind of a shame for something this expensive. And, Asus generally make some excellent speakers as we’ve seen on its laptops and ROG Phone.
3rd-Gen OLED performance
The PG34WCDM uses a 3rd gen LG Display WOLED panel with an RWGB (Red, White, Green, Blue) subpixel layout that delivers excellent brightness. Asus claims that it reaches a peak brightness of 450 nits in HDR, although this is only in a small window rather than across the whole screen. In SDR, the monitor isn’t quite as bright, but I personally didn’t find it to be an issue. The display provides exceptional contrast and vivid colors, making everything on the screen look great.
The PG34WCDM comes factory calibrated and supports an impressive 99% DCI-P3 gamut. It includes sRGB, DCI, and Wide Gamut presets in the image menu, which is ideal for those who like to work with design, photography, or video editing, as it offers excellent color accuracy.
The 34-inch ultrawide display with a resolution of 3440 x 1440p is perfect for both work and play. As a MacBook Pro user, I appreciate the vast canvas for multitasking and designing multiple screens for apps. I’m particularly impressed with the Asus Clear Edge feature, which minimizes any text color fringing that LG OLED displays are known for.
The monitor has a Uniform Brightness feature that prevents sudden dimming when you expand a white window. This is a significant improvement over older OLEDs that caused distraction while working on desktop productivity apps outside of gaming. The panel has a matte coating that reduces color vividness, but eliminates distracting reflections.
As a gaming monitor, the PG34WCDM is exceptional. The ultrawide aspect ratio provides a more immersive gaming experience. Its UWQHD resolution is lower than 4K, making it easy to drive the latest AAA games at over 60fps even with Ray tracing. The monitor enhances every detail, making every shadow more ominous, bright spots clear and vibrant.
Diablo IV looks amazing on this monitor with its dark and eerie settings. Despite the ominous shadows, the HDR lighting highlights the sense of solitude as the flickering lamps glow brightly. I recently played Resident Evil 3 Remake, another game that takes place entirely at night, and it gave me quite a few jump scares during my play through. The detail in the shadows is unmatched.
Faster-paced games like Destiny 2 and CoD Warzone also perform exceptionally well on the PG34WCDM due to its 240Hz refresh rate and 0.3ms GtG response time. With my RTX 4070 rig, I was able to come close to 240fps with the proper settings, and everything was silky smooth.
Console players are not left out either. The PG34WCDM comes with an HDMI 2.1 port for maximum bandwidth and works perfectly well with both Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Unfortunately, neither of these consoles supports ultrawide aspect ratios, so you’ll have to choose between a stretched image or chunky black pillars. The stretched picture looks distorted and blurry, so I recommend against it.
One disadvantage of using the pillar box layout is that you can’t use ELMB or Black Frame Insertion, which would help make your games feel smoother and faster than they actually are. However, since the consoles output at the lower QHD resolution, you’ll get plenty of frames anyway, so it’s not a deal-breaker.
Another annoyance is that changing the aspect ratio on one input carries over to the others necessitating a manual correction. If you use a console a lot, this will quickly irritate. Nonetheless, I’m not fond of wasting my ultrawide screen on consoles, but that’s just my personal preference.
Burn-in and warranty
As an OLED monitor, it’s important to discuss the possibility of burn-in, which occurs when an image becomes “stuck” on the panel after extended use. I cannot guarantee that the PG34WCDM is immune to burn-in, but it typically takes months or even years for it to occur. However, the monitor comes with a variety of features to prevent burn-in, including Pixel cleaning and screen move options, as well as Logo Brightness Adjustment, which detects static bright objects and reduces their brightness.
Additionally, Asus has included a proximity sensor that turns the monitor off automatically if you’re no longer in front of it, further reducing the likelihood of burn-in. It’s clear that Asus has taken this issue seriously, and they even offer a 2-year panel warranty that covers burn-in. While a 3-year warranty would be even better, burn-in is highly unlikely with modern OLEDs as long as you use your monitor responsibly.
Verdict
The Asus ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM is currently the best 34-inch ultrawide and one of the best gaming monitors available in the market. After thoroughly reviewing this monitor, I couldn’t find any flaws that would prevent me from recommending it. It’s almost perfect, except for the fear of burn-in that still needs to be addressed.
Although it’s quite expensive at $2300, if you have the budget for it, you won’t regret the purchase. However, for more budget-conscious gamers, the Alienware AW342DW is also an excellent option that costs several hundred dollars less but doesn’t have as many features. Asus is doing an impressive job with OLED technology, and in my opinion, this monitor is a winner.
Asus Australia kindly loaned PowerUp! the ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM for the purpose of this review
