Finally, a large ultrawide monitor with tons of vertical screen space. The Alienware 39 5K features an incredibly bright OLED panel with 5K resolution and 5,120 ultrawide horizontal pixels. Unlike most ultrawides that are wide but short, this display offers the vertical height of a 32-inch 4K screen (2,160 pixels), making it immersive for gaming and media editing. Priced at $1,100, it undercuts LG's comparable 5K2K ultrawide, which sells for $1,600. The monitor uses LG's latest four-stack tandem OLED panel with RGB stripe to deliver sharper text and deep black levels via a polarizer layer that rejects ambient light. It covers 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, making it accurate for professional video and photo work. While the native 165Hz refresh rate is slower than some competitors, the monitor can switch to a 1080p+ 330Hz mode for shooters. Both height and tilt adjustment are included, unlike Apple's Studio Display. For those seeking the ultrawide gaming monitor sweet spot, this display offers exceptional performance and versatility, justifying its premium price point for creative professionals and serious gamers alike.

Alienware was likely able to keep costs down by going with a relatively simple case, though the plastic design remains basic. The only decorative lighting is along the small Alienware logo on the rear. Crucially, it offers both height and tilt adjustment, something sorely lacking on Apple's $1,600 27-inch 5K Studio Display. The display is what really makes the Alienware 39 5K special. It's powered by LG's latest four-stack tandem OLED panel with a three-subpixel RGB stripe, meant to deliver sharper text than earlier WOLED panels. Its new OLED technology helps it deliver between 500 and 1,300 nits of HDR brightness, and it also supports Dolby Vision. The monitor also covers 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, making it accurate enough for professional video and photo work. OLED screens are already known for their deep black levels, since they don't rely on traditional backlighting technology like LEDs. The Alienware 39 5K takes things a step further with a polarizer layer on its panel, which rejects ambient light from reflecting off the screen itself. That makes for darker black levels across all lighting environments, even very bright rooms.

The Alienware 39 5K's native 165Hz refresh rate is slower than most monitors today, but I'd argue it's more than enough for most games. As mentioned, the monitor can also switch to a 2,560 by 1,080 pixel mode to achieve a far faster 330Hz refresh rate. You can also scale it to stay competitive in fast-paced shooters. While the Alienware 39 5K monitor is certainly pricey at $1,100, it's significantly cheaper than LG's 5K2K ultrawide Ultra Gear, which currently sells for $1,600. I'd also bet the two monitors share the same LG panel, as they both offer the same features, right down to dual 5K and 1080p modes. That makes Alienware's offering a bit of a deal -- at least that's how my screen-obsessed brain would justify it. It does so many things well, I wouldn't mind shelling out for this screen.