How to fix Alienware AW3423DW blurry, shaky and other screen problems

When using the 34” Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED, you may experience the following problems:

  • Blurriness
  • Distortion
  • Fuzziness
  • Ghosting
  • Jittery Video
  • Scrambled Video
  • Shakiness
  • Tearing

To see how you can potentially fix these issues with the gaming monitor, you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Seeking Tech.

How to fix blurriness, fuzziness and ghosting issues

If your AW3423DW is showing a blurry/fuzzy screen or a screen with a lot of ghosting effects, then you can try doing the following:

1. The first step you can try is to change the video output resolution of the connected device to see if you can get a sharper image.

2. If you are using any HDMI or DisplayPort extension cable, then we recommend that you remove them as they may be causing the image to look less sharp.

Instead, you should move the monitor closer to device so that you will only need a single video cable for the connection.

3. You can also try factory resetting the Alienware AW3423DW by doing the following:

  • Start by moving or pressing the joystick controller on the bottom of the monitor.
  • You should now be in the on-screen display (OSD). Here, you need to select the Menu option located at the top.
  • Inside of Menu, you then need to select Others.
  • Finally, you need to select the Factory Reset option located on the right side.

How to fix shaky or jittery issues

If the display image of your Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED is shaking or jittering a lot, then you can try doing the following:

1. To start off, you can try factory resetting the monitor by following the steps laid out earlier in this article.

2. Other nearby devices could also be causing electronic interference with the screen.

In this case, you can either try moving the monitor to a different location or unplug any nearby device that you think may be causing the electronic interference.

How to fix tearing and scrambled video issues

If you are seeing tearing and/or a scrambled video when using the AW3423DW, then you can try doing the following steps:

1. You can first try doing a self-test for the monitor.

You can do so by turning off the monitor and then unplugging any HDMI and/or DisplayPort cables you have connected. Afterwards, turn the monitor back on to see if you are still seeing any tearing or scrambled effects.

2. If you the same issues still show up in the self-test, then we recommend checking the video cables and ports to see if there are any potential damage.

3. A factory reset may help in this situation as well.

4. You can also try restarting the connected device in safe mode.

If the monitor is normal with the connected device in safe mode, then the tearing or scrambled picture problems is most likely not related to the monitor.

How to prevent and fix Alienware AW3423DW burn-in and uneven brightness issues

The 34” Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED can be susceptible to screen burn-in and uneven brightness issues if you don’t take proper care of the product.

To see how you can prevent, as well as potentially fix these problems, you can check out this guide at Seeking Tech.

How to prevent AW3423DW image retention and uneven brightness

Displaying a static image for a long time will lead to image retention issues such as ghosting in addition to brightness levels not being evenly disputed across the screen.

To prevent these from occurring on your AW3423DW, you can try taking the following precautionary steps:

1. The easiest way to prevent any potential retention problems is to occasionally turn off your monitor during long, multi-hour sessions.

After every hour of continuous use, it is a good idea for your eyes to take a short 5-to-10-minute break from looking at the screen. During this break time, you should also turn off the monitor so that it won’t get stuck displaying static images.

2. Anytime you don’t plan on looking at the screen for a long time, you should also power down the AW3423DW.

3. We also recommend setting a short timer where the screen will be turned off after a certain amount of inactivity.

On computers, you can find this feature in the Windows Power Options menu if you have a Windows PC or Mac Energy Saver menu if you are using a Macintosh.

4. With some devices (such as the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X), there is also a setting you can use to dim the screen after a certain amount of passed since activity was detected.

5. If you would rather leave your monitor powered on, then you can try setting up a dynamic screen saver in order to prevent any static images from being displayed for an extended amount of time.

6. You can also try turning down the brightness level by opening the on-screen display of the AW3423DW. Afterwards, go to Mene and then select Brightness/Contrast. In this section, you need to lower the brightness level.

7. Some videogames may have a lot of static images due to the user interface.

Fortunately, most modern games have settings that will increase the opacity of the static graphics. There may also be options where you can customize the user interface to appear dynamically or remove certain elements.

8. The Alienware AW3423DW uses a ultrawide screen ratio. As a result, you will get a lot of black bars as most videos or games don’t support that aspect ratio.

Therefore, you should be more cautious when viewing content that don’t completely fill the screen.

How to fix AW3423DW burn-in and uneven brightness issues

If you notice that your AW3423DW has some screen burn-ins and/or uneven brightness spots, then we recommend that you refresh its pixels.

If the Pixel Refresh feature does not help fix the image retention, then you can try refreshing the panel.

To see how you can do both of these actions, we recommend that you take a look at the steps laid out in this article.

How to fix Alienware AW3423DW flickering issues

When using the 34” Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED, the screen may start to flicker. To see how you can potentially fix this problem with your gaming monitor, you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Seeking Tech.

1. The first step you can try is to disconnect the HDMI or DisplayPort cable from the monitor and then reconnect it again.

Before connecting it back again, inspect the cable and port to see if there are any potential defects.

2. If possible, you may want to consider using a new cable as the current HDMI or DisplayPort cable could be defective.

3. You can also try turning off the monitor and then turning it back on again.

4. A power cycle may help with getting rid of the flickers as well.

In order to do, you can take the following steps:

  • Shut down the AW3423DW.
  • With the monitor turned off, you then need unplug its power cord from the power outlet.
  • You should then wait for around a minute.
  • After waiting, plug the power cord right back into the power outlet.
  • Turn on your monitor to complete the power cycle.

5. If you are connected the power cord of the Alienware AW3423DW to a power strip, then another device plugged into the same strip could be sending electromagnetic fields that may be causing the monitor to flicker.

In this case, you can try disconnecting the power cord of the other device from the power strip. Alternatively, you can either plug the monitor to a different power strip or directly to a wall outlet.

6. Furthermore, you can try restarting the connected device.

7. If you have the monitor connected to a computer or laptop, then you can try updating the driver of the graphics cards.

8. Moreover, you should also consider updating the firmware of the connected device as a new release may help fix the screen flickers.

9. You may want to consider setting the resolution of connected device to a different resolution.

If possible, try to set the connected device to 3440 x 1440, which is its native resolution of the 34” Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor.

10. You should also try setting to the monitor to a higher refresh rate.

11. The adaptive sync feature of the Alienware AW3423DW may also cause the screen to flicker.

If you are using a computer or laptop with an NVIDIA graphics cards, then you need to disable GSYNC.

If you are using a computer or laptop with an AMD graphics cards, then you need to disable FreeSync.

For game consoles like the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X, you need to disable Variable Refresh Rate.

12. If you are only experiencing screen flickering when using a specific app or playing a specific game, then you can try updating the app or game to see if a new version will fix the problem.

13. If the 34” Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED is still flickering after you try all of the aforementioned potential solutions, then you might want to consider contacting Dell to get additional support.

How to fix pixel and line issues with the Alienware AW3423DW

When using the Alienware AW3423DW, you may notice missing or stuck pixels. There may also be horizontal or vertical lines that appear on screen. To see how you can potentially fix these problems, you can take a look at this troubleshooting article at Seeking Tech.

1. The first step you can take is to power cycle your 34” Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor. In order to do so, you can try taking the following steps:

  • Turn off the screen if you haven’t done so already.
  • After turning off the monitor, unplug the power cable from the power outlet.
  • We then recommend that you wait for at least 1 minute.
  • After waiting for a minute, plug the power cable back into the power outlet.
  • With the screen plugged back into the power, turn it on to see if you still see any dead pixels or visible lines.

2. You can also try initiating the Alienware AW3423DW to do a self-test by doing the following:

  • Turn off the screen if you haven’t done so already.
  • Remove any HDMI or DisplayPort cables that are connected to the ports of the monitor.
  • After disconnecting the video cables, turn on your monitor.

If you see a message show up on the monitor, then it indicates that it is able to turn on normally. If you see any abnormal pixels or lines, then it means that there is an issue with the screen.

3. Moreover, you can also try using a built-in diagnostic tool of the 34” Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor to determine if the abnormal pixels and/or lines appears.

In order to do so, you need to follow the steps laid out in this guide.

4. If you don’t any problems when using the built-in diagnostic tool of the Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor, then the visual artifacts could be related to the HDMI or DisplayPort.

If you believe that there is a problem with the video connection, then you can try disconnecting the video cables from the screen. Afterwards, you can try examine the cables and ports to see if there are any damage.

If possible, you can try using a different HDMI or DisplayPort cable.

You can also try updating the graphics card driver if you are connecting to a computer. Moreover, make sure that the firmware of the connected device is up to date as well.

5. You can also try doing a factory reset for the AW3423DW by taking the following steps:

  • Move the joystick of the monitor to open the on-screen display.
  • Select the Menu option.
  • Inside of Menu, select Others.
  • You then need to select Factory Reset.

5. If the abnormal pixels and/or lines show up when you are using the built-in diagnostic tool, then it mostly means that there is something wrong with the screen.

In this case, you can try doing a pixel refresh. If you don’t see any improvements after a doing a pixel refresh, then you can try doing the more comprehensive panel refresh.

To see how you can manually do both of these actions, then you can take a look at this tutorial.

6. If you are still having problems, then you may need to get your monitor replaced.

What to do if Alienware AW3423DW isn’t displaying a picture

When turning on your 34” Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor, you may get a blank screen.

To see what you can do in order to get the monitor to display a picture, you can check out this article from Seeking Tech.

What to do if there is no picture and no power LED light

If your Alienware AW3423DW isn’t showing any picture, and you see no light coming out of the power LED indicator, then you can try doing the following:

1. The first thing you can try is to push down on the power button again. This time, you can try putting more pressure in order to push it further down.

2. You can also try unplugging the monitor from the power outlet and then plugging it back again.

3. If you still can get the power LED light to show anything, then you can try using a different power outlet as the current one you are using may be defective.

4. You can also try disconnecting and reconnecting the HDMI or DisplayPort cables.

5. Furthermore, you should make sure that the connected device is currently turned on.

If the connected device is set to sleep mode, rest mode, hibernation mode or any other low-power states modes, then you need to wake it.

6. There is a possibility that the AW3423DW may be displaying the incorrect source.

In this case, push down or move the joystick located below on the monitor to open the on-screen display menu and then select the input source option. Next, select the input source that is connected to the device is currently turned on.

What to do if the power LED light is on but there is no image

If the power LED of the 34” Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor is displaying a light but no picture is showing up on the screen, then you can try doing the following:

1. The first step you can take is to increase the brightness and contrast levels of the screen.

You need to take the following steps in order to do so:

  • Press down or move the joystick located on the monitor.
  • From the on-screen display, select Menu.
  • Inside Menu, select Brightness/Contrast.
  • Next, increase the Brightness levels.
  • Afterwards increasing the screen’s brightness, you then need to increase the contrast levels.

2. You can also try looking at the HDMI cable, DisplayPort cable, HDMI port and/or DisplayPort ports to see if there are any potential damage.

3. Make sure you try switching inputs as the AW3423DW could be displaying a different source.

4. You can also perform a self-test to see if there is anything wrong with your monitor by taking the following steps:

  • Turn off your monitor and disconnect any HDMI and/or DisplayPort cables you have connected.
  • Turn on your monitor again.
  • If the screen is working properly, then you should see a message show up.

5. Moreover, you can try using the diagnostic tool that has been built into the 34” Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor.

You can take a look at this guide to see how you can use this feature.

If you still can’t get an image to show up on the monitor, then we recommend that you contact Dell to get additional support.

What to do if the 120 Hz refresh rate is greyed out on Xbox Series X or S

Both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles support 120 frames per second.

If the 120 Hz refresh rate option is greyed out when you try to enable it, then you can take a look at this troubleshooting guide at Seeking Tech to see what steps you can take to make this option selectable.

1. To start off, make sure you are using the correct HDMI cable for your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S. Both of these consoles support HDMI 2.1 cables.

The Series X comes with a HDMI 2.1 cable included in the box while the Series S comes with a HDMI 2.0. You should still be able to unlock the 120 Hz refresh rate mode if you are using a HDMI 2.0 cable to connect these game consoles to your television set or gaming monitor.

2. Next, you should make sure that you are connected the HDMI cable to a HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 2.1 port of your TV or monitor. This is because some screens have different HDMI port versions.

If your console is connected to a HDMI port below version 2.0, then there may not be enough bandwidth to enable 120 frames per second.

3. We also recommend checking the display details in the menu of your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S. In order to do so, you need to take the following steps:

  • Go to Settings from the home screen of your Xbox. If you can’t find it, you need to press the Xbox button on your controller and then navigate to the right until you see the “Profile & system” tab. From there, you can head into Settings.
  • Inside Settings, select “TV & display options.”
  • From the “General – TV & display options” menu, select “4K TV details.”
  • In the “General – 4K TV details” menu, you should see the resolution, refresh rate and other features that are supported by your television screen or gaming monitor when it comes to using your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.

4. If your TV or monitor is capable of 120 Hz but your Xbox isn’t able to detect it, then you can try disabling a few video modes to see if doing so will fix the problem.

In order to disable certain video modes, you need to do the following:

  • From the Settings menu of your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, you need to go to “TV & display options.”
  • In the “General – TV & display options” menu, you then need to select “Video modes.”

Inside the “General – Video modes menu,” you can try disabling the following:

  • Allow variable refresh rate
  • Allow Dolby Vision
  • And Dolby Vision for Gaming

We recommend disabling one of these at a time and then check to see if you can use 120 Hz on your Xbox Series X or S.

5. You can also try manually forcing your Xbox console to display at 1080p or 1440p as doing so may unlock 120 Hz.

To do so, you need to take the following steps:

  • In the Settings of your game console, go to “TV & display options.”
  • Inside the “General – TV & display options” menu, select Resolution.
  • In the drop-down menu, select either 1080p or 1440p.
  • Next, you need to select Refresh rate.
  • The 120 Hz option should no longer be greyed out.

How to test the Alienware AW3423DW for defects

If you think that there may be something wrong with the display of your Alienware AW3423DW Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor, then you can use its diagnostic tool. To find out how to do so, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

1. Before you being, make sure that the display screen of your Alienware AW3423DW is clean. Otherwise, you could end up making a misdiagnosis due to a dirty display area.

To see how you can properly clean the Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor, you can take a look at this tutorial.

2. Next, you need to move and then hold the joystick located below the monitor to the left side for around five seconds.

3. You should now see a gray screen appear on the monitor. Here, you can look at the display area to see if you notice any potential defects.

4. If you don’t notice anything unusual when the Alienware AW3423DW is displaying a gray screen, then you can press the monitor’s joystick to switch to the next color, which is red.

5. If the screen shows that there is nothing working when showing a red color, then you can press the joystick again to go to the green color.

6. Once you get to the green screen, you can start looking for defects. If you don’t see any, then you can press the joystick once again to head to the next display color.

7. On the blue screen, look for any abnormalities. If you don’t see any, then you can press the joystick to switch the screen to black.

8. If you don’t see any problems when the monitor is displaying a black screen, then you can press the joystick again to switch to a white display.

9. The white display is the final diagnostic color. If you don’t see any problems here either, then you can exit out of the diagnostic tool by press the joystick beneath the monitor.

10. If you are seeing problems when using the Alienware AW3423DW normally but the diagnostic tool shows that everything is displaying normally, then your issue could be related to the cable connection, video card, connected hardware and/or other problems that are not necessarily related to the monitor.

How to fix ‘your TV doesn’t support ALLM’ issue on PS5

Auto Low Latency Mode support was recently added to the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Editon systems. This is a helpful feature as it will allow the connected monitor or television set to automatically switch over to its game mode settings when gameplay is detected.

By using game mode, the input lag between the DualSense and the action you see on the screen should be reduced. Therefore, you gaming experience should end up felling more responsive when compared to using other picture modes on your monitor or TV.

When trying to enable Auto Low Latency Mode, you may get an error message saying that “your TV doesn’t support ALLM.” If you are seeing this notification, then you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Seeking Tech to see how you can potentially fix this issue with your PS5.

1. The first step we recommend taking is to make sure that your television set or monitor support Auto Low Latency Mode as this feature is relatively new to the screen display industry.

2. If your screen does support ALLM, then make sure you look through the settings menu of your TV or monitor to see if there is an option to turn it on.

3. You should also make sure that your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition is connected to the correct HDMI port that supports ALLM.

4. Furthermore, you should connect your console directly to your TV or monitor.

Using an HDMI extension cable, HDMI passthrough device and/or HDMI splitter may make some features such as Auto Low Latency Mode incompatible.

5. You can try disconnecting the HDMI cable from your PS5 and the screen. Afterwards, reconnect the video cable again and then try to turn on ALLM.

6. If you have another HDMI cable available, then you can try using a new cable to see if you are able to activate the PS5’s low latency mode.

7. You may also want to consider power cycling both your PlayStation 5 and your screen.

In order to do so, you can take the following steps:

  • Turn off your PS5.
  • Unplug the game console from the power outlet.
  • Turn off your television set or monitor.
  • Unplug the screen from the power outlet.
  • Wait for a few minutes.
  • Plug the console and the screen back into the power outlet.
  • Turn on the console and screen.
  • Try to enable ALLM on your PS5.

8. Rebuilding the system or clearing its cache may also help.

To find out how you can do both of these actions, you can take a look at this article.

9. It is also a good idea to keep the firmware of your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition system updated to the latest version.

10. Furthermore, make sure that you also update the firmware of your television set or monitor as a new release may help resolve the compatibility issues with the Auto Low Latency Mode of the PS5.

To update the software version of your screen, make sure you look in its settings menu or check out its user manual.

How to enable and disable ALLM on PS5

Auto Low Latency Mode was recently added to the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. This feature will automatically turn on your monitor’s or television’s game mode setting, which will help with reducing the input lag when playing a videogame. As a result, you will get a more responsive experience when it comes to controlling the game.

To see how you can enable or disable this feature, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

1. The Auto Low Latency Mode was made available in a firmware update for the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition consoles. So, if you haven’t done so already, you can download the new version of your system by taking the following steps:

  • To start off, make sure you turn on your PlayStation 5 and get to the home menu.
  • The home menu is where you can pick out which game or app to open. If you aren’t there currently, then you can easily go home by pressing and holding the PS button on the DualSense. You can also go home by pressing the PS button to bring up the quick menu and then select the house icon at the bottom.
  • After getting to the home menu, press the triangle button and then select the gear icon located on the top right side of the screen.
  • Inside of the Settings screen, you need to select System from the list of available options.
  • From the System screen, select System Software on the left column and then System Software Update and Settings on the right side.
  • In the System Software Update and Settings screen, select Update System Software.
  • Once you get to the System Software Update screen, select Update Using Internet.
  • Finally, select Update to start the firmware installation process.

2. With your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console updated, you can enable or disable Auto Low Latency Mode by first going to the aforementioned home menu.

3. From the home menu, head to Settings, which you can find on the top right corner of the screen.

4. After getting to the front page of Settings, you need to select Screen and Video from the list of available categories.

5. In the Screen and Video page, you need to select Video Output on the left column.

6. In the same Screen and Video page, you then need to select ALLM.

7. In the pop-up menu, you have the following options:

  • By setting Auto Low Latency Mode to “Off,” your television set or monitor won’t automatically switch to its game mode settings when you are playing a game. With that said, ALLM will be turned on if you have Variable Refresh Rate enabled.
  • By setting Auto Low Latency Mode to “Automatic,” your television set or monitor will automatically switch over to its game mode settings whenever it detects that you are currently playing a game on your console.

How to manually pixel refresh and panel refresh the Alienware AW3423DW

The Alienware AW3423DW is the first ever gaming monitor to use the QD-OLED. In order to keep this display looking pristine, you will need to refresh its screen.

To find out how to manually do so, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

Pixel Refresh vs. Panel Refresh

There are two ways that you can manually refresh the AW3423DW as you can use either a pixel refresh or a panel refresh.

The pixel refresh feature is designed for temporary image retention. When compared to a panel refresh, the pixel refresh needs to be done more frequently. On the other hand, this process will only take around 7 minutes to be completed.

Panel Refresh is mainly used for permanent image retention. Depending on how you use the AW3423DW, you may not need to utilize this feature very often. When you do, however, then the process is going to around 60 minutes to finish.

Both of these processes may shorten the life span of the QD-OLED panel. Therefore, we don’t recommend using them manually unless you notice something is wrong with your screen.

How to pixel refresh the Alienware AW3423DW

In order to manually pixel refresh the 34” Alienware Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DW), you need to take the following steps:

1. Press or move the joystick of the AW3423DW.

2. In the On-Screen Display (OSD) menu, select the Menu option, which should be located at the top.

3. After getting to the menu of your gaming monitor, you first need to select the Others option located on the left column.

4. Next, you need to select OLED Panel Maintenance.

5. Finally, you need to select Pixel Refresh.

6. During the pixel refresh process, the power LED indicator on the monitor will blink green slowly.

7. After around 7 minutes, the screen fresh should be fully completed.

Keep in mind that the Alienware AW3423DW will use the Pixel Refresh function on its own after every 4 hours of usage.

How to panel refresh the Alienware AW3423DW

If you want to panel refresh the 34” Alienware Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor, then you need to do the following:

1. Before we begin, make sure that your monitor is sitting in an environment within a temperature range of 0°C to 45°C (or 32°F to 113°F). Otherwise, the panel refreshing process may not run as efficiently.

2. To start off, you need to either press down or move around the joystick of the AW3423DW.

3. After opening the OSD, you then need to select Menu.

4. From the menu of your monitor, select Others.

5. You then need to select OLED Panel Maintenance.

6. Afterwards, make sure to select Panel Refresh.

7. During the panel refresh process, the power LED indicator on the monitor should slowly blink a red color.

8. After around 1 hour, the process should be completed.

It is important to note that Alienware AW3423DW will use the Panel Refresh feature on its own after every 1500 hours of usage.

You can take a look at this guide to see how you can test your 34” Alienware Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DW) for any screen abnormalities and/or defects.