LG UltraGear 39GX950B-B 39" Black

The LG 39GX950B is a monster 39-inch 5K2K OLED ultrawide that somehow blends extreme sharpness with a 165Hz refresh rate and a 330Hz Full HD dual mode. It's one of the best gaming monitors we've seen, but it costs a fortune and demands serious desk space. Only buy it if you want the absolute best and your wallet can take the hit.

The numbers here are basically best-in-class for an ultrawide. That 165Hz refresh rate and 0.03 ms response time are so fast that motion clarity is buttery smooth, with zero smearing in fast scenes. In practice, you'll struggle to spot any ghosting even when whipping the camera around in a shooter. FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync compatibility take care of screen tearing too, so the experience is consistently fluid. When you kick the monitor into its Dual Mode, dropping the resolution to 1920x1080 bumps the refresh to 330Hz, which is frankly overkill for most people but a nice bonus if you're into competitive titles where every millisecond counts.

The HDR brightness also impresses. With a peak of 1500 nits, HDR highlights have real punch, something many OLED monitors struggle with. Combined with 99.5% DCI-P3 coverage and 10-bit color, games and movies look vivid without feeling oversaturated. In our database, this monitor's color and display scores sit in the absolute top tier, so you're seeing the best image quality currently available on a desktop. The only real limitation is that running modern AAA games at 5K2K on high settings will push even a high-end GPU, so you'll need serious hardware to fully utilize that resolution in native mode.

When you stack this LG against the competition, what you get for your money becomes clearer. The Alienware AW3423DW (a 34-inch QD-OLED) is a popular choice and costs significantly less. It delivers a superb 3440x1440 picture and 175Hz, but it simply can't match the sharpness or HDR brightness of the GX9. Meanwhile, Samsung's Odyssey Neo G9 G95NC is a 57-inch behemoth that runs at 7680x2160 and uses a mini-LED panel instead of OLED. It offers even more immersion, but you lose the pixel-perfect contrast of OLED, and it's heavier and pricier still. The Dell UltraSharp U4025QW runs the same 5120x2160 resolution, great for productivity, but it's a 60Hz panel with no gaming chops to speak of. Newer challengers are also circling. The LG UltraGear 45GX950A-B stretches the 5K2K OLED formula to a massive 45 inches with a more aggressive 800R curve, trading some pixel density for sheer immersion. If you want a sharper 4K OLED for mixed use, the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED delivers a flat 27-inch panel with a 240Hz refresh rate and DisplayPort 2.1, though you lose the ultrawide aspect. The LG 39GX950B sits in a unique niche: it's the only OLED ultrawide with 5K2K resolution and a high refresh rate. For many, that alone justifies the price.

The LG 39GX950B isn't cheap, and the price varies a lot. We've seen it listed anywhere from $1,799 up to $2,484 across different retailers. That $685 spread means shopping around is worth your time. You're paying a premium for the 5K2K OLED panel and dual-mode flexibility, features that essentially no other monitor combines today. If you're a gamer who also does color-sensitive work or just wants the sharpest possible ultrawide, the value proposition holds up. But if you're primarily a 1440p gamer, an ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDMG or MSI MAG 272UP QD-OLED will deliver a fantastic OLED experience for a lot less money. The GX9 is for those who know exactly what they want and are willing to pay for it.

The LG UltraGear evo GX9 39GX950B is the kind of monitor that makes you stop and stare. A 39-inch 5K2K OLED panel with a gentle 1500R curve, it somehow crams a 5120x2160 resolution into an ultrawide 21:9 shape. That means you're getting roughly the same pixel density as a 32-inch 4K screen, but with even more horizontal real estate. And yes, it's an OLED, so the contrast is effectively infinite and colors pop like crazy. If you've been searching for a high-end ultrawide gaming monitor that doesn't compromise on sharpness, this is it.

We've been tracking monitor releases for years, and the 39GX950B hits a sweet spot that few others do. It's not just the resolution. LG packed in a 165Hz refresh rate at native 5K2K, plus a dual-mode feature that flips to 330Hz when you drop down to Full HD. That means you can enjoy a crisp, immersive experience in slower-paced titles and still get blistering speed when competitive gaming calls for it. The 0.03 ms response time is, frankly, absurdly fast, right at the top of what OLED can achieve.

At around $1,800 to $2,500 depending on where you shop, this isn't a casual purchase. But for enthusiasts who want a no-compromise display that handles both work and play, the GX9 makes a strong case. Just know that portable it is not. This thing weighs over 10 kg and demands serious desk space, so if you prioritize compactness, you'll want to look elsewhere.

Skip this monitor if you're on a budget, lack desk space, or don't have a current-gen high-end GPU. The GX9's 5K2K resolution will punish a mid-range card, and its sheer size and weight make it a terrible fit for smaller setups. If portability matters (and it does for some), this literally scores near the bottom in our database. For more reasonable alternatives, look at the Alienware 34-inch QD-OLED for ultrawide gaming, the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED for a sharper 4K flat panel, or the Dell U4025QW if you prioritize 5K2K productivity and don't care about high refresh rates.

Should you buy the LG 39GX950B? If you're a gaming enthusiast who wants the absolute sharpest, most color-accurate ultrawide available and you have the GPU horsepower to back it up, then yes, this thing is incredible. It's expensive, but it's also genuinely best-in-class for what it does. The Dual Mode is a clever extra that makes it slightly more versatile than a pure 4K gaming monitor, and the image quality will spoil you for anything else.

Just be realistic about your needs. If you mostly play competitive shooters at 1080p, you can get a blindingly fast 360Hz monitor for half the price. And if you don't need 5K2K, the Alienware 34-inch QD-OLED gives you a fantastic experience for less. But for those chasing the enthusiast dream of uncompromised desktop gaming and media, the GX9 delivers.