Alienware AW2524H review: The first 500Hz monitor sets new clarity standards

Price When Reviewed

$829.99

A decade has handed because the first high-refresh LCD gaming displays hit retailer cabinets. The need for ever-faster refresh charges has solely elevated within the years since and now, with the Alienware AW2524H, we’ve hit a brand new pinnacle: 500Hz, over eight occasions higher than the 60Hz refresh price that was as soon as a gamer’s solely choice. That’s an entire lot of hertz, however Alienware prices an entire lot of cash. Is it a worthy funding?

Note: See our roundup of the best gaming monitors to find out about competing merchandise, what to search for in a gaming monitor, and shopping for suggestions.

Alienware AW2524H: Specs and options

The Alienware AW2524H is a 24.5-inch IPS LCD gaming monitor with 1080p decision. Its the primary monitor accessible with a blistering 500Hz refresh price, and it additionally supplies Nvidia G-Sync assist with Nvidia Reflex Analyzer.

• Display measurement: 24.5-inch
• Native decision: 1,920×1,080
• Panel sort: IPS LCD
• Refresh price: Up to 500Hz
• Adaptive-Sync: Nvidia G-Sync
• HDR: Yes, VESA DIsplayHDR 400 Certified
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 4x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x headphone-out 3.5mm jack, 1x audio-out 3.5mm jack
• Stand adjustment: Height, swivel, tilt, pivot
• VESA mount: Yes, 100x100mm
• Speakers: No
• Price: $829.99 MSRP

Priced at $829.99 MSRP, Alienware is charging a premium for early adopters. That will cease many avid gamers from urgent the purchase button. If you’re into top-tier aggressive play, nonetheless, the worth gained’t be exhausting to justify.

Alienware AW2524H: Design

Alienware’s Legend 2.0 design language is clear within the AW2524H’s charcoal “Dark Side of the Moon” chassis, which has a swooping, sci-fi look. Several AlienFX LED lighting components present a little bit of spice and might be custom-made both by the monitor or Alienware software program. It appears to be like distinctive and aggressive however stops in need of gaudy.

Build high quality is great, with nice materials high quality and a sturdy really feel. Alienware’s plastics really feel thick, well-textured, and are freed from shiny surfaces that may readily present put on over time. The solely weak spot is the built-in headphone hanger on the higher left-hand flank. It’s spring loaded, bursting out when pressed, however wobbles barely when dealing with a heavy headset.

The AW2524H opts for a compact stand that’s good for avid gamers with restricted desk area and those that choose a clear and uncluttered desktop. Most gaming displays have a bigger stand that takes up pointless area (although I ought to point out that the Asus ROG Swift Pro PG248QP, the one competing 500Hz monitor revealed up to now, may also have a compact stand).

The Alienware’s stand helps top, tilt, and swivel changes. It can even pivot 90 levels into portrait orientation. A 100x100mm VESA mount is accessible for avid gamers preferring a third-party monitor stand or arm.

Alienware AW2524H: Features and menus

The Alienware AW2425H affords a blended bag of connectivity and options. While the inclusion of two HDMI 2.1 ports is a plus, they’re restricted to a most refresh price of 240Hz. The monitor’s full 500Hz can solely be reached over the lone DisplayPort 1.4 enter. This isn’t a shocker, given the constraints of HDMI, however nonetheless necessary to know should you plan to make use of the monitor with multiple PC.

USB hub performance is supplied with assist for 4 USB-A ports, however the lack of USB-C enter feels outdated in comparison with different premium gaming displays such because the AOC Agon Pro AG274QZM. The USB-A ports are as an alternative pushed by a USB-B upstream port.

Alienware skimps on shade modes and changes, similar to shade temperature and gamma. Six-axis shade adjustment is accessible however restricted to a couple particular preset modes. That’s disappointing. The monitor is concentrated on gaming and makes zero concessions for content material creators or primary dwelling workplace productiveness.

It additionally has just a few gaming-specific options together with a darkish stabilizer (which will increase the brightness of shadows to make foes seen), timer, and body price counter. Alienware doesn’t embody a built-in crosshair.

Speakers are lacking, as effectively. This is typical of Alienware displays: The firm expects avid gamers will depend on a headset, which might be true for many avid gamers within the AW2524H. The monitor has two audio line-out ports, so it may well go by audio to each a headset and exterior audio system.

Alienware AW2524H SDR: Image high quality

The Alienware AW2524H is HDR succesful, however centered on SDR picture high quality. This makes a whole lot of sense: Most video games which have an expert aggressive scene don’t even present HDR assist, and aggressive gamers usually select to play with HDR off as a result of it supplies fewer alternatives for picture customization. So, how does the AW2524H’s SDR picture maintain up?

Matthew Smith / Foundry

SDR brightness is available in at a robust 426 nits, which, whereas not record-setting, is brilliant sufficient to be used in practically any scenario. The monitor additionally has a low-gloss end that minimizes direct glare. A hardcore gaming monitor such because the AW2524H is probably going for use in a room with loads of gentle management, so I believe most house owners will find yourself utilizing a mere fraction of its most brightness.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Contrast is available in at a ratio of 1130:1, which is in the direction of the excessive finish of competing displays. The Alienware has a small however important benefit over some latest high-refresh displays, most notably the Acer XB273U F and Asus PG27AQN, a pair of 27-inch 1440p displays with a 360Hz refresh price.

Of course, displays with newer show know-how such as OLED and Mini-LED will smash all of the displays on this aggressive set. Monitors with these applied sciences are at the moment restricted to decrease contemporary charges, nonetheless, and never an excellent alternative for extremely aggressive avid gamers.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The Alienware serves up a shade gamut that spans 100 % of sRGB and 89 % of DCI-P3. This isn’t sufficient to be thought of “wide gamut,” for my part, but in addition an enchancment over older gaming displays. The Alienware AW2521H, for instance, might solely show 74 % of the DCI-P3 shade gamut.

Gamers will seemingly discover the Alienware enticing and vivid in real-world use. It doesn’t have the hyper-saturated look of some options, just like the Gigabyte M27Q X, however stays enticing in real-world gaming.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Color accuracy got here in in the direction of the excessive finish of the aggressive set. This stage of shade accuracy is okay for gaming, and I doubt any gamer will see cause to complain. The monitor’s picture appeared reasonable and lifelike.

The Alienware AW2524H delivered a default gamma curve of two.3. This is barely off the goal of two.2, and signifies a picture that appears a tad darker than it ought to, however the variance is tight sufficient that it’s troublesome to note. Color temperature got here in at 6800Okay, which is barely cooler and extra blue than the goal of 6500Okay. I discovered this to be noticeable, however solely in very brilliant scenes.

This is a 24.5-inch, 1080p monitor with a pixel density of 90 pixels per inch. That’s not spectacular, and it results in noticeable aliasing and pixelation round high quality fonts. Sharp edges and small objects in 3D video games are displayed with important shimmer and stair-stepping in movement, so the usage of efficient anti-aliasing in 3D video games is necessary.

Ultimately, your opinion of the AW2524H’s picture high quality will rely in your perspective. The AW2524H falls in need of the AOC Agon Pro AG274QZM, which is only a tad dearer. It doesn’t even maintain as much as the Gigabyte M27Q X, which is bought for roughly half the worth.

When in comparison with different excessive high-refresh displays, nonetheless, the AW2524H competes effectively. It’s brilliant, has a superb distinction ratio, and supplies vivid shade. Gamers trying to hit 500Hz are giving up some picture high quality for the expertise, however it’s a modest compromise I believe best gamers will settle for.

Alienware AW2524H HDR: Image high quality

The Alienware AW2524H is VESA DisplayHDR 400 Certified and, in my testing, was in a position to maintain a most HDR brightness of 465 nits (about 40 nits larger than its SDR brightness). That’s not horrible, however it’s additionally not nice, and gained’t present the luminance wanted to raise element in brilliant areas of a scene. The monitor additionally has shortcomings in its distinction ratio and shade gamut that maintain it again. A dynamic backlight mode is included, however the monitor is edge-lit, so it may well’t gentle small areas of the show unbiased of others.

This provides as much as an underwhelming HDR expertise. HDR video games look a bit brighter than in SDR however lack an added sense of dimensionality and depth, and colours appear no extra vivid or vibrant than earlier than.

It’s not all unhealthy information. The Windows 11 desktop expertise is pretty good in HDR and the monitor supplies good luminance uniformity in HDR scenes. The monitor doesn’t want time to ramp or regulate brightness in transitions from darkish to brilliant or vice-versa.

Still, I anticipate most house owners gained’t achieve a lot from the monitor’s HDR mode. Using HDR doesn’t present a serious leap in picture high quality and locks down brightness management, so I anticipate most individuals will choose to stay with SDR.

Alienware AW2524H: Motion efficiency

Now we get to the meat of the Alienware AW2524H: the refresh price.

The AW2524H has a local refresh price of 480Hz, and might be overclocked to 500Hz. The distinction between the usual and overclocked mode is trivial, and I’m unsure turning on the overclock is definitely worth the hassle. This isn’t a criticism of the monitor. As refresh charges enhance, the beneficial properties offered by a better refresh price get smaller with every price enhance. The step up from 60Hz to 80Hz is a 33 % enchancment, however stepping up from 480Hz to 500Hz is a achieve of simply 4 %.

Whichever mode you select, the monitor’s refresh price delivers on its promise of utmost movement readability. I’ve witnessed some very, very clear displays in latest months, and the Alienware AW2524H thumps all of them.

Motion readability is near flawless. Scrolling throughout the map in League of Legends reveals that almost all particulars are preserved. Character names are simple to learn, heath bars are crystal-clear, and character silhouettes are simple to determine. Compared to a 360Hz monitor, such because the Acer Predator XB273U F, the Alienware AW2524H is superior in textual content readability and in preserving very high quality particulars, just like the tick marks in a personality’s well being bar.

Clarity can also be wonderful in 3D video games. Zipping round Borderlands 2, one of many few video games that may reliably hit 500 frames per second, I observed nearly zero movement blur whereas flipping between enemies.

Motion is so clear that I need to name it good. Technically, I do know this isn’t true—however I’ve by no means seen a monitor with a 1,000Hz refresh price (as a result of it doesn’t exist!), so I’ve no strategy to examine the expertise. What I can say is that after I lean again and simply play, my eyes and mind fail to interpret any movement blur in any respect.

Alienware provides in three response occasions modes: Fast (the default), Super Fast, and Extreme. The Super Fast and Extreme modes perhaps make the picture look a hair sharper, however the movement readability is already wonderful and makes an enchancment somewhat troublesome to pinpoint. I did discover some slight overshoot in Extreme, which appeared as an over-sharpened, shimmering go searching high-contrast edges.

While I’ve loads of reward for the AW2524H’s refresh price, I need to pair it with a observe of warning. You’ll solely see the complete impact in video games that may really hit 500 frames per second—and lots of can’t, both due to efficiency (the sport is simply too demanding to hit 500 frames per second even on one of the best {hardware} accessible at present) or due to hard-coded caps (the sport engine doesn’t enable a body price of as much as 500 frames per second). Competitive gamers ought to double-check the utmost supported body price of their favourite video games earlier than shopping for.

The Alienware AW2524H is a movement readability monster. It’s so good, in truth, that it’s exhausting to think about future displays in some way enhancing on this. To be clear, I’m not declaring this the tip of the refresh price wars. If you had requested me in 2018 if I believed the distinction between 144Hz and 240Hz was significant, I seemingly would have stated no—a take that point has confirmed incorrect. Still, the AW2524H’s readability is a step past something accessible earlier than it and definitely worth the worth of entry for avid gamers who need the best possible readability accessible.

Should you purchase the Alienware AW2524H?

The Alienware AW2524H is a cutting-edge monitor that pushes movement readability to new heights, although its excessive worth and modest picture high quality might be limitations for all however essentially the most devoted aggressive avid gamers. If movement readability is your primary precedence, nonetheless, the AW2524H delivers—and it’s prone to retain its lead for a while, as competing 500Hz displays aren’t slated to reach till fall of this yr.