At a look
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- The greatest movement readability obtainable at this time
- Bright, vivid picture high quality
- Compact ergonomic stand
- AMD FreeSync mannequin will get a value drop
Cons
- Lackluster HDR
- Still costly for a 25-inch monitor
Our Verdict
Alienware’s AW2524HF ditches Nvidia G-Sync for AMD FreeSync, but it surely retains 500Hz in all its high-refresh glory. If you’re somebody who desires a aggressive edge and can settle for nothing in need of the perfect then this show is the one to get.
In March 2023 Alienware launched the primary 500Hz monitor, the Alienware AW2524H. Priced at $829.99, it offered unbelievable movement readability and Nvidia G-Sync help at a steep value. As a follow-up Alienware has launched the AW2524HF, which retains the 500Hz refresh charge however as an alternative helps AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. It additionally cuts the worth to $650.
Further studying: See our roundup of the perfect gaming screens to study competing merchandise.
Alienware AW2524HF: The specs
The Alienware AW2524HF’s specs are typical of a 25-inch esports monitor. It sticks with a 1080p IPS panel and offers only a handful of connectivity choices. The star of the present is clearly the 500Hz refresh charge, which stays the best refresh charge of any laptop monitor at present obtainable.
- Display measurement: 24.5-inch
- Native decision: 1920×1080
- Panel kind: IPS LCD
- Refresh charge: Up to 500Hz
- Adaptive Sync: AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, VESA Adaptive Sync
- HDR: Yes, HDR10
- Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x 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: $649.99 MSRP
Alienware’s AW2524HF is extraordinarily much like its sibling, the AW2524H. The predominant distinction is present in Adaptive Sync: The less costly AW2524HF helps AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA Adaptive Sync, whereas the AW2524H helps Nvidia G-Sync. The AW2524HF additionally has two DisplayPort 1.4 ports and one HDMI 2.1, whereas the AW2524H has one DisplayPort 1.4 port and two HDMI 2.1, plus two audio line-out jacks. Finally, the AW2524H consists of customizable LED lighting not discovered on the AW2524HF.
Alienware AW2524HF: Design
Matt Smith
Alienware’s AW2524HF makes use of the corporate’s now-familiar “Legend” design language, a mixture of flowing curves and texture variations that come collectively for a retro sci-fi look. The monitor seems exceptionally much like its G-Sync cousin, the AW2524H, and older Alienware screens just like the AW2524HF.
The solely notable distinction between the brand new AW2524HF is the absence of LED lighting accents. That’s a distinction from the AW2524H, which has them—and a bit disappointing. Yes, the AW2524HF is the “affordable” 500Hz monitor, but it surely nonetheless carries an MSRP of $650.
Matt Smith
Missing LEDs apart, the AW2524HF continues Alienware’s custom of wonderful construct high quality. The monitor’s exterior panels are plastic, however the supplies used really feel thick and the usage of various textures offers an upscale really feel. The monitor additionally has a spring-loaded headset stand on its left flank, a function it shares with the AW2524HF.
The monitor is supported by a compact stand with a hexagonal footprint. A small stand is sweet information in case you have a small desk and may show helpful for esports gamers, as some want extensive, sweeping mouse actions that devour a substantial amount of desk area.
Ergonomic changes embrace peak, tilt, and swivel. The monitor may even pivot 90 levels for portrait orientation, although I doubt that adjustment will see a lot use given the monitor’s concentrate on esports. A 100x100mm VESA mount is supported, too, for use with third-party monitor arms and stands.
Alienware AW2524HF: Features and menus
The new Alienware AW2524HF barely alters its video connectivity, dropping one HDMI 2.1 port in favor of an additional DisplayPort 1.4, for a complete of two DisplayPort ports. This is a brilliant selection, as HDMI 2.1 helps a most refresh charge of 240Hz at 1080p decision. While I count on most house owners will join only one system (a high-end gaming desktop), it’s good to have the choice so as to add a second PC and benefit from the most refresh charge of 500Hz.
Alienware tosses in a USB hub pushed by a single USB-B upstream port. The hub connects to 4 further USB-A downstream ports (two on the rear, and two on the monitor’s decrease lip). USB-C is absent, sadly—a function I’d wish to see Alienware embrace, since a USB-C hub might be so helpful. Still, the presence of 4 USB-A downstream ports is sweet for a gaming monitor. Most persist with two.
Matt Smith
A joystick centered on the monitor’s decrease lip offers entry to the on-screen menu. It’s fast to reply and sensibly organized, with a unbelievable quick-select menu for minor changes. The full menu is equally simple to navigate, however picture high quality choices are a bit restricted. The monitor has quite a few customized presets, an sRGB mode, and a customized coloration mode with RGB coloration adjustment throughout acquire, offset, hue, and saturation. However, the monitor lacks coloration temperature and gamma choices (other than a generic “warm” and “cool” mode).
The monitor consists of the same old array of gaming options together with a crosshair, timer, FPS counter, and darkish stabilizer, which makes foes simpler to see by growing the brightness of darkish areas. Alienware additionally tosses in a number of distinctive “Alienvision” modes that regulate picture readability in several methods, like a heat-vision fashion impact referred to as “Chroma.” I’m a bit skeptical of their utility, however they’re there.
Speakers aren’t included with the AW2524HF. That’s widespread for a gaming monitor, and particularly for one centered on esports and aggressive play: Most avid gamers will probably be utilizing a headset, anyway. The monitor additionally lacks audio line-out jacks, so exterior audio system (or a headset) have to be related on to your PC.
How is the Alienware AW2524HF’s SDR picture high quality?
It’s cheap to count on the Alienware AW2524HF to behave like its predecessor and sibling, the AW2524H. They’re each 24.5-inch, 1080p, 500Hz screens, and even share terribly related mannequin numbers. This is broadly true, although there’s some minor variance between them.
Matt Smith
Brightness pegged the AW2524HF’s most SDR brightness at a pleasant, spherical determine: 400 nits. That’s fairly excessive for SDR content material and greater than sufficient to make the monitor usable in any scenario it’s seemingly for use in. It’s not exceptionally vibrant for a high-end gaming monitor, although, and that may have penalties in relation to HDR efficiency.
Matt Smith
The AW2524HF delivered a shock with a most measured distinction ratio of 1480:1. That’s fairly good for a monitor with an IPS panel. In reality, it’s the perfect distinction ratio I’ve ever recorded from a gaming monitor with an IPS panel (and with no Mini-LED backlight).
Don’t get too excited: A ratio of 1480:1 continues to be meager in a world the place OLED alternate options can obtain infinite distinction, and Mini-LED rivals come shut. But an improved distinction ratio is all the time good to see, and it dampens the hazy “IPS glow” that may break darkish scenes on many IPS screens. It’s there, but it surely’s solely distracting in extraordinarily darkish video games performed in a really darkish room.
The AW2524HF hits a coloration gamut that covers one hundred pc of sRGB and 88 % of DCI-P3 (basically an identical to the AW2524H). I wouldn’t take into account this Alienware a “wide gamut” monitor, but it surely’s an improve over older aggressive gaming screens. The outdated Alienware AW2521H, for instance, solely achieved 74 % of DCI-P3.
A good coloration gamut helps the AW2524HF ship vivid, saturated coloration that appears enticing however doesn’t creep into the hyper-saturated look of screens with a particularly extensive coloration gamut. That’s an excellent match for video games. Content creators, however, could discover the colour gamut limiting, because it’s too slender to be best for enhancing images and movies.
Matt Smith
Color accuracy is respectable, with a solidly midrange outcome that matches smack in the course of related screens. While coloration accuracy could possibly be higher in idea, it’s adequate to offer a sensible, lifelike picture in video games, and it received’t look out of kinds towards rivals.
The AW2524HF additionally achieved a default gamma curve of two.3, barely off the goal of two.2. This signifies content material seems a bit darker than it ought to — but it surely’s a small variance, and I discovered it troublesome to note exterior of testing. The identical might be mentioned of the monitor’s default coloration temperature of 6400K, which is only a smidge hotter than the goal of 6500K. This, too, is troublesome to note.
You will discover the AW2524HF’s lack of sharpness, nevertheless. The monitor’s 24.5-inch 1080p panel packs roughly 90 pixels per inch (ppi), which isn’t rather a lot. A 27-inch 1440p monitor has 109 ppi, and a 27-inch 4K monitor offers 163 ppi. Low pixel density results in a mushy look in video and images, jaggedness round effective fonts, and extra noticeable aliasing artifacts in 3D video games.
The AW2524HF’s picture high quality is unremarkable when in comparison with all screens, but it surely’s fairly good for a monitor within the esports class. Its brightness, coloration gamut, and coloration accuracy are aggressive with different top-tier aggressive gaming screens, and its glorious distinction ratio (for an IPS monitor) offers a greater sense of depth and immersion than some alternate options. I feel most avid gamers will probably be happy, particularly if upgrading from an older esports monitor that used a TN panel or early technology Fast IPS panel.
How is the Alienware AW2524HF’s HDR picture high quality?
The Alienware AW2524HF helps HDR however, not like the AW2524H, it’s not VESA DisplayHDR 400 Certified. This, it seems, is indicative of diminished HDR efficiency, as I measured a most sustained brightness of 402 nits in HDR mode — a major discount from the 465 nits of the AW2524H.
In reality, neither 500Hz monitor can ship a satisfactory HDR expertise. That’s a disappointment, however one shared with different high-refresh screens. No laptop monitor above 240Hz affords an OLED panel or a Mini-LED backlight, so brightness is inevitably restricted. And that’s an issue in HDR, since improved brightness (and luminance element) is way of the purpose.
How is the Alienware AW2524HF’s movement efficiency?
Design, connectivity, and picture high quality matter, however the Alienware AW2524HF’s 500Hz refresh charge is the headline function — and it delivers.
The AW2524HF has a local refresh charge of 480Hz, which might be overclocked to 500Hz. The hole between them is totally trivial — I count on that Alienware picked the 500Hz goal as a result of it might (and it sounds cool), not as a result of it’s vital. Still, the monitor offers stellar outcomes at each 480Hz and 500Hz.
Motion readability is as near excellent as any laptop monitor I’ve ever witnessed. Scrolling check photographs from League of Legends and DOTA 2 present that almost all particulars are preserved in character, terrain, and spell results. Character names are simple to learn, well being bars are crisp, and smaller characters stay simple to select amongst a crowd.
Upgrading to 500Hz offers benefits even over various 360Hz screens. This is most noticeable when viewing small, difficult particulars, like character names hovering over foes or effective textual content in a wall texture. A 360Hz monitor, just like the Acer Predator XB273U F, can trace at these particulars, however they’re often troublesome or inconceivable to learn. The AW2524HF can deliver these particulars to the fore. Similar enhancements are seen when quickly handing over a first-person shooter. This usually obscures the background however, on the AW2524HF, I discovered the picture almost as clear as when standing nonetheless.
It’s not excellent, after all. Small textual content is readable, however can nonetheless trigger some pressure, and a speedy about-face will nonetheless present some blur that obscures element. But the development over 360Hz is current. Nothing else comes shut.
The Alienware AW2524HF helps AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA Adaptive Sync. This differs from its sibling, the AW2524H, which helps Nvidia G-Sync and Nvidia Reflex Analyzer, a device for testing complete system latency in your PC. Compatibility apart, I didn’t discover any distinction in how every monitor carried out with Adaptive Sync. Both present a slick expertise that feels so responsive it appears wired to your mind.
Alienware offers three response time modes: Fast (the default), Super Fast, and Extreme. The Super Fast and Extreme modes are sharper in idea, however I discovered the distinction extraordinarily exhausting to note. The Extreme mode seems a bit sharper than Fast, however I additionally felt I observed minor overshoot, which prompted shimmering in effective textures and round edges—although it was terribly delicate.
The 500Hz refresh charge is an simple benefit for the AW2524HF, however avid gamers eyeing this show ought to be sure they’re ready. A 500Hz show requires a body charge of 500 frames per second (FPS) to totally use each final hertz, which, clearly, is a tall order. Some video games have an in-engine body charge cap nicely under 500 FPS, whereas others will wrestle to hit 500 FPS as a result of they’re too graphically demanding. I like to recommend avid gamers double-check their favourite video games, and the capabilities of their video card, to make sure it’s an excellent match for the monitor.
If every thing checks out, although, you’re certain to be impressed—the AW2524HF’s movement readability is the perfect obtainable at this time.
Should you purchase the Alienware AW2524HF?
The Alienware AW2524HF is a superb esports and aggressive gaming monitor. It has a 500Hz refresh charge that delivers very good movement readability and fluidity that no present competitor can match. The AW2524HF additionally offers a major value minimize relative to its predecessor, the AW2524H (from $829.99 to $649.99). $650 continues to be rather a lot to ask for a 1080p monitor, however the benefit over 360Hz screens is notable. It’s nonetheless not for each gamer—however those that get pleasure from aggressive titles ought to give the AW2524HF severe consideration. Its movement efficiency stays unmatched.
…. to be continued
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