Alienware AW2524HF review: 500Hz at a more accessible price

Unlike Alienware’s archetypal 500Hz display, the Alienware AW2524HF takes things person to the ground, making that novelty of a refresh complaint much accessible to aboriginal adopters. While it surely isn’t cleanable and not thing you’d acquisition retired of necessity close now, it’s inactive a large portion of kit to get if you privation to leap connected that bandwagon.

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Alienware AW2524HF review: Two-minute review

There’s nary request for a heated statement here. I deliberation that everyone tin hold connected 1 thing: a 500Hz refresh complaint is simply superfluous, adjacent successful competitory gaming. At slightest close present erstwhile 144Hz is surely bully capable for astir gamers who bask fast-paced titles. 

However, it wasn’t that agelong agone erstwhile we were each raving astir and dreaming of owning a 144Hz gaming monitor, and present it’s starting to consciousness similar the bare minimum. And I’m beauteous definite that Alienware is banking connected that nonstop happening to hap with its 500Hz offerings.

You work that close – 500Hz offerings plural, arsenic successful its latest enactment of gaming monitors, is increasing with the summation of the Alienware AW2524HF, the taxable of this precise review. 

Much similar the Alienware AW2524H, which, contempt its price, is 1 of the best gaming monitors to see if you’re itching for a higher refresh rate, it’s sporting that 500Hz (overclocked) / 480Hz (native) refresh complaint that you’d beryllium hard-pressed to spot connected astir displays these days. However, it has 1 large happening going for it implicit the archetypal model: it’s cheaper – $180 cheaper successful the US to beryllium exact.

That means that while, realistically, nary 1 truly needs a 500Hz gaming show close now, astatine slightest Alienware is making it imaginable to get 1 for comparatively cheaper if you’re hoping to beryllium an aboriginal adopter.

And it is simply a great, future-proof concern if you’re a gamer, adjacent much truthful if you’re a competitory one, particularly since there’s not truly a batch of compromises made to get that terms from near-$900 down to a much palatable level. 

The Alienware AW2524HF simply sacrifices that attractive-yet-unnecessary RGB lighting, trades successful VESA DisplayHDR 400 for the humble HDR10, and swaps G-SYNC and an HDMI larboard for AMD FreeSync Premium,  VESA Adaptive Sync, and a 2nd DisplayPort 1.4. 

No 1 truly needs built-in RGB lighting connected a show these days anyway, not erstwhile each these astute airy manufacturers are making their ain show airy strips and panels. And this show does good without it, sporting that classical Alienware plan with elegant and curvy yet strangely inactive gaming-appropriate aesthetics with a bully satin decorativeness that’s bully to the touch.

Notably, it lone comes successful the brand’s Dark Side of the Moon colorway, but it’s not similar it's competing with Samsung’s Odyssey enactment anyway. And I bash admit that tiny footprint – portion it doesn’t person capable surface existent property for multitasking (not for me, anyway), it is refreshing to person a show that doesn’t consciousness similar it’s looming implicit maine oregon trying to swallow maine whole.

There are different aspects to its plan that are overmuch appreciated. While there’s nary KVM diagnostic (a shame seeing arsenic you're getting 3 ports for input), determination is simply a USB hub with 4 USB Type-A ports (two successful the backmost and 2 successful the beforehand conscionable beneath the panel) for your gaming peripherals. And they enactment arsenic they should. There’s besides a built-in retractable headset hanger – a tiny other that goes a agelong way.

Plus, connected apical of its tilt (-5° to 21°), swivel (-20° to 20°), and tallness accommodation (110 mm), it besides boasts a 90-degree pivot for erstwhile you request that representation mode for thing – though sadly, it doesn’t person auto-orientation. And, the OSD paper is incredibly casual to navigate utilizing the four-way fastener conscionable beneath the panel.

I evidently didn’t instrumentality this successful the mediate of the tract to reenact Office Space, but it’s intelligibly well-built and made with decently durable materials that volition spot done the accustomed deterioration and tear. However, I cannot stand its stand. There’s not a batch of heft to it, which means that each clip I marque immoderate benignant of carnal adjustments, the full happening moves. I person to clasp down the basal with 1 manus and marque the indispensable adjustments with the different each azygous time.

Finally, the ports: determination are 2 DisplayPort 1.4, arsenic I mentioned, and 1 HDMI 2.1 for input. Alienware decided that swapping retired the 2nd HDMI larboard successful the AW2524H is simply a omniscient move, allowing users to person 2 DisplayPorts that enactment 500Hz astatine 1080p. Then there’s the aforementioned USB hub. 

It’s not the widest larboard selection, but it’ll bash for astir gamers. My lone ailment is that they are downward-facing, which means that slotting thing successful 1 of them necessitates immoderate pivoting, which past becomes a full ordeal with that precise movable base. 

There isn’t truly a noticeably sizable leap going from faster refresh rates to 500Hz connected the Alienware AW2524HF, astatine slightest not to astir gamers. You volition announcement a large quality if you’re transitioning from a 60Hz display, but lone experienced eyes tin archer the flimsy quality betwixt 144Hz to 500Hz, fto unsocial from 360Hz. 

However, you tin inactive intuitively consciousness that the visuals are someway smoother and cleaner, particularly erstwhile you’re spinning astir battling respective enemies astatine erstwhile successful fast-paced games similar Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as good arsenic slower ones similar Hogwarts Legacy. You’ll consciousness that it’s faster arsenic well, which is truly the constituent here. What is noticeable, however, is the alteration successful opposition and saturation, arsenic the show boosts those erstwhile you’re astatine 500Hz.

Just carnivore successful caput that you bash request superior hardware to bask that accelerated refresh rate, which by the mode you’ll person to overclock (via the OSD menu) to get. That’s different origin to see erstwhile you’re earnestly reasoning astir getting this show – thing little almighty than an RTX 4080, and you won’t beryllium capable to maximize its existent potential.

To support the terms down, it swaps retired the AW2524H’s DisplayHDR 400 for an HDR10, which honestly isn’t thing to constitute location about. When toggled on, it does connection a flimsy boost successful opposition and saturation, arsenic good arsenic a warmer hue, but again, the quality is precise minimal and not truly that discernable (unless you privation to discarded respective minutes switching backmost and distant similar I did portion watching One Piece on Netflix). To beryllium fair, I did find that it was capable to retrieve immoderate details backmost successful the darker scenes successful Foundation.

Still, if you privation a much immersive HDR experience, arsenic good arsenic that 500Hz refresh rate, you mightiness beryllium amended disconnected redeeming up for its pricier counterpart. The Alienware AW2524HF is for that creaseless and responsive 500Hz refresh rate, and that alone.

Alienware AW2524HF review: Price & availability

• How overmuch does it cost?  $649.99 / £589 (about AU$1,000) 
• When is it available? Available now
• Where tin you get it? Available successful the US and UK astatine the clip of writing

At $649.99 / £589 (about AU$1,000), the Alienware AW2524HF is inactive a hefty acquisition if you’re coming from that 1080p 24-inch show constituent of view. But what you’re truly paying for present is that 500Hz refresh rate, which you won’t find elsewhere astatine the clip of penning – unless, of course, you’re getting the pricier AW2524H. It’s honestly not excessively atrocious a terms for taking location a portion of kit arsenic 1 of its aboriginal adopters.

However, if you’re connected a budget, see getting a gaming show with a refresh complaint of 144Hz oregon adjacent 240Hz similar the Samsung Odyssey G7, which you’ll present often spot connected merchantability astatine nether $450 / £450, oregon the Asus TUF VG259QM that sits astatine that below-$300/£300 terms point. Our best precocious refresh complaint gaming monitors usher should besides springiness you different alternatives.

If it’s that 500Hz refresh complaint you desperately want, though, this is the champion terms you’ll find close now. Just support successful caput that it’s not disposable successful Australia astatine the clip of writing.

•  Price: 4 / 5

Alienware AW2524HF review: Specs

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Alienware AW2524HF review: Also consider

How I tested the Alienware AW2524HF

• Tested it for a week
• Used it for gaming arsenic good arsenic productivity enactment and media consumption
• Tried retired each the features and antithetic refresh rates

To decently trial the Alienware AW2524HF successful real-world scenarios, I utilized the show for a week not lone for gaming but arsenic my main enactment show arsenic well. I ran antithetic types of games astatine assorted refresh rates from 60Hz to its apical speed. I besides tested each its features including the USB hub and HDR.

With years of extended acquisition investigating and reviewing computers and peripherals, and arsenic 1 of the Computing editors astatine TechRadar, I person each the close tools, skills, and acquisition to find whether oregon not a show is worthy your clip and money. You tin spot maine to enactment them done their paces and marque the close recommendations.

We pridefulness ourselves connected our independency and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up semipermanent attraction to the products we reappraisal and making definite our reviews are updated and maintained - careless of erstwhile a instrumentality was released, if you tin inactive bargain it, it's connected our radar.

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First reviewed September 2023