And the lack of tearing and stuttering was very nice indeed, if youre sensitive to such things. If you're serious about esports, a 360Hz monitor may be worth the sacrifices to you, though I'd argue the Asus PG259QN is a better value than the Alienware, despite the Alienware's more attractive design, slightly better port selection, and built-in Reflex Analyzer. As the frame rate dropped we noticed an increase in overshoot. Some appreciate the extra saturation and strong vibrancy of a more generous gamut, but we feel a decent balance is struck here with a bit of extra saturation and good richness throughout the screen. The AW2521HF supports FreeSync Premium via DP 1.2a and HDMI 2.0 on compatible GPUs and systems. To maximise colour accuracy within the sRGB colour space, for colour-managed workflows, full calibration and profiling with a colorimeter or similar device is recommended. Video review Sensitivity to such things varies, however. There is no FreeSync support, which is a bit unusual in todays market. Sensitivity to such things varies, however. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"zg2cYY5zq25POHOP6IsDfN8FBZJHLm773fg_fBtMlJU-1800-0"}; The responsiveness of the monitor was also quite impressive which is a good thing given that its a key focus of 240Hz models like this. Luckily, two of the USB ports and the headphone jack are under the panel edge in a more accessible position. The Super Fast setting just slightly reduces this, replacing it with a very small amount of overshoot. ULMB is the backlight strobe feature that reduces motion blur. The table below shows these values as well as the percentage deviation between each quadrant and the brightest point measured. The rear of the screen continues the Alienware aesthetic, with the creatively named Dark Side of the Moon shade used extensively (or Lunar Light for the HFL model). This reflects a significant reduction in perceived blur due to eye movement. You should ensure the GPU driver is setup correctly to use FreeSync, so open AMD Radeon Software, click Settings (cog icon towards top right) and click on Display. Rather than simply reflecting the pixel response elements. The article also covers a technique called pursuit photography, using a moving rather than stationary camera to capture motion in a way that reflects both elements of perceived blur. However; that also comes with a bit of overshoot, whereas the AW2521HF is entirely free from any noticeable overshoot at 240Hz and very high refresh rates. Some would prefer a wider gamut for extra vibrancy Conclusion Video review The monitor provided a reasonable contrast performance on Battlefield V. Darker regions on this title include dark tunnels, dimly lit building interiors and some darker exterior locations. Alienware AW2521HF. Buy from Amazon To configure VSync, open AMD Radeon Software. A sensitive camera and a utility called SMTT 2.0 was used assess the latency of the Dell Alienware AW2521HF. For a wide range of shades. ASUS TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A; LG UltraGear 27GN850; Alienware AW2521HF; Samsung Odyssey G7 Series 27" BenQ Zowie XL2411K; Best HDMI 2.1 Monitor For Warzone - ASUS TUF Gaming . There was no noticeable dithering. Ensure the Enable G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible checkbox and Enable settings for the selected display model is checked as shown below. Even if such dips were very slight, without FreeSync active and VSync enabled theyd cause obvious stuttering. But being able to change the power LED colour to suit your mood is a nice little touch. Its possible newer Nvidia GPUs, including their RTX series, support this expanded range or it may have just been misreported on the website. We also observed the contrast performance of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Given the intended uses for monitor, inter-unit variation and decent performance following OSD tweaking alone we will not be using any ICC profiles for this review or including any measurements or graphs using them. And if you can't quite hit 360Hz, G-Sync is there to ensure you don't get any stutter or screen tearing. It looks good on the https://www.testufo.com/ghosting, but when I enter CS:GO, Valorant, or any other games it just looks really bad. For those who play a variety of games, some competitive and some casual, having a screen that offers a 240Hz refresh rate and good colour quality can be very attractive. This was by no means extreme and not everyone will notice it many Adaptive-Sync models have much stronger overshoot than this following such refresh rate drops, in fact. The better choice is Custom color, where there are RGB sliders but no gamma options. The monitor provided a rich and natural appearance to, We also observed various episodes of the animated TV series, The monitor produced most shades here quite faithfully, accounting for the natural differences related to emissive vs. non-emissive objects noted above. Either way, where the frame rate drops below the floor of operation a frame to refresh multiplication technology (what AMD refers to as LFC) kicked in to keep tearing and stuttering at bay. We therefore consider Fast the optimal setting at 60Hz. The green block appeared a consistent saturated chartreuse shade throughout. Flat-rate shipping, so one low price ships as much as you want in each order! Adaptive-Sync also worked well on both our AMD and Nvidia GPU to get rid of tearing and stuttering. The monitor delivered a very competent 240Hz performance, with only minor weaknesses as described earlier. Experience lag-free, wired-like gaming with 1000Hz polling on the 2.4GHz USB-C wireless dongle, and help maximize your mouse's . The pixel response requirements for optimal performance have increased significantly due to the significant bump up in refresh rate. The monitor delivered a very competent 240Hz performance, with only minor weaknesses as described earlier. The refresh rate was put to very good use overall; fairly strong pixel responsiveness, low input lag and no noticeable overshoot. Saiba mais sobre a conformidade com normas, Os vdeos sobre o seu produto esto includos nesta seo.Ver tutoriais em vdeo. There is a little light powdery trailing behind the UFOs, particularly for the dark and medium backgrounds. Strong consistency due to IPS-type panel, without the perceived gamma and saturation shifts associated with TN or VA panels. In this case, overshoot (inverse ghosting) including some colourful bright halo trailing due to aggressive pixel overdrive. According to user feedback the monitor runs at 120Hz on the PS5, as of the April 2021 update for the console. The remaining blocks were displayed appropriately with good steps up in brightness. Subtle details such as dark-coloured irises would be more distinct with stronger static contrast and appropriate perceived gamma, but they were still as visible as wed expect for most of the screen given the static contrast. With VRR off the Super Fast and moreover Extreme settings show strong overshoot in the form of bright halo trailing. Including at some regions of TN and to a lesser extent VA screens due to the perceived gamma shifts as we described earlier using Battlefield V as an example. The colour reproduction was a relative strength of this monitor and a good step up from competing models with other panel types. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Alienware claims 1ms grey-to-grey response time, but there are numerous ways to fudge this spec, so it's mostly meaningless real-world testing is far more revealing of a monitor's capabilities in this realm. The monitor offers fairly comprehensive sRGB coverage (99%), with a very small amount of under-coverage. This characteristic makes the monitor a practical choice since you dont need to stick to one GPU brand for the rest of its lifespan. It was free from the sort of shifts in perceived gamma that can significantly mask dark detail in some regions of the screen whilst revealing too much detail elsewhere. Custom Color 2.1 7287K As factory defaults but somewhat warmer with a slight green tint and slightly higher brightness. At 144Hz, above, the UFO appears narrower and more sharply focused, with better internal detailing. The monitor has distinctive Alienware styling. Nonetheless, we wouldnt describe the atmosphere as poor in an appropriately well-lit room either. There is a bit of backlight bleeding on the edges of the Alienware AW2521HFs screen which adds some light clouding in an all-black image. Performance Tip: use the Fast overdrive setting for everything; it works the best. The design of the monitor is in keeping with the Alienware aesthetics of other recent additions to the series and indeed their other peripherals and systems. The connected feel and perceived blur took a real hit here, but the technology did its thing to get rid of tearing and stuttering all the same. There are again varying levels of trailing behind the UFOs due to weaknesses in pixel responsiveness, but this takes a different form to at 60Hz. Whilst its 24.5 screen with Full HD resolution doesnt deliver a staggering pixel density or the same useful desktop real-estate as some models, its a relatively easy resolution to drive at high frame rates. We wouldnt recommend using them unless created for your specific unit using your own calibration device. The green block appeared a consistent saturated chartreuse shade throughout. These were briefly explored in the OSD video, but for the purposes of this table well be looking at manual adjustments and settings we feel have more utility. The pixel response requirements are slacker at such frame rates and the visual fluidity is greatly limited by the frame rate itself. Lagom's response time test consists of a number of squares quickly alternating between two shades if the squares flicker, then the response time is slow for that transition, meaning you may see a trail behind moving objects. This gave an unbalanced image with clear green tint, without achieving its key goal. The article also covers a technique called pursuit photography, using a moving rather than stationary camera to capture motion in a way that reflects both elements of perceived blur. But not the strong saturation levels youd see from models with more generous gamuts. The remaining presets make specific adjustments to those and cant be manually altered. $900 is pretty pricey for a 1080p display, but 360Hz is still the absolute fastest refresh rate you can buy, so you'll have to pay a premium if you're serious about competitive gaming. Whilst both elements are important, eye movement is usually the dominant factor on modern monitors. There were some significant differences when Adaptive-Sync was disabled using the Super Fast and Extreme settings these are documented as VRR off (Variable Refresh Rate off). The deviation between each quadrant and the quadrant closest to the 6500K (D65) daylight white point target was analysed and a DeltaE value assigned. The default is Off, unless application specifies which means that VSync will only be active if you enable it within the game itself, if there is such an option. Is the best gaming monitor about resolution, color saturation, contrast or speed? The backlight is therefore considered flicker-free, which will come as welcome news to those sensitive to flickering or worried about side-effects from PWM usage. Luminance uniformity map The Alienware AW2521HF is extremely fast when it comes to pixel response times, so blur-free gaming is entirely possible. The main feature from the front, as usual, is the screen face. It indicates a very low signal delay at 240Hz which even sensitive users shouldnt find bothersome. No saturation losses towards the bottom or edges as youd see from other panel types. This was only observed during this test and is something weve seen on various monitors before. Dell Alienware AW2521HF 25" (24.5" Viewable) FHD 1920 x 1080 240 Hz HDMI, DisplayPort, USB, Audio FreeSync Premium & G-Sync Compatible Flat Panel Fast IPS Monitor Pixel Pitch: 0.283 mm x 0.280 mm Display Colors: 16.78 Million This is exactly what the Dell Alienware AW2521HF delivered. There were some slightly more pronounced weaknesses for a minority of pixel transitions, for example when observing white or very light objects such as in-game text against a dark and shadowy background. Or obvious flashes of pink that shift along with slight head movement. Nonetheless it is still there as the overdrive is tuned for strong 240Hz performance rather than strong <100Hz performance. This figure is influenced both by the element of input lag you see (pixel responsiveness) and the element you feel (signal delay). You can see relatively minor shifts in contrast and colour for the mixed desktop background and game scene. This ate away at detail and lightened dark shades up in this region, but wasnt extreme. We benchmark 25" ASUS TUF Gaming VG258QM gaming monitor performance in terms of response time, total input lag and display brightness and contrast. The green block appeared a consistent saturated chartreuse shade throughout. The perceived blur due to eye movement was also greatly reduced, much as demonstrated with the pursuit photos earlier on. The stand has a penguin-foot design with flattened feet and a wide neck piece. There is some central sagging with an average 2.1 gamma a bit below the 2.2 target, slightly brightening up some shades but nothing dramatic by any means. Colour gamut The representation of shades in this image depends on the camera and your own screen, its not designed to show exactly how the shades appear in person. The dark desktop background highlights IPS glow, which creates an obvious bloom as viewing angles become steeper. But we appreciate some users still like to use profiles and some aspects such as gamut mapping for colour-aware applications can be useful. The final column includes a reference screen, the, This more pronounced powdery trailing was still less pronounced than some of the weaknesses weve observed observe for similar transitions on many 240Hz TN models, including the predecessor to this model (, Given the extensive analysis above, we dont much to add from, FreeSync requires a compatible AMD GPU such as the Radeon RX 580 used in our test system. A futuristic sci-fi prop look which some will find quite endearing. Medium chocolate brown (24) is also good for highlighting colour consistency, which like Aquamarine is positioned at the extremities of the screen. Great price for (still) one of the best monitors in 1440p 165hz IPS category. With all that in mind, the default Standard mode is probably the best to stick with, unless you want to futz with the Custom mode to get everything just right. The surface texture is quite similar if not a touch lighter than the surface texture used on most high refresh rate ~24 Full HD TN models. Colour gamut But if you max the backlight with G-Sync, its 48% dimmer with ULMB, so the change isnt constant. Gameplay this responsive and smooth is truly addictive. LCD technology has spent its entire life working to overcome one major flaw, motion blur. We refer to these as interlace pattern artifacts but some users refer to them as inversion artifacts and others as scan lines. There is a list of GPUs which support the technology here, with the expectation that future AMD GPUs will support the feature too. Positives The 240Hz refresh rate also allows even division of 24fps, 30fps and 60fps which reduces juddering for such content the lack of overshoot at 240Hz worked nicely as well. It soon disappeared when using monitor normally. Performance on the black level test was good overall. Unless youre frequently passing this boundary its not something youre likely to notice or care about, though. A very slight shadowy trail behind the UFO, but overall rather similar to the Fast setting in appearance. The screenshot below is for a different model, but the settings and layout of the page are the same. The input panel is recessed deeply underneath, so much so that cables with large connectors will be difficult to use. The Alienware AW2521HF sports a 25-inch IPS panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, and 1ms response time. Donations are also greatly appreciated. Dark areas with just a few point sources of light illuminating are common on this title, including dark tombs and passageways. The average deviation between each quadrant and the brightest point was 7.75%, which is decent. Alienware's AW2521H not to be confused with Alienware's way-too-similarly-named Alienware AW2521HF, a cheaper 240Hz monitor mostly sets itself apart from Asus' 360Hz model in design. Candy apple red appeared with a bit of an orange-red tone due to extension in the red to green edge of the gamut. But they were still closer to the vibrant vs. washed out end of the spectrum in our view. Re: Best settings for AW2521HF. For the lowest levels of perceived blur its also important that the monitor performs its pixel responses rapidly. Overall it put in a respectable performance for the panel type and will keep a broad spectrum of gamers happy, from casual to competitive. And Variable Backlight is an effective dynamic contrast feature. Dark areas with just a few point sources of light illuminating are common on this title, including dark tombs and passageways. There is a list of GPUs which support the technology here, with the expectation that future AMD GPUs will support the feature too. Nvidias website lists a 48 240Hz VRR, which would match AMD FreeSync. But some users dont find such issues as noticeable and wont benefit as much from FreeSync. Performance on the white saturation test was good. The Alienware AW2521HF is an impressive gaming monitor. The image below is a macro photograph taken on Notepad with ClearType disabled. Some models are specifically validated as G-SYNC compatible, which means they have been specifically tested by Nvidia and pass specific quality checks. It is effective but it reduces brightness and, in most cases, prevents the use ofFreeSync or G-Sync. [CDATA[ There were some slightly more pronounced weaknesses for a minority of pixel transitions, for example when observing white or very light objects such as in-game text against a dark and shadowy background. On Battlefield V the monitor provided a very fluid experience, where the frame rate kept pace with the 240Hz refresh rate. The UFOs move across the screen from left to right at a frame rate matching the refresh rate of the display. In this case, overshoot (inverse ghosting) including some colourful bright halo trailing due to aggressive pixel overdrive. The Extreme setting increases the overshoot so its more noticeable, particularly for the medium background (middle row). The contour map below shows these deviations graphically, with darker greys representing lower luminance and hence greater deviation from the brightest recorded point than lighter greys. Still there are some weaker IPS performers out there in that respect. Features and Specifications. IPS glow eats away at detail, particularly near bottom corners. Where possible, youll be redirected to your nearest store. But being able to change the power LED colour to suit your mood is a nice little touch. No additional monitor drivers or ICC profiles were specifically loaded for the review. The stand has a penguin-foot design with flattened feet and a wide neck piece. It only works up to 240 Hz, but it really makes a visible improvement to motion resolution. Press OK, then turn the monitor off then on again so that it re-establishes connection the technology should now be active. Brightness 60% | Contrast 75% | Gamma 95%. Assume any setting not mentioned, including Contrast, was left at default. Slight changes could be observed at the very edges for some shades, such as the purple of Leelas hair gaining a bit of an extra red vs. blue hue to the purple more pronounced if sitting close to the screen. Strong glare-handling is provided due to significant diffusion of ambient light. The monitor can also be set to 120Hz although not documented in this testing, results were very much comparable to 144Hz. VA models have black crush centrally which masks some detail, whilst some excessive detail can be observed towards the bottom and side edges from a normal viewing position. IPS glow eats away at detail, particularly near bottom corners. We didnt readily observe either artifact type at high or relatively high refresh rates (100Hz+). The numbered Game presets can have unique Brightness and Contrast levels assigned to them as well, whereas this is set universally for the remaining presets. Below you can see how things appear with refresh rate ramped up to 240Hz. Note that individual units and preferences vary, so these settings are simply a suggestion and wont necessarily be optimal in all cases. Again, we suggest you use Fast for best results. The image below shows how things look with refresh rate bumped up to 144Hz. Nvidias G-SYNC Compatible Mode is only supported via DisplayPort. Given the extensive analysis above, we dont much to add from Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Luminance uniformity map How to set a default graphics card Open the Nvidia Control Panel. Use the code 'SAVE350' to get $350 more off. Unless youre frequently passing this boundary its not something youre likely to notice or care about, though. Using VRR improved pixel response behaviour for very high refresh rates, too, allowing the Extreme overdrive setting to be used without strong overshoot. Including at some regions of TN and to a lesser extent VA screens due to the perceived gamma shifts as we described earlier using Battlefield V as an example. Following some tweaking in the OSD, things were brought more in-line with our target white point. Conclusion Note that we have no way to accurately measure input lag with Adaptive-Sync active in a variable refresh rate and frame rate environment. I was disappointed to find that it only offered 20 colors, though, none of which were plain white (my preferred bias lighting color). This was by no means extreme and not everyone will notice it many Adaptive-Sync models have much stronger overshoot than this following such refresh rate drops, in fact. This isnt a strong stuttering and isnt something youll generally notice or find bothersome unless youre frequently passing the boundary. The OSD (On Screen Display) is controlled by a joystick and pressable buttons running down the right side of the monitor, as viewed from the rear. Vibrant elements such as roaring flames and brightly painted objects looked quite rich and far from washed out, but not as eye-catching as theyd appear with a significantly increased gamut.