Thursday, August 24th 2023

Alienware Unveils the New 500 Hz IPS AW2524HF Gaming Monitor

You're a serious gamer with serious aspirations. You want that coveted Grandmaster ranking in Overwatch 2, The Global Elite status in Counter-Strike, and the prestige of a Supersonic Legend in Rocket League. Getting there takes strategy, discipline, and talent. But you also need the right gaming hardware to help refine your skills and catapult you into the next tier of competitive play. Success starts with a powerful PC. From there, harnessing the potential of blazing-fast frame rates requires a gaming monitor built to keep up.

The new Alienware 500 Hz Gaming Monitor AW2524HF is the FreeSync Premium-equipped follow-up to the CES Best of Innovation Award-winning G-SYNC certified AW2524H 500 Hz monitor. These two displays represent the pinnacle of performance-oriented technology as the world's fastest IPS gaming monitors. Both the AW2524HF and AW2524H boast a 24.5" IPS panel that refreshes up to 500 times per second, enabling them to achieve intoxicatingly fluid motion. And with a 0.5 ms gray-to-gray response time, latency is cut to an absolute minimum and blurring and ghosting are virtually eliminated.
That combination of a fast refresh rate and low latency puts you at a distinct advantage over less responsive platforms when you're lining up shots. Combined with FreeSync Premium on the AW2524HF, and NVIDIA G-SYNC on the AW2524H, screen tear is eliminated by synchronizing the monitor's refresh rate to your graphics card's frame rate for a smooth visual experience and accurate, responsive gameplay.

The AW2524H also boasts built-in NVIDIA Reflex Analyzer hardware which lets players measure overall system latency, and both 500 Hz models have an esports-inspired industrial design and a retractable hanger for stashing your headset. Melding good looks and useful features to match performance, either monitor is a true centerpiece for your competitive battle station.

Why is a 500 Hz refresh such a big deal to competitive gamers?
Most discussions of frame rates and monitor refresh rate (measured in cycles per second, or hertz) come to the same conclusion: more is better. Generally, higher frame rates do produce a smoother-looking gaming experience. It's not enough to simply chase frames, though. You also want a monitor designed to show those frames as quickly as the GPU renders them.

The AW2524H and AW2524HF's 500 Hz refresh rate takes competitive gaming to the next level by complementing your high-end graphics card and displaying more frames per second. As a result, on-screen action feels smoother. You're able to track targets with pinpoint precision, even as you whip around in fast-paced games.

Pristine display clarity goes hand-in-hand with the unprecedented frame rates we're talking about. The AW2524H's 0.5 ms grey-to-grey response time translates to fast pixels that minimize distracting motion blur. Those fast pixels also cover 99% of the sRGB color space, while earning VESA's DisplayHDR 400 certification.

For both 500 Hz models, their exceptional visual performance is largely attributable to Fast in-plane switching (IPS) panel technology, which leverages a unique crystal orientation to achieve excellent color accuracy from any viewing angle. In comparison, gaming monitors based on older and less sophisticated twisted nematic (TN) tech lose color consistency if you aren't directly in front of them.

Get the most from Alienware's AW2524H with a powerful gaming PC
Taking full advantage of a 500 Hz refresh rate does require a high-end gaming PC. If you want to see your favorite esports games running at 500 FPS, you need plenty of processing horsepower, graphics muscle, and system memory. There's no such thing as too much performance here. At the native 1920x1080 resolution, every subsystem works hard to push frames through the rendering pipeline inside of two milliseconds.

Even with the fastest hardware available, many games won't run at 500 FPS unless you dial back some of their quality settings. This is actually common practice in the competitive gaming world, where eye candy takes a back seat to boosting frames per second. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself dialing back detail presets, relaxing texture quality, and turning off immersive effects like camera shake to improve consistency.

Some games fall short of the 500 FPS mark for other reasons. Apex Legends, for example, is capped at 300 FPS. Not to worry. AW2524HF's FreeSync Premium and AW2524H's NVIDIA G-SYNC technologies sync the monitors' refresh to your game's frame rate ceiling for maximum performance. AW2524HF also sports VESA AdaptiveSync, making this monitor a great fit for any modern GPU from AMD, NVIDIA, or Intel.

Feed the AW2524HF and AW2524H as much performance as possible. They'll respond with the crispest gameplay you've ever enjoyed, free from blur or ghosting. And rest assured that frame rates below the AW2524H's 500 Hz refresh rate will still look silky smooth thanks to the variable refresh technology.

Alienware's 500 Hz gaming monitors combine bleeding-edge display performance and top-tier features
It's easy to gush about the these distinguished specs. But there's a lot more to these monitors than high refresh rates and fast response times.

For instance, the AW2524H integrates NVIDIA Reflex Analyzer hardware, which you can use to measure latency as accurately as a 10,000 FPS camera. An on-screen overlay reports frame rate, GPU utilization, mouse latency, PC plus display latency, and end-to-end system latency, quantifying the time it takes for mouse clicks to become muzzle flashes.

The AW2524HF and AW2524H also feature a menu system tailored to gaming enthusiasts. Preset modes like Esports, FPS, MOBA/RTS, RPG, and Sports load optimized color settings for each genre. The Game Enhance mode displays a timer for logging practice sessions or a frame rate counter for monitoring performance in real-time. Manual adjustments for response time, visibility in dark environments, and the variable backlight help fine-tune your personal preferences.

Customizability extends to the monitors' exterior design as well. The iconic Legend 2.0 design tilts, swivels, rotates, and extends vertically on a minimal hexagonal base for maximum comfort. And when it's time to hang up your headset for the night, a retractable hanger pops out from the screen's left side, keeping your desk clutter-free

Alienware has the right monitor for esports athletes at every level
The AW2524H and AW2524HF combine lightning-fast refresh rates, low system latencies, and snappy response times, delivering the smoothest gaming experience available. The 24.5" panel size and FHD native resolution are carefully chosen to maximize frame rates and minimize head movement, matching the form factor most commonly used at gaming tournaments. Whether you're an amateur gamer aspiring to greatness or a certified professional upgrading to the latest and greatest display technology, Alienware's pair of 500 Hz monitors are top-of-the-line.

Of course, gaming genres are as diverse as the gamers who play them. Alienware's portfolio of gaming monitors is loaded with plenty of other options tuned for fast action and high refresh rates to bring your favorite titles to life.

Take the AW2724HF, for example. Like the 500 Hz models, it sports a Fast IPS display with a 1920x1080 native resolution and 0.5 ms gray-to-gray response time, delivering crisp visuals and exceptional color accuracy from any viewing angle. You also get variable refresh rate support through AMD FreeSync Premium technology and 99% coverage of the sRGB color space. Alienware's distinguished styling carries over, complete with the retractable headset hanger. But instead of a 24.5" panel with a 500 Hz maximum refresh rate, the AW2724HF boasts a larger 27" screen able to refresh at 360 Hz. If you're sitting a little farther back from your monitor, the AW2724HF's spacious panel and esports-ready refresh rate could be a good alternative to the AW2524HF and AW2524H.

Gamers in search of value may look to the AW2523HF. This monitor is equipped with a 24.5" Fast IPS panel capable of 360 Hz refresh rates—specs that are tournament standard for esports. A 1920x1080 native resolution and 0.5 ms response time match the 27" AW2724HF. AMD FreeSync Premium technology supports variable refresh rates for the smoothest animation possible, while the iconic Legend 2.0 design features a hexagonal base for an optimized footprint and the now-familiar headset hanger. It's a great option for pro gamers looking to balance high-end graphics with a responsive display.

So, whether you're into fast-paced first-person shooters, management-intensive RTS games, or mechanically precise MOBAs, Alienware has a monitor that'll maximize your enjoyment (and level up your performance).
Source: DELL
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23 Comments on Alienware Unveils the New 500 Hz IPS AW2524HF Gaming Monitor

#1
bug
I would love to see a proper review on these. Ghosting is probably through the roof.
Posted on Reply
#2
KrazyT
GFreemanGet the most from Alienware's AW2524H with a powerful gaming PC
Taking full advantage of a 500 Hz refresh rate does require a high-end gaming PC. If you want to see your favorite esports games running at 500 FPS, you need plenty of processing horsepower, graphics muscle, and system memory. There's no such thing as too much performance here. At the native 1920x1080 resolution, every subsystem works hard to push frames through the rendering pipeline inside of two milliseconds.

Even with the fastest hardware available, many games won't run at 500 FPS unless you dial back some of their quality settings. This is actually common practice in the competitive gaming world, where eye candy takes a back seat to boosting frames per second. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself dialing back detail presets, relaxing texture quality, and turning off immersive effects like camera shake to improve consistency.

Some games fall short of the 500 FPS mark for other reasons. Apex Legends, for example, is capped at 300 FPS. Not to worry. AW2524HF's FreeSync Premium and AW2524H's NVIDIA G-SYNC technologies sync the monitors' refresh to your game's frame rate ceiling for maximum performance. AW2524HF also sports VESA AdaptiveSync, making this monitor a great fit for any modern GPU from AMD, NVIDIA, or Intel.

Feed the AW2524HF and AW2524H as much performance as possible. They'll respond with the crispest gameplay you've ever enjoyed, free from blur or ghosting. And rest assured that frame rates below the AW2524H's 500 Hz refresh rate will still look silky smooth thanks to the variable refresh technology.
Ok we'll give you 500 Hz (a hand in the future), but no PC can run it properly !
But don't worry, it's just an 1920x1080 resolution (a hand in the past) !
With the optimization of the current games (see the all new Immortal of Aveum), good luck to play 500 Hz ...
Or is it a monitor for competitive old games, who know ?
Posted on Reply
#4
Assimilator
Yet another overpriced piece of tat for people who understand nothing about gaming.
Posted on Reply
#5
Gucky
What CPU do you need to even run 500FPS outside of CS:GO?
Posted on Reply
#6
bug
GuckyWhat CPU do you need to even run 500FPS outside of CS:GO?
Extreme monitor goes with extreme system.
I imagine quite a bunch of the competitive titles can reach 500fps if you lower settings enough. But I'm not convinced 24" FHD@500Hz is a competitive advantage over 32" QHD@144Hz. Then again, I was never into competitive gaming, so I don't really care.
Posted on Reply
#7
frog877
GuckyWhat CPU do you need to even run 500FPS outside of CS:GO?
7000 series AMD or 12/13 gen Intel, also take in consideration competitive players play on low/med settings anyway. This monitors are specially build for CS.GO and other similar competitive games, they are not for people who play AAA games maxed out.
Posted on Reply
#8
TheDeeGee
But you can't even reach 60 FPS on a 4090 these days, what's the point of 500 Hz?
Posted on Reply
#9
KrazyT
TheDeeGeeBut you can't even reach 60 FPS on a 4090 these days, what's the point of 500 Hz?
You haven't read the text :

Why is a 500 Hz refresh such a big deal to competitive gamers?
Most discussions of frame rates and monitor refresh rate (measured in cycles per second, or hertz) come to the same conclusion: more is better. Generally, higher frame rates do produce a smoother-looking gaming experience. It's not enough to simply chase frames, though. You also want a monitor designed to show those frames as quickly as the GPU renders them.

You want one of these now, no ? :laugh: :laugh:

The AW2524H and AW2524HF's 500 Hz refresh rate takes competitive gaming to the next level by complementing your high-end graphics card and displaying more frames per second. As a result, on-screen action feels smoother. You're able to track targets with pinpoint precision, even as you whip around in fast-paced games.


Now, you can play and compete with the pro gamers. Before this monitor, you simply cannot play like them, you're screen has a yoo low refresh rate, games wasn't feels smooth, and you didn't have a pinpoint precision ! :laugh: :laugh:
Posted on Reply
#10
Asni
The list of IPS panels with less than 2ms response time:
Posted on Reply
#11
bug
AsniThe list of IPS panels with less than 2ms response time:
Found a review on rtings for the G-Sync version, it overshoots like crazy. And FreeSync tends to be more lax than G-Sync, so this will not overshoot any less.
Posted on Reply
#12
Wye
IPS at 500hz will be a smear fest.
Posted on Reply
#13
bug
WyeIPS at 500hz will be a smear fest.
Yes. But with "pinpoint accuracy" :peace:
Posted on Reply
#15
WorringlyIndifferent
They look neat, but I'm really sick of "announcements" and "unveilings" that don't include any information about pricing, actual release date, etc.

When will they be available?

How much will they cost?

Why do companies like wasting my time like this?
Posted on Reply
#16
Chrispy_
How realistic is the 0.5ms g2g response time? Historically, the advertised response time is achieved only at pointlessly unusable levels of overdrive with so much overshoot artifacting that you might as well give up. It's also unlikely to be 0.5ms for all of the g2g transitions; Technically they're meeting the corrupt industry practice of quoting only the single fastest transition, and the average might be 3ms or more.

If you take a 240Hz OLED with 4.2ms between frames, and 0ms response time, you have a panel that is displaying pixels no more than 4.2ms old at most.
If you look at this 500Hz IPS with 2ms between frames, the issue is that an average response time of only 2.2ms makes it slower than the 240Hz OLED.

Anyway, it turns out it's a minor refresh of an existing panel that's basically not great: www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/dell/alienware-aw2524h#test_1425
This is the HF variant, but the H has already been reviewed and the overdrive does indeed make it unusable with some severe overshoot. At the recommended speed, it's averaging 5.5ms response time, which brings the oldest possible pixel data on screen to 7.5ms, which is in the same ballpark as the 8.3ms of a 120Hz OLED. Worth noting, the 5.5ms response time gives this thing a 100% refresh compliance at 180Hz, and there's no shortage of other displays offering that in nicer sizes and resolution, with better image quality as well.

So, it's not a bad gaming monitor, in that it's still very fast for an LCD, but the days of LCD being the fastest are behind us. It's a washed out panel with mediocre image quality because so much has been sacrificed in the name of speed, and it's only available in a tiny 25" size. If you're in the niche that wants one of these you'll know why you want one of these, cost be damned. For everyone else, there are hundreds of better options.
WorringlyIndifferentWhen will they be available?
How much will they cost?
If there's no date and no price, it's because it's currently still vapourware and the price is likely to make people stop reading their advertising waffle.
Posted on Reply
#17
Gmr_Chick
AssimilatorYet another overpriced piece of tat for people who understand nothing about gaming.
Hey man, it's Alienware. They practically built their business off of people who understand nothing about gaming/gaming PCs :laugh:
Posted on Reply
#18
zlobby
Gmr_ChickHey man, it's Alienware. They practically built their business off of people who understand nothing about gaming/gaming PCs :laugh:
Preach it, gurl!
Posted on Reply
#19
Cheeseball
Not a Potato
This, like its previous brother only has BFI between 120Hz and 360 Hz, so it is competitive with the BenQ-ZOWIE XL2566K (360Hz TN panel).

It's useless to run this at 500Hz without some sort of BFI tech to reduce the motion blur.

Since this does not have the G-Sync module and relies on FreeSync Premium, I believe it may be between $500 and $600, considering its older sibling is currently $700.
bugI would love to see a proper review on these. Ghosting is probably through the roof.
If you enable the BFI feature and keep the FPS between 120 and 360, motion blur and ghosting will be minimal. Take note that this will disable adaptive sync and possibly lower the brightness.
Chrispy_How realistic is the 0.5ms g2g response time? Historically, the advertised response time is achieved only at pointlessly unusable levels of overdrive with so much overshoot artifacting that you might as well give up. It's also unlikely to be 0.5ms for all of the g2g transitions; Technically they're meeting the corrupt industry practice of quoting only the single fastest transition, and the average might be 3ms or more.

If you take a 240Hz OLED with 4.2ms between frames, and 0ms response time, you have a panel that is displaying pixels no more than 4.2ms old at most.
If you look at this 500Hz IPS with 2ms between frames, the issue is that an average response time of only 2.2ms makes it slower than the 240Hz OLED.

Anyway, it turns out it's a minor refresh of an existing panel that's basically not great: www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/dell/alienware-aw2524h#test_1425
This is the HF variant, but the H has already been reviewed and the overdrive does indeed make it unusable with some severe overshoot. At the recommended speed, it's averaging 5.5ms response time, which brings the oldest possible pixel data on screen to 7.5ms, which is in the same ballpark as the 8.3ms of a 120Hz OLED. Worth noting, the 5.5ms response time gives this thing a 100% refresh compliance at 180Hz, and there's no shortage of other displays offering that in nicer sizes and resolution, with better image quality as well.

So, it's not a bad gaming monitor, in that it's still very fast for an LCD, but the days of LCD being the fastest are behind us. It's a washed out panel with mediocre image quality because so much has been sacrificed in the name of speed, and it's only available in a tiny 25" size. If you're in the niche that wants one of these you'll know why you want one of these, cost be damned. For everyone else, there are hundreds of better options.


If there's no date and no price, it's because it's currently still vapourware and the price is likely to make people stop reading their advertising waffle.
This is not that expensive. It is a niche product for competitive gaming. As mentioned above I believe this may be between $500 and $600.

There shouldn't be a hit on image quality at all considering that the Acer Nitro XV252Q/AOpen Fire Legend 25XV2Q that I have is also a Fast IPS panel that goes up to 390Hz and it looks really good. Not as good as OLED, but I don't use my OLED monitor for competitions and scrims, only for other games.

Also its not vapourware since its G-Sync version has been available since April. Should be the same panel and all, according to RTINGs.
Posted on Reply
#20
MagnuTron
KrazyTOk we'll give you 500 Hz (a hand in the future), but no PC can run it properly !
But don't worry, it's just an 1920x1080 resolution (a hand in the past) !
With the optimization of the current games (see the all new Immortal of Aveum), good luck to play 500 Hz ...
Or is it a monitor for competitive old games, who know ?
bugExtreme monitor goes with extreme system.
I imagine quite a bunch of the competitive titles can reach 500fps if you lower settings enough. But I'm not convinced 24" FHD@500Hz is a competitive advantage over 32" QHD@144Hz. Then again, I was never into competitive gaming, so I don't really care.
You guys clearly don't play competetive, as you mentioned yourself @bug . This monitor is purely aimed at high-FPS FPS games, like CS:GO (CS2) and Valorant. But the arguments from some of the above, do highlight how this monitor is not better than a 240 or 360 Hz monitor. Personally I got used to above 60 Hz 17 years ago with the Syncmaster CRTs. The jump from 60 to 120 is immense, as is the ms calculation (divide by 1000). A jump to 240 is also measurable, but beyond that I think the difference will be negligible.
Posted on Reply
#21
Asni
It's not about performance, we're talking about reducing the motion blur of a sample & hold display. People who grew up with CRTs and Plasmas know the difference.
If the pixel response time cannot keep up with the panel refresh rate, it's absolutely pointless. You don't really have 500 image updates.

360/480hz monitor will be a thing with self-emissive panels (oled and microled), this is just marketing.
Posted on Reply
#22
Tahagomizer
WorringlyIndifferentWhen will they be available?
How much will they cost?

Why do companies like wasting my time like this?
These things depend on how people react to this gibberish. In other words, this is just marketing parasites sending out their feelers to the market i order to judge how much will they have to spend on marketing to make it a desirable product, which will impact the final price.
Posted on Reply
#23
Logoffon
"Service use only" is it like what, a serial port for diagnostic/adjustments or a bunch of trimmers like those for geometric adjustments on CRT?
Posted on Reply
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