Alienware AW2523HF 360Hz - Monitor with Poor Performance and Stuttering.

[Xerequinha123]

Fuck, I’ve just bought a new 360Hz monitor and it looks like shit, even though a week ago I had another unit of the same model and everything was fine. In every game, it showed stuttering and, even with everything set up and updated, it doesn’t seem to be at 144Hz. Does anyone know what might be going on? Last week, with the previous unit (which I returned due to some dead pixels), motion clarity was perfectly fine. But with this new unit, although everything else seems okay, I’ve noticed this issue. I’m already on my third unit of the Alienware AW2523HF, and this unit really doesn’t seem to be running at high refresh rates — even in games like CS2, where my FPS goes over 360 or stays close to it. I’ve tried pretty much everything: swapped cables, updated drivers and BIOS, cleaned the disk, reinstalled games, and more — but none of it seems to have fixed the issue. In Windows, everything looks smooth, just like 360Hz should, but in any game, it doesn’t feel even close to that. My perception when I turned it on and played for the first time yesterday was awful, I almost felt like vomiting. When moving the camera, nothing felt like the previous unit. I’ve had this issue before with a Zowie 144Hz monitor. Honestly, there’s no difference between this 360Hz unit and my old 60Hz monitor

 

[DirtyDingusMcgee]

Please fill out system specs. We've nothing to go on with what you have said so far.

 

[Xerequinha123]

Please fill out system specs. We've nothing to go on with what you have said so far.

For your reference, here are the complete system specifications: The motherboard is an MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI, equipped with BIOS version 2.M0 (MS-7C95), released on March 20, 2025. The processor is an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D, paired with 32 GB of DDR4 Kingston 3200 MHz RAM (2x16 GB). The system features an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 TI graphics card and utilizes a combination of storage drives: a Crucial CT500BX500SSD1 SSD and a TEAM T2531TB SSD. Additionally, I am using the latest driver versions: Realtek PCIE Network (10.73.815.2024), AMD Chipset (6.10.17.152), Realtek HD (6.0.9815.1), AMD Bluetooth (1.1037.0.395), and AMD WIFI (3.3.0.908). ---- Just a reminder, a week ago, with another unit of the same monitor, everything was working perfectly, with no issues other than the dead pixels.

 

[ir_cow]

Maybe you have HDR mode enabled or running at lower resolution?

Using HDMI 1.4 and didn't have the bandwidth for color + resolution + hz

 

[DirtyDingusMcgee]

Gpu only supports hdmi 2.0 and DP 1.4. 360hz is asking a lot of either one.

New gpu time.

 

[dgianstefani]

1660 Ti with a 360 Hz monitor? Good luck

It's a six year old entry level card that doesn't support the versions of HDMI/DP you need, time for an upgrade.

 

[Space Lynx]

a monitor like that is meant for high end gpu users, if its possible to get a refund, i'd recommend just getting a refund and going back to your old monitors.

unless you are willing to upgrade your gpu to say a 5070 ti or better and use frame gen and dlss4

 

[Xerequinha123]

Maybe you have HDR mode enabled or running at lower resolution?

Using HDMI 1.4 and didn't have the bandwidth for color + resolution + hz

I'm using the Display Port that came with the monitor and I've tested a quality port that I have nearby and the problem remains. It doesn't matter the resolution: in 1080p it appears in games like BF4 and Left 4 Dead, and in 1280 x 960 it also appears when playing CS2.

a monitor like that is meant for high end gpu users, if its possible to get a refund, i'd recommend just getting a refund and going back to your old monitors.

unless you are willing to upgrade your gpu to say a 5070 ti or better and use frame gen and dlss4

What are you saying? I can easily pass 360 hz with this card in CS2. That's the problem with asking on a forum. A lot of people come up with non-sense things.

 

[Space Lynx]

I'm using the Display Port that came with the monitor and I've tested a quality port that I have nearby and the problem remains. It doesn't matter the resolution: in 1080p it appears in games like BF4 and Left 4 Dead, and in 1280 x 960 it also appears when playing CS2.


What are you saying? I can easily pass 360 hz with this card in CS2. That's the problem with asking on a forum. A lot of people come up with non-sense things.

you said before you can't notice a difference between this monitor and your old 60hz monitor.

my help here is done, take care.

 

[Xerequinha123]

1660 Ti with a 360 Hz monitor? Good luck

It's a six year old entry level card that doesn't support the versions of HDMI/DP you need, time for an upgrade.

Display port 1.4 is enough for 360hz 1080p. What kind of world do you live in? The 1660 TI has a display port 1.4 input.

Gpu only supports hdmi 2.0 and DP 1.4. 360hz is asking a lot of either one.

New gpu time.

Display port 1.4 is enough for 360hz 1080p. What kind of world do you live in? The 1660 TI has a display port 1.4 input.

The AW2523HF with HDMI operates at a maximum of 255hz.

Maybe you have HDR mode enabled or running at lower resolution?

Using HDMI 1.4 and didn't have the bandwidth for color + resolution + hz

 

[ir_cow]

I live in a world where cows can roam free

 

[Marcus L]

DP 1.4: Supports up to 32.4 Gbps (with DSC, or 25.92 Gbps without), which is more than enough for 1080p at 360Hz.

Driver version, Windows version, have you tried different drivers, used DDU, fresh install of Windows, and if yes to all of the above try the monitor on a different system, send it back otherwise

 

[Xerequinha123]

DP 1.4: Supports up to 32.4 Gbps (with DSC, or 25.92 Gbps without), which is more than enough for 1080p at 360Hz.

Driver version, Windows version, have you tried different drivers, used DDU, fresh install of Windows, and if yes to all of the above try the monitor on a different system, send it back otherwise

As I mentioned earlier, this is already my third unit. The first one had very noticeable coil whine at 360Hz and dead pixels — I returned it. The second had almost no coil whine but came with six stuck green pixels — also returned. Neither of those had any motion clarity issues. I even left my PC turned off for a whole week waiting for this unit to arrive... and when I finally turned it on, I got this surprise.

To make things worse, some people who don't even know what DisplayPort is show up just to make things more confusing, saying you need a 5070 Ti to run 360Hz at Full HD. It's frustrating.

Now I'm going to try formatting Windows from scratch and updating the monitor's firmware. If that doesn't work, I'll contact Dell support — but honestly, I doubt they'll be able to solve a motion clarity issue. It's more likely they'll just laugh at someone showing up with a "motion clarity problem."

 

[Marcus L]

As I mentioned earlier, this is already my third unit. The first one had very noticeable coil whine at 360Hz and dead pixels — I returned it. The second had almost no coil whine but came with six stuck green pixels — also returned. Neither of those had any motion clarity issues. I even left my PC turned off for a whole week waiting for this unit to arrive... and when I finally turned it on, I got this surprise.

To make things worse, some people who don't even know what DisplayPort is show up just to make things more confusing, saying you need a 5070 Ti to run 360Hz at Full HD. It's frustrating.

Now I'm going to try formatting Windows from scratch and updating the monitor's firmware. If that doesn't work, I'll contact Dell support — but honestly, I doubt they'll be able to solve a motion clarity issue. It's more likely they'll just laugh at someone showing up with a "motion clarity problem."

At this juncture I would just call it as a lose and return it for a different one, 3rd times the charm!

 

[Xerequinha123]

At this juncture I would just call it as a lose and return it for a different one, 3rd times the charm!

If I return this one, I'll probably go for a 380Hz 1080p ASUS ROG monitor.

 

[PowerBuilder]

1920x1080, 360Hz resolution requires more pixel processing to draw the screen than 3840x2160, 60Hz resolution.

1920x1080 (FHD 1.9K) x 360/sec = 746,496,000 pixels/sec
3840×2160 (UHD 3.8K) x 60/sec = 497,664,000 pixels/sec

3840x2160 UHD resolution 60Hz/sec requires 497 megapixels per second to draw only 2D screens. 3D objects implement 3D space by adding the Z axis to the existing 2D axes, the X axis and Y axis. Therefore, 3D acceleration can require several to tens of thousands of times more than 2D acceleration. Therefore, 1.9K FHD resolution 360Hz/sec requires exactly 1.5 times more pixel computation from the video accelerator than drawing the aforementioned 3.8K 60Hz/sec resolution. Ultimately, it becomes the same as playing 1920x1080, 60Hz/sec = 3840x2160, 90Hz/sec. Then, you realize that the GeForce 1660 card is not an option. To properly use that monitor, you need at least a GeForce 5080 performance card or higher right now.

 

[Xerequinha123]

1920x1080, 360Hz resolution requires more pixel processing to draw the screen than 3840x2160, 60Hz resolution.

1920x1080 (FHD 1.9K) x 360/sec = 746,496,000 pixels/sec
3840×2160 (UHD 3.8K) x 60/sec = 497,664,000 pixels/sec

3840x2160 UHD resolution 60Hz/sec requires 497 megapixels per second to draw only 2D screens. 3D objects implement 3D space by adding the Z axis to the existing 2D axes, the X axis and Y axis. Therefore, 3D acceleration can require several to tens of thousands of times more than 2D acceleration. Therefore, 1.9K FHD resolution 360Hz/sec requires exactly 1.5 times more pixel computation from the video accelerator than drawing the aforementioned 3.8K 60Hz/sec resolution. Ultimately, it becomes the same as playing 1920x1080, 60Hz/sec = 3840x2160, 90Hz/sec. Then, you realize that the GeForce 1660 card is not an option. To properly use that monitor, you need at least a GeForce 5080 performance card or higher right now.

Then you find out that most CS2 pro players use an RTX 3080.

 

[Marcus L]

1920x1080, 360Hz resolution requires more pixel processing to draw the screen than 3840x2160, 60Hz resolution.

1920x1080 (FHD 1.9K) x 360/sec = 746,496,000 pixels/sec
3840×2160 (UHD 3.8K) x 60/sec = 497,664,000 pixels/sec

3840x2160 UHD resolution 60Hz/sec requires 497 megapixels per second to draw only 2D screens. 3D objects implement 3D space by adding the Z axis to the existing 2D axes, the X axis and Y axis. Therefore, 3D acceleration can require several to tens of thousands of times more than 2D acceleration. Therefore, 1.9K FHD resolution 360Hz/sec requires exactly 1.5 times more pixel computation from the video accelerator than drawing the aforementioned 3.8K 60Hz/sec resolution. Ultimately, it becomes the same as playing 1920x1080, 60Hz/sec = 3840x2160, 90Hz/sec. Then, you realize that the GeForce 1660 card is not an option. To properly use that monitor, you need at least a GeForce 5080 performance card or higher right now.

it's a 1660 with DP 1.4 which OP is connected to, you are talking FUD and shit, a 5080 can only drive 1080p 360

 

[phanbuey]

Make sure this is checked

 

[Xerequinha123]

Make sure this is checked
View attachment 397826

Yes, it's enabled. But even before, whether it was on or off, the issue persisted. I just did a full system format, which resolved both the stuttering and fluidity issues. However, I noticed that this unit I bought is a completely new revision of the AW2523HF — it's the A09 version, while my previous ones were A08. This unit shows significantly more inverse ghosting (overshooting), to the point where I can't play more than 20 minutes of deathmatch in CS2 without feeling nauseous. After that time, I feel completely sick and have to stop playing. I've used 144Hz monitors in the past that also suffered from inverse ghosting, so I know exactly what the image looks like and how uncomfortable it can be. Even with overdrive set to "Fast," which should be the most balanced mode, the image is still unplayable.
Unless I’ve been extremely unlucky with this specific unit, it seems Dell has completely ruined this monitor with the A09 revision. The firmware update also did not improve inverse ghosting or overall ghosting.

 

[phanbuey]

Yes, it's enabled. But even before, whether it was on or off, the issue persisted. I just did a full system format, which resolved both the stuttering and fluidity issues. However, I noticed that this unit I bought is a completely new revision of the AW2523HF — it's the A09 version, while my previous ones were A08. This unit shows significantly more inverse ghosting (overshooting), to the point where I can't play more than 20 minutes of deathmatch in CS2 without feeling nauseous. After that time, I feel completely sick and have to stop playing. I've used 144Hz monitors in the past that also suffered from inverse ghosting, so I know exactly what the image looks like and how uncomfortable it can be. Even with overdrive set to "Fast," which should be the most balanced mode, the image is still unplayable.
Unless I’ve been extremely unlucky with this specific unit, it seems Dell has completely ruined this monitor with the A09 revision.

sorry to hear that - is there an option to send it back and get another model?

 

[Xerequinha123]

sorry to hear that - is there an option to send it back and get another model?

I'm not sure, considering I tested several 1080p IPS monitors last year, and this Alienware was the only one that didn’t bother me in terms of contrast, IPS glow, and backlight bleed. But now I'm considering trying the ASUS ROG Strix XG259QNS (380Hz). If that monitor meets my expectations, then I’ll upgrade my graphics card to take full advantage of it — but I’m not going to invest in a better GPU without first having a proper monitor to justify the upgrade. If that doesn't work out, I’ll probably move to an OLED monitor, since my Ryzen 7 5700X3D is an excellent processor for 1440p gaming.
But one thing is certain: I will return this monitor. I’ll test it a bit more to see if I can find any workaround, but since I have a 30-day return window, I plan to use that time wisely.

 

[OolongGoat]

Dell Alienware AW2523HF Review

The Dell Alienware AW2523HF is a 25-inch, 1080p gaming monitor with a 360Hz refresh rate that's part of Dell's Alienware lineup. It replaces the Dell Alienware A...

www.rtings.com

I have been using Dell/Alienware monitors for 10+ years. I have not had an issue with a single one. Dell Support is very good and should be able to help you.

The above link shows calibration and a means to adjust the panel for optimal viewing.

You may have to turn the overshoot down to the lowest setting or off.

 

[droopyRO]

OP dose your monitor's menu have a setting to display it's frequency in real time ? My Asus has one, and you can see at whatever Hz your monitor is running at that moment in time. Take a picture if you can while you play CS or whatever you game in.

 

[PowerBuilder]

1920x1080, 360Hz resolution requires more pixel processing to draw the screen than 3840x2160, 60Hz resolution.

1920x1080 (FHD 1.9K) x 360/sec = 746,496,000 pixels/sec
3840×2160 (UHD 3.8K) x 60/sec = 497,664,000 pixels/sec

3840x2160 UHD resolution 60Hz/sec requires 497 megapixels per second to draw only 2D screens. 3D objects implement 3D space by adding the Z axis to the existing 2D axes, the X axis and Y axis. Therefore, 3D acceleration can require several to tens of thousands of times more than 2D acceleration. Therefore, 1.9K FHD resolution 360Hz/sec requires exactly 1.5 times more pixel computation from the video accelerator than drawing the aforementioned 3.8K 60Hz/sec resolution. Ultimately, it becomes the same as playing 1920x1080, 60Hz/sec -> 360Hz/sec = 3840x2160, 90Hz/sec. (1920x1080, 360Hz/sec = 3840x2160, 90Hz/sec) Then, you realize that the GeForce 1660 card is not an option. To properly use that monitor, you need at least a GeForce 5080 performance card or higher right now.

It's a typo.
1920x1080, 60Hz/sec (60Hz/sec -> 360Hz/sec).
The number 3 is missing.

1920x1080, 360Hz/sec = 3840x2160, 90Hz/sec