Earlier this year, Dell released its high-end Alienware AW2524H 500Hz – a display we liked so much it made our list of the best monitors in 2023. Now, the company has launched its little, cheaper brother: the Alienware AW2524HF.
It looks the new AW2524HF will, at the very least, be one of the best gaming monitors on the market. We say this because while the display has a lot of similarities with the older model, it also has unique features of its own.
Like the pricier model, this display consists of a 24.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixel) resolution IPS panel with a massive refresh rate of 480Hz. It’s even possible to bump that number up to 500Hz, making the AW2524HF a top contender as one of the best high refresh rate monitors out there. The IPS, or in-panel switching, tech is particularly noteworthy. It offers wide-viewing angles so the quality stays consistent even when the display is tilted. Plus, it covers 99 percent of the sRGB color gamut to ensure hues and shades are accurate.
What’s more is, like the older screen, the AW2524HF has a “0.5ms gray-to-gray response time” for lightning fast performance. Other notable features include a retractable headset hanger and TUV-certified ComfortView Plus Low Blue Light to protect against eye strain.
Differences
That is where the more notable similarities with the Alienware AW2524H end. Beyond this point, we begin to see the gap between the two. For starters, the Alienware AW2524HF lacks any sort of AlienFX RGB lighting on the back. Additionally, the newer screen has certification for HDR10, but not VESA DisplayHDR 400. The AW2524H supports the latter.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) as a whole is a protocol for enhancing image quality. You can think of DisplayHDR 400 as a more refined version allowing brighter output and vibrancy. Content displayed on the Alienware AW2524HF will definitely look good, but it won’t likely be as good as on the AW2524H.
In addition, the AW2524HF includes support for AMD FreeSync Premium and is VESA AdaptiveSync certified for stutter-free gaming while its expensive counterpart is G-SYNC certified. And finally, it monitor ditches an HDMI port. In its is place is an extra DisplayPort 1.4 input.
Availability
The Alienware AW2524HR is currently on sale in the United States for $649.99, cheaper than the previous model. No word if there are plans to launch the monitor to other countries however we did ask Dell. This story will be updated at a later time.
If you’re thinking of buying this, you’re going to need a good rig to go with it. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best gaming PCs for 2023.
