Alienware AW2521H Review

Key Features and Specs

What makes a gaming monitor the best? Is it all about resolution, color depth, contrast, or speed? If you chose speed, a 360 Hz monitor is the way to go. With a 360 Hz refresh rate, you get the smoothest gameplay and the quickest response times, which is crucial for dominating in CS2.

LCD tech has always struggled with one big issue: motion blur. This happens because each frame stays on the screen while the next one is being created, a process known as “sample and hold.” In contrast, self-lighting displays like plasma and OLED refresh the image many times during each cycle, eliminating blur even at 60 fps.

LCD monitors tackle motion blur in two main ways: higher refresh rates and backlight strobing. Backlight strobing, often referred to as ULMB (ultra low motion blur), adds black frames to create a smoother image similar to OLED and plasma displays. While this method works well, it can dim the screen's brightness and usually disables features like FreeSync or G-Sync. A more effective choice is to increase the refresh rate, which is precisely what the Alienware AW2521H achieves. With a refresh rate of 360 Hz, it not only removes motion blur but also provides extremely low input lag for an enhanced gaming experience.

Alienware AW2521H Features

The video performance is top-notch, featuring 360 Hz refresh rates and G-Sync technology. However, it’s surprising that FreeSync isn’t supported, especially considering current trends. The AW2521H also offers ULMB at up to 240 Hz. While it can’t be used alongside G-Sync, it significantly improves motion clarity. For those interested, Alienware has a 240 Hz FreeSync model called the AW2521HF.

Assembly and Features of Alienware AW2521H

When attaching the stand to the panel, check out the gold-plated contacts. They make the lighting work. If you prefer, you can still attach an aftermarket arm using the included 100mm VESA mount. The cable bundle has two DisplayPorts—one is a mini connector—and a USB 3.0 cable. The power supply is built-in and connects with an IEC power cord. Plus, there's a snap-on cover to keep the input panel organized.

Alienware AW2521H: Complete Overview

As a high-end monitor, the Alienware AW2521H delivers exceptional build quality and an impressive range of features. This monitor not only boasts solid construction, but it also features a backlit Alienware logo and an LED bar on the stand that reflects the signature design of Alienware's gaming PCs.

The AW2521H sports a sleek design with slim bezels, typical of modern gaming monitors. When powered on, you can see the bezels, which are just 7mm thick on the top and sides. The bottom trim is a bit wider at 15mm and proudly displays the Alienware logo along with a “360 Hz” label. A small white LED in the lower right corner serves as both a power indicator and button. There are four additional buttons and an OSD joystick located on the right edge, providing a satisfying click and making it easy to navigate menus. On the top edge of the panel, there's an ambient light sensor that adjusts the screen brightness according to the lighting in your room.

The design is sleek and clearly inspired by Alienware. The elongated oval shape is a recurring theme, highlighted by LED lighting on the back. You’ll notice this same design on an Alienware gaming PC we have in our setup. Once you connect via USB, the RGB lighting syncs up and can be managed through the on-screen display or the Alienware Command Center app with AlienFX. You can customize colors and effects for specific games or adjust them to your personal preference.

The stand is top-notch and features a 5-inch height adjustment, with a 20-degree swivel to the left and right, and a tilt range of 5 to 21 degrees. It also supports a 90-degree portrait mode. The upright has a handy graduated number scale visible from the front, allowing you to easily recall your height setting when relocating the AW2521H.

The input panel is set back quite a bit, making it tricky to connect cables with big connectors. Fortunately, two USB ports and the headphone jack are positioned just at the edge of the panel, making them easier to reach. For video connections, there are two HDMI 2.0 ports, capped at 240 Hz, and a DisplayPort 1.4, which is the best option for G-Sync and 360 Hz displays (check out our DisplayPort vs HDMI guide for more details). Additionally, there are two more USB 3.2 downstream ports and one upstream port, giving you a total of one upstream and four downstream ports.

The AW2521H features a second 3.5mm jack for external audio, but it doesn't come with any built-in speakers.

OSD Options for Alienware AW2521H

The AW2521H has a comprehensive on-screen display (OSD) that includes all the essentials for high-performance gaming.

You can choose from nine picture presets in CS2, tailored for different game types. There are three gaming modes and a Custom Color option for fine-tuning grayscale. The gaming modes only adjust color saturation and let you modify overdrive speeds based on the game type. Performance Tip: stick with the Fast overdrive setting for all modes; it's the most effective.

Game Enhance mode offers a frame counter, countdown timers, and alignment marks for multiple screens, but it doesn't include aiming points. Response time can be adjusted using the overdrive control, and we recommend setting it to Fast for optimal performance. Dark Stabilizer improves shadow details by raising the black level. Variable Backlight is a dynamic contrast feature with three modes, where Mode 0 provides the quickest response. Each subsequent mode maintains the same dynamic range but reacts more slowly.

The AlienFX Lighting menu allows you to adjust the color, brightness, and effects for the upright and panel LEDs. You can also set up custom lighting scenarios tied to specific games using the Alienware Command Center app.

The G-Sync Processor menu lets you use the Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyzer, which displays control lag live in a window on your screen. To use it, you'll need a USB connection and must plug your mouse into the designated USB port located at the bottom edge of the panel.

ULMB is a feature that helps cut down on motion blur in CS2. To use it, you’ll need to turn off G-Sync and lower your refresh rate to 240 Hz. It automatically boosts the brightness to 100% to make up for the drop in light. When we equalized the brightness, we saw a 12% reduction starting from 200 nits. However, if you use the maximum backlight setting with G-Sync, ULMB makes it 48% dimmer, which means the brightness difference isn’t always the same. But with separate brightness controls, you can easily balance the output level, as long as you keep it under 238 nits.

Alienware AW2521H Setup Tips for CS2

You can calibrate the AW2521H in two different ways. In the three Game modes, you get color saturation controls, but there are no options for gamma or grayscale adjustments. The best option is Custom color, which features RGB sliders but lacks gamma settings. We found that using this option gave us precise color representation for both SDR and HDR content. Check out our recommended settings below.

When the AW2521H detects an HDR10 signal, it automatically switches modes. You can still tweak the RGB sliders in Custom Color mode, but we found that our SDR settings worked well for HDR too.

Gaming Experience & Review of the Alienware AW2521H

The AW2521H comes with Nvidia’s Reflex performance analyzer, providing live data on input lag and frame rates right on your screen. This feature is designed to help minimize input latency, enhancing your gameplay experience.

The AW2521H is a solid choice for gamers and also works well for daily tasks. With a 25-inch size and 1080p resolution, it displays small text and details clearly. Plus, the extra sRGB coverage ensures bright colors, making it great for gaming and watching videos. The IPS panel gives good viewing angles, so you won’t notice much color change or dimming when looking at it from the side.

We turned on the variable backlight feature in Mode 0 to boost SDR contrast a bit. The black levels aren't very deep, making darker areas appear more like dark gray. It's pretty similar to what you see on most IPS screens.

We quickly realized how fluid movement appeared. 360 Hz is incredibly fast, and even dragging windows around the desktop felt almost surreal. The jump from 240 Hz to 360 Hz is noticeable even with a casual glance.

ULMB lowers brightness by about 12% starting from 200 nits, but you can increase brightness to balance it out. This feature works up to 240 Hz and significantly enhances motion clarity. When testing with BlurBusters patterns at 360 Hz, the blur seemed minimal, but enabling ULMB at 240 Hz made everything look even smoother. So, if you’re not a fan of G-Sync, using 240 Hz with ULMB is actually better than 360 Hz. It's unfortunate that ULMB can't be used alongside G-Sync, but at 240 fps, screen tearing is hardly noticeable, making ULMB a preferred choice for some players.

In our SDR gaming session, we put in some hours playing Tomb Raider. We kept the variable backlight set to Mode 0, which enhanced the contrast a bit. The colors were vibrant and true to life, but the shadows leaned more towards gray than pure black. The AW2521H performs decently without any tweaks, but we found that our calibration settings (check them out on page 1) really make a noticeable difference.

The motion processing in this monitor is top-notch. However, we didn't find any benefits of the AW2521H compared to the Asus ROG Swift PG259QN 360Hz display. Overall, the response time is outstanding, and the motion clarity surpasses that of any 240 Hz monitor we've tested. G-Sync performed flawlessly, allowing us to frequently reach the 360 Hz limit, thanks to the GeForce RTX 3090 in our Alienware gaming setup.

We had a similar experience in Counter-Strike 2, where enabling HDR made everything look much sharper and more vibrant. The highlights and shadows really stood out, enhancing our overall visual experience. While HDR did reduce our frame rate by around 20 fps, we still saw peaks of 360 fps during intense moments. Maintaining around 300 fps was comfortable, making the gameplay feel incredibly responsive and smooth. This level of performance is definitely hard to resist.

Highlights and Details

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US, with a strong focus on tech gear, especially monitors. His journey into tech started back in 1991 when he built his first PC, a 286 that ran DOS 3.0 at a speedy 12MHz. In 2006, he trained with the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing, igniting his passion for top-notch visuals that he still pursues today. Besides tech, he's a professional musician, holding a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoon player. He played with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. In his downtime, he loves watching movies and enjoying high-quality audio in his custom home theater. He can often be found cycling on trails near his home on a high-speed ICE VTX recumbent trike. Living in sunny Florida with his wife and Chihuahua, Christian also performs with orchestras across the state.

Elwood Edwards, the iconic voice behind AOL's famous "You've got mail," has sadly passed away at the age of 74. His contributions to the tech world will be remembered.

The FEVM FN60G is a compact gaming machine that features a powerful Core i9-14900KF CPU and an RTX 4090 Laptop GPU. Its 3.8-liter chassis is just a bit smaller than the Mac Studio, making it a sleek option for gamers.

D-Link will not fix a security issue affecting more than 60,000 NAS devices. Instead, the company suggests upgrading to newer NAS models.

Final Thoughts

The AW2521H is definitely a top-tier monitor. With a price over $700, it's perfect for gamers with deep pockets who want nothing but the best. While there are other gaming monitors that offer higher resolutions or better color, none can match the speed of the Alienware AW2521H and the Asus ROG Swift PG259QN, which are similarly priced. Both monitors perform equally in key gaming aspects, but the Alienware's built-in Nvidia Reflex latency analyzer might sway some users looking for that extra edge.

When you check the input lag, it seems like a 240 Hz monitor can deliver almost the same performance. However, that 3ms screen draw time is important to consider. You can really notice the drop in motion blur if your system can push frame rates over 300 fps. The AW2521H stands out as one of the few monitors where ULMB truly shines. With almost no frame tearing at 240 Hz, ULMB could be ideal for players seeking zero motion blur.

The AW2521H is packed with features that gamers will appreciate. It offers impressive HDR performance with a contrast ratio of almost 8,000:1, rivaling some VA monitors. However, when switched to SDR mode, its contrast is just average compared to other IPS displays.

The lighting feature is a blast, allowing players to pick from a wide range of effects and colors. When paired with an Alienware gaming PC, it creates an awesome light experience. Gamers who love customization will find the Nvidia Performance Analyzer very useful. While it needs some additional hardware, there's nothing comparable on any other monitor (other 360Hz displays are said to have this feature, but they're not available yet).

You might be wondering if you really need anything beyond FHD resolution for a great gaming experience. From what we've seen, if the video processing and image quality are good, you don't need to go higher. The AW2521H offers 1920 x 1080 pixels and provides top-notch gaming performance, rivaling the Asus ROG Swift PG259QN. Is it worth the $700 price tag? If you're aiming for peak gaming performance, then it's absolutely worth it.