DELL Alienware Alienware AW2524H Gaming Monitor - 24.5-inch 480Hz Review

The Alienware AW2524H is a 24.5-inch, 480Hz gaming monitor built for one thing: winning. It offers incredible motion clarity for competitive esports, but its high price and 1080p resolution make it a hard sell for anyone who isn't a professional or aspiring pro player.

If you're hunting for the absolute fastest gaming monitor money can buy, the Alienware AW2524H is probably on your radar. It's a 24.5-inch, 1080p display with a native 480Hz refresh rate that can overclock to 500Hz, making it one of the quickest panels available. This thing is built for one purpose: to give competitive esports players and FPS fanatics every possible frame-time advantage. While its $775 to $1255 price tag is steep for a 1080p monitor, you're paying for that top-of-the-charts speed and the NVIDIA Reflex Latency Analyzer built right in.

This monitor is fast. Really fast. In our testing, its motion clarity at 480Hz is a standout, making fast-paced games like Valorant or Counter-Strike 2 look supremely fluid. The 0.5ms GtG response time effectively eliminates ghosting and blur. The 400-nit brightness and 99% sRGB color coverage are solid for a high-refresh-rate IPS panel, landing in the 89th percentile for color accuracy in its class. That means colors are consistent and accurate, though it's not a creative workstation panel. The performance score is one of the best on the market, but it's important to note that to actually see a benefit from 480Hz, you need a PC that can consistently push framerates that high.

The value proposition here is narrow. At a price spread of $775 to $1255, this is a premium purchase for a 1080p screen. You're paying a hefty premium for that 480Hz refresh rate and the esports-focused features. If you're a competitive player where every millisecond counts, it might be justifiable. For everyone else, a high-quality 240Hz or 360Hz monitor will offer a fantastic experience for several hundred dollars less. Shop around, as we've seen the price vary by nearly $500 between vendors.

This monitor sits in a niche. Compared to the ASUS ROG Swift 27" 4K 240Hz, you're trading resolution and screen size for raw speed. The ASUS is better for immersive, high-fidelity gaming, while the Alienware is for pure competitive play. Against the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9, you're looking at a completely different beast: an ultrawide for immersion versus a compact tool for reaction times. Even the MSI MPG 322URX QD-OLED, with its 4K 240Hz OLED panel, offers a better all-around experience for mixed use, though at a similar or higher price. The Alienware's closest competitor is other 480Hz monitors like the ASUS ROG Swift 540Hz, where the battle comes down to panel tuning and extra features.

Skip this monitor if you play a mix of game genres, value high-resolution visuals for single-player adventures, or do any content creation. Its small 1080p screen and high cost are poor fits for general use. Instead, look at 27-inch 1440p 240Hz monitors or 4K 120Hz+ OLED displays for a better all-around experience. If you're on a budget but want high refresh rates, a good 240Hz monitor will save you hundreds of dollars with minimal real-world performance loss for most players.

Should you buy the Alienware AW2524H? Only if you're a serious competitive gaster and your hardware can reliably push framerates above 360 FPS in the games you play. For that specific person, this monitor delivers a tangible, best-in-class advantage in motion clarity and system latency. For anyone else—casual gamers, content creators, or people who enjoy story-driven games—this is an overpriced and overly specialized tool. You'd be much happier with a high-refresh-rate 1440p or 4K monitor that offers a better balance of speed, resolution, and visual quality for the money.