Alienware AW2518HF 24.5 Inch TN Gaming Monitor (Black Grey) (1 ms Response Time, Full HD 1920 x 1080 at 240 Hz, AMD Free-Sync, DP/HDMI, USB)

I've been doing much research in the last few weeks to understand which gaming monitor to buy: TN, VA, IPS display panel technology came up more than once. There are pros and cons for each type of panel technology and I was very confused. I knew I needed a 1ms response time and ideally a larger resolution than 1080p, however as soon as you introduce 144Hz+ alongside the 1ms response time and 1080p+ resolution, you're already around the £400+ price mark. Not something I was willing to pay. Initially I read reviews on TN panels and how they aren't colour accurate and appear washed out and don't provide deep blacks. My previous monitor was the excellent LG Ultrawidescreen 25UM58 25 inch IPS, 5ms, 60Hz. It was perfect in image quality for me and the resolution was just right at 2560x1080. Working on an ultra widescreen is a huge benefit, however with that monitor, the response times were nowhere near what I needed for smooth fast competitive gaming. After reading much reviews on recommended monitors, the Alienware AW2518HF frequently was referred to as one of the best 1080p monitors in the category. Granted £300 is still a lot of money for a monitor in my opinion, especially with higher resolutions becoming the norm, however you also need the backing of powerful hardware to be able to maximise frame rates at 1440p+ resolutions. I took the gamble and was convinced that the Alienware would be the best option for me at the price I wanted, also at 240Hz, I couldn't go wrong. Here are my thoughts after owning this for around 6 months.Neutral:- Packaging is HUGE! The box and packaging are excessively big in my opinion.Pros:- THIN bezels - You forget that they are even there!- The screen looks big because of the small bezels- 240Hz - Blisteringly fast response times. Ideal for FPS games (Apex Legends, Titanfall 2 etc). Everything is sooo fluid.- Excellent build quality all around except the attachable back cover which feels very plastic- Stand is solid, very firm and doesn't wobble the screen even if the desk shakes. There is also a convenient cable management tunnel within the stand- Height adjustable stand design. The monitor positioned can easily be moved if you apply gentle pressure above or below the monitor- 3 Year Premium Dell Support - Defective monitors replaced within 1 business day- Customisable UI - You can change button assignments to your liking- OSD Options - There are many on screen display options to change the way you use your monitor. Even an FPS counter!- USB 3 ports built inCons:*Quite a few of the points I am going to mention are obvious, however these are my (personal) honest thoughts*- TN Display - My daughter pointed out that if sitting too low or at an angle, the screen becomes harder to see. Ideally you want to be looking straight at the screen. You the screen doesn't fade when looking at it from slight angles.- 1080p resolution - Yes I know, I shouldn't complain about this, but there is a voice inside me that says the size warrants a higher resolution. The screen just doesn't look sharp.- Colours are not as vivid as IPS displays and appear slightly washed out. Not a major issue and because this is a TN display and I expected this. Blacks are not deep back and reds don't pop as much as I am used to with IPS and OLED screens again my previous experience. But otherwise the colours are nice and image quality is definitely brilliant.- Size and resolution make pixels look large and noticeable if you are coming from higher resolution/ dpi screens- No built in speakers - Not a big issue , but for the price you'd expect a little extra here- Different to the models sold in the US? Every review I've seen shows an LED light in the top rear part of the monitor. This has no lighting.- Attachable back cover doesn't seem to lock in place. Push one side and the other pops out (see picture). Maybe I have too many cables coming out the back.Conclusion:- Overall I couldn't recommend this monitor enough! If you need a monitor for fast paced gaming with excellent image quality then this is the monitor for you! Everything about this thing screams quality and I have yet to be disappointed about something with it. After seeing reviews for gaming monitors and common problems like light bleeding and white ghosting, I'm so glad I did my research and chose this one. I managed to grab myself the perfect gaming monitor first time round. Very pleased! I saw that alienware recently released a new model of this. 240hz IPS! I'd love to check that out once this monitor passes its expiry date.

I tried a couple of high refresh rate monitors, but this one was so far the best one. The colors and gamma out of the box are nearly perfect. It has 2 x HDMI 2.0 and can do 240hz over HDMI. Trick is to go and select PC 1080 resolution inside the nvidia control panel. Now with the updated nvidia driver it can also do adaptive sync, which is stunning and only over DisplayPort. I moved from a 60hz monitor and the difference even at 120hz is night and day, and it unreal at 240hz. I can read text while scrolling. FPS games feel much better when aiming and tracking fast moving targets. There is minuscule to none ghosting and the picture if very sharp. I cannot see myself going back.The monitor itself has a fairly thin bezel and looks very clean. The stand is huge and I mean huge. The box it comes in can fit about two and half of your regular 24" dell monitors. Stand is very slick and sturdy as well. There is a panel that can be attached on the back of the monitor to keep the cables tidy. The on-screen menu is similar to other dell monitors with some extra stuff. For example, game enhancements like FPS counter and timers. There are different color presets, black stabilization, overdrive (what is the point?). 4 of the 6 menu buttons can be remapped any of the functions for quick access. At the bottom center of the monitor there are 2 x USB 3.0 ports and audio jack, which is very convenient.

Picture quality is very good for a TN panel - should note that it seems like a lottery trying to get the best picture quality out of any monitor panel.Out the box quality not the best see monitor review sites for the best settings.Alot of features such as super fast response time great for shooter games such as fortnite.240hz requires a DP 2.0 standard cable HDMI does not support that many hz.Stand sturdy, but feels sharp enough so be careful picking the monitor up and moving it - it is also quiteThe stand has good features ie height adjustment, tilt etc. the stand is massive takes space on a desk for sure looking into buying a monitor stand to have more room on my desk.240hz requires a pc capable of 240hz - such as a 1070ti or above. My vega 56 doesn't reach 240hz in many titles but does in others. Free sync technology only works with AMD graphics cards, if you have an nvidia card the free sync feature will not work for you.Had no problems with the monitor and thus no experience with alienware/dells customer service departments.See tft central for an extensive breakdown on monitor specs, calibration etc.Love this monitor just need an IPS 1440p display for RPGs and photoshop work and i'm.all set

For this price - its a great 240Hz monitor. I have the FreeSync version and I have it working with G-Sync.The stand is very large though - you will need a deep desk!I'm strongly considering getting rid of that massive stand and getting a VESA mount just to push that screen back towards the wall because it's in my face right now.Don't expect high DPI or super vivid colours. Think of this as a "standard looking" (like most office monitors) 1080p screen that can do 240Hz. If you want a fast and beautiful sccreen you will need to pay a lot more!The most important thing is the 240Hz refresh rate. It completely removed eye fatigue associated with gaming - it's a pleasure to play games on this, you just need a good PC to take advantage of this!