Frames win games. Nvidia uses that tagline for a reason: When it comes to competitive games like Counter-Strike, League of Legends, or Valorant, a few milliseconds can mean the difference between victory and defeat. But graphics cards aren’t the only part of the equation: You need a blisteringly fast monitor for maximum response times too.
Enter Alienware’s AW2524H, the first-ever monitor with an absolutely scorching 500Hz refresh rate. It’s currently on sale at Dell and Amazon for $499 for Cyber Monday, a massive discount from its usual $799 and the cheapest we’ve ever seen it going for.
This 24.5-inch speedster was built from the ground up for prime esports performance. In addition to the eye-watering 500Hz refresh rate (480Hz out of the box, but easily overclockable), this Nvidia G-Sync-equipped monitor offers response times between 0.5 and 1 milliseconds, a 1080p resolution favored by esports pros looking for peak frame rates and an IPS display that provides better color than the muted TN panels often found on high-speed monitors.
“The Alienware AW2524H is a motion clarity monster. It’s so good, in fact, that it’s hard to imagine future monitors somehow improving on this,” we said in our glowing 4-star review. “When I lean back and just play, my eyes and brain fail to interpret any motion blur at all.”
The HDR experience is underwhelming, but that isn’t a focus for competitive gamers anyway. If you’re looking for the ultimate esports monitor, the Alienware AW2524H is it – and at $499 for Cyber Monday, it’s a whole lot cheaper than normal. Don’t miss out.
Author: Brad Chacos, Executive editor
Brad Chacos spends his days digging through desktop PCs and tweeting too much. He specializes in graphics cards and gaming, but covers everything from security to Windows tips and all manner of PC hardware.