360Hz and 4K in one sub-$500 27-inch gaming monitor

The Alienware AW2725QF is a doubtlessly massively interesting gaming monitor, providing what may very well be the best stability of options for a lot of avid gamers. Its 27-inch display measurement packs in a pin-sharp 4K decision that the show can run at as much as 180Hz, for easy visuals in most video games. For those who then wish to transfer your gaming up a gear, although, you possibly can swap this panel to a 1080p decision with as much as a 360Hz refresh fee, hich is in idea best for aggressive first individual shooters.

With a surprisingly modest asking worth, this versatility is sufficient to earn this IPS LCD show a spot on our greatest gaming monitor information, nevertheless it’s not with out some key shortcomings, so learn on to seek out out why this Alienware show would possibly or won’t be for you.

Specs

Design

Regardless of Alienware’s storied historical past of untamed and wacky designs, the AW2725QF is a largely good and understated-looking show. Its matte black plastic end, slim bezels, and compact stand give it a reasonably unobtrusive look from the entrance, with simply the Alienware brand on the underside bezel standing out.

Around the again, although, are some pretty distinguished illuminated sections that present the quantity 27 and the Alienware alien head brand. These may be backlit with RGB lighting of your selection, and you’ll set the brightness excessive sufficient to create a fairly seen wash of shade on any wall you may need behind the display.

The panel isn’t notably skinny, however as an LCD slightly than an OLED display, that is to be anticipated, because it requires sufficient depth to suit a backlight behind the panel. The bezels are good and slim, although.

With regards to practicalities, the AW2725QF is well-appointed. Its stand affords top, rotation, pivot, and tilt actions and may be eliminated to disclose a 100 x 100mm VESA mount to be used with monitor arms. The show additionally affords easy-to-access USB ports on the underside of the entrance bezel. These can be best for connecting your keyboard and mouse, besides having plugs hanging down out of your show isn’t essentially the most elegant look, so we’d reserve these for extra occasional use, resembling plugging in USB thumb drives and charging cables.

Options

Persevering with with the ports on this panel, the show features a complete of 4 USB ports, all of which help USB 3.2 Gen 1 speeds, with three USB-A sockets and a USB-C connector. Two of the ports sit on the again of the panel, the place they’re all straightforward to entry, and so they sit alongside the show inputs and energy socket. The latter makes use of a mains IEC C13 socket with an influence provide contained in the panel, so there’s no awkward energy brick for which it’s essential discover a residence.

The video inputs are DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1, which implies all of the inputs can attain the highest decision and refresh fee combos on supply by this show. Nevertheless, you don’t get a USB-C enter for video, so it’s not essentially the most handy possibility for pairing with a laptop computer.

In the meantime, we’ve usually discovered that the IPS LCD tech used on this panel affords the very best stability of nice viewing angles, correct shade replica, and respectable response time, in comparison with TN and VA panels. TN-type panels have quicker response instances however worse viewing angles, whereas VA panels have a deeper distinction however slower response time, usually. You’ll find out extra concerning the variations in our IPS vs VA information.

The mix of a 27-inch display and 4K decision additionally nets you an ultrasharp pixel density of 163 pixels per inch (ppi), which compares to 110ppi for a extra typical 1440p decision on a 27-inch display. Flip the monitor into its 1080p mode, although, and this drops to 81ppi, making for a a lot much less sharp picture, fairly clearly. Nevertheless, crucially, the 1080p mode right here is way sharper than operating 1080p on a 32-inch panel, such because the LG Ultragear 32GS95UE – a show that additionally affords a dual-resolution mode.

Based on Dell/Alienware, this IPS panel can hit a distinction ratio of 1,000:1, obtain a response time of as much as 0.05ms, hit a full-screen most brightness of 450cd/m², and canopy 95% of the DCI-P3 shade area, all of that are typical figures for a contemporary IPS display.

The DCI-P3 shade area protection ensures the panel can supply the broader, extra vivid shade vary of HDR, however its 1,000:1 distinction ratio means you don’t get a very sturdy distinction between the brightest and darkest elements of a picture. For those who’re after extra impactful HDR replica, you’ll wish to hunt down an OLED panel or an LCD panel with a number of backlight zones, slightly than the uniform backlight used right here.

That top most brightness does at the least imply that this panel can supply a fairly sturdy HDR picture when it comes to the distinction between its brightest full-screen moments and its darkest – the panel will modulate its general backlight brightness from body to border, to match the HDR content material.

Other than the video inputs, USB ports, and the show itself, the AW2725QF doesn’t supply an enormous quantity in the best way of extras. Nevertheless, it does have a pop-out headphone stand, with an arm that’s really lengthy sufficient to maintain the headphones from overlaying a part of your display.

Nevertheless, you don’t get any notably notable gaming options in its menus, and it omits not simply audio system however even a headphone output too, so that you’ll want a set of the very best laptop audio system or among the finest gaming headsets to accompany this display.

Onscreen show menu

For a model identified for its sturdy designs, the onscreen menus on the Alienware AW2725QF are surprisingly monotone and utilitarian. You simply get a clear, easy number of choices for tweaking the picture high quality and gaming efficiency of the panel.

Faucet the only mini joystick on the again of the panel and also you’re greeted by an preliminary fast menu. You possibly can scroll left and proper to enter fast menus for brightness management, altering shade modes, and switching inputs, or in case you simply faucet the joystick straightaway once more it can provoke the display’s dual-mode decision switching trick.

The bigger 32-inch LG 32GS95UE has the choice to have its 1080p mode proven at full display, 27-inch, or 24-inch modes, however that’s not accessible right here. You simply get the one full-screen 1080p mode.

The primary menu settings to look out for are the overclock mode, which helps you to take the show from its default of 165Hz at 4K as much as 180Hz. The overdrive setting can also be essential for getting the very best efficiency out of the panel, with the default Quick mode providing a barely slower common response time however with no shade overshoot, whereas the Tremendous Quick and Excessive overdrive settings supply barely quicker response instances with the compromise of a little bit little bit of shade overshoot.

Picture high quality

The default picture high quality of the panel we examined was largely superb, so far as IPS LCD panels go. The panel’s shade stability is good, so the show doesn’t look too blue or too yellow, as an example. In the meantime, its most brightness really far exceeds its rated stage, registering 522cd/m², to make for a panel that holds up even in brilliant sunlit rooms. The panel’s distinction additionally exceeded its ranking, hitting 1,212:1, making for a barely punchier picture general.

One slight flaw that holds again its picture high quality, although, is the noticeable IPS glow. That’s the place, regardless that you possibly can nonetheless clearly see the show’s picture with accurate-looking colours when seen from an angle (not like a TN panel the place colours can invert when seen from sure angles), the colours are washed out by the backlight glowing by means of the picture, as you possibly can see within the picture under.

It’s largely not an issue for watching brighter pictures, however for darker scenes – such because the opening nighttime setting of Stalker 2 or any film set within the darkness of area – the glow generally is a little bit of a distraction except you’re sitting completely straight on.

As you would possibly anticipate, this additionally impacts the affect of HDR, with the distinction between inky blacks and dazzling brilliant colours being the primary level of HDR. Right here, whereas the panel delivers the extra vivid colours of HDR, it doesn’t actually have that contrasty wow issue that makes OLEDs and multi-zone backlight LCD screens so coveted.

The display’s matte slightly than shiny coating additionally doesn’t assist while you’re viewing darkish content material in brighter environments. Matte coatings have usually been most popular for a few years, as they cut back the dazzle of reflections, however they’ll additionally make darkish colours look barely grey in brighter lighting, because the roughness of the floor catches ambient mild.

Matte coatings may also introduce a slight fuzziness that’s notably noticeable on plain white backgrounds, and certain sufficient, that’s noticeable right here. Nevertheless, matte coatings are nonetheless typical for LCD panels and the one right here isn’t notably dangerous by any means, and it does cope with brilliant mild dazzle nicely.

As for the decision choices accessible with this display, as you’d anticipate, the crispness of the picture with the panel in its 4K mode is great. Textual content seems pin-sharp, and 4K video games and video look gorgeous. The one draw back, in case you can contemplate it that, is that 4K on a comparatively small display resembling that is that you must use Home windows scaling to make textual content and icons readable, and utilizing the default 150% scaling (above proper) possibility in Home windows doesn’t offer you a lot desktop area. You should utilize 125% or 100% scaling (above left), however for most folk this can make objects seem too small.

Switching to the 1080p mode and, understandably, sharpness will not be all that spectacular. You possibly can see the distinction between 4K at 150% textual content high quality and 1080p textual content high quality within the picture above. Notably, textual content and picture high quality generally isn’t fairly as sharp right here as on a local 1080p 27-inch show, nevertheless it’s nonetheless okay. Furthermore, you’re not meant to be studying with the display on this mode. As an alternative, it’s meant for under these moments while you need peak 360Hz gaming efficiency, and it’s lots sharp sufficient in these cases.

What’s extra, switching to 360Hz mode doesn’t affect the show’s picture high quality an excessive amount of in some other method. Distinction stays excessive and colours nonetheless look correct, so you possibly can confidently simply swap forwards and backwards with out worrying about adjusting the colours for every mode.

Gaming efficiency

The Alienware AW2725QF’s gaming efficiency is usually pretty much as good as you’d anticipate from the refresh fee/decision combos it could possibly ship. Nevertheless, it’s not fairly pretty much as good as you would possibly hope in some areas.

With regards to 4K gaming, the sharp, contrasty, and color-accurate picture of this panel, mixed with its as much as 180Hz refresh fee, actually makes for a improbable expertise in a variety of video games. The overwhelming majority of sport genres don’t want greater than 180Hz to really feel satisfyingly easy, so you possibly can bask in wonderful visuals however nonetheless maintain that responsive really feel.

Utilizing the show’s default Quick overdrive setting, the response time of the panel in 4K 180Hz mode is a good 5.2ms in line with our exams utilizing an OSRTT instrument. This isn’t lightning fast for an IPS panel, nevertheless it’s quick sufficient to make sure that the display’s pixels can, on common, change shade rapidly sufficient to maintain up with the 5.5ms time for which every body is proven when operating at 180Hz.

After we come to this show’s twin 1080p mode, although, this show’s gaming invoice of well being earns just a few purple marks of concern. For essentially the most half, the soar as much as 360Hz is clearly perceptible and the show offers a quick really feel that lends video games resembling Counter-Strike or Apex Legends an additional sense of responsiveness.

Nevertheless, the precise response time of the panel’s pixels doesn’t enhance a lot on this mode. On the default Quick overdrive setting, the response time averages 4.8ms, which is significantly longer than the two.8ms at which every body is displayed when operating at 360Hz. Meaning you get extra seen ghostly trails of still-changing pixels when the picture strikes rapidly. They’re removed from the worst trails, as 4.8ms continues to be a good response time, nevertheless it’s a far cry from how the 480Hz of the LG Ultragear 32GS95UE feels with that OLED panel’s sub-0.1ms response time.

Up the overdrive of the panel to Excessive and the response time drops to 4.1ms, which is a good common enchancment, although it nonetheless falls nicely in need of guaranteeing the typical pixel shade change occurs throughout the time of 1 body.

None of this outright condemns the AW2725QF to not being price consideration, however we’ve examined IPS LCD displays earlier than that ship significantly faster response instances. The AOC AG274QG, as an example, hits 3.3ms at its 240Hz refresh fee, and that’s with a 1440p decision, so we all know it’s doable to get a faster panel.

Value

The Alienware AW2725QF worth is simply $549, making it a really tempting possibility contemplating all the pieces it delivers. There may need been a substantial drop in worth for 27-inch, quick refresh fee LCD displays lately, however the mixture right here of a 4K decision and the twin 360Hz/1080p mode isn’t frequent, so it’s good to see Dell/Alienware not charging an enormous premium for it.

Alternate options

LG Ultragear 32GS95UE

For those who don’t thoughts upping your funds significantly, the LG Ultragear 32GS95UE affords all the pieces that appeals concerning the Alienware AW2725QF, and an entire lot extra. Its display measurement is a bigger 32-inch format, whereas its panel tech switches to OLED for gorgeous picture high quality and an ultra-fast gaming response time. You additionally get larger refresh charges of 240Hz at 4K and 480Hz at 1080p.

Verdict

Simply a few years in the past, earlier than OLED gaming displays disrupted the market, a 27-inch IPS gaming monitor that would do each 4K at 180Hz and 1080p at 360Hz would have been near the best gaming display for a lot of patrons. The mix doesn’t have fairly the identical caché nowadays nevertheless it nonetheless makes for a genuinely helpful general mixture.

One explicit enchantment can also be that using LCD right here means there aren’t any considerations about OLED display burn-in. You should utilize this panel for eight hours of labor each day, with the Home windows taskbar not shifting an inch, and it gained’t hurt the panel in any respect. Textual content high quality and normal readability and picture high quality are additionally wonderful, making it a sensible display for all types of labor and play.

All that and the worth of this panel is basically aggressive. Sure, you may get 240Hz, 1440p, 27-inch IPS gaming displays for $200-$300 nowadays, however the additional decision with the 360Hz/1080p possibility provides you a number of versatility for not an enormous quantity extra.

There are just a few main caveats, although. The primary is that the mixture of IPS glow and “solely” a measured distinction ratio of 1,200:1 means this show merely can’t compete with OLED panels for HDR gaming and watching video. However most regarding of all is the comparatively sluggish response time of the panel.

Contemplating it could possibly run at as much as 360Hz, the bottom common response time of 4.1ms isn’t nice. So, in case you actually do want or need the actually tournament-grade responsive really feel, you’ll nonetheless be higher off with a separate TN LCD 1080p panel, if OLED isn’t an possibility inside your funds.