The Dell Alienware AW2523HF is a 25-inch, 1080p gaming monitor with a 360Hz refresh rate that's part of Dell's Alienware lineup. It replaces the Dell Alienware AW2521HF, which has a 240Hz refresh rate, and it's older than the Dell Alienware AW2524H, which has native G-SYNC support. It has all the features you'd expect in a gaming monitor, like native VRR support and G-SYNC compatibility, and it has a few extra gaming modes that allow you to add a virtual crosshair or use night vision that your system won't detect, giving you a competitive advantage in games. It also has some other perks, like an ergonomic stand and a USB hub with four USB-A ports.
Our Verdict
The Dell AW2523HF is decent for PC gaming. It has a high 360Hz refresh rate with VRR support, which is great for even competitive gamers. It also has low input lag for a responsive feel, and motion looks sharp thanks to its consistently fast response time. While it provides good pure gaming performance, games don't look life-like due to its 1080p resolution, low contrast ratio, and lack of local dimming.
- 360Hz refresh rate with VRR support.
- Consistently fast response time.
- Low input lag.
- Low native contrast ratio.
- Highlights don't pop in HDR.
The Dell AW2523HF is disappointing for console gaming. It can't take full advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as it lacks HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and is limited to a 1080p resolution. It also has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray, and it lacks a local dimming feature to further improve it. That said, gaming feels responsive thanks to its low input lag, and it has a consistently fast response time.
- Consistently fast response time.
- Low input lag.
- Limited 1080p resolution.
- Low native contrast ratio.
- Can't take full advantage of consoles.
The Dell AW2523HF is decent for the office. It's good to use if you don't mind a small screen, as the 25-inch size isn't big enough to multitask with multiple windows open, and it has a limited 1080p resolution, so text isn't very sharp. Luckily, it has wide viewing angles that make the image remain consistent from the sides, and it's good for use in well-lit rooms because the reflection handling is great, and it gets bright enough to fight glare.
- Bright enough to fight glare in SDR.
- Great reflection handling.
- Excellent ergonomics.
- Limited 1080p resolution.
- Small 25-inch screen.
The Dell AW2523HF is okay for content creators. It has good accuracy before calibration, but without an sRGB mode, colors are oversaturated in the common sRGB color space, and you need to calibrate it for the best accuracy. Also, with a 1080p resolution and 25-inch screen size, it's hard to multitask, and the image clarity is just decent. While it's good for use in bright rooms thanks to its high brightness, it's bad for use in dark rooms as blacks look gray.
- Bright enough to fight glare in SDR.
- Great reflection handling.
- Excellent ergonomics.
- Good accuracy before calibration.
- Limited 1080p resolution.
- Small 25-inch screen.
- Low native contrast ratio.
- No dedicated sRGB mode.
The Dell AW2523HF has good brightness. It gets bright enough to fight glare in a well-lit room, but highlights don't pop in HDR.
- Bright enough to fight glare in SDR.
- Highlights don't pop in HDR.
The Dell AW2523HF has good response time. Its response time is consistently fast across its entire refresh rate range, but it still has some blur with fast-moving objects.
- Consistently fast response time.
- Still some blur with fast-moving objects.
The Dell AW2523HF has disappointing picture quality in HDR. It has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray in the dark, and it lacks a local dimming feature. It also fails to display a wide range of colors, so images don't look life-like.
- Low native contrast ratio.
- No local dimming.
The Dell AW2523HF has mediocre SDR picture quality. With a low contrast ratio, blacks look gray in the dark, and while it displays a wide range of colors in the sRGB color space, it has more limited coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used in professional publishing.
- Displays wide range of colors.
- Low native contrast ratio.
The Dell AW2523HF has great color accuracy. Although it lacks an sRGB mode, it still has good color accuracy, but you need to calibrate it for the best accuracy.
- Good accuracy before calibration.
- No dedicated sRGB mode.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Feb 21, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.0.1. This includes a new test result for DisplayPort 2.1 Transmission Bandwidth.
- Updated Jul 30, 2024: Updated text throughout the review according to Test Bench 2.0, mainly in the Verdict and Motion sections.
- Updated Jul 26, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.0. This includes new tests for VRR Motion Performance, Refresh Rate Compliance, Cumulative Absolute Deviation (CAD), and VRR Flicker. You can read the full changelog here.
- Updated Apr 18, 2023: Added that the Dell Alienware AW2524H is another gaming monitor that has native G-SYNC Variable Refresh Rate support instead.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 25-inch Dell AW2523HF, which is the only size available for this monitor, and the results are only valid for this model. There are similar models in the Alienware lineup, like the Dell Alienware AW2521HF and the Dell Alienware AW2521H, but they're different, and you can see the differences between them below.
| Model Code | Size | Resolution | Max Refresh Rate | VRR |
| AW2523HF | 25" | 1080p | 360Hz | FreeSync |
| AW2521HF | 25" | 1080p | 240Hz | FreeSync |
| AW2521H | 25" | 1080p | 360Hz | G-SYNC |
Our unit was manufactured in June 2022; you can see the label here. We tested it with firmware M3T104.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Dell Alienware AW2523HF is an esports gaming monitor with a 1080p resolution and 360Hz refresh rate. It's a great choice for competitive gaming thanks to its consistently fast response time, low input lag, and VRR support. It's an upgrade over the Dell Alienware AW2521HF, and it's a good alternative to the Dell Alienware AW2521H if you have an AMD graphics card and don't need the native G-SYNC support. However, there are cheaper 240Hz monitors available that are also great for gaming, like the ViewSonic XG2431, so only get this monitor if you're going to use the full refresh rate range.
See our recommendations for the best gaming monitors, the best 1080p monitors, and the best 24-25-inch monitors.
The Dell Alienware AW2523HF is the replacement for the Dell Alienware AW2521HF and improves on it in a few ways. Firstly, the AW2523HF has a higher 360Hz refresh rate and better motion handling with 120Hz and 60Hz signals. The AW2523HF is also better for console gaming because it has a Console Mode that downscales 4k images, which the AW2521HF doesn't have. Lastly, the AW2523HF supports HDR, which the AW2521HF doesn't, but because of its low peak brightness and low contrast, it doesn't deliver a satisfying HDR experience.
The Dell Alienware AW2523HF and the BenQ ZOWIE XL2566K deliver a very similar experience. The Dell has a much better viewing angle, delivering a more consistent visual experience when viewed at an angle. The Dell gets brighter in SDR to overcome more glare in a bright room. The BenQ has a more customizable gaming experience and more consistent motion handling than the Dell, especially at lower refresh rates.
The Dell Alienware AW2523HF and the BenQ ZOWIE XL2546X are both designed for esports gamers. However, the Dell is the better monitor. It has a higher refresh rate for a smoother feel, is better at overcoming glare, and supports HDR for a more vivid image. Like the BenQ, fast-moving objects look crisp on the Dell.
The Dell Alienware AW2523HF and the Dell Alienware AW2521H are both great 360Hz gaming monitors with a few differences. The AW2521H has native G-SYNC support, while the AW2523HF has native FreeSync support. It gives you a few extra features if you have an NVIDIA graphics card, like NVIDIA's Reflex Latency Analyzer to measure the latency of your entire setup, and the FreeSync support on the AW2523HF is beneficial if you have an AMD graphics card. On the other hand, the AW2523HF is better for console gaming because it has a Console Mode that downscales 4k images, which the AW2521H doesn't have.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
Test Results
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