Blur Busters Forums

As you guys didn't really seem to notice (or care :p) about my reply in the other tread about this monitor, or more accurately, it's G-sync and strobing enabled counterpart, I decided it's best I make a new one, and copy my findings here.

...So I have the freesync version of the AW2518H, that is, the AW2518Hf. (mind the f)
Got it for 300 eur here in Slovakia, which is awesome, a couple of shops were selling it for that amount, so I instantly ordered one.

Will shoot a comparison video soon, which will feature the xl2411z (my old monitor), this Alienware and finally, the Acer XF270HAbmidprzx which I also found at a great price. (350 eur)

The Acer hasn't arrived yet, but when it does I'll decide which new monitor I'll keep, and which one I'll send back.

So, on to the Alienware AW2518Hf:
First off, colors compared to my xl2411z.....NO CONTEST.
Blacks are deep, browns are brown, nothing is washed out, not even on the fps preset... one simply can't make the benq look nearly as good as this one, no matter how he/she sets it up.
There's a ton of small things I appreciate about this monitor, but I'm too tired to list all of them at the moment... I'll try to include all of them in that video, but here are couple things:

Cranking up the sharpness setting on this screen to a 100 (max) doesn't introduce a white outline around objects, like it does on the xl2411z (though sharpness at that level seems to be equal to "7" on the benq...which is the sweetspot anyway imo).
The monitor doesn't turn black when switching presets. (unlike the benq)
The stand is really sturdy...whenever I press the osd buttons, the panel doesn't move at all. (as opposed again, to the benq)
The bezel on top, and the ones on the side are really thin, which makes the monitor look more... A E S T H E T I C.

Now on to the thing you guys care the most about: Motion blur.
At 960 pixels per second, and overdrive set to "Fast" (there's also super fast, and off) blur looks exactly the same as it does on the ASUS pg258q on the picture attached to the post.
*EDIT: After looking more at the picture, I've realised it's slightly better than the ASUS, the white dots in the red area are more "separate", and the black dots are also more crisp.
Very, very slight blue trail moving after the ufo, just as on the ASUS, and the same clarity as on the ASUS.
The "Super fast" overdrive setting doesn't really make the ufo clearer, just adds more overshoot.
Also, the monitor feels more responsive compared to the xl2411z, even when both are running at 144hz.
Make of that what you will...maybe it's down to signal processing... idk, I'm not equipped with the tools required to test that.

Ask me anything.

A Solid lad wrote:Cranking up the sharpness setting on this screen to a 100 (max) doesn't introduce a white outline around objects, like it does on the xl2411z (though sharpness at that level seems to be equal to "7" on the benq...which is the sweetspot anyway imo).

Btw whats the point of tweaking sharpness? In my case (LG) it makes text look ugly when maxed out.

Does this monitor have strobing?
And sure, post pics!
www.testufo.com/ghosting , just pursuit with hand.

I, myself can see text and enemies at longer distances way better, with a higher sharpness setting... so the point is, less strain on my eyes, and easier target acquisition.
The game in which I found the higher sharpness really gives an advantege is Battlefield 3. There's a lot of long distance engagements happening on maps like Caspian border, where it really makes seeing far away stuff easier.

But since the higher you go with sharpness, the more noticeable that shimmering white outline becomes around text and objects, you have to find a good medium, which imo, happens to be 7 on the Benq xl2411z.

Nop, no strobing on the freesync version.

But other than that, I find the experience superb with this monitor, a nice upgrade over the 2411z, in practically every way...
feels more responsive, has considerably less motion blur, WAY less overshoot when using any overdrive setting, way better colors and contrast, sturdier stand, better OSD, better buttons...
The only objective fault I can find with this monitor is that the stand's legs extend a bit too much to the side, which limits how close you can put your mousepad to the monitor. A partial solution for that was turning the stand itself as much to the left as I could, while still having the panel face me... that way I have more space to the right of the monitor.

where ya from btw?

I'm from Russla, a competitive Overwatch player.

I'm in Canada.

Blur Busters has readers from over 150 countries in the world, being the only site to exclusively focus on "Better Than 60 Hz".

Unexpectedly, 6.5% of BlurBusters.com and >9% of TestUFO.com comes from China.

k2viper wrote:www.testufo.com/ghosting , just pursuit with hand.

Pursuiting by hand is extremely tough to do accurately, and most end-users tend not to be able to do so, but if you do so, use a smartphone.

Use an app that adjusts your camera exposure to 1/30sec for 120Hz, 1/40sec for 144Hz or 1/60sec for 240Hz.

Keep trying until the ladder track looks the same as you saw it by human eye -- similar to the pictures in the bottom half of http://www.blurbusters.com/pursuit-camera

The sync track (horizontal ladders in ghosting) is your confirmation that your motion blur photography is accurate (WYSIWYG motion blur capture).

But try it anyway! It's fun for some people, keep trying (20 or 30 hand-waved-smartphone attempts) until you successfully capture a solid-enough ladder in the photo that looks the same as you saw with your human eye. Try twisting your waist or spinning your chair instead of moving your arm. Your rail-less pursuit photograph will be better. That keeps your camera steady as you try to track your smartphone. Track your smartphone not too close, not too far, and if necessary, use a little smartphone zoom to see the preview screen better.

k2viper wrote:Btw whats the point of tweaking sharpness? In my case (LG) it makes text look ugly when maxed out.

I don't like it myself but I have heard of competitive players muck about with Overdrive and Sharpess as a "visual aid" for spotting enemies in game. Basically the bright fringe/corona effects is like a "halo" around enemies that highlights them better. (Um.... Halo? Pun intended!)

The picture looks ugly, but people mess their picture anyway, such as the gamma-bleaching settings that makes shadows brighter. Easier to see enemies, but makes colors worse. Using the overdrive/sharpness features is a similar (different) tactic since some monitors behave in a way that those settings helps highlight enemies better. Unorthodox trick. It depends on the game, however.

Chief Blur Buster wrote:I'm in Canada.

Blur Busters has readers from over 150 countries in the world, being the only site to exclusively focus on "Better Than 60 Hz".

Unexpectedly, 6.5% of BlurBusters.com and >9% of TestUFO.com comes from China.

Great job creating and keeping up such useful and helpful site and forum! Its actually the only one focused on modern display technologies.

Btw what actually sharpness do? I do see a visual effect, is it an agressive overdrive?

Thanks!

k2viper wrote:Btw what actually sharpness do? I do see a visual effect, is it an agressive overdrive?

It's not overdrive.
It's just artificial image processing -- basically it enhances contrast between edges.
The artifact is ringing artifacts around objects.
Home theater purists hate it.

Sharpness-processing differs on different displays. On some displays, it sort of looks like a "halo effect".

Sometimes it looks so bad it doesn't help gameplay but some competitive players like to "abuse" the Sharpness setting as a spotting aid to see camoflaged objects better.