Alienware AW2720HF 240Hz Gaming Monitor Review

Color and picture accuracy is hugely important when it comes to gaming – even more so if you’re looking for the highest levels of immersion. With that in mind, we’ll be putting the AW2720HF through its paces to see how it stacks up in this particular department – testing it in a number of different presets and finishing with a full calibration and color accuracy test.

Out of the box, Alienware says this monitor offers 99% sRGB and 75% Adobe RGB color gamut coverage. That means this monitor should be excellent for general viewing and some video/photo editing – if using the sRGB color spectrum.

Of course, we’ll be testing this theory to see how accurate the panel truly is. All tests were performed at 120 candelas to ensure a level playing field across all presets – not to mention any comparable monitors we use.

Preset	White Point	Black Depth	Contrast Ratio	Average ΔE*00	Gamma
IDEAL	6500K	0.00cd/m²	Infinite	0.00	2.2
Standard (Out The Box)	6520K	0.1154 cd/m²	1043.4:1	2.26	2.42
Warm Preset	6176K	0.1155 cd/m²	1037:1	2.18	2.42
Game 1 Preset	6291K	0.1142 cd/m²	1053:1	2.2	2.42
Custom Preset	6286K	0.1158 cd/m²	1053.9:1	2.19	2.42
Cool Preset	9351K	0.1467 cd/m²	817:1	2.64	2.35

As always, we started off with a ‘straight out the box’ test. The brightness was set to 100% (385 candelas) and was far too bright. We quickly reduced the brightness to around 26% (120 candelas) and began the testing.

The results of the OOT settings were extremely encouraging, offering perfect whites and a 1043:1 contrast ratio. Black depth was 0.11 which was still decent and the average color delta sat at around 2.26 – pretty good considering this monitor is not tailored towards color accuracy.

We moved onto several over presets and the results were almost identical across the board. White point was always very good as was black depth. Average delta saw a high of 2.64 (cool preset) and the contrast ratio was solid for every preset other than cool. For a monitor that targets gaming performance over colors, I was very happy with the results I was seeing right out of the box. Remember, these were all pre-calibrated results.

Preset	White Point	Black Depth	Contrast Ratio	Average ΔE*00	Maximum ΔE*00	Gamma
IDEAL	6500K	0.00cd/m²	Infinite	0.00	0.00	2.2
Warm Preset (In-depth)	6567K	0.1157 cd/m²	1039.9:1	2.2	5.42	2.41
Custom Calibrated (In-depth)	6498K	0.1411 cd/m²	845.1:1	0.27	1.34	2.2

At this stage, we always like to take the most accurate preset and run a more comprehensive color test to see whether the color delta spikes. For the AW2720HF, that was the warm preset. The results of the in-depth test were fairly similar to that of the shorter test, however, we did get a maximum delta reading of 5.42 – which, considering the circumstances, was very good.

We wasted no time in calibrating the monitor after this test. We utilized the custom preset so that we had full access over the RGB profile of the monitor. For this panel, the best results were found when manually altering the RGB to 89%/94%/92%.

We proceeded to calibrate the monitor and the results were much more impressive, offering up perfect white point, gamma, and average deltas. The contrast took a bit of a hit, dropping to around 845:1, however, the benefits of calibration far outweigh the small drop in contrast. Maximum delta took a huge dip and now sits at 1.34.

All results considered; you’d have to say this monitor is very good as far as sRGB work goes.

Panel Uniformity

Panel uniformity is a test we run to check how uniform the luminance and color is across the entirety of the screen. During this test, the center square is used as the reference space. Every other square is then tested to see how far it differentiates from the reference.

In an ideal world, we want every square to be green, meaning it hasn’t broken the differential threshold – something we can set at the start of the test.

Note: results will differ from panel to panel.

The AW2720HF really impressed me in the panel uniformity test, posting an almost flawless uniformity in both luminance and color deviation. Usually, monitors start to falter as you get closer to the corners – however, that wasn’t the case with the AW2720HF. Luminance and color stayed fairly true throughout the display, with only a slight dip in certain areas.

Viewing Angles

As you’d expect from an IPS panel, viewing angles on the AW2720HF were very good. I tested the AW2720HF alongside the ASUS TUF VG279QM – another high response gaming IPS monitor – and the results were incredibly similar. You really don’t see that much deviation until you get to around 40-degrees+.

Color Gamut

As part of the calibration process, the DisplayCal will give an accurate measurement of the color gamut the monitor can provide. Below are the results of the color gamut test:

I was pretty pleased with the coverage that the AW2720HF offered. Whilst it isn’t the best we’ve ever seen, it’s still pretty good for a monitor tailored purely towards competitive gamers.

We recorded a 111% sRGB volume with a 98.8% coverage, both perfectly acceptable for individuals editing within the sRGB color spectrum. Both Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 measured at around 72-75% which is still good for a panel of this particular marketing.

As you can see from the graph above, the AW2720HF’s color gamut easily clears the green, reds, and pinks of the sRGB gamut. That said, it falls a little short in the blues, something that is fairly common ground in today’s monitors.

Maximum And Minimum Brightness

We ended the color accuracy and picture quality testing by checking the maximum brightness, minimum brightness, and 120 candelas level on this panel. The results are below:

Accurate colors and graphics are very important when playing the game, especially if you are looking for the highest level of immersion. With this in mind, we will test the AW2720HF to see how it performs in this particular service – we will test it in various presets and finish with a full calibration and colour accuracy test.

According to Alienware, this monitor offers 99% sRGB and 75% Adobe RGB color space. This means that this monitor must be suitable for general display and some video/photo editing – using the sRGB color spectrum.

Of course we are going to test this theory to see if the panel is really accurate. All tests were carried out at 120 candela to ensure equal playing conditions for all presets, not to mention the similar monitors we use.

Standard	White dot	Black depth	Contrast ratio	Average ΔE*00	Gamma
IDEAL	6500K	0,00cd/m²	Endless	0.00	2.2
Standard (ready to use)	6520K	0,1154 cd/m²	1043.4:1	2.26	2.42
A warm decor	6176K	0,1155 cd/m²	1037:1	2.18	2.42
Game 1 Standard	6291K	0,1142 cd/m²	1053:1	2.2	2.42
Individual presetting	6286K	0,1158 cd/m²	1053.9:1	2.19	2.42
Cold pre-programmed	9351K	0,1467 cd/m²	817:1	2.64	2.35

As always, we started with the dough right out of the packaging. The brightness was set to 100% (385 candela) and was too bright. We quickly reduced the brightness to about 26% (120 candela) and started testing.

The results of the OOT installation were very encouraging, with a perfect white and a contrast ratio of 1043:1. The black depth was 0.11, which is still correct, and the average color delta was 2.26 – which is pretty good, as this monitor is not designed for color accuracy.

We did several blank tests and the results were almost all the same. The white tip has always been very good, as has the depth of the black. The average delta reached a maximum of 2.64 (cold preset) and the contrast ratio was strong for every preset except the cold preset. For a monitor that focuses more on game performance than colour, I was very pleased with the results I saw from the start. Don’t forget that all these results are pre-calibrated.

Standard	White dot	Black depth	Contrast ratio	Average ΔE*00	Maximum ΔE*00	Gamma
IDEAL	6500K	0,00cd/m²	Endless	0.00	0.00	2.2
Warm pre-programmed (depth)	6567K	0,1157 cd/m²	1039.9:1	2.2	5.42	2.41
Custom calibration (depth calibration)	6498K	0,1411 cd/m²	845.1:1	0.27	1.34	2.2

At this stage we always like to take the most accurate preset and do a more complete color test to see if there are delta color peaks. For the AW2720HF it was a hot preset. The results of the extensive test were almost the same as those of the shorter test, but we got a maximum delta value of 5.42 – which was very good considering the circumstances.

We didn’t waste any time calibrating the monitor after this test. We used a custom preset to have full access to the monitor’s RGB profile. For this panel, the best results were achieved when the RGB values were changed manually to 89%/94%/92%.

We calibrated the monitor and the results were much more impressive, with a perfect white tip, gamma and medium delta. The contrast has decreased slightly to 845:1, but the benefits of calibration more than compensate for the slight decrease in contrast. The maximum triangle has made a big jump and is now at 1.34.

Considering all the results, it has to be said that this monitor is very good in terms of the performance of sRGB.

Panel Uniformity

Panel homogeneity is a test we perform to see if the brightness and color on the screen are consistent. In this test a central square is used as a reference space. Then every other box is ticked to see how it differs from the reference.

In an ideal world, we want every square to be green, which means it hasn’t crossed the threshold of difference – which we can set at the beginning of the test.

Pay attention: The results differ per group.

The AW2720HF impressed me in the panel uniformity test, showing almost perfect uniformity in both brightness and colour deviation. Normally the monitors start tripping when approaching the bends – but this didn’t happen with the AW2720HF. Brightness and colour remained more or less the same all over the screen, with a slight dullness in some places.

Viewing angle

As can be expected from an IPS panel, the viewing angles of the AW2720HF were very good. I tested the AW2720HF with the ASUS TUF VG279QM, another high response IPS monitor, and the results were incredibly similar. You really only see such great variations when you reach 40 degrees and more.

Colour range

As part of the calibration process, DisplayCal provides an accurate measurement of the color gamut that the monitor can deliver. Below are the results of the colour test:

I was very happy with the lighting of the AW2720HF. Although it’s not the best we’ve seen, it’s still good enough for an instructor built exclusively for competitive players.

We registered an sRGB volume of 111% with a coverage of 98.8%, both ideal for people working in the sRGB color spectrum. Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 both reach 72-75%, which is still good for this particular marketing panel.

As you can see from the table above, the AW2720HF color space easily outperforms the green, red and pink colors of the sRGB color space. However, it is a bit short on the blues, which is very common with the current monitors.

Maximum and minimum brightness

We tested the color accuracy and image quality by testing the maximum brightness, minimum brightness and 120 candlestick level of this panel. The results are shown below:

Brightness	Candlesticks
100% clarity	385,5 cd/m²
0% brightness	44,85 cd/m²
26% brightness	120 cd/m²