Get the Alienware AW2721D 27-in monitor for £549 (was £699)
You can get a good 1440p 165Hz monitor for around £300 on a good day, so why is this monitor worth £250 more? Well, I’d say that there are two major factors: properly good HDR and a more fluid picture for competitive gaming.
Let’s tackle HDR first. Unlike those £300 monitors like the LG 27GL850 or the Dell S2721DGFA, the AW2721D comes with a DisplayHDR 600 rating, local dimming and 98% coverage of the DCI P3 colour space. That translates into properly bright HDR highlights and the ability to display a wider colour gamut, making HDR content feel much more impactful than on “HD-aRen’t” screens that can technically accept an HDR signal but don’t look noticeably better with HDR enabled. This level of HDR fidelity isn’t generally available on monitors below this £550 price range, and with more games and videos being mastered in HDR, it’s a really nice feature to have - especially for a monitor that you’ll want to keep using for years and years. Now the AW2721D isn’t the best HDR monitor on the market - a VA panel like that of the Samsung Odyssey G7 or G9 provides darker blacks and therefore better contrast - but it’s good enough to keep turned on, which counts for something in my book.
Secondly, motion clarity. As well as the boost from 144Hz to 240Hz, which cuts input lag significantly, the AW2721D also sports ludicrously fast pixel response times with minimal overshoot. That means that fast-moving objects remain in focus, without distracting trails behind or in front, thereby making it much easier to see the apex of a corner or a fast-moving enemy player. If you play competitive games and your PC is strong enough to push 240fps in your game of choice, then opting for a 240Hz display makes a lot of sense. And unlike early 240Hz monitors, which were almost all 24-in 1080p affairs, you’re still getting a 27-in 1440p screen that looks great for slower-paced content, like strategy games, videos or text-heavy websites.
All in all, this is an awesome monitor with great reviews for a historic low price. If the spec sounds right, you’d struggle to find a better deal than this!
As high-tech monitors have gotten ever cheaper, the ‘default’ choice has gotten increasingly feature-filled and high-spec. Two years ago I’d have said that 1440p 165Hz was the best bang for your buck option, but today I’m beginning to think that 1440p 240Hz models ought to be the new standard for anyone that plays fast-paced games like shooters or racing sims. These models offer increased clarity that a higher refresh rate brings, without the heavy toll that 4K displays have on hard-to-find graphics cards. With 1440p 240Hz displays now more affordable thanks to deals like this one, I think they make a lot of sense - even if 1440p 165Hz remains the best value option overall.
