I tried Dell’s cheapest Alienware monitor to see whether speed is all you need

When it comes to finding the best gaming monitor, it’s often a balancing act between power, performance, resolution and sadly, budget.

The Alienware 25 320Hz gaming monitor is the entry-level offering in the 2025 monitor lineup from Dell's gaming brand. It’s firmly pitched to gamers who want speed over anything else, and for that, it delivers. With a 320Hz refresh rate, super-fast response times and a decent 25-inch display, at a price point under £200/$200, it’s hard to argue with the value, even if the 1080p resolution won’t satisfy those who use the monitor for other activities outside of gaming.

And that’s where the issue lies: if you’re looking for the best monitor for working from home, then I can tell you right now, this isn’t it. I spend a lot of time in front of a monitor every day, whether it’s writing, editing photos or videos, streaming content or playing the odd game, so pixel density and screen quality are important - which is why I loved the BenQ PD2730S so much.

I tested this monitor for over two weeks and did everything I normally do to see how well this monitor works, not just for gaming but for real-world use too. We’ve reviewed Alienware monitors here on Creative Bloq before, including the Alienware AW2723DF, which had just 240Hz so read on to find out whether the Alienware 25 AW2525HM is deserving of a place in the best Dell monitors guide.

Design & build

• Compact 25-inch panel
• Sturdy stand that’s fully adjustable

The Alienware 25 AW2525HM isn’t the most exciting monitor that’s come across our desks recently; in fact, it’s pretty standard. But boring doesn’t always mean bad. This monitor feels exceptionally solid. There’s also plenty of adjustability as you can change the height, tilt, swivel and pivot, meaning you can line up your display exactly how you want it.

At 25 inches, the Alienware 25 is on the smaller side for a modern gaming monitor, with most gaming (and creative) displays now sitting at least 27 inches and above, so this does feel compact in comparison. However, size does work in its favour because it only has a 1080p resolution, which at a larger size would really stand out. The screen uses a Fast IPS panel, so you do get exceptional viewing angles and top-notch colour accuracy.

Also, the sleek, slim bezels do make this screen feel a lot bigger than it is, making it ideal for smaller spaces. The stand doesn’t eat up too much desk space either, which is good news for those of us who don’t have massive desks to begin with.

There’s a retractable headphone hanger on the left side of the monitor, which is an absolute game-changer if you’re like me and can never find your headphones buried under a pile of papers or books. To the back of the monitor, you’ll find the Alienware logo, and if you’re looking for the ports, you’ll find them tucked just underneath.

Don’t get too excited about the ports; there’s not a great deal of connectivity with this monitor. You’ll find two HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4, a USB-B and two USB-A ports (one of the USB-A ports supports USB BC 1.2 power charging). This monitor doesn’t have built-in speakers, and there’s no headphone jack either, so you’ll either have to rely on your laptop or wireless headphones to get sound.

Design & Build Score: 4/5

Features & Performance

• 320Hz refresh rate with 0.5ms response time
• Fast IPS panel that displays vibrant colours and wide viewing angles

Of course, the headline here is the 320Hz refresh rate. This is paired with a 0.5ms response time means that on paper, this is one of the fastest monitors you can buy within this price range. I tested it with some games and found that fast-paced gaming felt fluid, there was no motion blur, and the built-in adaptive sync support meant there was no screen tearing at all, making it an all-around pleasant experience.

Now, full disclaimer, I tested this monitor with my Mac Mini (M4) rather than a gaming PC, so I wasn’t able to push it anywhere near its full 320Hz potential as the M4 chip supports a maximum refresh rate of just 240Hz. However, my lack of speed didn’t stop me from being able to test how well the panel dealt with colour, brightness and responsiveness. And honestly, I was impressed. The colours were vibrant, the viewing angles were wide, and the brightness was ideal for a range of environments.

Still, the trade-off remains that the resolution isn’t great. At 1920 x 1080p, this monitor is just full HD, and at 25 inches, the limitations really show. Text lacked crispness, and at times even looked a little blurry. That means it’s just not good enough for productivity or content creation. But then, this monitor is aimed at gamers, in particular, fast-paced gamers who probably don’t want to bash out a Word document or do their accounts on here. And the small size means it’s compact enough to sit next to another monitor, where you can get your everyday computing done without it overwhelming your space.

Features & Performance score: 3.5/5

Price

• RRP of £209.02/$249.99
• Often on sale, including right now at $192/$229

No one can argue that this monitor isn’t exceptional value for money. This monitor has an RRP of £209.02/$249.99, but right now you can buy it directly from Dell for just £192/$229.99, which is extremely affordable for a 320Hz display with a Fast IPS panel.

At this price point, even if you weren’t a gamer and you could live with the 1080p resolution, it would still be worth the money. It’s also worth keeping an eye on the Dell website as they run frequent offers throughout the year, so you can often find it at a discounted rate.

Scorecard

Who’s it for?

This monitor is aimed directly at competitive gamers who are on a budget. If you’re in to fast-paced AAA games or esports titles, then you’ll going to struggle to find a better monitor that can produce the lightning speeds for such little money as this monitor.

If you’re looking for a good all-rounder, something you can work on in the day before switching to game mode at night, then you’re probably going to feel frustrated by the 1080p resolution. But if you live and breathe gaming, need something small and compact and want a monitor that can shine when it comes to speed, look no further.

Buy if...

• You want ultra-fast refresh rates for gaming without spending a lot of money
• You need a compact, well designed monitor that will fit in to a smaller space

Don't buy if...

• You need a monitor for work or creative projects