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Using AlienFX application | 57

When you start to customize a theme, you should see the following screen: 

The following table describes the functions and features on the screen: 

No.

Functions

Descriptions

H

LIGHTING

 panel

Use the controls in this panel to set up lighting effects 

for a theme.
See 

Setting lighting effects

 for details.

I

SAVE THEME

Click to save all adjustments and changes for the theme.

J

Live preview

The lighting zones are with numbered callouts. You may 
select a single zone by clicking the number on the 
image. When you make lighting adjustments, the 
preview of the monitor displays the new effects 
simultaneously.

Summary of Contents for AW2521HFA

Page 1: ...Alienware AW2521HFA AW2521HFLA Monitor User s Guide Model AW2521HFA AW2521HFLA Regulatory model AW2521HFb ...

Page 2: ...amage to hardware or loss of data if instructions are not followed WARNING A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage personal injury or death 2020 Dell Inc or its subsidiaries All rights reserved Dell EMC and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc or its subsidiaries Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners 2020 12 Rev A01 ...

Page 3: ...y modes 15 Electrical specifications 15 Physical characteristics 17 Environmental characteristics 18 Pin assignments 19 Plug and Play capability 20 Universal Serial Bus USB interface 21 USB upstream connector 21 USB downstream connector 22 USB ports 22 LCD monitor quality and pixel policy 23 Maintenance guidelines 23 Cleaning your monitor 23 Setting up the monitor 24 Attaching the stand 24 Connect...

Page 4: ...ion 51 Tilt and swivel extensions 51 Vertical extension 51 Rotating the monitor 52 Rotate clockwise 52 Rotate counterclockwise 53 Adjusting the rotation display settings of your system 54 Using AlienFX application 55 Prerequisites 55 Installing AWCC through Windows update 55 Installing AWCC from the Dell Support website 55 Navigating the AlienFX window 56 Creating a theme 58 Setting lighting effec...

Page 5: ... 5 Appendix 68 FCC notices U S only and other regulatory information 68 Contact Dell 68 EU product database for energy label and product information sheet 68 ...

Page 6: ...low If any component is missing contact Dell technical support For more information see Contact Dell NOTE Some components may be optional and may not ship with your monitor Some features or media may not be available in certain countries Component image Component description Monitor Stand riser Stand base ...

Page 7: ...ower cable varies by country DisplayPort cable DisplayPort to DisplayPort HDMI cable USB 3 0 upstream cable enables the USB ports on the monitor Quick Setup Guide Safety Environmental and Regulatory Information Alienware Welcome Card ...

Page 8: ...d and Video Electronics Standards Association VESA 100 mm mounting holes for flexible mounting solutions Digital connectivity through 1 DisplayPort and 2 HDMI ports Equipped with 1 USB upstream port and 4 USB downstream ports Plug and play capability if supported by your system On Screen Display OSD adjustments for ease of setup and screen optimization AW2521HFA AW2521HFLA offers preset modes such...

Page 9: ...fferent Alienware recommends that users experiment with the different modes to find the setting that is right for them Identifying parts and controls Front view Label Description Use 1 Cable management slot on the front side of the stand To organize the cables neatly 2 Power On Off button with LED indicator To turn the monitor on or off Solid blue light indicates that the monitor is turned on and ...

Page 10: ...formation see Operating the monitor 3 Barcode serial number and Service Tag label Refer to this label if you need to contact Dell for technical support 4 Cable management clips To organize the cables neatly 5 Stand release button Releases stand from the monitor 6 VESA mounting holes 100 mm x 100 mm behind VESA Cover Wall mount monitor using VESA compatible wall mount kit 100 mm x 100 mm ...

Page 11: ...ting them through this slot 10 I O cover Protects the I O ports Label Description Use 1 Power connector Connect the power cable shipped with your monitor 2 USB upstream port Connect the USB cable shipped with your monitor to this port and your computer to enable the USB ports on your monitor 3 USB 3 0 ports 2 Connect your USB device NOTE To use these ports you must connect the USB cable shipped wi...

Page 12: ... use these ports you must connect the USB cable shipped with your monitor to the USB upstream port on the monitor and to your computer 7 HDMI port HDMI 1 Connect to a computer or another HDMI output device 8 HDMI port HDMI 2 Connect to a computer or another HDMI output device 9 DisplayPort Connect to a computer or another DisplayPort output device 10 Line out port Connect your speakers NOTE This p...

Page 13: ... However this may introduce subtle visual artifacts into the image Since each computer configuration and gamer s needs are different Alienware recommends that users experiment with the different modes to find the setting that is right for them Color depth 16 78 million colors Color gamut sRGB 99 typical Built in devices USB 3 0 Super Speed hub with 1 USB 3 0 upstream port 4 x USB 3 0 downstream po...

Page 14: ...0 x 1080 240 Hz Supported video modes Video display capabilities HDMI DisplayPort playback 480i 480p 576i 576p 720p 1080i 1080p FHD Bezel width edge of monitor to active area Top Left Right Bottom 5 27 mm 5 27 mm 5 27 mm 14 19 mm Adjustability Height adjustable stand Tilt Swivel Pivot 0 to 130 mm 5 to 21 20 to 20 90 to 90 Dell Display Manager DDM Compatibility Easy Arrange and other key features M...

Page 15: ...152 x 864 67 5 75 0 108 0 VESA 1280 x 1024 64 0 60 0 108 0 VESA 1280 x 1024 80 0 75 0 135 0 VESA 1600 x 900 60 0 60 0 108 0 VESA 1920 x 1080 67 5 60 0 148 5 1920 x 1080 137 3 120 0 285 5 1920 x 1080 166 6 144 0 346 5 1920 x 1080 278 1 240 0 567 4 NOTE This monitor supports AMD FreeSync Premium Technology Electrical specifications Model AW2521HFA AW2521HFLA Video input signals HDMI 2 0 DisplayPort ...

Page 16: ... consumption in kWh measured with reference to Energy Star test method This document is informational only and reflects laboratory performance Your product may perform differently depending on the software components and peripherals you ordered and shall have no obligation to update such information Accordingly the customer should not rely upon this information in making decisions about electrical...

Page 17: ...tended 526 08 mm 20 71 in Height compressed 421 21 mm 16 58 in Width 556 29 mm 21 90 in Depth 251 92 mm 9 92 in Height 328 24 mm 12 92 in Width 556 29 mm 21 90 in Depth 72 95 mm 2 87 in Height extended 436 80 mm 17 20 in Height compressed 421 21 mm 16 58 in Width 465 30 mm 18 32 in Depth 251 92 mm 9 92 in Weight with packaging 11 72 kg 25 84 lb Weight with stand assembly and cables 7 46 kg 16 45 l...

Page 18: ...4 F to 140 F Shipping 20 C to 60 C 4 F to 140 F Operating 10 to 80 non condensing Non operating Storage 5 to 90 non condensing Shipping 5 to 90 non condensing Operating 5 000 m 16 404 ft maximum Non operating 12 192 m 40 000 ft maximum 245 66 BTU hour maximum 81 89 BTU hour typical Model AW2521HFA AW2521HFLA Compliant standards Temperature Humidity Altitude Thermal dissipation ...

Page 19: ...ayPort connector Pin number 20 pin side of the connected signal cable 1 ML3 n 2 GND 3 ML3 p 4 ML2 n 5 GND 6 ML2 p 7 ML1 n 8 GND 9 ML1 p 10 ML0 n 11 GND 12 ML0 p 13 GND 14 GND 15 AUX p 16 GND 17 AUX n 18 Hot Plug Detect 19 Re PWR 20 3 3 V DP_PWR ...

Page 20: ...DC DATA SDA 17 DDC CEC Ground 18 5V POWER 19 HOT PLUG DETECT Plug and Play capability You can connect the monitor to any Plug and Play compatible system The monitor automatically provides the computer system with its Extended Display Identification Data EDID using Display Data Channel DDC protocols so that the system can configure itself and optimize the monitor settings Most monitor installations...

Page 21: ...eed 5 Gbps 4 5 W Max each port High speed 480 Mbps 4 5 W Max each port Full speed 12 Mbps 4 5 W Max each port NOTE This monitor is Super Speed USB 3 0 compatible Up to 2 A on USB downstream port with battery icon with battery charging version compliant devices or normal USB devices USB upstream connector Pin number 9 pin side of the connector 1 VCC 2 D 3 D 4 GND 5 SSTX 6 SSTX 7 GND 8 SSRX 9 SSRX ...

Page 22: ...ottom Power charging port the port with icon supports up to 2 A fast charging capability if the device is BC1 2 compatible NOTE USB 3 0 functionality requires a USB 3 0 capable computer NOTE The USB ports on the monitor work only when the monitor is turned on or in Standby mode If you turn off the monitor and then turn it on the attached peripherals may take a few seconds to resume normal function...

Page 23: ...in the list below when unpacking cleaning or handling your monitor To clean your anti static screen lightly dampen a soft clean cloth with water If possible use a special screen cleaning tissue or solution suitable for the anti static coating Do not use benzene thinner ammonia abrasive cleaners or compressed air Use a lightly dampened warm cloth to clean the monitor Avoid using detergent of any ki...

Page 24: ...ny other source follow the set up instructions that were included with the stand CAUTION The following steps are important to protect your curved screen Do follow the instructions below to finish up the installation 1 Remove the stand riser and stand base from the packaging cushion 2 Align and place the stand riser on the stand base 3 Open the screw handle at the bottom of the stand base and turn ...

Page 25: ...hen connecting the stand assembly to the display do not place the stand riser directly on the display back panel Doing so may damage the pogo pins on the stand due to misalignment 6 Carefully insert the tabs on the stand riser into the slots on the display back cover and lower the stand assembly to snap it into place ...

Page 26: ...included HDMI cable and DisplayPort cable through the cable management slot on the stand 10 Connect the required cables to the monitor NOTE Dell monitors are designed to work optimally with Dell supplied inbox cables Dell does not guarantee the video quality and performance when using non Dell cables NOTE Route each cable neatly so that the cables are organized before the I O cover is attached CAU...

Page 27: ...7 11 Hold the stand riser and lift the monitor carefully then place it on a flat surface CAUTION Hold the stand riser firmly when lifting the monitor to avoid any accidental damage 12 Lift the protective cover from the monitor ...

Page 28: ... the monitor 13 Slide the tabs on the I O cover into the slots on the display back cover until it snaps into place NOTE Ensure that all cables pass through the I O cover and cable management slot on the stand riser ...

Page 29: ...your monitor to the computer 1 Connect the other end of the DisplayPort cable or HDMI cable to your computer 2 Connect the other end of the USB 3 0 upstream cable to an appropriate USB 3 0 port on your computer 3 Connect the USB 3 0 peripherals to the USB 3 0 downstream ports on the monitor 4 Plug the power cables for your computer and monitor into a wall outlet 5 Turn on the monitor and the compu...

Page 30: ...hipped with your monitor If you are attaching a stand that you purchased from any other source follow the set up instructions that were included with the stand To remove the stand 1 Turn off the monitor 2 Disconnect the cables from the computer 3 Place the monitor on a soft cloth or cushion 4 Carefully slide and remove the I O cover from the monitor 5 Disconnect the cables from the monitor and sli...

Page 31: ...Setting up the monitor 31 6 Press and hold the stand release button 7 Lift the stand up and away from the monitor ...

Page 32: ...emove the monitor stand See Removing the monitor stand 3 Use a Phillips crosshead screwdriver to remove the four screws securing the plastic cover 4 Attach the mounting bracket from the wall mounting kit to the monitor 5 Mount the monitor on the wall For more information see the documentation that shipped with the wall mounting kit NOTE For use only with UL listed wall mount bracket with minimum w...

Page 33: ...wn left right to toggle between options 3 Press the joystick button again to confirm the settings and exit Joystick Description When the OSD menu is on press the button to confirm the selection or save the settings When the OSD menu is off press the button to launch the OSD main menu See Accessing the menu system For 2 way right and left directional navigation Move right to enter the submenu Move ...

Page 34: ...essing the menu system 2 To exit the OSD main menu 3 To specify a desired color mode from a preset list 4 To directly access the Dark Stabilizer adjustment slider 5 To directly access the Brightness Contrast adjustment sliders For 2 way up and down directional navigation Toggles between the menu items Increases up or decreases down the parameters of selected menu item Menu Exit Shortcut key Preset...

Page 35: ...sing the On Screen Display OSD menu Accessing the menu system Icon Menu and submenus Description Game Use this menu to personalize your visual gameplay experience Preset Modes Allows you to choose from a list of preset color modes Standard Loads the monitor s default color settings This is the default preset mode FPS Loads color settings ideal for First Person Shooter FPS games ...

Page 36: ... the risk of eye strain and neck arm back shoulder pain from using the monitor for long periods of time we suggest you to 1 Set the distance of the screen between 20 inches to 28 inches 50 cm 70 cm from your eyes 2 Blink frequently to moisten your eyes or wet your eyes with water after prolonged usage of the monitor 3 Take regular and frequent breaks for 20 minutes every two hours 4 Look away from...

Page 37: ...al list to keep you aware of the remaining time Frame Rate Selecting On allows you to display the current frames per second when playing games The higher the rate the smoother the motion appears Display Alignment Activate the function to help ensure the perfect alignment of the video contents from multiple displays AMD FreeSync Premium When you select On the monitor runs at the highest frame rate ...

Page 38: ...mage Move the joystick down to increase the purple shade of the video image NOTE The Hue adjustment is available only when you select FPS MOBA RTS SPORTS or RPG preset mode Saturation This feature can adjust the color saturation of the video image Use the joystick to adjust the saturation level from 0 to 100 Move the joystick up to increase the colorful appearance of the video image Move the joyst...

Page 39: ...the joystick button to confirm the selection HDMI 1 Select the HDMI 1or HDMI 2 input when you are using the HDMI connectors Press the joystick button to confirm the selection HDMI 2 Auto Select Turn on the function to allow the monitor to automatically scan for available input sources Press the joystick button to confirm the selection Reset Input Source Resets all settings under the Input Source m...

Page 40: ...tings for the Power button Alienware logo and the light stripe on the stand Color To specify an LED lighting color select On and move the joystick to highlight the Custom Color option Then you can make a selection from the list of 20 available colors by moving the joystick up or down ...

Page 41: ... 127 255 0 13 76 255 0 14 0 255 0 15 0 255 25 16 0 255 63 17 0 240 240 18 0 63 255 19 0 25 255 20 0 0 255 No R G B To turn off the AlienFX lights select Off NOTE These functions are only available when Spectrum is disabled Custom It is a read only menu When you use Color or and Spectrum to make LED lighting adjustments this menu status shows Off when you make the LED lighting adjustments through A...

Page 42: ...minance of the backlight Move the joystick up to increase the brightness level or move the joystick down to decrease the brightness level min 0 max 100 Contrast Adjust Brightness first and then adjust Contrast only if further adjustment is necessary Move the joystick up to increase the contrast level or move the joystick down to decrease the contrast level min 0 max 100 The Contrast function adjus...

Page 43: ...0 to 100 Reset Display Resets all settings under the Display menu to the factory defaults Audio Volume Allows you to set the volume level of headphone output Use the joystick to adjust the volume level from 0 to 100 Reset Audio Resets all settings under the Audio menu to the factory defaults Menu Select this option to adjust the settings of the OSD such as the languages of the OSD the amount of ti...

Page 44: ...ry defaults Personalize Shortcut Key 1 Allows you to choose a feature from Preset Modes Game Enhance Mode AMD FreeSync Premium Dark Stabilizer Brightness Contrast Input Source Aspect Ratio or Volume and set it as a shortcut key Shortcut Key 2 Shortcut Key 3 USB Allows you to enable or disable USB function during monitor standby mode NOTE USB ON OFF under standby mode is only available when the USB...

Page 45: ...r balance and etc to be adjustable via the software on your computer You can disable this feature by selecting Off Enable this feature for best user experience and optimum performance of your monitor LCD Conditioning Helps reduce minor cases of image retention Depending on the degree of image retention the program may take some time to run You can enable this feature by selecting On ...

Page 46: ...ns for the Horizontal and Vertical frequency ranges addressable by this monitor Recommended mode is 1920 x 1080 You will see the following message before the DDC CI function is disabled Firmware Displays the firmware version of your monitor Service Tag Displays the service tag of your monitor This string is required when you look for phone support check your warranty status update drivers on Dell ...

Page 47: ...set to On in Standby Mode for the first time the following message appears NOTE If you select Yes the message will not appear next time when you intend to change the USB setting When the monitor goes into Standby mode the following message appears Activate the computer and wake up the monitor to gain access to the Using the On Screen Display OSD menu NOTE The message may be slightly different acco...

Page 48: ...ightly different according to the connected input signal If either HDMI or DP input is selected and the corresponding cable is not connected a floating dialog box as shown below appears NOTE The message may be slightly different according to the connected input signal When Factory Reset is selected the following message appears See Troubleshooting for more information ...

Page 49: ...pears on the screen 2 Select one of the following options Menu Buttons Choose this option to lock all OSD menu buttons except the Power button Power Button Choose this option to lock only the Power button Menu Power Buttons Choose this option to lock all the buttons on the rear panel control To unlock the button s press and hold Button 5 for four seconds until a menu appears on the screen Select t...

Page 50: ...play settings 2 Click Advanced display settings 3 Click the dropdown list of Resolution and select 1920 x 1080 4 Click Apply If you do not see 1920 x 1080 as an option you may need to update your graphics driver Depending on your computer complete one of the following procedures If you have a Dell desktop or a laptop Go to www dell com support enter your service tag and download the latest driver ...

Page 51: ...at you purchased from any other source follow the set up instructions that were included with the stand Tilt and swivel extensions With the stand attached to the monitor you can tilt and swivel the monitor for the most comfortable viewing angle NOTE The stand is not factory installed Vertical extension NOTE The stand extends vertically up to 130 mm The figure below illustrates how to extend the st...

Page 52: ...the monitor Rotating the monitor Before you rotate the monitor your monitor should be fully extended vertically vertical extension and fully tilted up to avoid hitting the bottom edge of the monitor Rotate clockwise ...

Page 53: ...ter you require an updated graphics driver that is not included with this monitor To download the graphics driver go to www dell com support and see the Download section for Video Drivers for latest driver updates NOTE When in the Portrait View Mode you may experience performance degradation in graphic intensive applications 3D Gaming and etc ...

Page 54: ...y Settings 1 Right click on the desktop and click Properties 2 Select the Settings tab and click Advanced 3 If you have an ATI graphics card select the Rotation tab and set the preferred rotation 4 If you have an NVIDIA graphics card click the NVIDIA tab in the left hand column select NVRotate and then select the preferred rotation 5 If you have an Intel graphics card select the Intel graphics tab...

Page 55: ... installed The installation takes a few minutes to complete 2 Navigate to the program folder to ensure that the installation is successful Alternatively you can find the AWCC application in the Start menu 3 Launch AWCC and perform the following steps to download the additional software components In the Settings window click Windows Update and then click Check for updates to check the Alienware dr...

Page 56: ... enter a name in the text box to add a theme B Edit controls EDIT Provides options for you to customize lighting settings for your theme GO DIM Makes the light dimmer GO DARK Turns off the light C Theme components You can use these components LIGHTING MACROS SETTINGS to make the selected theme as an active theme D THEMES list Displays the themes in list view or grid view E Background controls Adju...

Page 57: ...anel Use the controls in this panel to set up lighting effects for a theme See Setting lighting effects for details I SAVE THEME Click to save all adjustments and changes for the theme J Live preview The lighting zones are with numbered callouts You may select a single zone by clicking the number on the image When you make lighting adjustments the preview of the monitor displays the new effects si...

Page 58: ...by selecting the zone check box es above the live preview area or clicking the numbered callout on the image of monitor 6 In the LIGHTING panel select your preferred lighting effects from the drop down list including Morph Pulse Color Spectrum and Breathing See Setting lighting effects for details NOTE The Spectrum option is only available when you select All Zones to make lighting adjustments 7 R...

Page 59: ...referred color from the color palette or the list of PRESET COLORS The selected color and its RGB color codes will be displayed on the right field NOTE To change the color use the up and down arrow buttons beside the R G B boxes to edit the color codes 2 To add the selected color to the list of YOUR COLORS for quick access in the future click At most 12 colors can be added to the list NOTE To remo...

Page 60: ...ist right click on it 3 Drag the BRIGHTNESS slider to adjust the lightness of the color 4 Drag the TEMPO slider to adjust the pulsing speed Color Descriptions The effect makes the LED light in a single static color To make the adjustments 1 Pick a preferred color from the color palette or the list of PRESET COLORS The selected color and its RGB color codes will be displayed on the right field NOTE...

Page 61: ... The effect makes the light change from bright to dim To make the adjustments 1 Pick a preferred color from the color palette or the list of PRESET COLORS The selected color and its RGB color codes will be displayed on the right field NOTE To change the color use the up and down arrow buttons beside the R G B boxes to edit the color codes 2 To add the selected color to the list of YOUR COLORS for ...

Page 62: ...he computer To ensure proper Self Test operation remove all digital cables from the back of computer 3 Turn on the monitor NOTE A dialog box should appear on screen against a black background if the monitor cannot sense a video signal and is working correctly While in self test mode the power LED blinks blue default color NOTE This box also appears during normal system operation if the video cable...

Page 63: ...menu appears on the screen 3 Using the joystick control highlight the Diagnostics option and press the joystick button to start the diagnostics A grey screen is displayed 4 Observe if the screen has any defects or abnormalities 5 Toggle the joystick once again until a red screen is displayed 6 Observe if the screen has any defects or abnormalities 7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the screen displays g...

Page 64: ...ble connector Run the built in diagnostics Ensure that the correct input source is selected in the Input Source menu Poor Focus Picture is fuzzy blurry or ghosting Eliminate video extension cables Reset the monitor to factory settings Change the video resolution to the correct aspect ratio Shaky Jittery Video Wavy picture or fine movement Reset the monitor to factory settings Check environmental f...

Page 65: ...itor self test feature check to determine if the scrambled screen appears in self test mode Check for bent or broken pins in the video cable connector Restart the computer in the safe mode Safety Related Issues Visible signs of smoke or sparks Do not perform any troubleshooting steps Contact Dell immediately Intermittent Problems Monitor malfunctions on off Ensure that the video cable connecting t...

Page 66: ...pressing any key on the keyboard Check whether the signal cable is plugged in properly Re plug the signal cable if necessary Reset the computer or video player The picture does not fill the entire screen The picture cannot fill the height or width of the screen Due to different video formats aspect ratio the monitor may display in full screen Run the built in diagnostics Wrong Color Picture color ...

Page 67: ...herals working slowly or not working at all Check that your computer is USB 3 0 capable Some computers have USB 3 0 USB 2 0 and USB 1 1 ports Ensure that the correct USB port is used Reconnect the upstream cable to your computer Reconnect the USB peripherals downstream connector Reboot the computer Wireless USB peripherals stop working when a USB 3 0 device is plugged in Wireless USB peripherals r...

Page 68: ...com regulatory_compliance Contact Dell For customers in the United States call 800 WWW DELL 800 999 3355 NOTE If you do not have an active Internet connection you can find contact information on your purchase invoice packing slip bill or Dell product catalog Dell provides several online and telephone based support and service options Availability varies by country and product and some services may...

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