AW2521HF, image retention, flicker, vertical lines

Hi,

I have two Alienware monitors, one AW2521HF (firmware M3B101) and one AW2521HFA (firmware M3B102). They're both out of warranty. Both monitors work fine, but the AW2521HF with firmware M3B101 always had extremely rare occurrences of image retention and flicker. Since I didn't know how to replicate the issue, I never really bothered with it, as the image retention etc. goes away after a couple of minutes of normal operation.

Recently, I have faced this issue more frequently and have noticed it happens when I view very specific content. E.g. when browsing the Amazon Prime Gaming Website (screenshot, view in exlusive fullscreen: https://imgur.com/a/XenL1Ry), my AW2521HF monitor immediately shows vertical lines at the upper and lower left corners of the screen. After closing the browser, I would still see some parts of the Amazon Prime Gaming website on my screen (image retention). Also, the upper left corner of the screen would visibly flicker at maybe 20 - 30Hz (my AW2521HF runs at 60Hz usually as a secondary monitor). The flicker is less visible, when the monitor is set at e.g. 240Hz, but the image retention and vertical lines will still show up.

Further investigating the issue, it looks like the issue is caused by a specific pattern: dark border with very vibrant purple/blue at the center. The issue is triggered, when the vibrant purple/blue is positioned at specific coordinates. Thus, the frequency of the issue depends on the websites you visit and the applications you use, like e.g. VS Code.

I then searched online and found countless other users, which all have this specific issue. I have contacted a Reddit user, who described this issue few years ago. He confirmed me the Amazon Prime Gaming website screenshot triggered the same vertical lines and image retention immediately.

Setup:
1. Input source DP
2. PC Settings: 60Hz Refresh Rate, 8 Bit, PC-Standard RGB (0-255), 4:4:4
3. Monitor settings: Brightness 0%, Contrast 75%, Custom Color: Gain R 98% G 92% B 100%, rest factory defaults.

Steps to reproduce:
1. Open Amazon Prime Gaming screenshot (https://imgur.com/a/XenL1Ry).
2. Right-click on the screenshot -> Open image in new tab
3. Enter fullscreen mode by pressing F11 or use the menu "View -> Fullscreen"
4. The vertical lines should immediately be visible.

Alternatively to steps 1 - 3, you can also download the image and view it in fullscreen mode using Windows' built-in Photo Viewer.

Please note: the image retention effects will accumulate over time and get stronger. I can't rule out permanent damage to your monitor, if this content is viewed for extensive amounts of time. Usually, the screen recovers within a few minutes, if the screenshot above is viewed for 5 - 10 seconds.

This only happens on AW2521HF/L with firmware M3B101. My AW2521HFA with firmware M3B102 can view these website without issues and has never shown any signs of image retention, flickering or the mentioned vertical lines. A comment from blurbusters on Reddit [1] was suggesting it could be a buggy voltage inversion. Whatever it was, it seems to be fixed in firmware M3B102. Unfortunately, this update was never published as a firmware update; more recent units were just shipped with M3B102 from the factory.

My online research suggested this really is a widespread issue [2] [3] [4] [5] and not just individual issues. It is just difficult to trigger and not everyone bothers to pursue it. E.g. one user noticed, the issue seems to occur, when there is "too much blue [...] in the browser" [6]. Another user suggested to try out the OBS forums [7], which unfortunately has changed over time, but the general pattern is the same: dark borders with vibrant blue in the center area. Since websites can change, I have opted for a screenshot, which should be easier to replicate.

I'm a big fan of Alienware monitors. And despite the very rare image retention issue, I still like both my Alienwares. But since we now have a 100% way to replicate the issue, I think Dell should revisit publishing the M3B102 update. Since M3B102 is already developed and was shipped to customers from factory, it shouldn't be too much effort publishing an updater.

Thank you!

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/gticyx/comment/fsdsm6c/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[2] https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/ifecih/slight_flicker_vertical_lines_and_burntin_on_my/

[3] https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/gq25q4/alienware_25_image_retention/

[4] https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/11btkin/aw2521hf_vertical_lines_screen_retention_and/

[5] https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/ifecih/comment/g8mw3rj/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[6] https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/ib1yqb/comment/ggp5rf7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[7] https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/ipke4z/alienware_aw2521hf_owners_try_this_to_test_for/