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Contrast was the main strength of the older C24G1. Whilst contrast on this model was not as strong, it was very impressive for its panel type. Delivering static contrast that was roughly one and a half times the specified value and delivering slightly less ‘IPS glow’ than average for the screen size and panel type. The ‘IPS glow’ was still a feature, though, and contrast in general is certainly an area in general where VA models are worthy of more praise than IPS-type panels. The colour reproduction in this model was really where this model came into its own. It was quite well set up out of the box, delivering a punchy and vibrant image with excellent shade variety and fairly strong colour consistency. Not up there with the strongest IPS-type performers, but noticeably more consistent than VA or TN models. After some minor tweaking, things were nicely balanced – with the generous colour gamut and consistent output of the IPS-type panel providing a vibrancy and richness throughout the screen than competing TN and VA models simply can’t match. And indeed, the generous colour gamut is something which sets it apart from more expensive IPS-type competitors using the 24.5” AU Optronics panel, including the Acer XV253QP and ASUS VG259Q. There are two additional models with the ‘U’ suffix: the AOC 24G2U and the AOC 27G2U which feature a quad-USB 3.0 hub and integrated 2W speakers. These are not currently available in the US. You can also find the AOC 24G2E with a tilt-only stand. The Full HD resolution is quite limiting in some respects, although a higher resolution would demand a significant price premium and is harder to drive Note: This review is part of our ongoing roundup of the best gaming monitors. Go there to learn more about competing models, what to look for in a gaming monitor, and buying recommendations. AOC 24G2U: The specs Display size The gamma is now significantly increased, giving a deep ‘cinematic’ look that is inaccurate but that some users may like. This greatly affects dark shades, masking a lot of low-end details.
As above with some gamma curve changes. The average gamma is now ‘2.1’, but the top and bottom of the curve (dark and light shades) sits above and mid-section (medium shades) below this. The overall changes to the image are reasonably subtle. Vibrant and varied colour output straight from the box with a generous colour gamut and fairly strong colour consistency The table below shows white point and gamma readings taken using a Datacolor SpyderX Elite colorimeter, using various OSD settings, alongside general observations on the image. Our test system runs Windows 10 and an Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti connected via the supplied DP cable. Additional testing was performed using an AMD Radeon RX 580 and using HDMI, although observations for this table didn’t vary significantly between GPUs or inputs. No additional monitor drivers or ICC profiles were specifically loaded for testing purposes and the monitor was left to run for over 2 hours before observations and readings were taken for the below table. Aside from for our ‘Test Settings’, where various adjustments were made, assume factory defaults were used. The refresh rate was set to 144Hz in Windows, although this didn’t significantly affect the values or observations on this table. When viewing the figures in this table, note that for most PC users ‘6500K’ for white point and ‘2.2’ for gamma are good targets to aim for. Individual targets depend on individual uses, tastes and the lighting environment, however.Quite a feature-rich OSD, good ergonomic flexibility, very slender top and side bezels and competitive pricing This is a weak Low Blue Light (LBL) setting. It reduces the blue colour channel compared to factory defaults and slightly lowers the colour temperature. The green channel remains strong, so there’s a slight green tint that your eyes adjust to quite readily. The AOC 24G2U’s image quality is at a high level overall. The IPS panel has high color fidelity, good brightness, and a strong contrast ratio. In addition, the viewing angle dependency is quite low. This quality had a positive result when we tested it for gaming, as the neutral color and high contrast make the display appear realistic and three-dimensional.
Low input lag, well-tuned pixel overdrive at up to 144Hz and Adaptive-Sync doing its thing on both AMD and Nvidia GPUs to reduce stuttering and tearing IPS glow’ ate away at some detail peripherally and the minimum luminance is quite high, which could be problematic for sensitive usersEquip yourself with twice the frame rate of other monitors and say goodbye to image stuttering and blurry motion. With a 144Hz refresh rate every frame is rendered sharply and in smooth succession, so you can line up your shots accurately and appreciate high speed races in all their glory. The bottom line; an accomplished product with vibrant and varied colour output, pleasing contrast and responsiveness for an IPS-type panel and very attractive pricing. For gamers on a tight budget, it’s the ideal gaming display that many have been waiting for. Image Quality Finally, note again that you can activate the ‘Frame Counter’ in the ‘Game Setting’ section of the OSD to see if the technology is working. This will rapidly adjust as frame rate fluctuates, whereas if Adaptive-Sync isn’t being used it will stay at the static refresh rate you’ve selected. Although AOC doesn’t specify the gray-to-gray (GtG) response time speed of the 24G2 display, PANDA states a 7.5ms speed, which AOC managed to get down to ~5ms with the use of overdrive.
The original AOC 24G2, reviewed in this article, used the PANDA LC238LF1F panel. Even though it has a specified brightness of 250-nits and contrast ratio of 1,000:1, many reviewers were getting results closer to 350-nits and 1,500:1.A pixel response time of 1ms means speed without the smear for an enhanced experience. Fast-moving action and dramatic transitions will be rendered smoothly without the effects of ghosting. Further observations were made using the animated TV series Futurama. This title has large areas of individual shade, making it a very unforgiving test for colour consistency. In this respect the monitor did relatively well, clearly identifying itself as an IPS-type panel. It was free from the sort of clear saturation shifts that occur at different sections of the screen for VA and moreover TN models. Some shades such as dark reds and medium blues appeared slightly deeper or duller towards the extreme side edges of the screen, from our preferred viewing position (eyes ~70cm from the screen). This becomes more pronounced if you’re sitting closer to the screen. It was not as pronounced as some of the TN or VA shifts you’d see from this sort of viewing distance, however. Shades appeared varied with distinct classes (pastel, deep, neon etc.) and excellent variety within each class. Saturation levels were again somewhat stronger than intended, but this was a universal increase in saturation. There were some excellent eye-catching neon pinks, purples and greens showcased and some impressive deep shades as well. This is again a sort of look many would find inviting, but it isn’t universally appreciated.
The AOC 24G2 monitor is based on an IPS panel by PANDA with wide 178° viewing angles, a 250-nit specified peak brightness (which even gets a bit above 300-nits), a ~1,000:1 static contrast ratio and dithered 8-bit color depth (6-bit + 2-bit FRC), which is indistinguishable from true 8-bit depth in real use. As above but even more effective. Blue light output is significantly reduced, more so if brightness is also lowered. The image below is a macro photograph taken on Notepad with ClearType disabled. The letters ‘PCM’ are typed out to help highlight any potential text rendering issues related to unusual subpixel structure, whilst the white space more clearly shows the actual subpixel layout alongside a rough indication of screen surface. This model employs a medium matte anti-glare screen surface with a fairly smooth surface texture. The screen surface offers good glare handling, whilst the fairly smooth surface texture prevents an obvious grainy look to lighter shades. There is just a light ‘misty’ graininess, no ‘smeary’ graininess nor a sandy appearance. This provides a somewhat smoother appearance to lighter shades than offered by competing TN models. The screen surface isn’t quite as ‘light’ or low haze as on competing VA models such as the C24G1. You will also see in the image above that it states: “Selected Display is not validated as G-SYNC Compatible.” This means Nvidia hasn’t specifically tested and validated the display, not that it doesn’t work. This model worked properly using Adaptive-Sync (G-SYNC compatible mode) on our Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti, offering an experience that was very similar to using AMD FreeSync. A slight difference is that the floor of operation appeared to be 60Hz (60fps) rather than 48Hz (48fps). However; an LFC-like technology was supported, with the monitor keeping at a multiple of the frame rate with its refresh rate. There was again a momentary stuttering as the boundary was crossed, as we observed with our AMD GPU as well. We also made some observations using the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi. This is a title with plenty of high-contrast scenes – or, at least, scenes that show contrasting content and look their cinematic best on models with strong contrast. Explosions ripping through space, light sabers lighting up dark interior locations and suchlike. The AOC provided a decent cinematic look to the film overall, with bright elements contrasting well against darker surroundings. Not comparable to models with much stronger contrast (and there’s ‘IPS glow’ in this case as well) but not bad at all for a non-VA LCD panel. The consistent gamma throughout the screen could also be appreciated, avoiding things appearing ‘flooded’ with extra unintended detail peripherally (especially lower down, on TN models) or too well-masked elsewhere (especially higher up, on TN models).Considering its price, you really can’t go wrong with the AOC 24G2. It offers a smooth gaming experience with gorgeous colors and plenty of useful features. Specifications Screen Size And the good news? Gamers on a budget will finally be able to enjoy competitive FPS titles with excellent image quality, but without any prominent motion blur. The 24G2U also goes one step further than the C24G1 when it comes to ports and inputs, too. You still get the same number of HDMI and DisplayPort connections as the C24G1, but the 24G2U has the all important addition of a 4-port USB3 hub, allowing you to hook up all your other peripherals such as your mouse, keyboard and USB headset as well as charge your phone. For me, that alone makes it worth the teensy bit of extra expense over the C24G1, which doesn't come with any USB ports whatsoever. VSync is configured in the ‘Gaming’ section of ‘Radeon Settings’, where it is referred to as ‘Wait for Vertical Refresh’. You can either configure this globally under ‘Global Settings’ or for each game individually. The default is ‘Off, unless application specifies’ which means that VSync will only be active if you enable it within the game itself, if there is such an option. Such an option does usually exist – it may be called ‘sync every frame’ or something along those lines rather than simply ‘VSync’. Most users will probably wish to enable VSync when using FreeSync to ensure that they don’t get any tearing. You’d therefore select either the third or fourth option in the list, shown in the image below. The final option, ‘Enhanced Sync’, is a relatively new addition to the driver. This is an alternative to VSync which allows the frame rate to rise above the refresh rate (no VSync latency penalty) whilst potentially keeping the experience free from tearing or juddering. This requires that the frame rate comfortably exceeds the refresh rate, not just peaks slightly above it. We won’t be going into this in detail as it’s a GPU feature than a monitor feature. Best of all, the AOC 24G2 is factory-calibrated at Delta E < 2, which is fit for entry-level color-critical tasks. For professional use, there are better color-critical displays, of course, but for basic content creation, the AOC 24G2 will do just fine.
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