GIVE IT UP FOR that rarest of things in
these unusual times, a gaming peripheral
that won’t break the bank. We present
the AOC 2 4G2, a 24-inch gaming monitor
available for around $ 180 , though day-to-
day pricing is pretty volatile right now
For that, you get all your basic gaming
needs covered. And then some. High
refresh, IPS image quality, adaptive sync,
even slim-bezel styling, it’s all here. At
this price point, of course, something
has to give. Along with the modest 2 4-
inch proportions, you’ll also have to
make do with a mere 108 0p resolution.
But then that’s a good fit with both the
performance of most budget-orientated
gaming PCs and the average gamer’s
actual budget too. More pixels make for a
heavier GPU load, which is a real problem
given current graphics card pricing.
At the heart of the AOC 24 G2 is a 24 -
inch 144 Hz IPS LCD panel. That bodes
well for basic image quality, including
colors, viewing angles, and pixel
response. For pixel response, the panel is
officially rated at 1ms by the MPRT metric
and 4ms by the more demanding grey-to-
grey measure. It’s nice to see a monitor
manufacturer quote both response
standards. Neither is a totally reliable
guide to real-world performance, but
more information is always better. This
is a reasonably responsive gaming panel,
but it’s not at the very cutting edge of IPS
technology, which currently clocks in at
0.5ms MPRT and 1ms GtG.
Elsewhere, adaptive refresh takes
the form of AMD FreeSync premium
certification, but there’s no HDR support.
The latter omission isn’t much of an issue,
in practice. Vanishingly few monitors that
claim HDR capability actually deliver and
certainly none do so anywhere even closeAOC makes high-refresh IPS gaming affordable
AOC 24 G 28VERDICT AOC 24 G 2
ALL THAT GLISTERS Good
all round feature set for the
money; decent basic image quality.
IS NOT GOLD No HDR support; 10 80p feels
a bit poxy, even at this price
$180, http://www.aoc.comSPECIFICATIONS
Panel size 24-inch
Panel tech IPS
Native resolution 1,920 x 1,080
Response time 1ms MPRT (4ms GtG)
Refresh rate 144Hz
Contrast 1,000:1
HDR No
Color coverage 91% Adobe RGB
Brightness 250 nits
Inputs DisplayPort, 2x HDMI, VGA
Other AMD FreeSync Premiumto the AOC 24 G2’s price. For the record,
AOC pegs the panel’s color accuracy at 91
percent coverage of the Adobe RGB color
space, which is adequate but nothing
special, especially for an IPS monitor.
As for inputs, a pair of HDMI ports plus
DisplayPort and even a VGA connector
make this a widely compatible contender
and a decent fit for both PC gaming as well
as being a monitor for the PS5 or Xbox
Series X. You also get a fairly slick, slim-
bezel design and, most impressively, a
fully adjustable stand that even supports
rotation into portrait mode. Nice!NOT HUGELY PUNCHY
However, if you’re looking for a hugely
punchy gaming panel, the AOC 24G2 isn’t
it. If that isn’t a huge surprise given the
250 nit brightness rating, the basic image
quality is actually decent. The 24 G2 looks
like an IPS panel for all the right reasons,
with reasonably vibrant and accurate
colors and decent factory calibration.
There’s only a little compression in
darker tones visible in test images.
More importantly, it’s quick. Not quite
as quick as the very best 1ms IPS screens,
but really not far off from a subjective
perspective. AOC has included three
levels of pixel-accelerating overdrive
in the OSD menu and even the fastest
doesn’t result in any clearly visible
overshoot. That means you can actually
use this panel in its most aggressive
mode without any obvious downsides.
The 144 Hz refresh will likewise be
plenty for most gamers in terms of
perceived latency and input lag. You’ll
probably want something a bit quicker if
you aspire to tournament-level esports.
For everyone else, the 144 Hz should keep
you competitive enough.With relatively modest brightness
and lack of HDR support, not to mention
the 108 0p native resolution, the visual
spectacle on offer isn’t that memorable.
The AOC 2 4G2 is at its best knocking out
the frames in games such as Fortnite and
Apex Legends rather than attempting a
forensic inspection of the impact of ray-
tracing in Crysis Remastered.
The AOC 2 4G2 doesn’t break records
or set new standards. The basic package
of a 24 -inch IPS panel with 14 4Hz refresh
and 108 0p resolution isn’t radical. But at
this price, it makes for an appealing all-
purpose gaming package. – JEREMY LAIRD