AOC 24” G2460Pqu 144Hz LED Review

[section_title title=Closer Look 2]

After setting up and installing the AOC G2460Pqu, here we have the monitor in all its glory. From the relatively thin bezel, which I do feel is over marketed in terms of monitors these days, we have the AOC logo dead centre at the bottom of the screen. As you can see, it’s hard to photograph monitors/LCD screens in a studio environment due to screen glare but I have done my best to ensure it’s kept to a minimum. In the top right corner with had the model number and in the top left with have an LED logo, which is the technology the G2460Pqu uses. It is also noting again that this is a TN panel and not IPS.

On the rear, we have the adjustable arm, which allows the screen to be adjusted height wise. The AOC G2460Pqu can also be twisted round from landscape into portrait mode, making this monitor versatile.

Back to the front, here we have the buttons of the G2460Pqu. This includes menu buttons when the monitor is powered on and the on and off switch; the buttons can be found under the corresponding icons. These are good for adjusting things such as contrast, brightness and changing the temperature of the monitor, very useful for things like monitor calibration.

Last but not least, we have the 2 x USB 2.0 ports on the side of the monitor; this includes 1 normal port and 1 port which doubles up as a charging device which can be noted by the red port and also the lightning symbol next to the port. This is good for charging devices such as mobile phones, cameras and all your portable devices; please note for this to work, you need to have the USB cable plugged from the monitor into the PC/Laptop.

To test the performance and the colour accuracy of the AOC G2460Pqu monitor, I used a device called the Spyder 4 Elite, which is a tool for monitor calibration.  It is very accurate and can tell you things the naked eye cant.

To get started, after the installation and calibration of the AOC G2460Pqu, the results are as follows included a description of what each one means and how this relates to the monitor.

Next is the NTSC results:

Now onto the AdobeRGB results:

So to sum it up in a way everyone will understand it, although sRGB and AbodeRGB are both RGB, they are very different and let me explain why.  sRGB is the most common colour-space used today but AdobeRGB has a wider colour-space which can mean more colours but not as accurate when looking at colours which overlap on sRGB.  This is mainly used for photographers and people just using their monitors for normal tasks such as web browsing or gaming are likely to even need to worry about it.

To give you an overview of the 3 different results of the calibration, the sRGB is pretty good and exactly where I would have expected it to be.  95% is a good result and proves AOC have a strong showing with the G2460Pqu monitor.  Next is the NTSC result, which is only really required for those needing to specifically accommodate NTSC, which in the UK is tiny in comparison to sRGB.  Last but not least we have the AdobeRGB results, which are mainly used to differentiate the colour gamut (colour reproduction) between itself and sRGB.   This is good for those professional photographers and editors who require a wider colour spectrum but taking into account sRGB is widely used by photographers wanting a more accurate representation between monitor image and the final print.

Gaming

Moving to actual gaming with the naked eye, I was pleasantly surprised given that I’m used to using an IPS monitor for the superb colour reproduction.  Before calibration the image did look kind of washed out due to the stock settings and a high brightness but that soon changed.  After calibration (which doesn’t need to cost the earth and if your spending £200+ on a monitor, I recommend it) everything looked magnificent but my primary focus was the different between 60Hz and 144Hz, is it noticeable?

Well in my humble opinion, it made a difference to me and how fluid the game looked.  Obviously if you’re running at 144Hz, I would expect you to have a GPU capable of decent-high frame rates as a game running at 25fps is just wasted on a monitor of this calibre.  To test I picked 2 games, FIFA 13 and F1 2012; both sporty games but both with fast fluid gameplay and I thought this would be the perfect test of colour, smoothness and quality of the AOC G2460Pqu monitor.

Starting with F1 2012, I instantly noticed a difference, with high FPS and a fast moving car, the quality was amazing and I can quite see why monitors with a higher refresh rate are currently desirable.  The gameplay looked very fluid and although the quality didn’t quite look as nice as the IPS panel I’m used to, it is a very close 2^nd.

Moving onto FIFA 13, I was looking forward to seeing if the grass was greener on the other side (mind the terrible pun).  I was not disappointed as greens really look amazing on the monitor and the fluid movement of the ball was a joy to behold.  Obviously going from a 1ms response time from 8ms was going to make some different, I feel the 144Hz over 60Hz had the bigger impact and certainly enjoyed a couple of hours gameplay; if only there was a way to combine IPS and 144Hz with 1ms response into one monitor, I would pay through the nose for it!

Well it’s time for my final thoughts on the AOC 24” G2460Pqu 144Hz gaming monitor and having had 2 weeks to get used to it, a chance to calibrate and to properly test it, how did it do overall? Is it worthy of being called a gaming monitor or is it better suited to something else? Time to find out…

Starting with the performance, I was simply amazed at how much difference going from 60Hz to 144Hz would make in games. Some might disagree and say they noticed no difference but constantly hopping between both monitors on a daily basis, even mid game I really did notice. There is still work to be done as in my honest opinion, the IPS monitor did look better due to the deeper colours, the LED monitor as I mentioned in the performance section is a very close 2nd and I have to give AOC credit. It’s not often a product comes along and makes me feel differently about my own chosen gear. The sRGB colour that this monitor is capable of is also decent considering but this could vary between samples so I have to point that out. One thing I was pretty disappointed with was the lack of 3D support; this monitor isn’t cheap and it would have been nice to have the option of 3D.

The aesthetics of the G2460Pqu are nothing special and is marketed as having a thin bezel and at 1cm, it’s not too bad; it could certainly be thinner but I can’t knock them down for it as it’s still pretty thin considering. The monitor has a horizontal brushed effect and I feel it really looks smart and professional. The overall look of the monitor is great and there is nothing else I can mention but that it’s down to personal taste at the end of the day.

Touching on the features, the AOC G2460Pqu has a very nice array of features which range from 4 x USB 2.0 ports in which one can be used to charge USB devices, which can really come in handy if you use the amount of USB devices I do on a daily basis. The monitor is also wall mountable, height adjustable and goes from landscape to portrait in seconds. The arm glides and doesn’t click but remains 100% sure which in my opinion shows how well the monitor is designed. On another finer point, the energy rating of the monitor is B, which is efficient but not quite a desirable A, but again, a B is more than acceptable in terms of energy consumption, which uses around 25w when in use.

To summarise the AOC G2460Pqu, the monitor would be a fantastic addition to any gamer’s arsenal. For those which have a good GPU setup with high fps wanting to make the most out of their games, then I would definitely recommend the G2460Pqu, its stylish, has great colour reproduction with sRGB and has an amazing response time of 1ms (desired for gamers) and I have struggled to fault it at all. If I was to nit-pick it would be the price, it’s very expensive coming in at around £240-250 and for this, you can pick up a 60Hz monitor for half the price which will essentially do the same thing, bar give you 144Hz. The lack of 3D support also comes in as a negative but AOC do a 24″ 120Hz 3D version to cater for those wanting such features but overall, the monitor is brilliant and it was a pleasure to use.

Thanks to AOC for the sample and I look forward to more in the near future.