AOC Agon AG241QX Free-Sync gaming monitor review
AOC Agon AG241QX gaming monitor
£327Pros
- Easy to get a good viewing position
- Plenty of input options and USB ports
- Good, solid stand that doesn't take up much desk area
- OSD remote is handy
- Great picture performance
Cons
- Narrower viewing angles than some
- Can appear grainy on whites
AOC Agon, as you should know by now, is the company’s gaming range. I have been kindly sent the 241QX, a 24-inch display with Adaptive-Sync (FreeSync), 1440p resolution and 144 hertz image rate.
The AOC Agon AG241QX has a 23.8-inch screen that should fit nicely on everyone’s desk. More importantly, it retains the gamer-required specifications of a 144Hz refresh rate and 2560 x 1440 resolution.
As well as that, the Agon promises decent ergonomics, an array of connectivity options as well as a good-looking stand and VESA compatible screen mounting. All of this, at a competitive price point.
Let’s take a look-see shall we?
Agon AG241QX design
I do like how the Agon monitors look. They have the aggressive styling, as expected by anything built for gamers, but AOC has kept it subtle.
The screen surface here is of a medium (regular) matte anti-glare finish.
The matte black bezels are quite slim, with the top and sides coming in at around 12mm (0.47-inches) and the bottom, 19mm (0.75-inches). The bottom bezel has a brushed effect rather than a plain matte. Nice.
The bottom bezel also features a dark red Agon logo but that’s it really as far as splashes of colour go, apart from the OSD controls.
The OSD (On Screen Display) controls are located towards the right of the bottom bezel. These are nicely spaced and have good feedback. Unobtrusive white icons printed on the lower bezel indicate the button’s purpose. The power light is also white when on.
There is even a remote control that connects via mini-USB. This hands you shortcuts to your saved screen profiles and is an alternative way to control the monitor. The controller is well made and easy to use.
The functionality of the OSD using both control methods is simple and well laid out.
Need G-Sync?
Check out our review of the Agon AG241QG G-Sync verison
The monitor is slender, measuring about 19mm (0.75 inches) at its thinnest point.
The rear of the screen is a striking combination of matte black plastic and dark red brushed-effect plastic wings.
The stand attaches centrally using a captive screw in the base and then 4 screws in order to attach the stand to the panel. Included in the bundle is a Vesa mounting plate, should that be more your thing.
3W down-firing speakers are also included at the rear. These aren’t going to blow your mind but are good enough for notifications.
Connectivity
On the right side you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, 3.5mm audio input and 2 USB 3.0 ports. The top, yellow USB port, supports fast-charging for compatible devices.
Above these ports is a flick-out headphone hook. When not in use it is stored at the rear of the screen pointing upwards.
At the rear there is another pair of USB 3.0 ports (making 4 in total, plus upstream) and the DC power input.
Here you will also find Dual-Link DVI, HDMI 1.4 port (with MHL), HDMI 2.0, DP 1.2a (supports Adaptive-Sync), VGA, 3.5mm audio out, 3.5mm microphone jack and a mini-USB port for the OSD remote.
Stand
The metal stand is remarkably heavy and solidly built. This is powder-coated with a forked design that offers good stability without an excessive footprint.
The stand is adjustable and allows the monitor to be rotated, tilted, swiveled and raised up to 130 mm in height. There is even a scale so you can remember the favorite settings.
Agon AG241QX performance
Specifications
The 2560 x 1440 resolution (Quad HD) monitor uses a 23.8-inch TN (Twisted Nematic) panel with support for a 144Hz refresh rate. This panel offers true 8-bit colour without dithering and boasts a 1ms grey to grey response time.
If your PC is rocking an AMD FreeSync compatible Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and you hook the monitor up via its DisplayPort then you can get the most out of the AG241QX.
As my rig runs an overclocked NVIDIA GPU I plugged in via the HDMI 2.0. This still supports 2560 x 1440 @ 144Hz, but not AMD FreeSync.
DVI and HDMI 1.4 is limited to lower refresh rates at native resolution and is there for compatibility, including games consoles.
Those kind folks at AOC do throw in a VGA cable, HDMI cable, DVI cable, DP cable and 3.5mm audio cable for good measure though.
Ergonomics
As alluded to previously, the screen can be tilted back 22 degrees or forwards by 4 degrees. You can also swivel the screen 20 degrees to the left and right.
The display can be spun around to portrait mode thanks to full 90 degree rotation.
The Agon features scales and pointers so that you can log where your optimal settings are. Very handy should you have to share your station or have different preferences for work and play.
The top of the stand neck terminates in a handy (pun intended) carry handle.
Eye care
The 241QX is kind to your peepers too. There is AOC Flicker Free Technology and AOC Low Blue Light mode to ensure that your eyes aren’t overly strained during gaming marathons. I must add here, taking regular breaks does help and is better for you.
With AOC Shadow Control you can activate contrast enhancement for dark areas. This helps see those pesky would-be assassins lurking in dark corners – you do loose a bit of picture quality though. The same is true for the low-input lag mode, which virtually deactivates the postprocessing of the display in order to further improve the response time.
Image quality
The display reacts quickly, without streaking or other unpleasantness. The matte anti-glare finish to the panel did add some graininess to some lighter backgrounds. I really noticed this when typing out documents.
Colours are pretty accurate and are vibrant. As with most TN panels, though, there can be a feeling that some colours appear slightly washed-out.
Most monitors with a 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) resolution are 27-inch models. That adds up to a pixel density of 108.79 PPI (Pixels Per Inch). With this 23.8-inch screen the pixel density is increased to 123.41 PPI (13.4% higher than 27-inch WQHD models).
That might look amazing on paper but I would doubt most people would notice the difference. Also, if you are worried about text and UI (user interface) elements being too small to read, there is little difference between how they appear on the 23.8-inch and the 27-inch.
I have been offered the 27-inch model as my contact thought I’d be disappointed by the 24-inch model size-wise. To be honest, many gamers I know are quite comfortable with this size of screen. I would never say that the AG241QX ever felt too small. Although, if I had the desk space, three of these would be awesome.
One benefit from this size of display in a ‘normal’ seating position is that more of the action happens within your central field of vision, rather than peripheral. This could improve reaction times and lessen eye fatigue. Just a thought.
Gaming
This is, after all, the whole reason for the Agon range.
I found the AG241QX perfect for first person shooters as well as high speed driving sims such as Project Cars.
Colour and contrast is pretty darned good but there is the usual brightening towards the edges that you have to expect with these panels. This does not interfere with playing but I have to mention it.
Left 4 Dead 2 played smoothly with good response times even when hoards of zombies fill up the screen.
CS:GO was nice and fast. Switching to Overdrive in the Gaming section of the OSD gives improved response times with a little bit of ghosting. To be honest, I was hardly aware of the ghosting in-game, but it’s there if you’re looking for it.
Project Cars was smooth with fast rendering of the backgrounds.
Rocket League’s colours popped and gameplay was fast, fluid and fun.
In all cases I could not detect any input lag.
Viewing angles
The viewing angles are a tad narrower than some other monitors at 170 degrees horizontal and 160 degrees vertical – most come in at 178 degrees. Again, unless you use your monitor for watching videos in bed as well as gaming, this shouldn’t be much of a problem.
At really extreme angles you will notice some yellowing (from the sides) or green tinging (from the bottom up) but, from straight on or even at slight angles you will be fine. This is just something I noticed and so had to write down. I have not experienced this getting in the way of my day-to-day use of this monitor over the past few weeks.
Image quality overall
AOC’s AG241QX provides good picture quality with strong colours and contrast. When gaming I could not detect any problems. The display reacts quickly and without noticeable artifacts or tearing.
Agon AG241QX review conclusion
The AG241QX is a great gaming monitor. It looks good, has plenty of scope for adjustments to tailor it to the user, and the processing is fast.
The AOC AGON AG241QX makes good use its 2560 x 1440 panel with a screen area measuring 23.8-inch on the diagonal. This combination works well with increased pixel density and overall screen real-estate. I found the monitor nice to use whether I was tapping out these reviews or killing zombies.
If I was to be critical, and I guess that’s my job here, I’d say the anti-glare coating was a bit too heavy-handed. Also, having to screw the panel to the stand seems to be a retrograde step given the toolless solutions currently available.
I was not able to test out its Free-Sync / Adaptive-Sync skills but I can only imagine that this would’ve improved on its already decent responsiveness.
Agon AG241QX price and availability
You can buy the AG241QX right now for £327 from Amazon.
