AOC 24G2SP Review: 1080p 165Hz FreeSync IPS Gaming Monitor

The AOC 24G2 is one of the most popular budget gaming monitors thanks to its IPS panel with wide viewing angles, wide color gamut, quick response time and high refresh rate paired with an affordable price and an excellent design.

Now, the updated AOC 24G2SP model aims to further improve upon that, starting with a small 165Hz factory overclock!

Image Quality

The wide color gamut is one of the main things that made the AOC 24G2 stand out from the other 24″ 1080p high refresh rate IPS gaming models.

Luckily, the AOC 24G2SP keeps the same 92% DCI-P3 gamut coverage (~125% sRGB gamut size) for more saturated and lifelike colors, as well as the excellent Delta E < 2 factory calibration for accurate gamma and whitepoint.

There’s an sRGB emulation mode available under the Color Temperature settings, which clamps the gamut down to ~100% sRGB in order to remove over-saturation. However, it’s locked to a high 90/100 brightness setting, which a lot of users will find way too bright at around 400-nits!

Since the over-saturation is not extreme, the touch of added color vibrancy won’t bother most gamers. If you wish to use the sRGB mode and find the locked brightness to be too high, you’ll have to use the software gamut clamp found in AMD’s drivers or the novideo_srgb tool in case you have an NVIDIA GPU.

Still, we really wish AOC addressed the locked sRGB mode brightness in this version as it was one of the main flaws of the original model.

Moving on, just like the older version, the AOC 24G2SP has a strong peak brightness and a static contrast ratio that exceeds the specified values. It can reach over 400-nits, while the contrast ratio amounts to around 1,400:1.

This means that you can comfortably use the monitor in well-lit rooms without worrying about glare and that you get a bit deeper blacks than that of regular IPS monitors, which usually have a contrast ratio of ~1,000:1.

Of course, VA monitors still have significantly deeper blacks due to their ~3,000:1 contrast ratio, but they have other disadvantages at this price range, such as slower response time and narrower viewing angles.

The AOC 24G2SP also has a very high minimum brightness of ~ 100 – 120-nits. So, if you plan on mainly using the screen in a dark room and you prefer low brightness settings, it might be too bright for you even at 0/100 brightness. Most monitors have a minimum brightness of around 30 – 50-nits.

As expected, there’s some IPS glow, but its intensity will vary from unit to unit and should be manageable in all except for the most extreme cases.

Finally, the 1920×1080 Full HD screen resolution looks decent on the 23.8″ viewable screen of the monitor. You get sharper details and text than you would on a 27″ monitor with the same resolution.

Moreover, it’s not very demanding on the GPU, allowing you to take advantage of the monitor’s high refresh rate even with a good budget gaming rig.

Performance

The AOC 24G2SP monitor has four response time overdrive modes: Off, Weak, Medium and Strong. For the best performance at 165Hz, we recommend using the Strong mode, though you may need to dial it back at lower refresh rates: Below 120Hz, go with ‘Medium‘ and at around 60Hz, go with ‘Weak.’

Variable refresh rate is supported for tear-free gameplay with a 48-165Hz dynamic range over DisplayPort and 48-144Hz over HDMI. You get smooth performance with both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs despite the monitor not having official G-SYNC Compatible certification (at least not yet).

The monitor also supports MBR (Motion Blur Reduction), which uses backlight strobing to reduce perceived motion blur at a cost of picture brightness. You can adjust MBR on a scale from 1 to 20 until you find the perfect balance between motion clarity and brightness; the darker the image, the clearer the motion.

Setting response time overdrive to ‘Boost’ will enable MBR at the highest level of 20. Note that MBR and VRR cannot work at the same time on this monitor – the refresh rate needs to be fixed and set to at least 75Hz.

Input lag amounts to around 4ms, which makes for imperceptible delay between your actions and the result you see on the screen.

Lastly, the backlight of the monitor is flicker-free (unless MBR is enabled) and there’s an integrated low-blue light filter.

Features

At the bottom bezel of the screen, you’ll find a power button and four hotkeys for OSD (On-Screen Display) menu navigation, though you can also use AOC’s G-Menu desktop application for quicker and easier adjustments.

Noteworthy features include various picture presets (including three customizable Gamer modes), Game Color for saturation, Shadow Control (improves visibility in dark scenes), crosshair overlay, three gamma modes and a refresh rate tracker.

There’s also a feature that simulates HDR (High Dynamic Range), though we recommend leaving it disabled.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is quite sturdy and offers a good range of ergonomics, including up to 130mm height adjustment, +/- 30° swivel, -5°/23° tilt, 90° pivot and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility, while the screen has a matte anti-glare coating against reflections.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 1.4 ports (up to 144Hz at 1080p, with 1080p 120Hz console support), DisplayPort 1.2 (for 165Hz), VGA and a headphone jack.

In Europe, the AOC 24G2SP is also available as a model with integrated speakers, a USB hub and a stand with black plastics, the AOC 24G2SPU/BK and the 27″ sized variant – AOC 27G2SPU/BK.

Price & Similar Monitors

The AOC 24G2SP usually goes for $190, whereas the older model can be found for around $200.

Keep in mind that there’s a similar model, the AOC 24G2S, which actually has a VA panel with a higher contrast ratio but a slower response time.

The main difference between them is in the refresh rate, which is not noticeable in real use – 21Hz is less than 1-millisecond difference between the refresh cycles.

Another advantage of the newer model is the higher peak brightness, which can be useful if you’re gaming in a bright room. Whether all that’s worth the extra $15 is up to you.

AOC also has a newer AOC 24G4 variant, but it’s not available in the US at the time of this writing.

Either way, we recommend the BenQ EX240 instead. It goes for $160 and offers a 24″ 1080p 165Hz IPS panel with a wide color gamut, an ergonomic stand, a USB hub and integrated speakers.

Another great option is the KTC H24T09P. It also has a wide color gamut, but its stand is tilt-only. It can be found on sale for just $100 though.

You can also find a 27″ 1440p 180Hz IPS model for around $150 on sale, such as the KTC H27T22S.

To learn more about monitors and ensure you’re getting the model most suited for your personal preference, visit our comprehensive and always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

All in all, the AOC 24G2SP is a decent budget gaming monitor. However, there are better alternatives available in this price range.

Specifications

Screen Size	23.8-inch
Resolution	1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	165Hz
Response Time (GtG)	4ms (GtG)
Response Time (MBR)	1ms (MPRT)
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync (48-165Hz)
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 1.4
Other Ports	Headphone Jack
Brightness	300 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (6-bit + FRC) 92% DCI-P3
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)