AOC C24G1 Review: 1080p 144Hz FreeSync Curved Gaming Monitor

The AOC C24G1 is an affordable 144Hz curved gaming monitor with AMD FreeSync, 1ms MPRT, and many more useful features.

Unlike most high refresh rate displays at this price range, however, the C24G1 doesn’t skimp on design quality, or anything else for that matter.

Image Quality

The AOC C24G1 is based on a VA panel with true 8-bit color depth, an exceptional 3,000:1 static contrast ratio, a 250-nit peak brightness, 1080p resolution, and 178-degree wide viewing angles.

The Full HD resolution, 1920×1080, results in a decent pixel density of roughly 93 pixels per inch when displayed on the 23.6″ viewable screen of the AOC C24G1.

Such pixel density allows for sharp and clear details as well as a decent amount of screen real estate. Many users may be tempted to get the 27″ model, the C27G1 since it’s bigger and only slightly more expensive, but 1080p results in a notably lower pixel density on 27″ sized monitors meaning that you’ll get a more pixelated picture quality. 

Since it’s not very demanding, 1080p also allows you to reach high frame rates in video games for an enjoyable and smooth gaming experience, even with a solid budget/mid-range GPU.

Moving on, the AOC C24G1 offers excellent colors out of the box; we recommend using the ‘sRGB’ color temperature mode for the most accurate color reproduction.

What’s more, its high static contrast ratio delivers deeper blacks than other panel technologies, including IPS and TN. The overall relation between the darkest and the brightest shades is also more vivid.

Finally, although the 250-nit peak brightness may seem low on paper, it’s more than enough under normal viewing conditions, and you will most likely want to lower the brightness setting from the maximum. 

Performance

The AOC C24G1 input lag is superb and amounts to only 4ms, thus making the monitor viable for hardcore competitive gaming as there are no perceptible delays.

One of the main drawbacks of most VA panels is the slow response time speed, which causes ghosting of fast-moving objects. However, this is only really noticeable in darker scenes where dark pixels are predominant in the picture.

For casual gaming, this issue is entirely negligible, but if you’re a hardcore FPS gamer, the amount of smearing may be too distracting, and you should look for an IPS or TN panel display instead.

To remove some of that ghosting, the AOC C24G1 is equipped with the 1ms MPRT technology, which via backlight strobing, further reduces the perceived trailing behind fast-moving objects.

Alas, this Motion Blur Reduction (MBR) feature cannot be active at the same time as FreeSync, and it decreases the monitor’s maximum brightness while active.

In the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu of the AOC C24G1, you will find the MBR option with 0-20 values.

This adjusts the intensity of the backlight strobing; increasing the frequency further reduces the motion blur but also reduces the maximum brightness and vice versa, which is a handy feature and usually only found on more expensive gaming monitors.

There are five response time overdrive options (Off, Weak, Medium, Strong, and Boost). The Boost option can only be selected when FreeSync is turned off as it enables MBR and uses the Strong overdrive preset.

When using FreeSync, we recommend using the Strong option at high frame rates, and ‘Medium’ at lower frame rates as well as for regular desktop use since ‘Strong’ can introduce some pixel overshoot.

Features

The AOC C24G1 features AMD FreeSync, which allows you to synchronize the monitor’s refresh rate with the frame rate of a compatible GPU.

This allows your monitor’s refresh rate to change dynamically, which will, in turn, eliminate all screen tearing and stuttering within the VRR (variable refresh rate) range of the display.

The AOC C24G1 FreeSync range is 48-144Hz/FPS (Frames Per Second), but once your FPS drops below 48, LFC (Low Framerate Compensation) will make the refresh rate double or triple the frame rate for smoother performance (for instance, at 47FPS, you’d get 141Hz).

FreeSync also works when using a compatible NVIDIA G-SYNC graphics card. However, some users experience brightness flickering when FreeSync/G-SYNC is enabled.

This only affects some units of the monitor, and the brightness flickering is mostly present below 48FPS and/or when your frame rate fluctuates a lot.

Sadly, this issue affects a lot of monitors based on Samsung’s VA panels, and, hopefully, a GPU driver update will fix it at some point.

There are additional gaming features available, including the ‘Dial Point’ custom crosshair, AOC Game Color (preset color saturation modes), and AOC Shadow Control (preset gamma curvature modes for better visibility of objects in shadows).

You will also find pre-calibrated picture presets for FPS, RTS, and Racing genres as well as three Gamer profiles where you can edit and save your settings. For minimal input lag, make sure the AOC Low Input Lag option is ‘On’.

Navigation through the OSD menu is not ideal.

Although the menu itself is well-organized, there are only five small hotkeys beneath the bottom bezel of the screen at the right side. They’re not illuminated, so if you’re making adjustments in a dark room, you can easily misclick the power on/off button.

Luckily, you can download AOC’s G-Menu software and make your adjustments in a desktop application instead.

The AOC C24G1 has a flicker-free backlight (except when 1ms MPRT is enabled), and there’s a Low Blue Light mode for a comfortable viewing experience at night.

Design & Connectivity

The monitor features a stylish design with ultra-thin bezels at the top and the sides of the display for a cinematic viewing experience and ideal multi-monitor gaming setup.

There are some red ‘gamer-y’ accents, but they’re not intrusive at all, while the chassis has a nice textured matte finish.

The metal stand is quite sturdy and even offers height adjustment up to 130mm as well as +/- 35° swivel, -5°/20° tilt and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

The 1500R curvature on the 24″ C24G1 gaming monitor is a nice touch. It provides a little bit of extra depth if you’re focused on it, but it’s generally subtle and barely noticeable once you get used to it.

On the back of the monitor, you’ll find two HDMI 1.4 ports, DisplayPort 1.2, VGA, and a headphone jack. Both HDMI ports and the DisplayPort input support AMD FreeSync and 144Hz at 1080p.

Price & Similar Monitors

There’s an updated model of the C24G1, the AOC C24G1A. It goes for the same price, but features a wider color gamut (120% sRGB) for more saturated colors and a factory-overclocked 165Hz refresh rate.

Initially, the C24G1/A could be found for as low as $144. At that price, we highly recommend it as the best budget gaming monitor. However, due to monitor component shortages, it goes for a bit over $200 nowadays.

At that price, you can get an IPS gaming monitor, such as the AOC 24G2 or the LG 24GN650 and you won’t have to deal with slow response time and VRR brightness flickering. However, you’ll also have a lower contrast ratio, so blacks won’t be as deep.

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

Overall, if you’re not sensitive to minor smearing and screen tearing, and would rather have a higher contrast ratio, the AOC C24G1 is worth considering; otherwise, get an IPS monitor instead with a faster response time and smooth VRR performance.

Specifications

Screen Size	23.6-inch
Screen Curvature	1500R
Resolution	1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	VA
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	144Hz
Response Time	4ms (GtG)
Motion Blur Reduction	1ms (MPRT)
Adaptive Sync	FreeSync (48Hz-144Hz)
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 1.4, VGA
Other Ports	Headphone Jack
Brightness	250 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	3000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (true 8-bit)
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)