ASUS VG259QM Review: 1080p 280Hz 1ms IPS Gaming Monitor

The ASUS VG259QM is a 24.5" 1080p IPS gaming monitor with a 280Hz refresh rate (240Hz native), ELMB-SYNC, and rapid GtG 1ms response time.

Bottom Line

The ASUS VG259QM is a 24.5″ 1080p 240Hz 1ms IPS gaming monitor with a factory-overclocked 280Hz refresh rate, ergonomic design, and the exclusive ELMB-Sync technology.

Its combination of excellent image quality and great responsiveness makes it one of the best gaming monitors for the money!

Design:
(5.0)
Display:
(4.6)
Performance:
(4.9)
Price/Value:
(4.7)
4.8

The ASUS VG259QM is a 1080p 240Hz gaming monitor based on a fast IPS panel for both gorgeous colors and rapid pixel response time. It also offers extra features such as 280Hz overclocking and ELMB-Sync!

Image Quality

The monitor is based on AU Optronics’ AHVA (IPS) panel, which features 178° wide viewing angles, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1, a peak brightness of 400-nits, 8-bit color depth support, and 99% sRGB color gamut.

This results in accurate, consistent, and vivid colors, while the picture won’t shift in color, contrast, or brightness when you look at the screen from skewed angles.

The static contrast ratio of 1,000:1 is standard for this panel technology, while the peak brightness of 400-nits makes the monitor usable even in rooms with strong lighting.

Further, the ASUS VG259QM has a screen resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, which will allow you to easily maintain a high FPS (Frames Per Second) to take full advantage of the monitor’s 280Hz maximum refresh rate.

1080p results in a decent pixel density of 90 PPI (pixels per inch) on 24.5″ sized screens. This means that you’ll have plenty of screen space available as well as reasonably sharp text and details.

On 27″ sized monitors, 1080p resolution has a pixel density of 81 PPI, which looks notably more pixelated. That’s why most people don’t prefer monitors larger than 25″ for the 1080p screen resolution.

The ASUS VG259QM monitor also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range). However, since it lacks local dimming and wide color gamut, HDR content won’t really look any better.

Basically, you can ignore its HDR support as it can only accept and display the HDR10 signal, it cannot actually improve the picture quality. 

Performance

freesync and gsync

The input lag of the ASUS VG259QM amounts to only ~2ms, which makes for imperceptible delay.

The response time speed is also impressive with 1ms GtG (gray to gray) pixel transition, which effectively eliminates trailing behind fast-moving objects without adding any pixel overshoot (inverse ghosting).

Make sure that ‘Overdrive‘ in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu is set to ’80’ for the optimal performance at 280Hz.

In case you’re using FreeSync/G-SYNC, and your frame rate is usually around 140FPS, lower the Tracefree setting to ’60’ as ’80’ is too aggressive for lower refresh rates and introduces pixel overshoot.

At ~60Hz/FPS, reduce Tracefree to ’40’.

Technically, to get the advertised 1ms GtG response time, you’d need to set Tracefree to ‘100’, but this introduces too much overshoot, even at 280Hz. Regardless, ’80’ is quick enough to eliminate any prominent ghosting.

Moving on, the ASUS VG259QM 280Hz gaming monitor supports AMD FreeSync, and it’s certified as ‘G-SYNC Compatible’ by NVIDIA.

This ensures a smooth VRR (variable refresh rate) performance up to 280Hz without any screen tearing or stuttering when using a compatible graphics card by AMD or NVIDIA.

The monitor also supports backlight strobing via its ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur) technology, which can even be enabled at the same time as FreeSync/G-SYNC via the ELMB-Sync option.

Unfortunately, ELMB and ELMB-Sync lock the monitor’s Tracefree setting to ’80’, so unless you can constantly maintain 200FPS+, you’ll get a lot of pixel overshoot.

For more details about how ELMB-Sync works and why it’s not as good in practice as it sounds in theory, visit the ELMB-Sync section of our ASUS VG279QM review, the 27″ model of the VG259QM.

Features

asus vg259qm monitor gameplus features

Other gaming features of the ASUS VG259QM display include the GameVisual pre-calibrated picture presets (FPS, RTS/RPG, MOBA, Racing, and sRGB) as well as custom on-screen crosshairs and timers.

There’s also the Sniper feature, which enlarges the pixels around your crosshair for better precision.

Another useful feature is Shadow Boost, which alters the gamma curvature to make objects in shadows more visible.

Thanks to the joystick at the back of the monitor, going through various settings in the menu is very quick and easy.

Naturally, the monitor has all the standard image adjustment tools such as contrast, brightness, color temperature, etc.

Finally, note that the ASUS VG259QM has a flicker-free backlight and an integrated low-blue light filter which allows for long gaming sessions without eye strain (granted that you take breaks regularly).

Design & Connectivity

asus vg259qm monitor back

The stand of the monitor is sturdy and versatile with up to 130mm height adjustment, +/- 90° pivot and swivel, -5­°/33° tilt, and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports (max 240Hz), a DisplayPort 1.2 input, a headphone jack, and dual 2W built-in speakers.

Price & Similar Monitors

The ASUS VG259QM goes for ~$300.

If you’re a fan of MBR and CRT-like motion clarity, we recommend the ViewSonic XG2431 instead. Its backlight strobing is much better optimized.

In case you don’t need any type of MBR, you can save some money by going with the Dell S2522HG. It’s a 1080p 240Hz IPS model based on the same panel as the VG259QM, but without MBR and it can be found for as low as $250.

For more information and the best deals currently available, visit our best gaming monitor buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

Overall, the ASUS VG259QM is an excellent gaming monitor, but there are better options around this price range based on whether you want MBR or not.

Specifications

Screen Size24.5-inch
Resolution1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel TypeIPS
Aspect Ratio16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate240Hz (280Hz OC)
Response Time1ms (GtG)
Adaptive SyncFreeSync (48Hz-280Hz)
G-SYNC Compatible
ELMB-SYNC
Speakers2x2W
PortsDisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other PortsHeadphone Jack
Brightness400 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio1000:1 (static)
Colors16.7 million (true 8-bit)
HDRHDR10, VESA DisplayHDR 400
VESAYes (100x100mm)

The Pros:

  • Precise colors, wide viewing angles
  • ELMB-Sync up to 280Hz
  • Quick response time, low input lag
  • Plenty of gaming features including FreeSync
  • Fully ergonomic design

The Cons:

  • Backlight strobing technology could be better optimized
  • IPS glow and mediocre contrast ratio (as expected from this panel technology)

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Rob Shafer

Rob is a software engineer with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver. He now works full-time managing DisplayNinja while coding his own projects on the side.