KTC H24T09P Review: 1080p 165Hz FreeSync IPS Gaming Monitor

While you may not have heard much about KTC, they’ve actually been an OEM manufacturer for many monitor brands, including Samsung and ViewSonic. Now, they’re starting their own KTC (Key To Combat) gaming monitor brand with the aim of delivering compelling products at competitive prices.

The KTC H24T09P is their entry-level offering intended for gamers on a budget who want to enjoy smooth gameplay and vibrant image quality. Let’s see how it performs!

Image Quality

One thing we like about KTC right off the bat is the fact that they, unlike most monitor manufacturers, clearly specify the exact panel the monitor is using! In this case, it’s the MV238FHB-NG0 IPS panel by BOE with a custom backlight for a wide color gamut.

First up, we’ll see how the KTC H24T09P performs out of the box with its default settings and if there’s anything we can do to improve the image accuracy.

For our testing, calibration and profiling, we’re using the Datacolor SpyderX Pro paired with DisplayCAL and HCFR software. The testing was done after the monitor had warmed up and we disabled all eco/power-saving features.

The KTC H24T09 Plus has several picture modes, including User (Default), Standard, Movie, Photo, RTS, FPS1 and FPS2.

All presets except for User have fixed Brightness, Contrast and Black Equalize (improves visibility in dark scenes by altering the gamma curvature) settings that you cannot change, but you can adjust other options.

Therefore, we recommend sticking with the User mode.

Right out of the box, the monitor has the gamma set to 2.4 (with fairly good 2.45 average gamma tracking), while the Normal color temperature mode adds a bluish tint to whitepoint with 8788K (as opposed to the 6500K target).

Simply changing the gamma to 2.2 and color temperature to Warm in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu offers a more accurate image quality with a proper sRGB tone curve with 2.21 gamma average and a 7462K color temperature, which still has a bit of cold tint to white, but it’s not as noticeable as Normal.

You can use the low-blue light filter to further lower the color temperature to 6779K, 6331K, 5964K or 5648K (adjustable from 0 to 100 in increments of 25).

Other color temperature presets include Cool (10416K), User (adjustable RGB color channels, 9653K default) and sRGB, which has the same color temperature as User and no effect on the color gamut.

You’ll also find Gamma 1.8 and Gamma 2.0 options as well as Gamma Off (measured 2.17 gamma average).

These quick settings also improve the average Delta E from 3.13 to 1.93 (target is ≤ 1.5), which is excellent. The maximum Delta E is 4.82 (down from 5.18, target is ≤ 3), which is mainly due to the monitor’s wide color gamut with a 124.4% measured sRGB gamut volume.

The extended color gamut provides a bit of extra vibrancy. There’s no sRGB emulation mode and using the software clamp wasn’t successful as it only clamped the gamut down to 118.3% sRGB. Although there is some minor over-saturation when viewing sRGB content, it’s very mild and most gamers will actually prefer it.

After a full calibration, we further improved the average Delta E to 0.45 and a maximum to 2.4. The gamma follows the sRGB tone curve accurately and we reduced green gain to 43, blue to 38 and left red at the default 50 in the User color temperature mode to get 6537K.

You can download our ICC profile here. We calibrated for 120-nits (brightness 33/100) and set the Gamma to 2.2 before calibrating.

Finally, we measured a peak brightness of 305-nits and a minimum of 36-nits, while the contrast ratio was 921:1 at 200-nits.

The contrast ratio is as expected from an IPS panel, meaning that you won’t get as deep blacks as that of VA panels with a ~3000:1 contrast ratio, but you get wider 178° viewing angles as the image remains consistent and accurate regardless of the angle you’re looking at it.

We didn’t find any dead or stuck pixels, there is no excessive backlight bleeding or IPS glow, no frame skipping and no image retention.

There were some noticeable scanlines when viewing Lagon’s pixel inversion patterns (from 1 to 2b) at refresh rates higher than 100Hz, but we didn’t run into this issue during everyday use or other testing.

Looking at the image uniformity, the bottom part of the screen is a bit darker (up to 20-nits), but we didn’t find this to be noticeable during everyday use.

The KTC H24T09P monitor has a pixel density of 92.56 PPI (pixels per inch), which results in a decent amount of screen space and detail clarity. More importantly, the 1080p resolution is not demanding on the GPU, allowing you to maintain a high frame rate for smoother gameplay.

Performance

For pixel response time speed and input lag testing, we’re using OSRTT. We’re also using Blur Buster’s UFO ghosting test with 960 Pixels Per Sec, shutter speed set to 1/4 of the refresh rate with fixed focus, ISO and color temperature (6500K). Before the tests, the monitor was calibrated and warmed up.

The KTC H24T09P has four response time overdrive modes: Off, Low, Middle and High.

Here’s how the different overdrive modes look in the UFO ghosting test.

However, note that these pixel response time measures and UFO photos are taken at fixed refresh rates. So, if you’re gaming at fixed 120Hz or 165Hz, you should use the High overdrive mode; at fixed 60Hz, dial it back to Middle in order to prevent inverse ghosting.

To test variable overdrive behavior, we set the monitor to 165Hz, enabled variable refresh rate and set the FPS limit to different refresh rate in the OSRTT software.

Since browsers don’t support VRR, we can’t do Blur Busters’ UFO test at different frame rates, but we confirmed smooth performance without ghosting and overshoot it in the SmoothFrog application and a few other games.

Overall, the performance of the KTC M24T09P monitor is excellent.

The average response time is 5.11ms with only 3.47% overshoot at 165Hz with VRR enabled, or 3.9ms with 7.57% overshoot and VRR disabled using the High overdrive mode. With, respectively, 77% and 90% pixel transitions being within the refresh window, there’s no noticeable trailing behind fast-moving objects in games.

You can see how pixel response time is slightly faster (with a tad of visible overshoot) with VRR disabled below, both images are taken at 165Hz with High overdrive.

Here’s how it compares to the BenQ XL2566K 360Hz TN, the ASUS PG27AQDM 240Hz OLED and the Gigabyte M32QC with a slower 170Hz VA panel.

Additionally, variable refresh rate performance is smooth as there’s no brightness flickering, allowing you to enjoy tear-free gameplay up to 165FPS.

The video below shows the difference between 60Hz and 165Hz on this display.

Using an NVIDIA GPU, we found that LFC (Low Framerate Compensation) is triggered around 56FPS, so at 55FPS, the refresh rate is doubled to 110Hz in order to keep tearing at bay, and so on. With AMD GPUs, the dynamic range is 48-165Hz.

The monitor also supports Motion Blur Reduction. To turn it on, you must first disable VRR in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu, and enable MPRT. The refresh rate must be set to at least 100Hz.

MBR uses backlight strobing to reduce perceived motion blur at the cost of picture brightness. It also introduces screen flickering, which is invisible to the human eye, but can cause headaches after prolonged use to those sensitive to flicker. The backlight is otherwise flicker-free.

As you can see, MBR can improve motion clarity, especially if you’re using it at 144Hz with an in-game frame rate capped at 144FPS, which has the least amount of strobe crosstalk.

With MBR enabled, the brightness is reduced to 95-nits at 165Hz, 77-nits at 144Hz and 62-nits at 120Hz or 100Hz.

Finally, we measured an average display latency of 6.57ms at 60Hz, 2.89ms at 120Hz and 2.75ms at 165Hz, meaning that there’s no perceptible delay between your actions and the result on the screen.

Features

Behind the bottom bezel of the screen, there’s a directional joystick for quick and easy navigation through the OSD menu, apart from the power consumption warning message that occurs every time you want to change brightness or picture mode.

Luckily, the monitor supports DDC/CI, so you can use a third-party application, such as ClickMonitorDDC to change the brightness using your keyboard/mouse.

Pressing the joystick to the left (Game Assist), down (Brightness), right (Presets) and up (input source selection) while not in the menu opens up the shortcuts for the mentioned settings.

Besides the standard image adjustments (brightness, contrast and color temperature), you also get some advanced settings, including sharpness, aspect ratio (full, 16:9 and 4:3), four gamma presets and hue/saturation.

Other features include Black Equalize (improves visibility in dark scenes by altering the gamma curvature), Ultra Vivid (increases sharpness), DCR (dynamic contrast ratio), auto source selection, audio, OSD settings (position, timeout and transparency) and three User profiles to save/load your settings.

For optimal image quality, we recommend leaving Black Equalize at default and leaving Ultra Vivid and DSR disabled.

Finally, the Game Assist feature consists of crosshair overlays, a refresh rate tracker and an on-screen timer.

Design & Connectivity

The screen and the stand are very lightweight, so be careful not to knock the monitor over. Although the base has a small footprint, it’s made of metal, so the monitor doesn’t wobble, but the stand is tilt-only by -5°/15°.

Note that the monitor riser comes attached to the screen, and you’ll need to unscrew it if you wish to mount the screen via the 100x100mm pattern.

Along with the monitor, you’ll also get a small screwdriver, an external power supply, a warranty card, a quick start guide and an HDMI cable.

If you have a G-SYNC Compatible NVIDIA graphics card (10-series or newer), you will need a DisplayPort cable to use variable refresh rate. AMD FreeSync Premium works over both HDMI and DP.

Next, the screen has a light (25% low-haze) matte anti-glare coating that prevents reflections without adding too much graininess to the image.

Note that the monitor’s product image shows ultra-thin bezels with an edge-to-edge picture. While the bezels are thin, there’s a black border around the screen before the image starts – around 3mm at the top and at the sides, and 2mm at the bottom along with the 1cm bottom bezel. This is typical for all “bezel-less” displays, but some users might be misled by the marketing.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports and two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs – all of which support 1920×1080 at 165Hz. There’s also a headphone jack.

Price & Similar Monitors

The KTC H24T09P can be found for as low as $100, which makes it the most affordable 24″ 1080p high refresh rate IPS gaming monitor.

Given that it also features one of the fastest 24″ 1080p ~165Hz IPS panels with excellent overdrive implementation and smooth VRR performance as well as a wide color gamut, we highly recommend it as the best budget gaming monitor.

If you want something with a sturdier stand, you can get the BenQ EX240 for ~$160, but it would be more cost-effective to just get a third-party VESA mounting arm to go with the KTC H24T09P.

This route is cheaper, you get even more ergonomic options with less desk clutter, you can keep the stand for other monitor upgrades! Further, around the ~$160 price range, you can consider 27″ 1440p 165Hz IPS models, 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

Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the H24T09P and it shows that even though KTC is a new brand, they have experience optimizing displays.

The overdrive is well-implemented and allows for a single overdrive experience across the entire refresh rate range with no noticeable ghosting and overshoot, which is something we don’t see often on budget displays.

Further, you get a wide color gamut backlight for more vibrant colors and decent image accuracy with just a few tweaks in the OSD menu.

On top of that, you get flawless VRR performance, usable backlight strobing mode (especially at 144Hz) and additional gaming features.

If you want the most affordable gaming monitor with a rapid response time speed and vibrant colors, the KTC H24T09P is for you.

Specifications

Screen Size	23.8-inch
Resolution	1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	Fast IPS
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	165Hz
Response Time (GtG)	Not specified
Response Time (MPRT)	1ms (MPRT)
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync Premium (48-165Hz)
Ports	2x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	Headphone Jack
Brightness	300 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (8-bit) 92% DCI-P3
HDR	HDR10
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)