LG 24GN650 Review: 1080p 144Hz 1ms IPS FreeSync Gaming Monitor

The LG 24GN650-B is a fast 24″ 1080p 144Hz IPS gaming monitor with an advertised GtG pixel response time of 1ms!

It’s great for those who enjoy competitive fast-paced games, as well as accurate colors and wide viewing angles, but have a limited budget.

Image Quality

The monitor is based on a BOE IPS panel, the MV238FHM-NG1, to be precise.

It supports 8-bit color depth via dithering for 16.7 million colors and covers the basic sRGB color space with ~99% gamut coverage. The colors are accurate, consistent and vivid without any over-saturation.

Further, the LG 24GN650 gets more than bright enough under normal lighting conditions thanks to its quoted 300-nit brightness, which even goes beyond that, up to 350-nits for SDR or 400-nits for HDR (High Dynamic Range) content.

While HDR10 is supported, due to the monitor’s lack of wide color gamut and a modest static contrast ratio of 1,000:1, HDR content will mostly look washed out, and you’ll prefer to have it disabled.

Naturally, at this price range, you shouldn’t even expect a noteworthy HDR viewing experience.

Besides excellent color quality and fast response time, the IPS panel of the monitor also offers wide viewing angles, which ensure that the image won’t degrade at an angle.

However, one disadvantage of the IPS technology, besides the inferior contrast ratio to VA panels, is IPS glow, which is characterized as visible ‘glowing’ around the corners of the screen.

The amount of IPS glow varies across different units, but in most cases, it’s completely negligible or tolerable.

The 1920×1080 Full HD resolution results in a decent pixel density of 92.56 PPI (pixels per inch) on the 23.8″ viewable screen of the LG 24GN650 monitor.

This means that there will be a fair amount of screen space available, while the details and text are reasonably sharp. The image won’t be as pixely as that of a 27-inch 1080p monitor, but it also won’t look as sharp as that of a 27-inch 1440p display, for instance.

Performance

There are four response time overdrive modes: Off, Normal, Fast and Faster. As usual for LG’s monitors, the ‘Faster’ mode just pushes the pixel transition times to their limits, so that they could advertise it as 1ms GtG (gray to gray). In turn, there’s a lot of pixel overshoot noticeable, so we don’t recommend using this overdrive mode.

Regardless, the ‘Fast’ mode delivers a buttery-smooth fast-paced gaming performance with zero ghosting and overshoot across the entire refresh rate range; on par with LG’s 1440p 144Hz IPS variants, such as the LG 27GL850.

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

Additionally, the LG 24GN650 supports 1ms Motion Blur Reduction (MBR). This technology enables backlight strobing, which reduces the amount of perceived motion blur, but sacrifices maximum brightness while active.

Further, you can’t use 1ms MBR and FreeSync/G-SYNC Compatible at the same time since it can only be enabled at a fixed 120Hz or 144Hz refresh rate.

Note that backlight strobing introduces flickering, so those sensitive to it may experience headaches after prolonged use.

AMD FreeSync is supported with a 48-144Hz VRR (variable refresh rate) range for tear-free gameplay up to 144FPS over both HDMI and DisplayPort for compatible graphics cards.

While the LG 24GN650 is not certified by NVIDIA as G-SYNC Compatible, FreeSync works without any issues with compatible GeForce graphics cards over DisplayPort.

Features

Moving on, the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu can be accessed via the joystick placed beneath the bottom bezel of the monitor.

Alternatively, you can use LG’s On-Screen Control software to make monitor adjustments in a desktop application using your mouse and keyboard.

Useful gaming features include Black Stabilizer (improves visibility in dark scenes of games) and four different crosshair overlays.

There are various picture presets available as well, including two adjustable Gamer modes, FPS, RTS, Vivid and HDR Effect (simulates HDR).

You’ll also find advanced image adjustment tools, such as four gamma modes and 6-axis hue/saturation, besides the standard settings like brightness, contrast, etc.

Auto Input Switch is also supported, which was unavailable on LG’s older monitors. It allows the monitor to automatically switch to the new connected device.

The backlight of the LG 24GN650 display is flicker-free and there’s an integrated low-blue light filter (the ‘Reader’ picture preset).

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is sturdy and fairly versatile with up to 110mm height adjustment, -5°/15° tilt, 90° pivot and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility, but it lacks the ability to swivel to the left/right.

The bezels are ultra-thin at the top and at the sides, while the screen has a matte anti-glare coating, which prevents reflections without making the picture too grainy.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 inputs, DisplayPort 1.4, a headphone jack and a USB port for service only.

Price & Similar Monitors

The LG 24GN650 usually goes for $170.

It is also available as a 27″ variant, the LG 27GN650 – and both of these models are available with tilt-only stands at a bit lower price: the LG 24GN600 and LG 27GN600.

Be sure not to confuse these monitors with the LG 24GL600F and 24GL650, which are older models with TN panels.

Now, there’s a newer LG 24GS60F model with a 180Hz factory-overclocked refresh rate for $140 – $150.

For more information and options, check out our best gaming monitors under $150 and best gaming monitors under $200 buyer’s guides.

Conclusion

All in all, the LG 24GN650 is an exceptional budget gaming monitor, though a bit lower price tag would make it much easier to recommend.

Specifications

Screen Size	23.8-inch
Resolution	1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	144Hz
Response Time (GtG)	1ms (GtG)
Response Time (MPRT)	1ms Motion Blur Reduction
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync (48-144Hz)
Ports	DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	Headphone Jack
Brightness	300 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (6-bit + FRC)
HDR	HDR10
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)