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Viewing Angles, Uniformity, Response and Lag
Viewing Angles
The AG322QC4’s viewing angles are typical of other VA panels we’ve reviewed. Its green color shift and 50 percent light falloff is better than any TN panel can deliver but falls short of the average IPS monitor. That said, detail held up well with every step in our pattern remaining visible in the horizontal plane. Gamma became very light in the top-down view with the same color shift and light reduction. But this is average performance for a VA monitor.
Screen Uniformity
To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.
Our AG322QC4 sample displayed excellent field uniformity with only 12.21 percent average deviation from the screen’s center zone. With all the lights turned off in the lab, we could see slight hotspots in the lower right but only barely. Under normal circumstances, there is no visible bleed or glow.
Pixel Response & Input Lag
Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.
We were surprised to see the AG322QC4 post a faster lag score than the more-expensive ROG Swift PG27U. While the 6 ms difference is a very small margin, it speaks to AOC’s component choices and design. Though it is a value-oriented display, its performance is on-par with premium gaming monitors. An 8 ms draw time means motion blur is non-existent, and even without FreeSync, you are unlikely to see any tears or artifacts at high frame rates. And QHD resolution means that you won’t need an expensive graphics board to enjoy these high speeds.
Gaming & Hands-on
Gaming proved to be an excellent experience with the AG322QC4. Most titles looked great, despite color extending past their SDR color gamuts. We enjoyed the extra saturation and bold hues. Contrast and image depth were great, thanks to that superb VA tech. Our calibration put gamma right in the sweet spot and made detail in shadow areas pop without needing the shadow control option.
Motion processing was flawless with frame rates hovering in the 60-70 frames per second range. We set detail to Ultra in Tomb Raider and enjoyed the fine rendering of grass, plants, surface textures and flesh. Setting overdrive to Strong eliminated any hint of motion blur, and FreeSync 2 worked seamlessly.
To test HDR quality, we hooked up our Datastorm PC with its GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card. The rig is capable of HDR output from Windows 10. Using the HDMI port gave us stunning HDR in Call of Duty: WWII. No, it wasn't quite as impressive as what we saw when playing on the Asus ROG Swift PG27U or Acer Predator X27, but at less than a third of the price, we were not disappointed. Highlights were strong and detailed, never overpowering other objects but rendering them even more life-like and three-dimensional. The wide DCI color gamut comes into its own with content like this. Flesh tones had more warmth and realism, while blue skies and green grass were more natural and vibrant.
Regardless of frame rate, the AG322QC4 kept up with the most intense action. There was no motion blur or frame tearing present, even with FreeSync 2 off. Input lag was imperceptible with instant responses to all control inputs. With the large screen size and deep contrast, this AOC has become one of our favorite gaming monitors. You’ll have to spend a lot more money to beat it.
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