AOC C24G1A Gaming Monitor Review: Impressive Performance For Very Little Money

24-inch FHD VA curved panel with 165 Hz, Adaptive-Sync and wide gamut color.

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AOC C24G1A
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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To compare the C24G1A’s performance, I’ve mined a group of budget monitors from my test database. They are Gigabyte’s G27F2, AOC’s C27G2Z, Dell’s S2422HG, Viotek’s GFI24CBA and Philips’ 221V8LN. All are available for less than $200, with the Philips costing just $70.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

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AOC C24G1A
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The C24G1A’s millisecond to Hertz ratio is a bit unfavorable compared to the other screens. 8ms is still plenty fast, but you can get better performance from the 27-inch AOC and the Gigabyte. A 1ms difference can be seen in a side-by-side comparison. In test patterns, I saw a bit more blur from the C24G1A than is typical of 165 Hz monitors. The overdrive only helps a little here. It suffers from undershoot, which manifests as black trails behind moving objects. You can use the MBR backlight strobe for better motion resolution, but then you’ll see a phasing artifact.

The C24G1A manages to make up much time in the total lag test. It is extremely responsive to control inputs. A gamer of average skill like me will find it easy to aim accurately in fast-paced shooters. Notice that it pips the 240 Hz C27G2Z by 1ms. That’s a happy surprise.

Test Takeaway: Though input lag is low, the C24G1A’s panel is a bit slower to draw a full frame than other 165 Hz screens. Coupled with a weak overdrive, it is a little less smooth than its primary competition. 

Viewing Angles

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Budget VA panels aren’t known for great viewing angles, but the C24G1A is a happy exception. The sides have a slight green tint, but light only falls off by around 20%. This is almost in IPS territory. The top view is green and washed out but retains good light output. Though I don’t expect many users to share a 24-inch monitor, the C24G1A is one of the few VA displays that can do it.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The C24G1A has one of the lowest screen uniformity scores I’ve ever recorded. To be fair, this is sample specific. Other C24G1As may measure higher than this. But it’s unlikely that you’ll find any examples with visible bleed or glow. 10% is my personal benchmark. Any number below that means there are no visible issues anywhere on the screen. This is excellent performance. 

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Math Geek
    i have the original C24G1 and love it. well worth the $160 i paid for it. this updated one currently $119 on amazon is a steal.

    thinking hard about ordering 2 of them to replace my mis-matched dual screens i have now.. :)
    Reply
  • Sleepy_Hollowed
    This is an insane monitor, I am tempted to buy two as well, as 1080p is still the gaming sweet spot unless you need extra visibility of an ultra wide.
    Reply
  • Anton Longshot
    A VERY long time ago I learned that once you get a bigger monitor, you can NEVER go back. But I suppose not everyone agrees with that as I often see TINY screens in shops and what's more, in reviews like this one.
    But then, I also don't play games on my laptop, ever...while laptop gaming is totally a thing elsewhere...iieeeuw. I guess I'll just stick to being amazed at what people do and refrain from judging them. :)
    Reply
  • Rexer
    I'm curious what the experience would be with a 165hz monitor for $120.00 from AOC. I bought into the 'cheap' monitor buys going with ViewSonic VX2418C ($130.00) and being humorously disappointed with the reality, I sorta laughed it off, "Oh well, you get what you pay for." Muddy details (even after adusting), game controller function knob broke and color for Display Port fritzed after 8 months (character flesh in games turned green. I RMA'd it two weeks ago. You can't adjust the hight, side to side and tilt but you buy it knowing that. Packaging was sort of suspect, small, minimum styrofoam, thin, unbleached corigated box, was least expensive packing I've seen for a monitor.
    Someone tell me they bought it and it's picturesque quality is pristine and refined. panel controls are easy to naviage and repsonds to shaders and is without washed color.
    Reply