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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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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AOC C24G1A
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The C24G1A isn’t the brightest monitor out there, but it’s bright enough. That’s a statement I often make when testing monitors that top out lower than 300 nits, but it is honest. Run your desktop display at 300 nits and you will find yourself fatigued in a short time. If a screen can top 200 nits, it’s bright enough and the C24G1A does that easily. Note that the other inexpensive panel, the Philips 221V8LN is also below the 300-nit mark.

This puts the two budget VA panels at the top of the black level and contrast charts. That statistic is more important than peak output. Dynamic range is what makes an image more realistic with a three-dimensional look and more vivid and saturated color. This cannot be overstated.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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AOC C24G1A
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Calibration adds a few points to the C24G1A’s and 221V8LN’s contrast score. A native ratio over 4,000:1 is higher than average among VA panels, regardless of price. And it’s well ahead of even the best IPS monitors. This is beyond impressive.

The Philips has one of the highest ANSI scores I’ve ever recorded and the C24G1A isn’t far afield. The only way you’ll see more depth and contrast with an OLED on your desk.

Test Takeaway: The C24G1A has more native contrast than almost every monitor I’ve ever tested. With fantastic black levels, it delivers a richly saturated image with detail and sharpness that belie its pixel density.

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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