aoc monitor review | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 13 Aug 2021 13:55:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png aoc monitor review | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 AOC U27V4EA 27in 4K Monitor Review https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/james-morris/aoc-u27v4ea-27in-4k-monitor-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/james-morris/aoc-u27v4ea-27in-4k-monitor-review/#respond Fri, 13 Aug 2021 13:54:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=527134 27 Inch 4K UHD Monitor, 60Hz, 4ms, IPS, Adaptive Sync for less than £300?

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The price of 4K monitors has been steadily falling, and now the resolution has arrived as a mainstream business proposition. The AOC U27V4EA is another business-focused 4K screen like the Philips 288E2UAE that can be purchased for under £300, yet comes with a high-quality IPS panel and a bezel so thin AOC calls it “frameless”. Is this an affordable way to add more pixels to your everyday work desktop?

The U27V4EA is a 27in screen with a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution. Its IPS panel comes with the usual 4ms grey-to-grey pixel response of this technology. AOC doesn't state either the typical brightness or contrast, but for IPS this is usually around 300cd/m2 and 1,000:1 respectively. The screen supports up to a 75Hz scan frequency, but only 60Hz at the native resolution. This monitor does support adaptive sync, but AOC doesn't even specify which version, although NVIDIA G-Sync Compatibility is explicitly not included. Presumably this is AMD FreeSync, but this screen isn't aimed at gaming, except when your boss isn't looking.

Ergonomic adjustments are few and far between, with just tilting available, although the round base makes rotating the whole screen reasonably easy. The range of video inputs is decent, including two HDMI and a single DisplayPort. There are built-in stereo 2W speakers and an analog headphone jack, but no USB hub. It's clear that this monitor is meant for business, but does it mean business? Let's find out.

Specification:

  • Screen size: 27-inch, 16:9 aspect
  • Native resolution: 3,840 x 2,160
  • Curvature: None
  • Refresh rate: 60Hz, Adaptive Sync
  • Panel type: IPS
  • Contrast ratio: Not stated
  • Brightness: Not stated
  • Response time: 4ms Grey to Grey
  • Display inputs: 2 x HDMI, DisplayPort
  • USB hub: No
  • Tilt: 5 degrees forward, 23 degrees backward
  • Raise: No
  • Swivel: No
  • Portrait: No
  • Other: Audio output minijack, 2x 2W speakers

Retail Price: £289.97 (inc. VAT)

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AOC C32G2ZE 31.5in 240Hz Curved Gaming Monitor Review https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/james-morris/aoc-c32g2ze-31-5in-240hz-curved-gaming-monitor-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/james-morris/aoc-c32g2ze-31-5in-240hz-curved-gaming-monitor-review/#respond Mon, 01 Feb 2021 14:07:14 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=499582 A 240Hz, 31.5inch display sounds fantastic - but is there more to the story?

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A curved screen and 240Hz refresh used to be premium features in a monitor. But what if you could get both of them for less than £350 – and in a screen with a 31.5 diagonal? That's what the AOC C32G2ZE has to offer. In fact, there's more with FreeSync Premium adaptive sync as well. It all sounds too good to be true. Big screen, high refresh, curved panel gaming for a reasonable price. Surely there must be at least some downsides?

The first downside is obvious from the specs – the resolution is just 1,920 x 1,080, which is rather low for a monitor this big. But for some FPS gamers, the high refresh and adaptive sync could be more important, because it's all about responsiveness. Where the latter is concerned, the pixel response is 0.5ms, but this is MPRT not grey-to-grey. As with most curved monitors, a VA panel is used. This provides a fairly low 300cd/m2 brightness rating but high static contrast of 4,000:1.

The FreeSync Premium badge means that the C32G2ZE supports at least 120Hz refresh at Full HD resolution (of course it supports twice that) and low framerate compensation (LFC), over and above the basic needs of FreeSync. LFC is a technology that stops stuttering if the frame rate drops below the monitor's minimum refresh, which is 48Hz. This screen is not currently on NVIDIA's G-Sync compatibility list, so you would have to take your chances if you own an NVIDIA GeForce graphics card.

The C32G2ZE has a decent set of video connections, including two HDMI 2.0 and a single DisplayPort 1.2, plus minijack output for headphones. However, there's no USB hub, which is clearly an area where AOC has made economies with this monitor. Another is in the lack of built-in speakers, although these are usually so weedy on most monitors you'd only use them in an emergency. There's no funky joystick or external control puck, like the AOC AGON AG273QZ, either, and ergonomic adjustment is limited to tilting forward and backward. However, with the core 240Hz refresh and curved 31.5in panel, you're getting a lot of monitor for just over £300. Let's find out just how much.

Specification:

  • Screen size: 31.5-inch, 21:9 aspect
  • Native resolution: 1,920 x 1,080
  • Curvature: 1500R
  • Refresh rate: 240Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium
  • Panel type: VA
  • Contrast ratio: 4,000:1 (typical)
  • Brightness: 300cd/m2
  • Response time: 0.5ms MPRT
  • Display inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2
  • USB hub: No
  • Tilt: 5 degrees forward, 23 degrees backward
  • Raise: No
  • Swivel: No
  • Portrait: No
  • Other: Audio output minijack

Retail Price: £319.99 (inc. VAT)

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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AOC AGON AG273QZ 27in 240Hz Gaming Monitor Review https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/james-morris/aoc-agon-ag273qz-27in-240hz-gaming-monitor-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/james-morris/aoc-agon-ag273qz-27in-240hz-gaming-monitor-review/#respond Sun, 03 Jan 2021 20:18:11 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=499583 A 240hz screen for gamers - but is it any good?

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If you're serious about your FPS gaming, a monitor with the highest refresh rate possible will be preferable to maximise your in-game reflexes. Not long ago, this would have meant 144Hz. But now that over 200Hz is becoming a regular option, you need a bit more to give you the edge. Enter the AOC AGON AG273QZ, which offers 240Hz, a 0.5ms MPRT response and a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. Could this be the perfect FPS gaming partner?

In order to achieve these incredible refresh and response rates, AOC has equipped the AGON AG273QZ with a TN panel, which used to be the most popular technology but hasn't been so frequently used in the monitors we have reviewed in the last couple of years, with VA in particular finding favour. However, a good TN panel has faster-switching pixels, and AOC has chosen an example that doesn't have one of the usual downsides of TN – lack of brightness. This monitor has a 400cd/m2 rating. However, the base contrast is just 1,000:1 – typical for TN.

Thanks to the brightness level, the AG273QZ is able to support DisplayHDR 400. There's no G-sync hardware onboard, but AMD FreeSync Premium Pro is supported. This is the top AMD adaptive sync specification, stipulating at least 120Hz refresh at Full HD resolution, low framerate compensation, low latency in SDR and HDR, as well as HDR certification. There's a growing list of games that can take advantage of FreeSync Premium Pro. The AG273QZ isn't on the official G-sync compatibility list yet, but similar screens like the AG273QCG are, so we'd hope this one will be soon too.

There's a healthy complement of connections available. Video inputs include two HDMI 2.0 and two DisplayPort 1.4, and there's a quad-port USB 3.2 Gen1 hub as well. You get a microphone input, headphone output, and even a pair of 5W speakers. Ergonomics are as expected, with swivel, tilt, height adjustment and even the ability to rotate into portrait. There's also a separate menu control puck so you don't have to reach under the bezel for the joystick.

Overall, the on-paper specifications look very promising. But you're also paying a significant amount at around £470, which is relatively expensive for a 27in screen by today's standards. So the AOC AGON AG273QZ really needs to deliver in every respect. Read on to find out if it's an express delivery or more like surface mail via donkey.

Specification:

  • Screen size: 27-inch, 21:9 aspect
  • Native resolution: 2,560 x 1,440
  • Curvature: None
  • Refresh rate: 240Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
  • Panel type: TN
  • Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 (typical); DisplayHDR 400
  • Brightness: 400cd/m2
  • Response time: 0.5ms MPRT
  • Display inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x DisplayPort 1.4
  • USB hub: Yes, 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1
  • Tilt: 5.5 degrees forward, 21.5 degrees backward
  • Raise: 110mm
  • Swivel: 32 degrees left and right
  • Portrait: Yes
  • Other: Audio output, analog audio input, 5W stereo speakers

Retail Price: £469.99 (inc. VAT)

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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AOC AGON AG353UCG 35in 200Hz Curved Gaming Monitor Review https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/james-morris/aoc-agon-ag353ucg-35in-200hz-curved-gaming-monitor-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/james-morris/aoc-agon-ag353ucg-35in-200hz-curved-gaming-monitor-review/#respond Mon, 29 Jun 2020 07:44:29 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=472718 It has a 200Hz refresh, is fully G-Sync Ultimate enabled, and supports DisplayHDR 1000 too.

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Just a few months ago, AOC helped bring curved 34in superwidescreens to an affordable and capable level for gamers with the CU34G2X. But what if a 144Hz refresh and mere G-sync compatibility are not enough? AOC has an alternative for you in the shape of the AGON AG353UCG, which has the same resolution but a slightly larger 35in screen size. More importantly, however, it has a 200Hz refresh, is fully G-Sync Ultimate enabled, and supports DisplayHDR 1000 too. The catch? It's rather expensive…

Virtually all curved screens we've seen use VA panel technology and the AOC AGON AG353UCG is no different. It also sports the usual 3,440 x 1,440 resolution we find in 21:9 aspect screens. Being a VA panel, the contrast is a typically high 2,500:1. But brightness is also rather high at 1,000cd/m2. This allows the AG353UCG to boast DisplayHDR 1000 compatibility, which is one of the highest performance levels within the HDR10 standard. The gamut also encompasses a wide 133 per cent of the sRGB colour space.

Another difference to most VA panels is the pixel response time of 2ms. You might wonder why this is good when lots of VA panels now quote 1ms. The answer is that this is true grey-to-grey response, not MPRT, so this is a very fast panel by VA standards. It also offers NVIDIA G-sync Ultimate alongside its 200Hz refresh, so has NVIDIA hardware inside to provide the best-possible adaptive synchronisation when using GeForce cards. It also supports 1,000cd/m2 HDR when gaming, which most monitors don't.

 

 

For such a large, wide screen, there's a gratifying number of adjustments available, including swivel, height raising or lowering, and tilting. The port allocation looks decent on paper, with two DisplayPorts and one HDMI, plus a quad-port USB 3.1 Gen1 hub. There's also a MiniUSB port for an external control puck and extra audio input for a mic pass-through from your PC. But USB-C is notable by its absence, and our sample had one of the DisplayPorts disabled.

Apart from these omissions, the AG353UCG looks top of the heap in every feature. But, as we hinted, this is not a cheap screen, with only ASUS's suspiciously similar ROG SWIFT PG35VQ coming in at a greater price of £2,500. Actually, that's an understatement, because for this screen's princely price of £1,850, you could almost buy four AOC CU34G2X screens for the same amount. The question is, would you want to? Let's find out.

Specification:

  • Screen size: 35-inch, 21:9 aspect
  • Native resolution: 3,440 x 1,440
  • Curvature: 1800R
  • Refresh rate: 200Hz, NVIDIA G-Sync Ultimate
  • Panel type: VA
  • Contrast ratio: 2,500:1 (typical); DisplayHDR 1000
  • Brightness: 1,000cd/m2
  • Response time: 2ms Grey-to-Grey
  • Display inputs: 1 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x DisplayPort 1.4 (one disabled on sample)
  • USB hub: Yes, 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1
  • Tilt: 5 degrees forward, 21.5 degrees backward
  • Raise: 120mm
  • Swivel: 32 degrees left and right
  • Portrait: No
  • Other: Audio output, analog audio input, 5W stereo speakers

Retail Price: £1,849.99 (inc. VAT)

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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AOC CU34G2X 34in 144Hz Curved Gaming Monitor Review https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/james-morris/aoc-cu34g2x-34in-144hz-curved-gaming-monitor-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/james-morris/aoc-cu34g2x-34in-144hz-curved-gaming-monitor-review/#respond Fri, 31 Jan 2020 11:54:43 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=446553 It's one of the most affordable high refresh 34in ultrawide monitors we've seen

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A year or so ago, the 34in curved ultrawide screen was an ostentatious novelty, and not something you'd want for gaming. No 34in screen had 144Hz adaptive sync, and all were aimed more at general media usage than Triple-A gaming. But now the game-focused models such as ASUS' monster PG35VQ and MSI's MPG341CQR are arriving regularly. The AOC CU34G2X takes things one step further still – 34in 144Hz ultrawide screen gaming for around £500.

Like most curved screens, the AOC CU34G2X is based on VA panel technology. This gives it the usual characteristics of this display type, with a high 3,000:1 contrast, although the brightness is just 300cd/m2. The screen can provide its native resolution up to 144Hz with adaptive sync, but only AMD FreeSync is mentioned, not NVIDIA G Sync compatibility. A quick look at the NVIDIA G-sync list shows that the CU34G2X is not currently included. However, the list doesn't appear to be fully up-to-date as we've seen screens not included that manufacturers claim are accredited.

Although AOC states a 1ms response, we're pretty sure that like other VA panels this will mean MPRT not grey-to-grey. AOC also claims 119 per cent of sRGB coverage, which sounds promising. There's no mention of support for any HDR standards, however. The brightness level probably precludes this.

There's a good range of ergonomic adjustment available, with height variation, swivel and tilt available. The video inputs are reasonable too, including two HDMI 2.0 and two DisplayPort 1.2. However, you do also get a four-port USB 3.0 hub, plus analog audio output, but no built-in speakers.

Overall, this looks like a solid specification for the money. This screen wasn't listed on any mainstream UK shops at the time of writing, but the suggested price of £499 sounds very reasonable for a 144Hz 34in curved ultrawide panel. Let's find out if this is an affordable option to give your high-refresh gaming a wider perspective.

Specification:

  • Screen size: 34-inch, 21:9 aspect
  • Native resolution: 3,440 x 1,440
  • Refresh rate: 144Hz, FreeSync 2
  • Panel type: VA
  • Contrast ratio: 3,000:1 (typical)
  • Brightness: 300cd/m2
  • Response time: 1ms MPRT
  • Display inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x DisplayPort 1.2
  • USB hub: Yes, 4 x USB 3.0
  • Tilt: 4 degrees forward, 23 degrees backward
  • Raise: 130mm
  • Swivel: 32 degrees left and right
  • Portrait: No
  • Other: Audio output

Retail Price: £499 (inc. VAT)

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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