How Much Does it Cost?
The AOC 25G3ZM 240Hz Gaming Monitor is available now with an MSRP of just £189.99, which I think is a very good price for such a lovely monitor. However, at the time of writing, it’s actually on sale for just £152.99 and passing up on a deal like that would be regrettable. Personally, I think it’s a good price for those wanting a cheeky second monitor, even if 240Hz is overkill for such a thing, you can still bring it out for some competitive CS:GO on your lunch break.
Overview
AOC is one of the world’s leading monitor brands, and that’s a quality that’s certainly on display today. It’s also great to see some more premium features trickle down into consumer models that people can realistically afford. Sure, it comes with some compromises, but I think that’s more than fairly reflected in the retail price.
Firstly, the monitor is quite small, and at 24.5″ it’s not going to appeal to everyone. But hey, if I could make do with a 14″ portable TV and a Super Nintendo when I want a teen, I’m sure we can cope with this in 2023. The size does have some appeal for those who travel to LAN gaming events though, it’s nice and lightweight and easy to move around.
The OSD is pretty basic too, I’d have liked one of their more gaming-focused AGON-style menus, but it gets the job done, mostly. Weirdly there are three Gamma settings and not one of them hits Gamma 2.2, but then again, nothing on the box says that it had to either. Regardless, I found the black levels, brightness, and colour reproduction surprisingly potent for such an affordable gaming monitor.
I am impressed by the stand, which offers up a large range of movement, for good height adjustment, rotation and tilt. However, you can also put the monitor in portrait mode, which is great for writing long documents (such as this review), and handy when using it as a secondary display.
Should I Buy One?
This monitor is pretty fantastic, and if you can get it while it’s on sale, it’s actually not that much more expensive than a good quality 60-75Hz Full HD panel. 240Hz is super fast, faster than most people need really, but it’s not just about refresh rate, but input latency, and if you want to maintain single-digit input latency for your competitive gaming, this will certainly get the job done. If you’ve been on 60Hz all your life, you will feel an improvement in your gaming abilities on fast monitors like this. Highly recommended!
