AOC AGON Pro AG274QZM Gaming Monitor Review

Performance

It’s worth pointing out that at 240Hz and 2560×1440 this is an extremely demanding monitor to get the most out of, and anything short of the latest and greatest CPUs and GPUs is unlikely to utilise its full potential unless you’re playing particularly old and low requirement games. In terms of rendering and processing requirements, it’s double that of Full HD (1080p) resolution and 4x that of 60Hz, so basically 8x the load to max out the monitor. This is similar to running your games at 4K 120Hz or 8K 60Hz.

Out of the box, the monitor certainly attracts the eye, with dazzling and bright colours, a powerful contrast ratio and dark blacks thanks to its extensive backlight array. Most monitors make do with a single LED strip that runs around the edge of the screen which is always on but can be dimmed as required. This monitor has hundreds of backlights which allow small parts of the screen to be full brightness, while others are pitch black. Similar to that of an OLED panel, but its 576 LEDs for all the pixels, rather than self-illuminating pixels.

The anti-glare coating on the display is decent, but the sun is no match for the 750-nits brightness capability of the panel. You could play on this outside in the sun and you’d still be able to see the picture, it can be set to eye-melting brightness. I don’t need that, but hey, it’s a powerful tool to have and it makes HDR movies look stunning too.

However, the monitor does come with a shroud that adds a little privacy but also keeps the glare off. Having it on really makes the contrast of the monitor pop even more, and honestly, I think I’ll keep it on permanently. It even has a little flap so I can use the shroud and still use my colour calibration sensor too.

HDR on gaming monitors almost universally sucks to a high degree. Often because its just an edge-lit LED panel which lacks the backlight control required for proper HDR. However, this monitor is HDR 1000 certified, which puts it on par with high-end TVs from the likes of Samsung and LG, but still craps all over what most of those do due to the more advanced backlight. It’s as good as HDR gets before switching to OLED.

The real benefit here though is the ultra-fast IPS panel, which can deliver exceptionally low input latencies. It’s unlikely going from say, 120Hz to 240hz is going to win you more games in Apex Legends, although admittedly, it can help. However, cutting response times and latency effectively in half, that’s when you stand landing those fast-paced headshots more often.

Still, 240Hz is a hell of a thing to push for, I’m running an i7-13700K and an RTX 4090 here, and even then, some games just won’t go that high due to engine limitations. GTA Online is a good example, it doesn’t matter what I do, it seems to sit between 90-120. However, it still plays silky smooth and the monitor makes everything feel extremely responsive.

For playing single-player games, it’s a wonderful monitor, and the colours and HDR alone make it a blast to use, but I’ll have to admit it’s utterly overkill and too expensive for my taste. However, when it comes to competitive gaming? Well, that’s a whole different ball game. If you’re playing to win serious tournaments, where prize money can be pretty high these days, a truly class-leading monitor can be a sound investment. This is an eSports powerhouse, and I absolutely do play better in CS:GO, Apex, Battlefield 2042, and heck, even in Rocket League, while I’m using this monitor over my own 1440p 165hz Viotek monitor.