Associate
- Joined
- 15 Jun 2012
- Posts
- 200
After much deliberation, this weekend I picked up a AG271QG to accompany a recent graphics upgrade (GTX580 -> GTX1080!). It seems like this monitor, as well as the rest of AOCs lineup don’t get as much attention in discussions as some of the larger brands, so I thought I’d put up a little about my experiences with it.
Having been running my trusty 580 since 2012 on the same 1080p monitor (Asus VE247H), I felt it was time for a resolution/refresh rate bump to properly do my new card justice. As such, my requirements were 2560x1440, 144Hz+, GSync. When beginning my research, panel type wasn’t much of a factor. I was quite happy with the TN panel on my Asus, and I don't have any need for the improved colour accuracy of an IPS.
The Dell S2716DG was an early favourite. It’s not on sale on OCUK, so I hope it’s ok to say that you can pick one up for £479-ish from a couple of places. It ticked all my boxes, and scored extra points for its looks. I think the thin bezels look great!
However, I then stumbled across the AOC. It had everything the Dell had, but with an IPS panel; the associated benefits and drawbacks of the technology running you an extra ~15% over the Dell. A little bit of research into TN vs. IPS, this seemed like a tradeoff that I could happily make. Sure, I didn't "need" it, but nobody likes to settle, right?
At a glance, the AOC seemed like a fairly good deal when compared to the offerings from Asus and Acer, the PG279Q and XB271HQ respectively. These two both run the same IPS panel and have essentially identical specs to the AOC, differing only in the styling and price departments. On OCUK, they’re both £750 plus! If not for the price, I crossed off the Acer on account of my deep and passionate hatred for the Predator branding (Please Acer, drop that heinous logo and that bottom bezel could literally be 80% smaller! Ugh…). The Asus is more tasteful (those thin bezels again!), but is unreasonably more expensive for essentially the same monitor.
As far as I can tell, these three are your only options if you’re looking for the combination of 2560x1440 with GSync on an IPS panel, which left the AOC looking like a solid contender. Reviews on all three are similarly gushing, with the only major concerns performance-wise being the quality-control issues reportedly present on all the IPS panels.
Having had my hands on the AOC for several days now I’ll say that, in my opinion, these concerns are somewhat overblown. Minor backlight bleed and/or IPS glow is present in the corners of my sample, but it’s only visible on solid black backgrounds. Sitting on the desktop or in an application, it is 100% unnoticeable and even in the darkest of games, you’d struggle to pick it out if the picture is moving. I’m sure bad cases do exist, but claims that any panel with backlight bleed is unusable are just untrue, and I don’t know whether a “perfect” one even exists. At this point, the corner glow is an unavoidable tradeoff that comes with the awesome colour and uniformity of IPS. I’d wager that quality-control is no better or worse for any of the three monitors mentioned above. If you’re the kind of person that is going to be bugged by just knowing that a slight imperfection is there (and I get it, I really do), then I’d advise you look into other options. For me, however, the screen looks amazing and is noticeably “prettier” than the TN I’ve got sitting next to it.
All that aside, I’m thoroughly enjoying everything about the monitor. 165Hz feels great. I spent a good ten minutes just swooping the mouse cursor around in circles! GSync “just works”. Turn it on, whack game settings to ultra and forget about it. You won’t be pinned to 165Hz, but you won’t notice or care! Everything genuinely feels much smoother. It’s a good idea, well implemented. I’m very happy with the colour with a little bit of tweaking of the built-in settings, but colour-nuts will probably want to calibrate. The styling is inoffensive, and the speakers are terrible. What more could you want from a monitor!
Does anyone else own a member of the AGON lineup? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on yours. Similarly, anyone who has shelled-out for the Asus or Acer models I mentioned above, what sold you on them?
Having been running my trusty 580 since 2012 on the same 1080p monitor (Asus VE247H), I felt it was time for a resolution/refresh rate bump to properly do my new card justice. As such, my requirements were 2560x1440, 144Hz+, GSync. When beginning my research, panel type wasn’t much of a factor. I was quite happy with the TN panel on my Asus, and I don't have any need for the improved colour accuracy of an IPS.
The Dell S2716DG was an early favourite. It’s not on sale on OCUK, so I hope it’s ok to say that you can pick one up for £479-ish from a couple of places. It ticked all my boxes, and scored extra points for its looks. I think the thin bezels look great!
However, I then stumbled across the AOC. It had everything the Dell had, but with an IPS panel; the associated benefits and drawbacks of the technology running you an extra ~15% over the Dell. A little bit of research into TN vs. IPS, this seemed like a tradeoff that I could happily make. Sure, I didn't "need" it, but nobody likes to settle, right?
At a glance, the AOC seemed like a fairly good deal when compared to the offerings from Asus and Acer, the PG279Q and XB271HQ respectively. These two both run the same IPS panel and have essentially identical specs to the AOC, differing only in the styling and price departments. On OCUK, they’re both £750 plus! If not for the price, I crossed off the Acer on account of my deep and passionate hatred for the Predator branding (Please Acer, drop that heinous logo and that bottom bezel could literally be 80% smaller! Ugh…). The Asus is more tasteful (those thin bezels again!), but is unreasonably more expensive for essentially the same monitor.
As far as I can tell, these three are your only options if you’re looking for the combination of 2560x1440 with GSync on an IPS panel, which left the AOC looking like a solid contender. Reviews on all three are similarly gushing, with the only major concerns performance-wise being the quality-control issues reportedly present on all the IPS panels.
Having had my hands on the AOC for several days now I’ll say that, in my opinion, these concerns are somewhat overblown. Minor backlight bleed and/or IPS glow is present in the corners of my sample, but it’s only visible on solid black backgrounds. Sitting on the desktop or in an application, it is 100% unnoticeable and even in the darkest of games, you’d struggle to pick it out if the picture is moving. I’m sure bad cases do exist, but claims that any panel with backlight bleed is unusable are just untrue, and I don’t know whether a “perfect” one even exists. At this point, the corner glow is an unavoidable tradeoff that comes with the awesome colour and uniformity of IPS. I’d wager that quality-control is no better or worse for any of the three monitors mentioned above. If you’re the kind of person that is going to be bugged by just knowing that a slight imperfection is there (and I get it, I really do), then I’d advise you look into other options. For me, however, the screen looks amazing and is noticeably “prettier” than the TN I’ve got sitting next to it.
All that aside, I’m thoroughly enjoying everything about the monitor. 165Hz feels great. I spent a good ten minutes just swooping the mouse cursor around in circles! GSync “just works”. Turn it on, whack game settings to ultra and forget about it. You won’t be pinned to 165Hz, but you won’t notice or care! Everything genuinely feels much smoother. It’s a good idea, well implemented. I’m very happy with the colour with a little bit of tweaking of the built-in settings, but colour-nuts will probably want to calibrate. The styling is inoffensive, and the speakers are terrible. What more could you want from a monitor!
Does anyone else own a member of the AGON lineup? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on yours. Similarly, anyone who has shelled-out for the Asus or Acer models I mentioned above, what sold you on them?
