AOC has just announced a new budget gaming monitor with a surprisingly low price for the spec on offer. The new AOC 24G4XE has a price of just $146 (£139), but still offers a 180Hz refresh rate, Nvidia- G-Sync compatibility, and a fast IPS panel. If you’re on a tight budget, but want a fast gaming monitor, then this new display looks like just the ticket.
AOC’s budget gaming monitors have previously really impressed us, with the 24G2SP already having a place on our best gaming monitor guide, and the AOC 24G2U also got an exceptional score of 92% on our sister site Custom PC. This time, the new AOC 24G4XE takes the spec up another level, with a faster refresh rate, as well as a new stand design.
The headline new feature is the 180Hz refresh rate, which is a decent increase from the 144Hz AOC 24G2U, and a small bump up from the 165Hz 24G2SP. Meanwhile, the rest of the spec is similar to previous models, with an IPS panel and a stated 1ms gray-to-gray response time. The panel also only has a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, but this will look fine on the 23.8-inch screen, as the pixels will be smaller than on a 27-inch screen. Speaking of which, there’s also launching a 27-inch version of this monitor, called the 27G4XE, which has the same spec but a 27-inch panel.
Both monitors feature AOC’s new stand design, which ditches the forked prongs of its previous stands in favor of a simpler shape with a small flat plate. AOC says the new stand was “inspired by sharp angles of a stealth aircraft,” and states that it offers both height and tilt adjustment.
I’m not usually a fan of angled “gamer” styling on monitors, but AOC appears to have struck a good balance here. The flat plate design will effectively mean you have more room to place items on your desk (and indeed the stand), such as game controllers, without propping them up against big pointy prongs.
Other key parts of the spec include compatibility with Nvidia G-Sync to prevent tearing artifacts in games, as well as Adaptive Sync support, so it can do the same with AMD GPUs. Meanwhile, the range of connections includes a pair of HDMI 2.0 ports, as well as a DisplayPort 1.4 input. You even get a pair of 2W speakers thrown into the design, although there’s no USB hub.
The main downside is that the AOC 24G4XE appears to only be available in Europe at the moment, with the company listing a price of £139 (which works at out around $146 once you remove VAT and convert it at the current exchange rate), although it’s already going for just £129 on Amazon right now. We’ve asked AOC if there are any plans to bring the monitor to the US, and we’ll update this story when we find out.
In the meantime, if you don’t know which monitor technology is right for you, check out our full gaming monitor guide, where we guide you through all the current types of panel, including TN, IPS, and VA.