ASUS MG24UQ Review

In the not too distant past, owning a 4K monitor was well out of the reach of many of us. But with newer cheaper models coming onto the market the possibility of owning a high resolution monitor is coming into the reach of non-enthusiasts. They aren’t cheap but you don’t necessarily have to pay the large premium that you used to.

ASUS have been keen to extend their 4K line and the MG24UQ is the latest in the MG range. As well as the high resolution screen, it also features Adaptive-Sync technology and an IPS panel. This technology tends to give better visual images but at the cost of response time.

Playing games at 4K is still going to need a beefy graphics card so we’re still not quite there when it comes to accessibility for the casual gamer. The current mid range cards are getting there but you really need a modern high end GPU to get the best results. But gone are the days where you needed two enthusiast level cards to get playable 4K results.

Build Quality

The MG24UQ is good looking enough it isn’t a break out design by any means but the off black colouring with hints of red are aesthetically pleasing without having an over the top “gaming” feel to it. You’ll find slimmer bezels out there but it’s the stand that I think is this model’s best looking feature. Perhaps it has a slightly larger foot print compared to other 24″ screens but it is fully adjustable which is always a big plus in my book. I’m struggling with a static monitor on my desk and I do miss the ability to position it.

The ASUS includes three HDMI inputs and a single DisplayPort 1.2. Only one of the ports is HDMI 2.0 which has the required bandwidth to displaying 4K at 60hz so you’ll need to hook up this or the DisplayPort socket to avoid being limited to a mere 30hz at 3840 x 2160.

Headphone jack and a bog standard pair of speakers are included even if most gamers will be planning to hook up a decent pair of headphones to go along with their new monitor.

Performance

The MG24UQ boasts a flicker-free display and an ultra-low blue light which is supposed to provide increased viewing comfort over long periods. Like most monitors the out of the box performance is not optimal and professional reviewers recommend some calibration to get the best results. Fortunately this can all be done fairly easily via the on screen menus. The display reportedly gives good blacks, sometimes a weakness of IPS panels, accurate colours and wide viewing angles as expected from this technology.

Testers have also shown that the MG24UQ is a top performer when it comes to low input lag. Whilst this used to be an issue with some IPS monitors this model shows what Asus can do with their gaming line of screens making this model even easier to recommend. The inclusion of Adaptive-Sync will also be appreciated, you’ll need a compatible AMD card to benefit but if yours is relatively new it will ensure you get smooth tear free images. As long as you graphics card can keep the frames coming between 40 and 60 frames per second the adaptive sync tech will ensure the screen displays them as fast as they are rendered. Particularly useful for 4K where it is highly likely your GPU won’t keep a steady 60fps.

The monitor’s Trace Free setting can be used to optimise blur effects. Different settings will have different in game results so worth playing with as owners report this can really improve the image quality when set correctly.

The Asus GamePlus mode is included on this model which provides a number of gamer friendly features that you may or may not find useful. This includes cross hair, timer, and FPS counter. The former may even be frowned upon in some professional gaming circles but it’s there if you need it. In addition to this, you also get ASUS GameVisual technology which provides you with numerous configuration presets for those that don’t like fiddling with the setup buttons round the back. With a variety of modes to chose from hopefully there will be one to suit your favourite games.