Asus VP249QGR Review

The Asus VP249QGR is not the best 24-inch gaming monitor available, but it’s arguably one of the best for the money. Released at a time when the world of gaming monitors is far from commoditized, with most models trying to offer something unique to everything else on the market.

In the case of the VP249QGR, its feature set places it right in the middle of the budget market and at the bottom of the mid-range market. So, how does it stack up against 2022’s best gaming monitor, and, who, if anyone should buy it.

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Asus is well known for its gaming and productivity products, competing with brands like Acer and HP, and it delivers products that offer good performance, quality, and value. Lately, it has brought new models for budget buyers, and the uptake has been impressive.

The Asus VP249QGR is one such example. It’s a 24-inch, 1080p resolution IPS panel with a 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and Asus’ ELMB Eye Care technology. Although released in 2022, two years later it remains one of the best and much more affordable gaming laptops you can buy.

Asus VP249QGR Specifications

Screen Size	23.8-inch
Resolution	1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	144Hz
Response Time	4ms (GtG)
Response Time (ELMB)	1ms (MPRT)
Adaptive Sync	FreeSync (48Hz-144Hz)
Speakers	2x2W
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, VGA
Brightness	250 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (6-bit + FRC)
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)

Asus VP249QGR Review: Design

The Asus VP249QGR’s styling is somewhat modest and understated for a gaming monitor, but it’s all about function. A simple black color dominates its shape with the only curve being the circular base, the bezel is fairly thin with some physical framing on the bottom bezel. The front anti-glare layer doesn’t have any grains and delivers a sharp image without reflecting any room light.

The VP249QGR is also much smarter-looking than most budget gaming monitors, thanks to a solid, classy stand, straight design line, and very thin bezels on the top and sides. The stand itself can be manipulated to generous degrees, offering -5°/+20° tilt, and supports VESA (100 x 100) wall mount, but it doesn’t offer height or swivel adjustments.

Available connections include DisplayPort, HDMI 2.0 port, VGA, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It houses two 2.5-watt speakers, which get surprisingly loud. They offer well-balanced audio too, which is great for casual YouTube videos and casual gaming, but you can’t rely on them for in-house entertainment across the living room.

Asus VP249QGR Review: Performance

With 1080p resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate, the Asus VP249QGR can help older and less-powerful gaming machines run modern titles at steady fps. For instance, if you’re running Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 on your desktop and not willing to upgrade to the latest RTX 3000 Series, a top-tier gaming monitor like the Asus ROG Swift PG279QM will be an overkill, so a budget display makes a lot of sense in that case. You can run AAA  titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Doom Eternal with ease on older rigs.

The Asus VP249QGR uses a 23.8-inch IPS panel that offers wide viewing angles, a peak brightness of 250 nits, dithered 8-bit color depth support, and a static contrast of 1,000:1. This is a decent spec sheet for a standard gaming monitor in the sub-$200 range, but that 250-nits brightness looks brighter than it sounds on paper. Additionally, the monitor has a color gamut of 72% NTSC. Which is almost equivalent to ~99% sRGB gamut size. Simply said, it delivers colors that are accurate, consistent, and vivid.

Input lag is the time a monitor takes to react and display your commands. The Asus VP249QGR input lag amounts to ~4ms at 144Hz, meaning you won’t be able to notice any delays at all. On the other hand, with a 1ms response time (MPRT) this monitor doesn’t suffer from ghosting and tearing for sharp visuals with high frame rates.

In short, for fast-paced video games, you’ll barely notice any motion blur and trailing behind fast-moving objects. The amount of visible ghosting is quite tolerable, and there’s not nearly as much black smearing as there is on VA panel monitors. However, there are faster and bigger IPS monitors out there, like the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 but they are more expensive.

Finally, although the Asus VP249QGR is not certified as G-Sync compatible by Nvidia, VRR works without any issues when the monitor is used with compatible Nvidia GPUs (GTX 10-Series or newer).

Alternatively, you can use ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur) technology which strobes the backlight of the monitor, thereby reducing the perceived ghosting and providing smoother motions clarity. However, ELMB cannot be used at the same time as FreeSync. Additionally, it will reduce the monitor’s maximum brightness while active, so use it when playing fast-paced video games (I you prefer it over FreeSync/G-Sync).

On the other hand, with that money, you can do better as a gamer. Alternatives are many out there, some with either 120Hz or 240H refresh rates – or faster screens with bigger sizes. Monitors like the 24-inch BenQ ZOWIE XL2411K offers better gaming features and is compatible with both PS5 and Xbox Series X, while the 27-inch AOC C27G2Z packs a curved frameless design, 0.5ms response time, and a 240Hz refresh rate – both for around the same price as the Asus.

With such alternatives, the Asus VP249QGR finds itself in a tricky spot. It’s a decent screen, but I’m just not sure it will find a home outside of bedrooms, offices, or the desktop because it just isn’t enough for the living room. That said, the Dell Alienware AW2521H remains our Editors’ Choice for 24-inch gaming monitors.

Last update on 2023-04-02 at 02:31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API