AOC AGON Curved Gaming Monitor 49" (AG493UCX), Dual QHD 5120x1440 @ 120Hz, VA Panel, 1ms Adaptive-Sync, 121% sRGB, Height Adjustable, 4-Yr Zero Dead Pixels Manufacturer Guarantee

Hands down, it is the best value for money 1440p monitor out there. I knew that AOC made a lot of cheap monitors but I wasn't aware of their presence in the high res high refresh rate market. There's just so much to like here. Pros: - 1440p at 144Hz is the sweet spot for gaming - Freesync and Gsync compatible with a wide range (30 - 144 fps) - Doesn't have a very aggressive pixel overdrive so ghosting is minimal. - Respawned warranty program. What a great add-on! - Has audio and usb pass through. - Has 4 USB ports (one dedicated to charging). I never thought I needed it until I assembled the pc. Turns out, I did! I have a streaming setup which means a dozen usb powered components and this monitor was a life saver. - Has a headphone mount - Very sturdy metal stand that has 90° swivel with Vesa compatible mount. - Comes with a remote (a wired one) that makes switching modes a lot easier than fiddling with the buttons below the screen. Cons: - The in built speakers are, well, bad. Nothing an audio pass through can't solve. - It doesn't come with a DisplayPort cable in the box. This is quite annoying because that's the only cable that supports the high refresh rate so why leave out the only accessory that makes marketed feature work? Instead, it ships with HDMI, VGA and Dual link DVI(?). Seriously! Dual link DVI.

5-star on everything all the way. Not a single dead pixel, perfect picture, negligible backlight bleed (if any at all), build quality is top notch. This review is coloured by tremendous built up hype during months I spent eyeing this monitor and a few competitors in my wish list, and when I saw it on sale with something like $230 off and only one left in stock, I pulled the trigger just as fast as my little fingers could fly and never looked back. Even after all the hyping up my expectations, it still surpassed every single one. Couldn't be more pleased with it. Note: There are top reviews that have incorrect information such as that this monitor does not support 1440p in 144hz but limits to 75hz etc. That is not true, but for the proper bandwidth you'll need to use a DisplayPort cable to achieve it rather than HDMI. I currently have mine OC'd to 165hz in 1440p as I write this.

Great monitor for both work and gaming. Easy to flick between USB C input for my work laptop connection and my desktop PC input connection on DP using the AOC remote control. I use the same keyboard and mouse connected to the monitor for laptop input and desktop PC using the inbuilt KVM switch. Great having the inbuilt speakers which works well with USB C laptop. I use a different speaker system for my desktop PC. I would definitely buy this again very happy with purchase

I'm loving it! Price-wise, I don't think this monitor can be beat. First of all, Yes it has FreeSync. For no apparent reason, no where does it say that Adaptive sync is FreeSync, but it is. The FreeSync range is 30-144 FPS, which is better than a lot of monitors. When looking at the OSD, it will actually show your Vertical refresh rate as "FreeSync" if you have it connected to a FreeSync compatible video card. I upgraded from a pair of 20" 4:3 monitors (1600x1200 native resolution). So, while not giving me double the pixel width with this one monitor, it comes close, and I can easily display side-by-side windows. Thus, while losing a little bit of "real estate" it's not really noticeable and actually a lot nicer to just view everything on one screen. Size-wise, I was worried about a 24" screen seeming too big, but after a few days of using it, it seems a rather ideal size. I was also worried about pixel size, which was why I really wanted a 1440p screen for regular Windows stuff (1080p would be fine for gaming). And I am really loving how small the pixels are, everything is super crisp. Picture quality-wise, it looks great to me. It is definitely bright (even after adjusting it), but in a good way. The only real "complaint" I have about the quality is that the colors start to distort very easily from off center viewing angles. But this is the norm for a TN monitor. So if you are looking to also use this monitor to watch movies on for a room full of people, this isn't a good choice, you would be better off with, a lot more expensive, IPS monitor. Gaming-wise, I am truly loving it! Wow, night and day compared to my old monitor (only used one of my two while gaming). (BTW, I have an MSI AMD RX 480.) Man, I had no clue how much my old monitor was holding me back, input lag being a huge difference. Games look so awesome at 1440p, and most run fine with the RX 480 at ultra settings, resulting in 60+ FPS. Granted GTA V and Quake Champions (beta), I do have to drop the settings to High to keep them in the 60 FPS range. But overall, I was worried that trying to run 1440p would really kill the FPS and it really doesn't. Also, the FreeSync, high 144Hz, low input lag, really really make a difference! My frag rate increased immediately. One thing that Amazon doesn't list is that it also has Shadow Control. Basically what this does is make the dark areas brighter. This is definitely a great feature in games, especially most FPSs. Also, it has a little pull our bar on the right side to hang your headphones on. I didn't think much of this until I hung my headphones there and really like how it keeps them up and out of the way when not in use. One of the biggest negatives that I have read about this monitor is that you have to screw it to the stand to assemble it. Big deal, 4 screws for the screen to the stand and one screw for the base of the stand. Granted, if you're someone that frequently carries your monitor to another place, for LAN parties or such, yes, a quick release/attach button for the screen to base is nice, but if you are like me, this monitor probably won't move until it is time to replace it. So IMO, this isn't something to worry about at all. The QuickSwitch controller is a very nice feature. It beats trying to press the buttons on the monitor... but the buttons are still there if you want to use them. Also, not listed on Amazon, this monitor comes with a DisplayPort cable, an HDMI cable, a USB cable, 2 audio cables, and also a wall mounting bracket. My only real gripe about this monitor is the lack of documentation that it came with. They give you enough to get it up and running, but when it comes to fine tuning it, even AOC's manual (which you can get online) lacks what each setting does. So it leaves you running to the Internet to search what DCB or Overdrive, etc., means and does, and what you should select. Also, while it does have 3 quick button settings for you, how to configure these 3 settings is something that they don't explain either. And if you go to their European website, you can also download the I-Menu software which allows you to configure most settings on your screen with your mouse... which is really nice... but also should be something that is included in the box. I almost took off a star for this, but I do like the monitor so much that I couldn't take off more than 1/2 a star, which isn't an option on here. Overall, this is a great monitor. Yes, there are better ones on the market. But none near this price for what you get. And I do believe that the fact that it doesn't say FreeSync in the description, while having it, also leads to price being that much cheaper. Unless you have plenty of cash to blow, I think that you would be hard pressed to not like this monitor. Fred Madden

Pros:A very good monitor. Needed to calibrate to have the best color. Cons:Design is meh, OSD is awkward. bezel is thick.