- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The ASUS VG245H is a 1080p monitor with a TN panel which is great for gaming, but only decent for mixed usage. It has mediocre picture quality as blacks appear gray in a dark room, and the viewing angle is very bad so the sides of the screen look washed out when viewed from up close. The 75Hz refresh rate makes it feel a bit more responsive than other 60Hz monitors for gaming.
Our Verdict
The ASUS VG245H is a decent monitor for mixed usage. It can get bright to be used in an average lit office and its response time will please most gamers. However, it does not support HDR and it is not good for use in a dark room.
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Fast response time
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Low input lag
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Bad viewing angles. When viewed from in-front the edges appear non-uniform.
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Mediocre picture quality
Decent monitor for office use. Good resolution support, but poor viewing angles so if two people are looking at the monitor the one looking from the side does experience a degraded picture quality. Fortunately, the ergonomics are excellent so you can simply rotate it to accommodate for your colleague. Its decent brightness allows you to place it in average lit-environments and the gray uniformity will not cause you many issues when browsing the web.
This monitor is a gaming monitor and it performs very well as such. It has a fast response time, low input lag and supports FreeSync which will help you avoid tearing in very demanding graphics games. It is a monitor that gamers will enjoy.
The multimedia performance of this monitor is decent. It supports the most common resolution of 1080p and has a very low input lag that makes it feel very responsive. Reflection handling is very good, but the viewing angles are good only if you are directly in from of the monitor and this might disturb some.
The media creation of this monitor is decent. It supports the most common resolution of 1080p which is basic for media creation. It has excellent ergonomics and low input lag but will not get too bright to be suitable for a very bright environment. On the other hand, the colors are very accurate and this is great for media editing.
The ASUS VG245H doesn't support HDR and does not have local dimming or wide color gamut. This is common for most monitors. For a monitor that supports HDR, you should look for more high-end ones like the Samsung CHG70.
- 7.1 Mixed Usage
- 7.2 Office
- 7.8 Gaming
- 6.8 Multimedia
- 6.9 Media Creation
- 5.3 HDR Gaming
- Updated Aug 11, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Jan 15, 2019: We tested the monitor's compatibility with NVIDIA's new FreeSync driver. See our full investigation into NVIDIA's FreeSync Drivers here.
- Updated Jul 20, 2018: Review published.
- Updated Jul 18, 2018: Early access published.
Test Results
The stand is plastic but feels very stable. It provides good support to the monitor and there is a hole in the stand for cable management.
The range of ergonomic adjustments is excellent. You can adjust the monitor to almost any position you want to match your working preferences so that you have a comfortable setup.
The back of the monitor is plastic with a nice V pattern that allows for the vents to spread evenly across the height and width of the screen. If you want to detach the stand to VESA mount the monitor, remove the base, then remove the screws on the hinge and remove the hinge.
The borders, just like the rest of the monitor, are plastic. They are not too thin, but this gives a sturdy feel to the whole design.
The monitor has an average thickness when viewed from the side and will not protrude much if you VESA mount it. The small footprint of the stand means that you can place it close to a wall.
The built quality of the ASUS VG245HE is great. It is sturdy and feels very solid and stable. You will not have any built issues with it.
The contrast of the ASUS VG245HE is decent. In dark rooms, blacks are not very deep and they look grayish but in brighter rooms, you should have no problem.
The ASUS VG245H does not have a local dimming feature. The video is for reference only.
Decent SDR brightness. The screen sustains the brightness at almost all window sizes except when there are small highlights that look dimmer.
HDR is not supported.
The horizontal viewing angles are poor. Blacks wash out first as soon as you move from the center axis and colors lose accuracy right after. Finally as you move away from the center the brightness starts to diminish.
The vertical viewing angles are bad. When you look from above the whole image has changed. Blacks have faded, colors have shifted and the brightness is gone. The situation does not look any better if you look at the monitor from below. This is typical behavior of TN panels.
The gray uniformity is decent, but the clouding is evenly spread throughout the screen and you will probably not observe a dirty screen effect when browsing the net. In our image where the edges look darker, it is due the to the poor viewing angles and not due to the gray uniformity.
Bad black uniformity for this ASUS VG245H. Unfortunately, this monitor cannot produce uniform blacks and thus dark scenes will look cloudy.
Remarkable out of the box accuracy for the Asus VG245H. The Racing Mode was the best out of the box picture mode and gave us very low white balance dE and color dE values, and a Gamma of 2.23 which is very close to our target of 2.2. Therefore most people will not notice any color inaccuracy with the out-of-the-box settings of the monitor.
Excellent color accuracy was obtained after the calibration. The calibration was done on the Racing Mode, even though this mode lacks control over the 'Saturation' setting and the 'Skin tone' setting, which for most people should not be very useful. After the calibration, the White Balance dE and the Color dE were reduced further, so it is highly unlikely that at these levels anyone will be able to notice any inaccuracies, and the Gamma was lowered to 2.16 which is still close to our 2.2 target.
You can download our ICC profile calibration here.
This ASUS VG245HE has a great color gamut. It covers almost all of the s.RGB color space and about 70% of the Adobe RGB color space. You should have no problem with the colors of this monitor during most uses, but it isn't enough to edit colors in the Adobe RGB color space.
The SDR color volume coverage is ok. This monitor can produce rich colors but not at all darkness levels. Therefore some colors might look dim as they cannot get bright in darker shades.
HDR is not supported.
HDR is not supported.
Perfect score on our image retention test for the ASUS VG245H as no retention was measured on our image analysis.
The gradient test images shows very well on the ASUS VG245H. A few little color issues can be noticed in the darker grayscale and the green and blue, but this does not cause significant banding and the result is very good.
Perfect score in color bleed. Nearby colors are not affected by large uniform shades which is good for accuracy.
The reflection handling of the ASUS VG245H is very good. The light matte filter diffuses reflections across the screen. This technique reduces their intensity, but increases the size of direct reflections, and might be an issue in very bright rooms.
Trace Free Off Trace Free 20 Trace Free 40 Trace Free 60 Trace Free 80 Trace Free 100
The response time on the VG245H is excellent. This results in very little blur around fast-moving objects, which is great for gaming. The Trace Free 80 option is the most balanced and provides the best response time without adding any significant overshoot.
Just like almost all monitors the ASUS VG245H does not flicker its backlight to reduce brightness. This is good for smoother motion and those who are sensitive to flicker, but flicker is useful otherwise to clear up persistence blur in fast motion.
The Asus VG245H has a native refresh rate of 75Hz and this is good for most usages including gaming. It supports variable refresh rate through the FreeSync implementation and this is great for gamers.
Update 01/15/2019: Unfortunately, the VG245H is not compatible with NVIDIA's FreeSync implementation, as it does not have a DisplayPort connection.
Non-native resolution tested: 1280 x 1024
Excellent low input lag on this ASUS VG245H. Unfortunately most resolutions cannot be displayed at 75Hz, only 1080p, 1280 x 1024 and a few others can. This is usually not a problem since most graphics cards will just upscale to 1080p without you even knowing.
The Asus VG245H monitor has the very common FHD 1080p as native resolution and 24" size, thus resulting in the usual 92 PPI pixel density.
The total inputs for this monitor are pretty basic. Note that it is not equipped with a DisplayPort which is uncommon.
The monitor comes equipped with the following gaming features:
- Crosshair
- Timer
- Fps counter
- Display alignment (which just displays markers around the edges of the screen)
The on-screen display is well-organized, quite intuitive and easy to use.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 24" (VG245H) which is the only size of this monitor available. There are other variants within the ASUS gaming range that differ in design, size, and refresh rate. The VG246H has been replaced by the ASUS VG246H. Overall, they perform similarly, but the panel has been changed from a TN to an IPS, resulting in wider viewing angles.
| Model | Size | Native Resolution | Refresh rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VG248QE | 24" | 1080p | 144Hz | Lightboost support |
| VG245H | 24" | 1080p | 75Hz | FreeSync support |
| VG246H | 24" | 1080p | 75Hz | FreeSync support, IPS |
| VG278Q | 27" | 1080p | 144Hz | FreeSync support |
| VG275Q | 25" | 1080p | 75Hz | FreeSync support |
Compared To Other Monitors
The ASUS VG245H is great for gaming due to the FreeSync variable refresh rate support. See our recommendations for the best monitors under $200, the best FreeSync monitors, and the best gaming monitors under $200.
The newer ASUS VG246H is better than its predecessor, the ASUS VG245H. The new model uses an IPS-type panel instead of a TN-type panel, so it has much better viewing angles. This new model also has much better gray uniformity and significantly improved color volume. Although this difference is minor, the newer model defaults to a 75Hz refresh rate, while the older model defaults to a 60Hz refresh rate but can overclock to 75Hz.
The ASUS VG245H is slightly better than the LG 24MP59G-P, unless wide viewing angles are important to you. The ASUS VG245H has a TN panel, and it has an outstanding fast response time, so motion looks very clear with little motion blur. The ASUS also has an outstanding stand with excellent ergonomics, so it's much easier to place it in an ideal viewing position. The LG 24MP59G has an IPS panel, so it has much wider viewing angles, great for sharing your screen with other people.
The ASUS VG248QE is marginally better than the ASUS VG245H. The VG248QE has a higher refresh rate, which is great for gaming. The VG245H has a slightly more versatile stand, and it supports FreeSync VRR. There is also a difference in ports; the VG245H has two HDMI 1.4 ports, whereas the VG248QE has 1 HDMI 1.4 port and one DisplayPort 1.2 port, which could be a factor depending on the devices you wish to connect.
The ViewSonic XG2402 is much better than the ASUS VG245H. The XG2402 has a higher refresh rate, and a wider FreeSync range, ensuring a more fluid, tear-free gaming experience. The ViewSonic also has a better response time, so fast-moving objects appear clear with no blur trail. The ViewSonic also has much better color volume, although it has worse native contrast.
The BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P is a bit better than the ASUS VG245H. The BenQ has a faster refresh rate, resulting in smoother overall motion, even though the ASUS has a slightly faster response time. The BenQ also has an optional black frame insertion feature, resulting in even clearer motion. The ASUS, on the other hand, supports AMD's FreeSync variable refresh rate technology, resulting in a nearly tear-free gaming experience.
The Dell S2419HGF is a bit better than the ASUS VG245H. The Dell has a much faster refresh rate, which is great for a smoother gaming experience. The Dell is also more versatile when it comes to connectivity, as it supports DisplayPort and HDMI and has two USB 3.0 ports. The ASUS, on the other hand, has only one HDMI port and a VGA port for compatibility with older setups.
The ASUS VG245H is much better than the Dell E2220H. The ASUS has a slightly faster refresh rate, but it has significantly faster response times, and it supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology, making it a much better choice for gaming. The ASUS also has much better ergonomics, and it's much more accurate out of the box.
The ASUS VG245H is somewhat better than the Acer G257HU Smidpx. The ASUS has a much better design, with a stand that can be easily adjusted to an optimal viewing position. The Acer G257HU is a bit brighter and has better wide viewing angles. The VG245H has a faster response time and produces clearer motion with less blur, and supports FreeSync VRR for gaming.
The ASUS VG279Q is much better than the ASUS VG245H. The VG279Q has a larger screen, much higher refresh rate, and much better viewing angles. The VG279Q also has better gray uniformity, can get much brighter, and has an optional black frame insertion feature.
The ASUS ROG PG279Q is significantly better than the ASUS VG245H. The ROG has a larger, higher-resolution screen, and faster refresh rate. The ROG also has better gray uniformity and wider viewing angles. Motion looks better on the PG279Q due to the faster response time and the optional Black Frame Insertion feature. The stand on the VG245H is slightly better, as the ergonomic adjustments have a slightly wider range.
The HP 22CWA is an IPS monitor and has much better viewing angles that are good in wide rooms when you look at the image from the side. On the other hand, the ASUS VG245H has a TN type panel and the image degrades at the slightest deviation from the center. The ASUS VG245H has significantly better ergonomics that allow you to easily place it in a comfortable position and is more suitable for gaming with slightly better motion blur and refresh rate.
The Acer XF251Q Bmiirx is slightly better than the ASUS VG245H. Both models are 75Hz TN monitors, with FreeSync support. Both offer very similar performance, but the XF251Q we reviewed had better black uniformity and much better color volume. The ASUS VG245H is much more accurate out of the box, but a few setting changes on the XF251Q can correct this.