AOC to Launch AGON³ Gaming Monitors With 0.5 ms Response Time in 2018

[Raevenlord]

AOC has come forward to announce that they'll be shipping gaming monitors under their AGON³ gaming brand that boast of 0.5 ms (yup, you read that right) response time come 2018. The new monitors, based on an AUO TN panel, will come in curved 27", offer 2560 x 1440 resolution at a 144 Hz refresh rate, and will be available with either G-Sync or FreeSync 2 support. Users of AMD-enabled FreeSync 2 will be left happier than their NVIDIA counterparts: AOC's FreeSync 2 monitor will not only support HDR and a wider color gamut, but will also retail for €100 less (€599) than its non HDR-enabled NVIDIA counterpart (€699). Granted, AMD's HDR requirements are much lower than NVIDIA's 1000cd/m² minimum luminance for HDR - which means this AU Optronics panel, with its 400cd/m² peak luminance, makes the cut for AMD's HDR standards. Remember - not all HDR is equal.

Asked about AOC's new panels, AOC's Afonso Clemente said that "We were talking with AUO and they have a new panel (...) Up until now curved monitors were either IPS or VA, which is ok, but the response time was not so great. There's always some ghosting, some blurring. But now there are curved panels from AU Optronics that allow 0.5 ms response time."





When questioned about the usage of a TN panel, Afonso Clemente went on to say that "(...) the picture quality is probably better than IPS. It's not quantum dot, you can't put that on TN, but the quality was really reminiscent of quantum dot. The market has never seen a TN panel with this color quality. Viewing angles are TN viewing angles, but you don't care about that." For gamers, it's certainly true that it doesn't really matter whether a monitor has great viewing angles or not - most demonstrations of their gaming prowess will be made through streaming, after all. We'll have to wait and see, but a TN panel that can boast of such response times and almost quantum dot levels of color reproduction will definitely be an interesting one to check out.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[dcf-joe]

$800 for a G-sync TN panel with only 144 Hz?

 

[the54thvoid]

As an early adopter of HDR 4k last year, I can say that the standards gulf between AMD and Nvidia for HDR are appalling. For such a low level of luminance you need exceptional blacks (I use an OLED and it has a lower peak brightness than a backlit LED screen).

A TN panel on peak brightness of 400 for HDR standard is very poor. On the flip side, 1000 is very high (in some ocassions would be too bright if too close to monitor.)

If the AMD is HDR simply because their standard is lower - that will be reflected in a critical review of the panel.

 

[TheLostSwede]

As an early adopter of HDR 4k last year, I can say that the standards gulf between AMD and Nvidia for HDR are appalling. For such a low level of luminance you need exceptional blacks (I use an OLED and it has a lower peak brightness than a backlit LED screen).

A TN panel on peak brightness of 400 for HDR standard is very poor. On the flip side, 1000 is very high (in some ocassions would be too bright if too close to monitor.)

If the AMD is HDR simply because their standard is lower - that will be reflected in a critical review of the panel.

You think it's a problem with computer screens? Try TVs, there are at least five competing standards, of which none are interoperable...

 

[phanbuey]

$800 for a G-sync TN panel with only 144 Hz?

Pretty sure
144Hz @ .5ms looks better than 200Hz @1ms.

I can barely tell the difference between my 144hz and 165hz oc, and i can definitely see it's a bit blurrier.

 

[HisDivineOrder]

I think the thing that impresses me the most about this article is the head guy of the company in question openly admits that TN panels view angles are atrocious. He says they don't matter for a gaming monitor (not TV obviously) and that's more often than not true, especially for curved monitors.

It's just an executive admitting there's a flaw in their product that amusing me. Refreshing honesty is great.

 

[Vayra86]

$800 for a G-sync TN panel with only 144 Hz?

This is the meat of this article really. 0.5ms... I'm sure millions of 'pro youtubers' will applaud the massive difference they're experiencing compared to a 1ms TN.

The overall push of TN is not the low refresh it can have. Its all about pushing the cheapest panel tech to most gullible of consumers. And its working well. They can even add Gsync on top on a high refresh panel meant to display over 100 FPS, and still, people pay for it.

You can't fix stupid I guess.

 

[RejZoR]

People take a piss a bit too much at the TN panels. I've had them whole my life and I can tell you that even TN has progressed far. From garbage TN panel on laptop from 9 years ago where colors went all bananas when you moved just 10° off center to my current ASUS monitor where looking at it from absolute extreme side (no one uses them like this) and all it does it just becomes darker color in general. It doesn't even shift colors, image as whole just gets darker like you'd dim it. But people still have that "TN is garbage" in their head from a decade ago. Things change and so has TN. It's not perfect tech, but it's very affordable and VERY VERY fast. No brilliance in color or viewing angles can ever steer me away from insane image sharpness, no ghosting and absolutely perfect response when I move the mouse.

 

[dj-electric]

Boom! now i'm convinced by this. Where do i throw my money at?

 

[R00kie]

So what kind of superhuman do you need to be to actually notice a 0.5 ms difference?

 

[ZoneDymo]

People take a piss a bit too much at the TN panels. I've had them whole my life and I can tell you that even TN has progressed far. From garbage TN panel on laptop from 9 years ago where colors went all bananas when you moved just 10° off center to my current ASUS monitor where looking at it from absolute extreme side (no one uses them like this) and all it does it just becomes darker color in general. It doesn't even shift colors, image as whole just gets darker like you'd dim it. But people still have that "TN is garbage" in their head from a decade ago. Things change and so has TN. It's not perfect tech, but it's very affordable and VERY VERY fast. No brilliance in color or viewing angles can ever steer me away from insane image sharpness, no ghosting and absolutely perfect response when I move the mouse.

You can only make a first impression once.
Its another one of those human faults we have.

 

[jabbadap]

$800 for a G-sync TN panel with only 144 Hz?

Uhm, what did I miss. That list says G-sync to be 165Hz VA panel and 699€.

Edit. Ahh they said it was typo and it's the same TN panel on both.

 

[punani]

Boom! now i'm convinced by this. Where do i throw my money at?

the difference is appalling !!

 

[seronx]

Boom! now i'm convinced by this. Where do i throw my money at?

hi-res shot: https://www.aocgaming.com/static/img/product_features/7.png
It is typical ms (5 ms GTG vs 1 ms GTG)

A pixel response time of 1ms GTG means speed without the smear for an enhanced gaming experience. Fast-moving action and dramatic transitions will be rendered smoothly without the annoying effects of ghosting. Choose the right path to success, don’t let a slow display stop you.

Didn't even use a new image.

 

[atomicus]

"AMD's HDR requirements are much lower than NVIDIA's 1000cd/m² minimum luminance for HDR..."

What? How does this make sense? HDR has industry standard brightness requirements... how can AMD say their requirements are much lower?? 400cd/m² is pathetic, it simply won't be capable of displaying HDR properly!

And what is meant by "not all HDR is equal"... well no, the content made for it certainly isn't, but if you have two displays, once which has 60% less luminance than the other, the difference between the two is going to be INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS!

Are consumers getting dumber? Clearly AMD must think so.

 

[myworldoftech]

Why are Gaming Monitors always advertised as if response time is the only measure of "gaming performance"? What about input lag? What good is a high response without a corresponding (specified) low input lag?