Over the last few years, more and more computer monitors have started to include FreeSync technology, but it takes more than a variable refresh rate to make a good gaming monitor. The Asus VG245H appears to have several features that provide a next-level gaming experience. I tested the VG245H, evaluating its design, picture quality, and more, to see how it performs as a budget gaming monitor.
Design: Ergonomic and VESA compatible
The VG245 is black with small blue highlights on the base. On the back of the monitor, there’s a line pattern that gives the VG245 a spaceship vibe. The base design is exceptional and it connects to a long arm, which in turn connects to the monitor. Ergonomics are important for the best computer monitors. The VG245 has height adjustment, and you can raise or lower it by about five inches (130mm). The stand swivels, making it easy to direct the screen toward another player if you’re swapping the controller back and forth with someone sitting next to you. One of the best design features is its ability to pivot, which allows you to completely change the monitor’s orientation between landscape and portrait. Plus, in spite of all of these adjustments, the monitor never feels wobbly or unstable—its plastic backing and base are very sturdy. The stand even has a cutout portion where you can tuck your cables for a neater look. However, when you tuck all of those cables in the stand, it does make it more difficult to pivot between portrait and landscape. If you don’t tuck your cables, you can pivot the monitor without unplugging anything. The monitor’s bezel isn’t as thin as you might see on some higher-end monitors, but it doesn’t protrude outward either. Even though it’s not super slim, the VG245H doesn’t feel bulky or obtrusive. Its stand is about eight inches in depth, so it does take up a significant amount of desk space, but you should still have plenty of room to maneuver. You can also mount the monitor on the wall if you want to completely free up desk space, as it does have mounting holes. On the back of the monitor, there’s a joystick that controls the main menu functions. The menu controls are very intuitive, and there’s a hard button directly below the joystick that you push to exit the menu. Below the exit button, you’ll find three more controls that control for power and gaming functions.
Setup Process: Plug and play
Setting up the monitor is simple, it’s very plug and play. The arm comes pre-attached, so you only need to attach the base, which simply involves placing it on the end and turning a screw. The screw even has a grip on the end so you can torque it without a screwdriver. You get one HDMI, one VGA, and one audio cable in the package, everything you need to get started.
Image Quality: A vibrant HD image on console
Like the best 24-inch gaming monitors, the VG245H offers a stellar image when playing console titles. Its 1920 x 1080 max resolution and 75 Hz refresh rate are only average to slightly-above-average for a monitor in this price range, but this doesn’t hinder the monitor’s performance when playing on consoles. The monitor is FreeSync compatible, so if you’re using the VG245 for PC gaming it’ll adjust its rate to remain in sync with your compatible graphics card, but it still maxes out at 75 Hz over HDMI. The 1-ms response time means there’s absolutely no perceptible input lag when gaming. Adjusting the settings makes a huge difference to the picture quality. The monitor’s brightness of 250 nits, coupled with Asus’ Smart Contrast Ratio (the dynamic contrast ratio) makes the colors pop. It also has several modes beyond just a basic gaming mode, including specific modes for scenery, racing, cinema, RTS/RTG, FPS, and sRPGs. You can also adjust the blue light filter level (from level zero to level four) to give your eyes a little bit of a break. There are a ton of other customization options—brightness, contrast, color temp, and even skin tone. You can take advantage of settings like vivid pixel, which helps sharpen outlines and reduces blur, trace free, which can help reduce ghosting, or smart view, which adjusts the brightness based on the content on the screen. If you like creating your own custom settings, you can save up to four profiles. This way, you can quickly adjust your picture for the games you play most. I used this monitor mostly for console gaming, and I created different custom settings for darker, more difficult-to-see games like Injustice 2, Diablo 3, and Arkham Knight. I could clearly see the white highlights on Batman’s costume, as well as the clouds in the night sky and the details on the windows of the city buildings.
Audio: Decent, but not amazing
The VG245 has two separate two-watt stereo speakers, which actually don’t sound too bad. The high and low tones are much richer than the bass, but speech comes through very clearly, and the speakers are absolutely sufficient for offline console gaming. If you want to play music or watch movies on the monitor, you may want to hook up an external speaker using the audio output jack.
Software: Asus Multiframe and GamePlus
Asus Multiframe software is available for compatible Asus monitors like the VG245. It’s a free software that makes it easier to organize multiple open windows on your desktop. Asus Multiframe is relatively easy to use, and lets you tidy up your desktop in a just a few moments. The VG245 also includes GamePlus within its OSD, which sets the monitor apart from other gaming monitors in its price range. GamePlus has crosshairs, on-screen timers, a frames per second counter, and display alignment. There are only four crosshairs (well, two in two different colors), and the FPS counter can definitely become a distraction after a while, but I actually found the timer feature really useful. Gaming tends to make time go at a different pace — five hours can easily feel like five minutes. Since can set the timer between 30 and 90 minutes, when you say “I’m going to play for 30 minutes and then go back to work,” you can actually do just that. The time still flies by though.
Compatibility: No DisplayPort or USB
The VG245H does not have a DP connection option, nor does it have a USB port. It does have two HDMI ports, and you can connect via VGA. The two HDMI ports are a nice feature because you can connect a console and a PC to the VG245H simultaneously, and switch between devices without having to swap cables.
Price: Pay a little, get a lot
The VG245 typically sells for under $200, a very fair price. The design (especially the ergonomic stand), customization options, and additional features give the monitor a high-quality look and feel that easily justifies that bargain price tag.
Asus VG245H vs. Acer XFA240
If you’re looking for an inexpensive monitor that won’t eat up too much of your living space or budget, you’ll be happy with this Asus peripheral.
