ASUS TUF Gaming ASUS TUF Gaming 23.8" 180 Hz Monitor Review

The ASUS TUF Gaming VG249QL3A is a 24-inch 1080p gaming monitor built for speed. Its 180Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time make it a great budget pick for competitive gaming, though it lacks some features like HDR. If you want smooth gameplay without spending a fortune, this is a strong contender.

If you're hunting for a 1080p gaming monitor that won't break the bank, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG249QL3A is a solid contender. It's a 23.8-inch IPS panel with a 180Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time, which puts it right in the sweet spot for fast-paced competitive gaming. At a price that usually floats between $120 and $170, it's one of the more affordable ways to get a high-refresh-rate experience. People searching for a 24-inch gaming monitor under $200 will find this one checks a lot of boxes, especially if you're coming from a standard 60Hz screen.

This thing is fast. The 180Hz refresh rate lands in the 95th percentile for performance in our database, which means it's near the top of the heap for smoothness in its class. That 1ms gray-to-gray response time is the real deal, and when you combine it with ASUS's Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) tech, motion clarity is excellent for a budget monitor. The 350-nit brightness and 99% sRGB color coverage are good enough for most gaming and general use, though it's not a color-accurate workhorse. For esports titles like Valorant or Apex Legends, the speed is the main attraction here.

For around $150, the value proposition is pretty clear. You're paying for high refresh rates and good motion handling above all else. You can find other 144Hz monitors at similar prices, but the jump to 180Hz here is a nice bonus. If you're willing to spend a bit more, you might find a monitor with better color or HDR, but for pure speed per dollar, this ASUS TUF model is hard to beat.

The obvious competitor is something like the AOC 24G2, another popular 24-inch 144Hz IPS monitor. The ASUS has a slight edge in refresh rate (180Hz vs 144Hz) and a better stand out of the box. If you're looking at the MSI G241, that's another strong alternative, often trading blows on price. Stepping up to 27-inch 1440p monitors, like various Gigabyte or Dell models, is a different conversation and budget entirely—you'd be sacrificing the ultra-high frame rates for sharper detail. For a strict 1080p, high-refresh build, the ASUS TUF holds its own.

Skip this monitor if you're a content creator who needs wide color gamut coverage (like DCI-P3) or true HDR performance. Also, if you primarily play visually stunning, slower-paced single-player games and care more about resolution and contrast than sheer frame rates, you'd be better served by a good 1440p IPS or a VA panel. For productivity users who need lots of screen space, a larger 27-inch or even an ultrawide monitor would be a better fit.

So, should you buy it? If your primary goal is getting the smoothest possible gameplay in competitive shooters and you're on a tight budget, then yes, absolutely. The 180Hz refresh and fast response time are the real deal. But if you care more about visual fidelity for single-player games, or you need something for color-critical work, you might want to look at a 1440p panel or a monitor with better HDR. For the price, it delivers exactly what it promises: no-frills speed.