On this review, we are taking a good look at the AOC AGON AG322FCX gaming monitor. A 144Hz curved 32 incher 1080P model with lighting front and back. The AG322FCX has been around since 2016, yet here we are with a review.
The AOC AGON AG322FCX is one of the first gaming displays to feature lighting and 1800R curvature together in a 32″ 1080P package.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
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Display |
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| LCD Size (inch) | 31.5 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Refresh Rate | 144Hz |
| Display Area(mm) | 698.4 x 392.85 |
| Pixel Pitch (mm) | 0.363 |
| Brightness (cd/㎡) | 250 |
| Contrast | 3000:1 |
| DCR | 80000000:1 |
| Panel Type | VA |
| Response Time | 4ms |
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Connectivity |
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| Input/Output Connector | HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI-DL |
| USB/Audio | Headphone out |
| Ergonomics | |
| VESA Wall Mount | 100 x 100 |
| Pivot | NA |
| Swivel (left/right) | NA |
| Tilt (°) | -5.5°/+23.5° |
| Hight Adjustment (mm) | NA |
The AOC AGON AG322FCX is a Full HD display based on a VA panel. It has a curvature of 1800R, with an aspect ratio of 16:9. The contrast ratio is rated at 3000:1, with a typical brightness rated at 250 cd/㎡. Response time is manufacturer rated at 4ms. This gaming monitor supports AMD FreeSync / Adaptive Sync.
DESIGN, LAYOUT AND CONNECTIVITY:
The AOC AGON AG322FCX is a 32″ gaming monitor with a curvature of 1800R. Design is quite dated mainly due to its introduction years ago.
The AOC AGON AG322FCX also had lighting at the back, although it’s not that bright to be used as an ambient light source. The lighting could also only output a single color between Red, Green and Blue.
Screen coating used is a blend between gloss and a matte finish. The usual coating we used to see from a gaming panel. This is to accentuate the color reproduction of the display while maintaining its functionality to diffuse ambient lighting. The bezel on the other hand is narrow enough for multi-monitor setups.
Ergonomics wise, we only get a tilt motion from -5.5° to +23.5°. That’s pretty bland for such a gaming display.
As for display options, AOC went with a single HDMI and a DisplayPorts. We also have an audio-out, yet a much appreciated USB pass through is nowhere to be found.
Power is unfortunately external and we don’t have an internal speaker. A bummer considering the size of the monitor. We have a cable management hole though.
ON-SCREEN DISPLAY MENU:
The AOC AGON AG322FCX features a familiar looking OSD, in a bad way. It’s not a good one to be honest and the wobbling joystick beneath the panel is not helping either.
There are 8 main menus to choose from, with the Luminance and Game Setting being the most important ones. There’s no option to toggle the AMD FreeSync here though.
While I don’t hate the OSD, navigation could be better. Nothing we could do about it though.
TEST SETUP AND METHODOLOGY:
Our test setup relies on the Blur Busters TestUFO Motion Tests and the Data Color Spyder5ELITE Display Calibration System. The cameras used throughout the review for the motion artifact and high speed assessments are the Fujifilm XE-1 and the Nikon 1 J1.
| TEST SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS | |
| PROCESSOR | Intel Core i5 6600K |
| MOTHERBOARD | ASUS Z170-A |
| COOLER | Cryorig C1 Top Flow |
| MEMORY | Crucial Ballistix Tactical DDR4 @ 2666MHz 2x4GB |
| GRAPHICS | ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1060 OC 6GB |
| STORAGE | Crucial BX200 480GB |
| POWER | Corsair RM850X 850W |
| DISPLAY | ASUS MG278Q |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro |
Target for calibration is a 2.2 Gamma value, with a White Point at 6500K and a Brightness value set at 120 cd/㎡. Calibrated values are then analyzed with the Spyder5ELITE Display Analysis tool. Do note that Dynamic Contrast Ratio and other extra features built within the OSD are disabled during the tests. The following OSD values are selected for the display calibration.
| ON SCREEN DISPLAY SETTINGS | |
| Brightness | 80 |
| Contrast | 50 |
| Saturation | NA |
| Temperature | Normal (R100, G100, B100) |
| Gamma | Gamma 3 (2.2) |
| Preset | Standard |
If you wish to use the calibrated ICC profile taken from our Spyder5ELITE result, just send us a message. You may also read our guide on how to use ICC profiles.
GAMUT:
The Gamut test evaluates the color spaces the display exactly covers. That includes industry standard spaces such as sRGB and AdobeRGB. Higher percentage values are better.
Color space coverage is excellent. We got a 100% sRGB coverage while AdobeRGB results are at 89%.
TONE RESPONSE:
Tone response is where we check the display’s Gamma values and or presets if there are any. We then compare the results with industry standards of 1.8, 2.2 and 2.4. Closer to these values are better.
The AOC AGON AG322FCX features 3 gamma levels. Based on our results, level 1 is 2.0, level 2 is 1.8 and level 3 is 2.2.
BRIGHTNESS AND CONTRAST:
The result of the tests shows us an overview on how the display actually performs in terms of Brightness and Contrast ratio on varying brightness levels. Higher is better.
Brightness at 100% using our calibrated profile is rated at 163.8 cd/㎡. Contrast ratio on the other hand is at 1790:1.
SCREEN UNIFORMITY:
This test shows us an overview of the screen’s uniformity at the calibrated brightness level. The closer this value to 0, the better the performance of the panel.
Screen uniformity is not the best in class, with major discrepancies at the lower area of the panel.
COLOR ACCURACY:
This test shows how well different basic color hues are being reproduced by the display. These color tones correspond with the Datacolor SpyderCheckr. Lower Delta-E values are better.
On average, the AOC AGON AG322FCX scored a 1.33 Delta-E value. A good result if compared to the rest of the pack.
POWER CONSUMPTION:
The power consumption is checked with a power meter. Measurements are taken at maximum brightness level.
The AOC AGON AG322FCX power consumption is rated at 45W. We came close at 41.8W which is not bad for a 32″ panel.
BACKLIGHT BLEED AND VIEWING ANGLES:
Backlight Bleed is the phenomenon where backlighting from a display leaks. This is prevalent with LED backlight enabled displays where the LEDs used to light the panel are situated at the edges of the display. Testing the Backlight of the display is conducted on a dim room, simulating the recognizable amount of bleed for such scenario.
Viewing angles are also tested to check out how the display panel performs on various positions. This should be helpful if you are looking for a panel that could be used on multi-monitor setups.
Backlight bleed at 120 cd/㎡ is hardly noticeable with the AOC AGON AG322FCX. Viewing angles however are not that great.
BUTTON TO PIXEL INPUT LAG:
The Button to Pixel Input Lag is a combination of system latency from the point of input, processing and display output. That is the basic of it and to quantify the approximate Button to Pixel Input Lag, we utilized Quake 3 Arena as our main shooter. The game is set at the native resolution of the panel with the FPS locked at 250. We check how much delay in milliseconds it took the display to actually output the signal via a 1200 FPS high-speed camera with ~0.83ms of accuracy.
Our button to pixel lag results shows that the AOC AGON AG322FCX has an average of 8.1ms latency.
FRAME SKIPPING:
Frame Skipping is the phenomenon where dropped frames and missing refreshes occur due to ineffective refresh rate overclocking. If your display exhibits such issues, it should be perceptually similar to in-game frame skipping. We are are utilizing the Blur Busters Frame Skipping Checker to test if there is any.
There is nothing to worry about the AOC AGON AG322FCX when it comes to frame skipping.
MOTION CLARITY: DISPLAY PERSISTENCE
Motion Picture Response Time (MPRT) is the numbered approach to demonstrate the level of perceived motion blur on a display. Basically, a lower persistence value indicates less motion blur. Refresh rate and the sampling method plays a major part here whereas a higher refresh rate nominally features better display persistence values.
Assessing the typical display persistence is easy enough with sample and hold displays, while CRT and Strobe Lighting enabled displays are quite difficult to test with the current tools available. That said, these are still good references to check out. Especially true if we’re looking for differences based on refresh rates alone.
MOTION CLARITY: PURSUIT CAMERA
Setting up a pursuit camera courtesy of Blur Busters allows us to a great extent, perceive the actual motion blur of the display. Using such method also allows us to check out for other motion artifacts including ghosting, inverse ghosting and other artifacts. This pursuit camera test is a peer-reviewed invention.
The AOC AGON AG322FCX featured a not so ideal motion clarity out of the box. Luckily, we have overdrive to alleviate suffering. Best bet here is to push it at maximum since using lower overdrive settings doesn’t really help.
SOFTWARE, LIGHTING AND SPECIAL FEATURES:
The AOC AGON AG322FCX supports a maximum of 144Hz so it’s pretty smooth and responsive as is plus, it featured a 1800R curved panel. In practice, curved displays should alleviate eye strain over flat panel displays with an enhanced FOV. This makes more sense with monitors over televisions due to the proximity of the user to feel any difference.
Curved vs CRT and conventional flat screen display
If you’re the kind of gamer who’d trade your soul just to eliminate tearing, then AMD FreeSync is for you. Setting it up is breeze and it’s an excellent way to eliminate tearing. Dipping to lower frame rates and shooting up again also feels smoother with the feature turned on.
FreeSync display vs normal display with Vsync off
My gripe with the display is its native resolution, which is not really my cup of tea due to its PPI level. 27 inch for 1080P is what I considered borderline usable and at 32 inch, AOC is really pushing it.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The AOC AGON AG322FCX is one of the many curved gaming monitors we’ve tested this year and that being said, we have a good estimate on how it slots in with the pack.
Performance wise, we are looking at a gaming display with good color accuracy, contrast ratio and input lag. It isn’t perfect, with out of the norm screen uniformity, low PPI and not so good viewing angles. Lighting’s not the best too, but we expected such measures from an era where the RGB craze is about to hit the ceiling.
Build quality seems rather budget oriented too combined with non-existing ergonomics. Glad that we have a VESA mount though for better after market stands.
Now as for the pricing, AOC states that the AG322FCX features a 37778 PHP MSRP. That might be alright 2 years ago, but we are just a couple of month away from 2019. A point in time where we could get an equivalent at around 15000 PHP. I’d say go ahead, buy this if you could get a new one for that price.
The AOC AGON AG322FCX is a good curved gaming display if and only if the price is just right.
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AOC AGON AG322FCX 144Hz Curved Gaming Monitor Review
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PERFORMANCE - 7/10
7/10
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BUILD QUALITY - 6/10
6/10
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FEATURES - 7/10
7/10
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AESTHETICS - 7/10
7/10
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VALUE - 9/10
9/10
Summary
The AOC AGON AG322FCX is a good curved gaming display if and only if the price is just right.
