Asus VG248QE

We should all be fairly grateful that monitor and TV manufacturers are now turning their attention and marketing budgets towards 4K panels. It means we can all accept the latest attempt at making 3D a home experience was a total failure.

But, since the 3D tide has receded, we've been left with some great panel technology for us faithful PC gamers - and that's been exemplified by the new Asus VG range of 144Hz screens.

The higher refresh rate needed to achieve stereoscopic 3D from our PCs has led to some amazing advances in modern TN panels. Now, we’re getting better color reproduction than yesterday’s TN panels, on top of faster response times, which will be a godsend for anyone that enjoys competitive 3D games.

But, it’s still the 144Hz refresh rate that gets us hyped about what the latest 3D movement has left behind. This means that good ol’ TN panels with their quick refresh rates are actually rather expensive. In fact, you can pick up a decent 27-inch 10-bit IPS display for about the same price as this Asus TN panel. So, it can be hard to figure out which one is for you – but we think the inevitable Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are going to make this choice easier to make. 

Stereo VGs

Asus's VG range of 3D screens have all been solid performers, offering the full Nvidia 3D Vision 2 experience, with Lightboost tech to make the best of the stereoscopic 3D's numerous failings.

Outside of the 3D modes they're great monitors, offering a smooth desktop experience with a top-of-the-range 144Hz refresh rate and that excellent new spin on TN technology.

The Taiwanese company has also been smart in removing the built-in IR receiver and bundled 3D Vision goggles from the most recent screens, such as the VG278HE. Now you won't find yourself accidentally firing up Skyrim with a hunk of plastic strapped to your face, filling you head with blistering headaches.

Thankfully, it slashes a good chunk off the ticket price too. The sad thing is that this 24-inch version isn't much cheaper than the 27-inch one. We were hoping the smaller screen-size would represent a more budget-oriented entry into the glorious new 144Hz world, but you're only saving about £60 or so.

That said you are still getting the same native resolution, full tilt/rotation, a VESA-compatible stand and great image quality, but a sub-£300 price-tag would have been nice. That's especially true given what BenQ has managed to do with its XL2411T. It's almost £100 cheaper than this 24-inch Asus screen, and the only real difference we can make out is that this panel is rated at 144Hz, as opposed to the 120Hz of the BenQ.

I think most of us will agree that a decent 120-144Hz screen is a rather desirable little gaming panel, minus forking out for an Nvidia 3D Vision bundle. Sure, Asus has got some impressive screen technology in its monitor range, but it needs to get a lot more competitive on the price front given the value on offer from both BenQ and Iiyama at the moment.