It's got game.
LG isn't exactly known for its gaming hardware, but it has an extensive lineup of premium monitors targeted specifically at gamers that range from widescreen behemoths to more pedestrian panels for gamers on a budget. The 24GM77-B (See it on Amazon) is LG's least expensive 24" gaming monitor at a $299 MSRP, and it offers both a high 144Hz refresh rate as well as a plethora of gaming-specific features. Before we jump in, the manufacturer-provided specs:
Design and Features
The 24GM77-B isn’t exactly a stylish monitor although the black body with red accents give it a "gaming" look. The non-reflective, anti-glare panel is framed by a pretty standard-sized 0.6-inch bezel. The monitor itself is supported by a glossy black plastic base with a telescoping arm that provides 4 inches of height adjustment. The panel can tilt up to 25 degrees and pivot a full 90 degrees from landscape to portrait. VESA holes on the back of the unit can be used for mounting it to a wall too. There are no speakers, but most gamers use external speakers or headphones. There is a small control panel under the bottom bezel that lets you access and adjust the monitor's gaming specific features, which is a much easier way to do it than dealing with an on-screen display. It contains two arrow buttons (left and right), a Black Stabilizer button, Game Mode button, and a Dynamic Action Sync (DAS) button. All controls and their navigation are intuitive. The Black Stabilizer brightens up dark scenes and I found this pretty helpful while searching for hidden enemies in the shadows. DAS minimizes input lag and it makes sense to leave this on all time, although you can’t use DAS and Motion 240 blur-reduction at the same time. Motion 240 blur reduction does what you'd think it does, but it only works at 100Hz or 120HZ, and it's LG’s attempt to make moving images appear smoother and more fluid and it’s better for watching video than for playing a game though because of the increased input lag.
The included Game Modes are something a detail-oriented gamer will find indispensable as it lets you group together settings for brightness, contrast, sharpness, gamma, color temp, black stabilizer, response time, DAS mode, and Motion 240. It’s helpful to be able to manage so many different settings as a group. This will be of the greatest benefit to gamers who play a variety of games under a variety of ambient lighting conditions as they can tweak setting to their heart’s content and then save them as presets for ready access. Game Modes include Gamer 1, Gamer 2, Gamer 3, FPS 1, FPS 2, and RTS and the only rub is that enabling them also turns on a feature called Super + Resolution, which sharpens the edges of images in a way that I didn’t like. You can change the parameters of all of these settings and more using the full on-screen display (OSD).
Performance
The 24GM77 has great gaming performance and handled everything that I threw at it with ease. I tested using my PS4 connected via HDMI and my gaming rig connected via DVI. One note, to run at 144Hz, you'll have to use either DVI (dual-link) or DisplayPort as HDMI is limited to 60Hz. Playing Call of Duty Infinite Warfare on both the PS4 and the PC was very smooth and fast. With DAS enabled everything looked and felt snappy and responsive. Overall the 24GM77 provided a great gaming experience.
Turning on the Motion 240 blur-reduction has a detrimental effect on performance and a decrease in contrast. Motion 240 can’t be used at a 144Hz refresh rate and it also prevents the use of the lag reducing DAS. A higher refresh rate with DAS on provides such strong gaming performance that turning off Motion 240 and accepting the slightest amount of blur is the way to go. The 24GM77 provides accurate colors that are slightly on the warm side, although not overly deep and rich. Colors were bright and evenly saturated. Grays are very good, although not perfect. Black contrast is very strong. When viewing grays and blacks together, the grays have a tendency to look a little washed out. Viewing angle performance is good but not great. With the 24GM77 in landscape mode, horizontal viewing angles are excellent with virtually no color shifting or loss of brightness almost up to 180 degrees. However, viewing from a 60 degree top angle resulted in a washed out image and viewing from a similar bottom angle resulted in a significant decrease in brightness and color accuracy. When I rotated the 24GM77 to portrait mode, the horizontal viewing angles were terrible. Fortunately, you’ll never play a game in portrait mode.
One final performance note, I’m not a big fan of the plastic arm used to adjust panel height. It does not slide up and down very smoothly, so when I tired to lower it a hair it would drop three inches instead. You’re going to want to set it once and then leave it alone.
Purchasing Guide
The LG 24GM77-B has an MSRP of $299.99, which is about what you'll find it for online, although it is slightly discounted as of now on on Amazon
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The Verdict
The LG 24GM77 is an excellent choice for gamers champing at the bit for a 24-inch monitor with a high refresh rate and smooth performance. Colors are accurate and brightness is outstanding, but viewing angle performance is lacking and it's especially noticeable in portrait mode.
Editors' Choice
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