ASUS VC239H IPS Monitor Review

Price/Where To Buy

US: Approx. $140- [easyazon_link identifier=”B0186NJGSO” locale=”US” tag=”back2gaming-20″]ASUS VC239H[/easyazon_link]
PH: Php8500 – PCHUB

[easyazon_infoblock align=”none” identifier=”B0186NJGSO” locale=”US” tag=”back2gaming-20″]

Choosing a monitor can be as hard as choosing Intel or AMD, AMD or Nvidia, or as to the variety of different motherboard choices that is uniquely distinguished by its features. And there will always be a dilemma between a TN Panel for a low response time or an IPS Panel for better color and viewing quality.

What are IPS Panels?

Read more in our IPS Budget Monitor Guide

Specification

 Packaging

The display cables included are only the VGA and DVI, sadly there’s no HDMI cable included. However, there’s also an included audio cable for use with your external speakers via the HDMI audio out option in your Windows Sound Devices.

The aesthetics of the VC239h is really similar compared to the VX239h with only the base/stand being the noticeable difference. The screen itself is in a matte finish and is not that much fingerprint resistance as you can see on the second pic. Although when lit on, these marks aren’t visible enough to distract you even in dark scenes.

Unlike the black glossy finish on the VX239h, the back of the VC239h features a matte finish. There are also VESA mounting holes if you wish to wall mount your monitor or to use a different stand instead as opposed to the VX model not having one.

On a personal note, one thing that I love in the VX239h was the elegant looking stand. Unfortunately, ASUS decided not to carry over that asset to the VC model.

The menu buttons for me is a really nice improvement over the VX model because its easier to feel and to touch these type of buttons rather than the sensor type ones.

The I/O ports on the back of the monitor are placed good enough for an easy reach. The ports consists of a HDMI port(2 on the VX), a DVI port, a VGA port, an audio port for the audio cable I mentioned earlier, and a port for the power adapter(and a kensington lock on the VX).

Another downside of the VX239h and of the VC239h as well is its ergonomics. You can adjust the monitor’s viewing angle horizontally and vertically, but you don’t have any option for panel rotation nor tilting it sideways.

The .9mm bezel, having a .1mm difference compared to the VX model(based from their site), is still thin enough and is ideal for multi-monitor setups.

DISPLAY MENU

The menu is sleek and elegant looking to the point that you’ll actually would want to explore the settings. I find the Scenery Mode/Preset suitable for my taste. But do take note that you can apply a custom preset by navigating to the Color Menu just below the blue light filter. The Night View mode is convenient for me and for those who suffer from astigmatism.

A great value addon to the VC239h is the GamePlus feature which is only found at the ROG Swift line of monitors. The Crosshair feature is useful for FPS Gamers. Though this might offer a competitive edge in most FPS Games, its more of a hassle navigating your way through this feature and you also need to turn it off after playing unless you prefer having a crosshair while browsing or reading.

Performance

IPS panels is a clear win over standard TN panels specially with the ASUS VC239h. Color reproduction with the monitor is great, and the viewing angles is still exquisite despite the lack of the monitor’s ergonomics.

Further testing with Passmark made us noticed some light backlight bleeding on the lower right part of the screen. But your experience may vary because just like CPUs & GPUs you’ll have to be lucky with the lottery.

Conclusion

ASUS has done it again with their VC239H IPS Monitor. While addressing the issues of its predecessor, the VX239h, ASUS managed to add some sweet features such as the GamePlus which is taken from the ROG Swift Lineup. But it doesn’t make it the perfect monitor with no flaws. Back-light bleeding is still unfortunately present, but it was only very minimal. The speaker is what you would expect from a regular priced speaker, nothing special. Navigating through the menu can sometimes be much of a hassle if you don’t have that much patience. Priced at 8,893SRP with some stores selling it at 7,600php like DynaquestPC  you will really get every bang for your buck. Surely there’s some trade-offs like the monitor’s ergonomics and a lack of a HDMI port but is compensated by some of its unique features like Vivid Pixel, GamePlus and QuickFit Virtual Scale.

Is it worth to get this IPS monitor? Yes, although you’re not getting the best of the best on the market, you’ll be getting some excellent performance for the price. If this will be your first IPS monitor, you will definitely not turn back because of its premium features. Is it worth to change from the VX239h? NO. Surely this monitor offers some good improvement over its predecessor, but that alone won’t make it justifiable.

All in all though, the solid build quality and ASUS’ 3 Year replacement warranty is more than enough to satisfy your display needs even for gamers and budding designers/multimedia artists.

Hence, B2G backs this with a GOLD and BEST VALUE Award!