ASUS TUF 24.5-Inch 310Hz Monitor Drops to $139 at Amazon, 30% Off

Q: Is the heavily advertised HDR400 feature on this $139 ASUS gaming monitor actually ruining your visual experience?

No. On this ASUS TUF monitor, the HDR400 badge is more likely to be a mild extra than a visual upgrade, and in some cases it can make the picture look worse than SDR. The key issue is the hardware. ASUS lists this 24.5-inch Fast IPS panel at 300 nits typical brightness, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and no meaningful local dimming. That is enough for basic HDR signal support, but not enough for the kind of deep blacks, bright highlights, and strong contrast that make HDR look dramatic. On monitors in this class, HDR often has to compress bright and dark details into a limited range, which can leave games looking flatter, grayer, or washed out. That does not mean the feature is useless. In some brighter scenes, HDR400 can add a bit more highlight detail and compatibility with HDR content. But it is widely considered entry-level HDR, not cinematic HDR. The monitor’s real strengths are elsewhere: its 310Hz overclocked refresh rate, very fast response time, FreeSync Premium, G-SYNC compatibility, and motion-handling tools for competitive play. For most buyers, the best visual experience will likely come from using this display in well-tuned SDR rather than leaving HDR on all the time. That is especially true for desktop use, SDR-heavy games, and dark scenes where IPS black levels and weak HDR tone mapping are more obvious. At $139, this is a strong esports-value monitor. Just do not buy it for HDR.

Q: Can human eyes truly perceive the 310Hz speed of this budget display, or is it purely marketing hype?

Yes—people can perceive benefits from 310Hz, but not as a simple “the eye sees 310 frames” claim, and for many buyers the gain over 240Hz will be modest. What humans notice at very high refresh rates is reduced motion blur, lower sample-and-hold persistence, and slightly lower input latency. A 310Hz display refreshes about every 3.2 milliseconds, versus roughly 4.2 milliseconds at 240Hz and 6.9 milliseconds at 144Hz. That can make fast camera pans and target tracking look cleaner, especially in esports titles where players are highly sensitive to motion clarity and timing. The catch is that the improvement from 240Hz to 310Hz is much smaller than the jump from 60Hz to 144Hz or from 144Hz to 240Hz. Many casual players may struggle to notice a dramatic difference unless they are playing twitch shooters at very high frame rates on a powerful PC. To benefit fully, the game must also be rendering near 310 fps; otherwise, the headline refresh rate matters less, and technologies like FreeSync or G-SYNC compatibility become more important for smoothness. So this is not pure marketing hype, but it is niche performance. For competitive players, 310Hz can offer a real edge in responsiveness and motion handling. For everyone else, the monitor’s stronger value may be its overall package at $139: fast IPS panel, adaptive sync, decent color coverage, and useful motion features like ELMB Sync.

2 articles · Updated · Mashable · Aug 24

$139 buys ASUS's TUF VG259QMR5A at Amazon, cutting $60 from its $199 list price and marking the monitor's lowest Amazon price yet.
The 24.5-inch Full HD display targets competitive gamers with a fast IPS panel overclockable to 310Hz, a 0.3ms GTG response time, and support for FreeSync Premium, G-SYNC compatibility, and ELMB Sync.
ASUS also keeps image quality in play with 99% sRGB coverage and DisplayHDR 400, while Gaming AI adds Dynamic Crosshair, Shadow Boost, and AI Visual features.
Amazon is handling the limited-time sale and shipping, with Prime delivery available as soon as Aug. 25, free 30-day returns, and ports including two HDMI 2.0 connections plus DisplayPort 1.4.