Titan Army 24.5" Gaming Monitor Review: Putting Middling Monitors to Shame
Titan Army recruited another soldier with this tiny monitor's performance and price.
Specs:
+ 24.5 inches
+ 1920 x 1080 FHD
+ 240Hz
+ FreeSync
+ 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x DPI 1.4, 1 x Audio
I have a very specific workspace setup. My 27-inch monitor is the primary display where I do all my writing. To the right is usually a smaller monitor, no bigger than 25 inches, where I do extensive research and reading daily. I realize how backward this may be. After all, I probably shouldn’t be straining my eyes to read tiny text on a smaller monitor. This was most evident when I tested some no-name 25 incher that was so dimly lit and had such poor coloring that I thought it was an early April Fool’s prank.
Being a creature of habit, though, I still haven’t rearranged my setup, even when the opportunity came when I added Titan Army’s 24.5-inch display to my dual-arm arrangement. Out of the box, the 1080p, 240Hz VA panel was on the foggier side. It was closer to the Xiaomi 27-inch monitor I had just tested, which I dinged for the middling quality of its picture. Unlike Xiaomi’s curved monitor, though, the Titan Army was more receptive to changes made to its settings.
I’ve given the smaller panel ample time to disappoint me, but I’m still quite pleased with the clarity and color accuracy. In fact, it may even be better than the Gigabyte M27F A, which has served as my primary monitor for over a year.
The Bright, Smooth, and Silent Type
I don’t ask for much from my monitors. I want them to be bright and produce marginally accurate colors. It’s not like I sit here staring at a color chart every day, but it does bother me when my Google Docs have a grey tint or the Ghostbusters logo is an off-shade of red. Yes, that is 100% how I gauge a display’s color because if there’s one thing I know better than the back of my hand, it’s the appropriate type of red in the “No Ghost” logo.
With that said Titan Army hits reasonably close to the mark. Compared to the Gigabyte M27F A, which was meticulously color-corrected and adjusted, I like some things better in the smaller panel. It’s noticeably brighter, and the coloring is just a hint crisper. For someone who stares at web pages all day, that’s not all that thrilling. So, to really see how this FHD 1080p display looked, I took Aliens: Fireteam Bravo for a spin.
That may seem like a random pick, but I wanted something in my library to show how well the monitor handled blacks, color contrasts, and action-packed firefights.
I was more than satisfied with the monitor’s performance, especially as the screen flooded with xenomorphs. Some of the darker moments in the game didn’t display as well as I had hoped, but it was in no way game-breaking. In fact, it performed a lot better than I expected for its low price.
Tear-Free Gaming
At 240Hz, you already know you’re in for a treat. I whipped my pulse rifle around, trying to get the visuals to stutter, jolt, or hiccup, but the Titan Army kept this smooth and fluid. Even as the screen filled with xenos and I was popping off explosives, the refresh rate held up well. I thought maybe the FreeSync was working overtime, but even when I switched over to DOOM: Eternal, another twitchy and slightly more taxing shooter, and turned off the adaptive-sync, I didn’t notice screen tearing.
It’s also worth noting how everything remained visually sound despite being on a smaller monitor. DOOM has a lot of detail that can get lost in the chaos, especially on a smaller screen. Yet Titan Army’s clarity kept me focused and in the action.
I appreciated the Titan Army 24.5-inch display’s capabilities so much that I considered replacing it as my primary and downgrading the M27F A. Unfortunately, Gigabyte’s monitor is the only one with built-in speakers, and when I game, I turn off my secondary to minimize light pollution from additional sources. I don’t really care to invest in external speakers or wear a headset every time I play, so the Titan Army will remain a worthy sidekick for now.
A Treat for Gamers
If you’re releasing a gaming monitor, a few staple features must be included. The most common is the crosshair, which is set as one of three customizable hotkeys out of the box. An adaptive sync toggle, multiple picture modes tailored to specific genres, and a low blue light mode lend to the value of the Titan Army 24.5-inch display. They’re expected additions that virtually every modern gaming monitor should have, and they all do exactly as you’d expect.
One addition I have to question on a screen this size is the Picture-in-Picture mode. PIP lets you display another device on the monitor for reasons I honestly have yet to determine. Two previous monitors I tested also had the PIP mode, and I was as baffled then as I am now. I assume they benefit streamers, but on such a small display, I feel like you’re giving up necessary real estate. I’m sure someone has found a use for it. That someone just isn’t me. At least, not yet.
A Budget Monitor Done Right
There’s quite a bit to like about Titan Army’s small monitor. It’s far from perfect, which is fine. I know there are brighter and more colorful monitors out there, and 1080p is kind of below the base-level resolution these days. However, does a monitor that achieves the best — or even near the best — of everything ever cost less than $200?
Titan Army slapped a very attractive price tag on its monitor, knowing it wouldn’t win any awards. Still, it was definitely going to make some younger or more casual gamers happy. While I fall into neither category, I, too, am happy with what this tiny display can pull off.
Do You Need It?
This one’s simple.
Are you in the market for a smaller monitor, don’t have a hefty budget, and don’t mind something with some minor kinks? If so, then Titan Army’s 24.5-inch 240Hz gaming monitor should serve you well.
It’s not big on bells and whistles, and the 1080p maximum resolution may pain some, but for a budget monitor, it gets the job done.