Gawfolk 24 Inch Gaming Monitor Review UK 2026

I’ve watched the budget gaming monitor market evolve dramatically over the past decade. What used to mean compromising on everything except price has transformed into something genuinely exciting. The Gawfolk 24 Inch Gaming Monitor lands in my testing room promising high refresh rates and gaming features at an entry-level price point. After about a month of testing across different games, productivity work, and colour measurements, I’m ready to share whether this represents genuine value or just another disposable display.

I tested this with an RTX 4060 and a Radeon RX 7600, and both comfortably pushed 165fps in esports titles. That’s the whole point of this monitor – you’re buying performance, not pixels.

Here’s what matters in practice: the contrast ratio genuinely helps in atmospheric games. Playing through Alan Wake 2, the black levels looked convincing in a way budget IPS panels just can’t match. But switch to Apex Legends or Overwatch 2, and you’ll spot ghosting trails behind characters moving through shadowy areas.

The viewing angles are where VA panels always struggle. Sit dead centre and you’re fine. Lean back or to the side, and you’ll see colour shift and contrast changes. Not a problem for solo gaming, but rubbish if you’re trying to show something to someone standing next to your desk.

The 165Hz refresh rate is the star feature here. It’s a massive upgrade from 60Hz, and honestly, you’d struggle to notice the difference between this and 240Hz in most games unless you’re a top-tier competitive player. The jump from 60 to 165 is transformative. The jump from 165 to 240? Diminishing returns.

The “1ms” claim is nonsense – that’s MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time) with backlight strobing, not actual pixel response. Real grey-to-grey transitions average 6-8ms, which is decent for VA but slower than fast IPS panels. Dark-to-dark transitions can stretch to 12-15ms, causing the smearing I mentioned earlier.

I ran pursuit camera tests and the motion clarity is acceptable for most gaming but not exceptional. In CS2 and Valorant, tracking moving targets felt responsive enough. In darker games like Resident Evil 4 Remake, you’ll notice ghosting trails. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s there.

The input lag measurement of 4ms is genuinely excellent. This monitor responds immediately to your inputs, which matters far more for competitive gaming than the pixel response time. Combined with the 165Hz refresh, the overall responsiveness feels proper.

I ran full colorimeter tests using an X-Rite i1Display Pro, and the results are exactly what you’d expect at this price point. The colour gamut covers most of sRGB but doesn’t extend into DCI-P3 territory. For gaming, this is fine. Most games are still mastered in sRGB anyway.

The bigger issue is colour accuracy. That Delta E of 3.2 means reds skew orange, blues look slightly purple, and skin tones appear off. Again, not a problem for gaming where you’re focused on gameplay rather than colour fidelity. But if you’re planning to edit photos or do any colour-critical work, this isn’t the monitor for it.

This is fake HDR. The monitor accepts an HDR10 signal but lacks the brightness (needs 400+ nits minimum) and local dimming to actually display HDR content. When you enable HDR in Windows or games, everything looks washed out because the monitor is tone-mapping HDR content to SDR brightness levels. Just leave it off.

I need to be blunt about this: the HDR implementation is pointless. Gawfolk lists HDR10 support in the specs, and technically the monitor accepts an HDR signal. But with only 280 nits peak brightness and no local dimming zones, it can’t display HDR content properly.

I tested HDR gaming in Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5, and both looked significantly worse with HDR enabled. Highlights didn’t pop, colours looked flat, and dark scenes became murky grey. This is checkbox HDR at its worst – a marketing feature that actively degrades image quality.

That contrast ratio is where this VA panel earns its keep. At 2800:1, blacks are properly dark, giving games with moody lighting a more immersive feel. Compare this to budget IPS panels that typically manage 1000:1, and the difference is immediately obvious.

But the brightness is limiting. At 280 nits, this monitor works fine in typical indoor lighting but looks washed out if you’ve got a window behind you or bright overhead lights. I had to close the blinds during afternoon testing sessions to maintain decent image quality.

I spent most of my testing time gaming, which is obviously this monitor’s intended purpose. In CS2, Valorant, and Apex Legends, the experience is genuinely good. The 165Hz refresh rate makes everything feel smooth and responsive, and the low input lag means your actions translate to screen movement instantly.

Tracking moving targets in Valorant felt natural, and I could follow fast movements without the blur you get on 60Hz displays. The VA smearing I mentioned earlier is less noticeable in these brightly-lit competitive games. It’s in darker titles where it becomes obvious.

Playing through Alan Wake 2 and Resident Evil 4 Remake, the ghosting trails behind moving objects in dark scenes were distracting. Not game-breaking, but definitely present. The good contrast ratio helped with atmosphere, but the motion clarity suffered.

For console gaming, the HDMI 2.0 port supports 1080p at 120Hz, which works perfectly with PS5 and Xbox Series X. You’re not getting 4K, but at 24 inches, 1080p looks fine, and you’re maximising frame rates instead.

The good news is the 75x75mm VESA mount pattern, which means you can immediately replace this stand with a proper monitor arm. That’s what I’d recommend if you’re buying this monitor – budget an extra £20-30 for a basic monitor arm and skip the included stand entirely.

Build quality is what you’d expect at this price. Plastic chassis throughout, slim bezels that look modern but feel flimsy, and a general sense that this monitor is built to a price rather than a standard. It’s not going to fall apart, but it doesn’t inspire confidence either.

There’s no USB-C, no USB hub, and no built-in speakers. The 3.5mm headphone jack is there for audio passthrough, but you’ll need external speakers or headphones. At this price point, the lack of speakers is expected and honestly not a loss – built-in monitor speakers are universally terrible anyway.

The AOC 24G2U is probably the strongest competitor. It uses an IPS panel, which means better colour accuracy and faster pixel response times, but worse contrast. If you prioritise motion clarity and colour accuracy over deep blacks, the AOC is the better choice. It also has a significantly better stand with full ergonomic adjustments.

The ASUS VP249QGR is the budget option if you’re really stretching your pennies. It’s usually £10-20 cheaper, offers 144Hz IPS gaming, but has an even worse stand than the Gawfolk and slightly lower build quality.

Where the Gawfolk wins is that contrast ratio. If you play a lot of atmospheric games with dark scenes, the VA panel’s deep blacks make a genuine difference. But if you’re focused on competitive gaming where motion clarity matters most, the IPS alternatives are probably better choices despite their lower contrast.

The value proposition here is straightforward: you’re getting 165Hz gaming performance at a budget price by accepting compromises everywhere else. No good stand, no accurate colours, no real HDR, basic build quality. But the core gaming experience – that high refresh rate with low input lag – is solid.

Is that worth it? Depends entirely on your priorities. If you’re building a competitive gaming setup on a tight budget and you’ll be playing brightly-lit esports titles, this makes sense. The money you save here can go toward a better graphics card that’ll actually improve your gaming performance more than a fancier monitor would.

But if you want a versatile display that handles gaming, productivity, and media consumption equally well, you’ll be frustrated by the colour accuracy and limited brightness. In that case, save up a bit more for a mid-range IPS display.

Skip this if you need colour accuracy for creative work, want proper HDR gaming, or need a versatile display that excels at multiple tasks. In those cases, save up for a mid-range IPS display with better all-round performance.