Right now, the trending category in PC gaming screens is 27-inch, 1440p. This niche has recently been boosted by Fast IPS panels that can hit 240hz without dropping frame rates. Just a handful of 1080p can manage 360Hz, but 170Hz can deliver lots of response and low input lag for far less money.
The Acer XV272U W2bmiiprx is one such display that delivers fluid gaming at a very reasonable price. It’s part of the Acer Nitro series of gaming displays that always maintain a top spot in the market, matching the performance and features of premium screens at very palatable MSRPs. Of course, if you have the money to spend, you’ll never regret buying the best gaming monitor money can buy. But for most on a tight budget, the Nitro XV272U is a good starting point.
With the XV272U W2bmiiprx, you’re getting a 27-inch IPS panel rocking a WQHD resolution and a max refresh rate of 240Hz. It includes AMD FreeSync premium for fighting screen tearing, 1ms response time, and solid out-of-box image accuracy for under $400 (and if you look around you can find it for less on a sale). Let’s take a deeper look.
About Acer XV272U W2bmiiprx
- Display size: 27 inches
- Resolution: 2560 x 1440 pixels
- Refresh rate: 144Hz (default), 170Hz (overclock)
- Peak brightness: 400 nits (rated); 286.9 nits (Eco mode tested), 435 nits (Max Brightness mode tested), 493 nits (HDR tested)
- HDR support: VESA DisplayHDR 400, HDR10
- Color depth: 8-bit
- Color saturation: 95% DCI-P3, 130% sRGB (rated); 97% DCI-P3 (tested), 100% sRGB (tested)
- Contrast ratio: 1000:1 (rated), 1120:1 (tested)
- Pixel response time (GtG): 2ms (up to 0.5ms)
- Ports: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DisplayPort 1.2, 1 x 3.5mm
- VRR Support: Yes, AMD FreeSync Premium, G-Sync compatible
Design & Features
The “Nitro” name might sound fancy, but all monitors in this series look plain at best. Acer emphasizes performance over everything else in this sub-brand; meaning you’ll find all Nitro monitors to use a plain, non-obtrusive matte black housing paired with a simple stand with a round base. It’s pretty plain, but not badly off.
While the stand feels cheaper than even some more affordable alternatives, it does lots of ergonomic adjustments including height, tilt, and even pivot. Of course, you’re guaranteed of swivel and pivot at this price point, but it’s a good thing that Acer includes that too. There’s also a 100 x 100mm VESA mount should you decide to attach a third-party monitor arm or stand.
Perhaps the only issue on the stand is cable management, you don’t have a hole for routing cables. Instead, Acer uses a tiny clip on the base that doesn’t do a good job of hiding or bundling the cables together.
Connectivity comes in way of two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort, and a total of four USB-A ports for all your wired peripherals. With this assortment of ports, this monitor is a fairly robust USB hub, though it lacks the latest USB-C with Power Delivery. Still, the XV272U has more ports than your average 1080p gaming monitor.
Gaming Performance
The Acer XV272U W2bmiiprx is capable of handling almost everything one might want to do with their computer. Gaming, work, movies, and photo editing are all easy to pull through, thanks to a sharp and saturated picture. Apps that require accurate colors benefit from the selectable gamuts, which include sRGB, EBU, and even SMTTE-C. However, for the most colorful image, General mode utilizes the monitor’s full native gamut, covering over 90% of DCI-P3.
While the monitor’s measured contrast is a bit below average, the extra color saturation mostly makes up for this. Black levels aren’t particularly deep on the display, but bright and midrange areas pop nicely. Even though this monitor doesn’t hit 200 nits in SDR mode, it’s still bright enough for a sunlit room.
We’ve come to expect stellar gaming performance from Acer Nitro monitors, and the XV272U doesn’t disappoint at all. Modern titles like Tomb Raider benefit from the extra color, even though it’s an sRGB title. Rich saturation in primary colors makes the image pop with texture on the monitor; colors look very natural and accurate, another factor that adds to the solid image quality on this monitor.
HDR gaming is excellent, too with HDR titles like Call of Duty: WII running smoothly. However, the Acer XV272U doesn’t meet the kind of gameplay delivered by the best HDR monitor we’ve reviewed. Like the Acer Predator X27, HDR looks better here than on monitors that don’t use any kind of dynamic contrast feature. The lower black levels attributed to this technology make a big difference. And for the price, this Acer XV272U delivers very good HDR performance.
Framerates remain locked at around 165 frames per second (fps) on a GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card, whether HDR is in play or not. That means if you have a capable gaming card, you’re assured of butter-smooth gameplay. The response is super-fast compared to most casual gaming stats, and that makes the Acer XV272U a perfect monitor for more skilled players or even eSports competitors. Sat this price, it is destined to succeed in both categories.
Should you buy the Acer XV272U?
Yes, unless you’re looking for something with pro-features.
The Acer XV272U W2bmiiprx is a winner. It delivers color accuracy that beats monitors that cost a lot more, and it gets a leg up on some high-end gaming monitors out there.
In the market, you can get better monitors, like the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQN, but you’ll spend around $300 more to do so. If you’re on a fixed budget, however, I’d recommend the Acer XV272U. it’s a solid performer for a reasonable price, but you’re getting a bigger display and very consistent performance.
For under $400, you’d be hard-pressed to find a monitor that does one or two things as well as the Acer XV272U W2bmiiprx does a half dozen things. The epitome of best gaming monitors comes with more features or better HDR performance, but expect to spend twice as much. In that case, the Acer XV272U W2bmiiprx remains the best choice out there for gamers on a budget.
Recommended Configuration
Acer 27" WQHD 240Hz 0.5ms AMD FreeSync Premium IPS Gaming Monitor (XV272U)
$199.99 in stock
1 used from $231.15
The Review
Acer XV272U
The Acer XV272U W2bmiiprx is a 27-inch WQHD gaming monitor that provides excellent image quality and motion performance, a full range of ergonomic adjustments, and a generous array of ports that make it worth the cost.
PROS
- Exceptional color accuracy
- Fast gaming visuals
- Excellent value
CONS
- Minimalist design
- IPS backlight bleed
Review Breakdown
-
ARS SCORE
