The Sceptre Monitor C248W-1920RN is a curved 24-inch FHD (1,920-by-1,080) designed for casual gamers or users who spend equal amounts of time working on a desktop PC and a laptop PC. Although not as expansive as the Samsung CRG9 49-inch Curved Ultrawide Monitor we recently reviewed, the C248W is a much more conventional monitor than that super-ultrawide behemoth.
Its resolution and refresh rate are commonplace among 24-inch gaming monitors, but its appearance is somewhat unique and looks more expensive than it costs.
It does an excellent job displaying both games and video in standard definition, thanks to a VA panel with a decent color gamut and a 75Hz 5ms response time, a step up from the 60Hz in most budget monitors. It lacks advanced color adjustments, but it’s still one of our top picks for budget gaming monitors. However, the C248W-1920RN does stand out for a winning mix of features and performance at its price.
Sceptre Monitor Specs
- Screen Size: 24″ Diagonal Viewable
- Curvature: 1800R
- Native Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Full HD 1080P: Yes
- Refresh Rate: Up to 75Hz Refresh Rate
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Response Time: 8 ms
- Color Depth: 16.7M
- Contrast Ratio: 3,000: 1
- Brightness (cd/m²): 250 cd/m2
Design
The Sceptre C248W-1920RN will look lovely on any desktop with its ultra-slim bezels and silver cabinet. The cabinet is supported by a stand consisting of a circular-shaped base and a cylindrical arm but lacks height, swivel, and pivot adjustments that only can tilt.
The curved 24-inch VA panel’s resolution mazes at 1,920-by-1,080 and has a 16:9 aspect ratio, meaning it doesn’t struggle to display Full HD (1080p) video. Other features include a 5-microsecond gray-to-gray (G-to-G) response time, 250cd/m2 peak brightness, 75Hz refresh rate, 1800R curve ratio, and a 3M:1 contrast ratio; all common in the sub-$250 price point.
Inputs and Presets
At the rear of the Sceptre monitor, facing the back, are an HDMI port, a VGA, a headphone jack, and a DC connector. There are four VESA mount holes if you need to hang the monitor on a wall or a custom stand for a dual-monitor setup. Still, there are five small function buttons on the left side (if you’re looking at them from the back).
The On-screen menu offers an excellent selection of picture settings, although it doesn’t give you advanced six-color adjustments that you get in more expensive gaming monitors like the Asus ROG Swift PG258Q. The Standard setting gives the best overall picture for the adjustments since the rest are either too dark or overly bright.
Performance
Sceptre bills the C248W-1920RN as a gaming monitor, but it’s more or less a productivity monitor that can be used for casual gaming. With the recent uptake of powerful Nvidia GeForce 10-Series and 2019-released RTX 20-Series graphics cards, a 75Hz resolution monitor will not be the best. With such GPUs, you need a 144Hz monitor and above, of which you have options like the 27-inch ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q (2560 x 1440 resolution) or the Acer Predator X27 (3840 x 2160 resolution), both with higher refresh rates, 4ms response rates.
For casual gaming and day-to-day use, the C248W performs well, displaying great 1080p video and other content at a 5ms refresh rate, and the VA panel technology produces vibrant colors. Viewing-angles are good (not the best, though) for a 24-inch monitor, with slight color shifting when viewed from any angle.
The panel does an excellent job at displaying fast-moving items, though you’ll get some lag in modern games at high resolutions. Input lag (the amount of time it takes for the monitor to react to a controller command) came in at an impressive 13.7 milliseconds, which is not far apart from the competition.
Gaming Performance
The Sceptre C248W-1920RN specs include a 5-millisecond (gray-to-gray) pixel response, and the 75Hz peak refresh rate won’t suffice for many games, but it isn’t the worst either. I noticed screen tearing while playing GTA V on the PC and Fallout on the Xbox 360.
Many gamers will be hard-pressed to find graphic solutions to handle 5K gaming, especially with the release of the Pascal-based NVidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphic cards. If you need to enjoy smooth gaming, the Acer Predator XB271HK offers a few excellent features that appeal to gamers.
The Sceptre C248W-1920RN monitor’s 12.8-millisecond input lag (time taken for the monitor to react to a controller command) is relatively short, though it doesn’t beat the 10.6-millisecond standard for most budget monitors. The fastest we’ve had so far is 9.5 milliseconds from the Benq SW2700PT.
The monitor consumes about 37 watts of power while set to Text mode, 33 watts while set to Movie mode, and a paltry 32.7 watts in Power Save mode.
Verdict – Excellent Image Quality
There’s a lot to like about the Sceptre C248W-1920RN, including excellent image quality, impressive grayscale performance, and a very reasonable price than most curved 24-inch monitors. It is a good choice for budget gaming; better still, it can double as a very able monitor for video watching. Throw in a sleek design, and you’ve got one of the best-looking mid-size monitors around.
Is there a better alternative?
There is always a better alternative if you’re willing to spend a little more. The ASUS ROG Strix XG258Q, for instance, is about $150 more. For that extra bit of cash, you end up getting a better contrast ratio, a refresh rate of 240Hz, Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, and better connectivity options.
If you work with pictures and require more color control, our Editor’s Choice, the BenQ SW2700PT, is a better option. It delivers accurate colors and has advanced six-axis color adjustments and 14-bit LUT to calibrate hardware.
Should I buy it?
Yes. For a home office, office-office, or entry-level desktop gaming, the curved Sceptre Monitor C248W-1920RN curved is a fantastic buy. It delivers great image quality and attractive design at a reasonable price.
Recommended Configuration
Sceptre 24" Curved 75Hz Gaming LED Monitor Full HD 1080P HDMI VGA Speakers, VESA Wall Mount Ready Metal Black 2019 (C248W-1920RN)
1 used from $94.54
The Review
Sceptre C248W-1920RN
There’s a lot to like about the Sceptre C248W-1920RN including very good image quality, impressive grayscale performance and a very reasonable price than most curved 24-inch monitors.
PROS
- VESA mount compatibility
- Low input lag and 75Hz
- High contrast ratio and decent
CONS
- Tilt-only stand
Review Breakdown
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EDITORS RATING
