Acer Nitro XV272 review: Top-tier gaming on a 1080p monitor

Best Prices Today: Acer Nitro XV272

1080p decision isn’t cutting-edge, however it stays the most well-liked decision amongst fashionable PC shows. This is usually due to finances: There are dozens of low cost 1080p displays. But what occurs when a 1080p monitor makes picture high quality a precedence?  

Acer XV272: The specs

The Acer Nitro XV272 (LVbmiiprx) is a 27-inch, 1080p monitor with an IPS panel and a 165Hz refresh fee. This places it smack-dab in essentially the most crowded phase of the monitor market. Here are the XV272’s most noteworthy specs.

• Display measurement: 27-inch 
• Native decision: 1920×1080 
• Panel kind: IPS 
• Refresh fee: Up to 165Hz 
• Adaptive sync: AMD FreeSync Premium and G-Sync Compatible 
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort, 4x USB 3 
• Stand adjustment: Height, tilt, swivel, pivot 
• VESA mount: Yes, 100x100mm 
• Speakers: Yes 
• Price: $349 MSRP, round $279 typical 

A couple of options assist the Nitro XV272 stand out. It has a 165Hz refresh and is suitable with each AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. It additionally has three video inputs, 4 USB ports, and a stand with quite a few ergonomic changes. These options sign that the Nitro XV272, although not costly, is a reduce above entry-level 1080p displays.  

Acer Nitro XV272: Design

The “Nitro” identify would possibly sound thrilling, however the XV272, like all such displays from Acer, appears to be like fairly plain. Acer’s Nitro sub-brand focuses on efficiency over design. Essentially all Nitro displays use a easy, matte black housing paired with a thin stand with spherical base. It’s boring however inoffensive. 

Matt Smith / Foundry

The stand feels low cost when dealt with however presents loads of ergonomic adjustment. This contains top, tilt, swivel, and even pivot. Swivel and pivot aren’t assured at this worth level, so it’s good to see them right here. There’s additionally a 100x100mm VESA mount for attaching a third-party monitor arm or stand. 

There is one downside with the stand: cable administration. You gained’t discover a gap within the stand for routing cables. Instead, Acer makes use of a tiny clip on the bottom that does a horrible job of conserving cables bundled.  

Acer XV272: Features and menu 

Connectivity contains two HDMI 2.0 ports, plus one DisplayPort, and a complete of 4 USB-A 3.0 ports for connecting wired peripherals. This makes the monitor a reasonably helpful USB hub, although it lacks extra superior options like USB-C with Power Delivery. Still, the Acer Nitro XV272 has extra ports than most 1080p gaming displays. 

Matt Smith / Foundry

The Nitro XV272’s menu system could possibly be higher. It appears to be like fundamental, with easy icons and unattractive fonts, and doesn’t really feel responsive whereas utilizing the joystick to scroll by choices. The joystick and choose buttons are straightforward to make use of, however the energy button is a bit too near the choose buttons. I by accident turned off the monitor a number of occasions. 

These points disguise a surprisingly strong slate of image-quality choices. This contains exact gamma presets, a number of coloration temperature modes, and six-way adjustment of coloration saturation and hue. There’s additionally a number of gaming-centric options equivalent to a frames-per-second counter and built-in goal factors. The monitor lacks a black equalizer setting for brightening darkish areas, nonetheless, which could disappoint followers of aggressive shooters.  

The monitor features a pair of two-watt audio system. They’re not nice however properly suited to podcasts, YouTube, or video games with much less spectacular audio. You’ll need to placed on a headset when sound high quality issues. 

Acer XV272: SDR picture high quality

The Acer Nitro XV272 is in direction of the excessive finish of pricing for a 27-inch 1080p show. Gamers can snag a 1440p or 4K monitor for about the identical worth. Acer combats this with a vivid, correct picture.  

SDR brightness is available in at about 250 nits. This is low however, as you’ll see once I focus on HDR, it’s not the monitor’s true most brightness. Acer seems to be limiting the monitor’s most potential in SDR mode. That stated, the monitor remains to be brilliant sufficient to be used in practically all conditions. It will solely seem dim if used reverse a sunlit window. 

Matt Smith / Foundry

The Nitro XV272’s modest distinction ratio is typical for a contemporary IPS gaming monitor with out Mini-LED know-how. Like its friends, the XV272 suffers from “IPS glow”—a hazy and blotchy look noticeable in darkish scenes.  

That stated, the monitor’s distinction ratio is sweet for the worth. Aside from LG’s new IPS Black panel know-how, which is currently available in just a couple displays from Dell, no IPS monitor with out Mini-LED performs considerably higher. 

Matt Smith / Foundry

Color gamut is stable, protecting the complete sRGB coloration house plus 88 p.c of DCI-P3. The vary of colours it might show is nice for a mid-range gaming monitor and does present a bonus over alternate options with a extra slim coloration house. The added coloration gives a vivid, saturated look that’s enticing in video games.  

As for coloration accuracy, the Nitro XV272 knocks it out of the park, with a default coloration accuracy extra typical of a high-end skilled monitor than a mid-range gaming monitor.  

Acer doesn’t promote the XV272 as knowledgeable show, and its meager 1080p decision will take it out of rivalry for a lot of, however creators who keep on with 1080p decision will discover this monitor surprisingly succesful when enhancing pictures, video, and digital artwork.  

Matt Smith / Foundry

The monitor had a perfect gamma curve of two.2, which implies content material appears to be like about as brilliant as was supposed. Default coloration temperature got here in at 6200Ok, which is barely hotter and extra reddish than the everyday temperature of 6500Ok. As talked about earlier, the monitor presents a number of gamma and coloration temperature settings, so there’s plenty of room to tweak the picture if you’d like.  

But you don’t have to—and that’s the monitor’s best energy. The XV272’s first rate distinction, correct coloration, and lack of noticeable flaws makes for a incredible out-of-box expertise. The SDR picture is energetic and welcoming. 

Matt Smith / Foundry

There’s one apparent limitation: decision. This is a 27-inch 1080p monitor, which interprets to a meager pixel density of 81 pixels per inch. Fonts are poorly outlined, movies lack sharpness, and video games present distracting shimmering and pixelation. This isn’t a dealbreaker for me, however you need to know what you’re stepping into. A 1440p various will look a lot sharper.  

Acer XV272: HDR efficiency

The Acer Nitro XV272 helps HDR and is VESA DisplayHDR 400 licensed. HDR help is turning into frequent amongst gaming shows, however it nonetheless feels particular at this worth level. I measured a most HDR brightness of 450 nits, which is stable.  

Though it helps HDR, the Nitro XV272 didn’t mechanically detect an HDR sign and activate HDR mode. I needed to choose it manually. This is a minor annoyance however disappointing, as practically all displays I check haven’t any downside detecting HDR mechanically.   

The Nitro XV272’s HDR efficiency is healthier than anticipated. It delivered efficiency that was superior to dearer displays, such because the Gigabyte M27Q X and Asus ProArt PA279CV, with higher coloration gamut and accuracy in HDR.  

Still, finally, it is a finances monitor that may’t do HDR justice. HDR content material can ship a bit extra element in brilliant areas however in any other case isn’t essentially extra colourful or wealthy than in SDR—it simply appears to be like barely totally different.  

Acer XV272: Motion efficiency 

Acer’s Nitro XV272 has a most refresh fee of as much as 165Hz. This delivers clean, fluid movement in video games and a faster, extra responsive really feel when utilizing the desktop. The monitor formally helps AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, so that you don’t want to fret about whether or not the monitor will work together with your specific video card. 

Shoppers ought to keep in mind it is a 1080p show, which is much less demanding than 1440p or 4K decision. Achieving a body fee that absolutely makes use of the 165Hz refresh fee is feasible in a variety of titles. This is sweet information for avid gamers on a finances. 

Motion readability is sweet on the monitor’s default response-time setting. The monitor has an OverDrive mode, which might be activated when utilizing a number of gaming-oriented image-quality presets. This can enhance readability but additionally causes overshoot, a difficulty the place a pixel strikes past the supposed coloration, leading to artifacts round high-contrast objects. Most homeowners ought to simply depart OverDrive on the default setting of Normal.  

Final ideas

The Acer Nitro XV272 LVbmiiprx is an efficient monitor for avid gamers who need enticing picture high quality at a mid-range worth. Resolution might be an impediment for some, because it’s potential to purchase a 1440p monitor on the identical finances, however the XV272’s correct picture and nice movement readability makes up for the shortage of sharpness.  

The XV272 can also be a good selection for content material creators who need correct coloration for lower than $300, making it a well-rounded, budget-friendly alternative for individuals who work at home and need one show for each productiveness and gaming.