Yes, I know we spotted and told you about a great 4K gaming monitor deal just yesterday, but this one is well worth highlighting thanks to its ultra-low price. In fact, as far as I can tell, this is the cheapest the Acer Nitro XV273K V3 has ever been, coming in at a cent shy of $280.
And it's not some ancient model being churned out as a deal here, as it's the 2024 XV273K V3bmiiprx (Acer winning every competition in the ridiculous name category). You're getting a genuine 4K IPS display, with a maximum refresh rate of 160 Hz with FreeSync Premium support. At 27 inches in size, it's perhaps a little small for a 4K monitor, but the pixel density will make everything pin-sharp.
With a peak brightness of 400 nits, it meets the requirements to be rated as a VESA DisplayHDR400/HDR10 panel, but you wouldn't really want to use it in HDR mode. That's because there's a fair amount of backlight bleed, a trait common to all IPS panels, and you never really get the proper black colors required for HDR.
Anyway, that doesn't really matter when the monitor is more than good enough to use in SDR mode for desktop work and gaming. Regarding the latter, one thing to note is that the minimum refresh rate is 40 Hz, so if you're using VRR (variable refresh rate) and a game's frame rate drops below 40 fps, the monitor will employ a mechanism to compensate, making things appear jerky for a moment or two.
Unlike many low-price monitors, this Acer model comes with a really good stand—5.9 inches of height adjustment, plus 50° of total swivel and 30° of total tilt. Sure the base will need plenty of desk space but at least it's sturdy and useful (unlike other, more expensive monitors, I could mention).
In terms of connectivity, you've got two HDMI 2.1 ports for PCs and consoles, one DisplayPort v1.4 socket, a 3.5 mm audio jack output, and two 2-watt speakers. Shame there's no USB hub but you can't have everything at this price.
As always with gaming monitors, there are better displays out there but you will pay more for the privilege. But if you're looking for a 4K display that won't burst the bank, then this Acer model is ideal. Just make sure you have a powerful enough graphics card to push all those pixels in the latest games.
