Acer KG251QF Review: 1080p 144Hz 1ms FreeSync Gaming Monitor

The Acer KG251QF is a typical 24.5" 1080p 144Hz 1ms gaming monitor but it offers a wide FreeSync range, ultra-thin bezels, and more gaming features!

Bottom Line

The Acer KG251QF is an average 24.5″ 1080p 144Hz 1ms gaming monitor. However, its wide FreeSync range, gaming features, ultra-thin bezels, and the alluring price tag sweeten the deal.

Design:
(3.0)
Display:
(4.0)
Performance:
(4.9)
Price/Value:
(3.0)
3.7

The Acer KG251QF 144Hz gaming monitor is a gorgeous ultra-slim display with a fast 1ms response time speed, AMD FreeSync, and many more useful gaming features.

It should not be confused with the Acer KG251Q, which is a 75Hz model.

Also, note that there’s a 240Hz model dubbed as the Acer KG251Q Dbmiipx, while the full name of our 144Hz monitor in this review is the Acer KG251Q Fbmidpx. To avoid confusion, we’ll refer to it as ‘Acer KG251QF’.

Image Quality

The Acer KG251QF features a standard 24.5″ TN panel with a peak luminance of 400-nits, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 1080p resolution, a 1ms response time speed, a 144Hz refresh rate, and dithered 8-bit color depth.

Full HD resolution won’t give you a particularly eye-catching image quality, but it provides a solid amount of detail clarity and screen real estate.

More importantly, it’s not demanding to drive, so it will be easier on your GPU to push the frame rate up to 144FPS and beyond.

As it’s common for TN panels, the viewing angles are narrow and cause the image to shift in color, contrast, and brightness when you’re looking at the screen from skewed angles.

Furthermore, the colors won’t be as vibrant and accurate as they are on IPS and VA panels, but if you want the fastest pixels for competitive gaming, it’s a fair trade-off.

The Acer KG251QF screen is flicker-free, and there’s a low blue light filter, so you can game for hours without having to worry about eye fatigue or headaches due to screen flickering.

Performance

Moving on, the Acer KG251QF input lag is only ~5ms, which along with the rapid 1ms response time speed and 144Hz refresh rate, make this monitor fit for professional, fast-paced gaming.

Thanks to its quick response time, there is next to none ghosting and motion blur caused by fast-moving objects allowing you to focus on your target without distractions.

Additionally, the 144Hz refresh rate provides you with more than twice as many frames than a regular 60Hz display, which makes motion more fluid and smooth.

Features

In the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu, you will find many useful gaming features, including ‘Aim Point’ customizable crosshair overlays.

You will also find ‘Black Boost,’ which raises visibility in darker games by manipulating the gamma curvature.

Next, there’s the Overdrive setting for the response time adjustments and ‘RefreshRateNum,’ which allows you to track the monitor’s refresh rate performance.

Finally, there are eight picture presets available, including Action, Racing, Sports, ECO, Graphics, Movie, Standard, and User.

AMD FreeSync is supported with a wide 30-144Hz dynamic range, so if you have a FreeSync-compatible GPU, you can unleash the full potential of the Acer KG251QF monitor.

In short, FreeSync allows the monitor to change its refresh rate according to the frame rate of the GPU, which, in turn, completely removes screen tearing and stuttering with minimal input lag penalty (~1ms).

If your framerate drops below 30Hz/FPS, the LFC (Low Framerate Compensation) technology kicks and makes the monitor’s refresh rate double or triple the frame rate to maintain smoother performance.

FreeSync also works without any issues when using a compatible NVIDIA G-SYNC graphics card.

Design & Connectivity

Acer Kg251qf Amazon

The Acer KG251QF design consists of ultra-thin and glossy black plastics. Unfortunately, the stand is tilt-only, but you can detach it and mount the screen on a third-party stand using the 100x100mm VESA pattern.

Connectivity includes HDMI 1.4, Dual-Link DVI, and DisplayPort 1.2. Keep in mind that the HDMI port of the Acer KG251QF maxes out at 120Hz. There are also two 4W speakers and a headphones jack available.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Acer KG251QF price amounts to around $200 which is standard for a 25″ 1080p 144Hz 1ms gaming monitor.

There is a newer model, the Acer KG251QJ (Acer KG251Q Jbmidpx) with a 165Hz factory-overclocked refresh rate.

Either way, we recommend the LG 24GN650 instead. It’s just as fast, but uses an IPS panel with more vibrant colors and wider viewing angles at the same price.

Visit our best gaming monitors under $200 for more deals and information.

Conclusion

Overall, the Acer KG251QF is decent 24.5″ 1080p 144Hz 1ms gaming monitor. There are many options to choose from at this price range though, so be sure to check all the alternatives we’ve mentioned above.

Screen Size24.5-inch
Resolution1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel TypeTN
Aspect Ratio16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate144Hz
Response Time1ms (GtG)
Adaptive SyncFreeSync (30Hz-144Hz)
Speakers2x4W
PortsDisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, DVI-D
Other PortsHeadphone Jack
Brightness400 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio1000:1 (static)
Colors16.7 million (6-bit + FRC)
VESAYes (100x100mm)

The Pros:

  • Low input lag and quick response time
  • AMD FreeSync with wide 30-144Hz range
  • Plenty of additional gaming features
  • Decent image quality for a TN panel display

The Cons:

  • Tilt-only stand
  • Narrow viewing angles
  • Inferior image quality to IPS and VA panels

You Might Love These Too

MSI Optix MAG301RF Review
MSI MAG301RF Review: 2560×1080 200Hz 1ms FreeSync IPS UltraWide Gaming Monitor
Rob Shafer

Rob is a software engineer with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver. He now works full-time managing DisplayNinja while coding his own projects on the side.