Acer Predator XB241H Review: 1080p 180Hz 1ms G-SYNC Gaming Monitor

Want to use the full potential of your powerful NVIDIA GeForce graphics card by getting a G-SYNC gaming monitor?

The super-fast Acer Predator XB241H is the most affordable G-SYNC display around and it will provide you with an awesome fast-paced gaming experience.

Image Quality

Just like all 1ms (GtG) gaming monitors, the Acer XB241H is based on a TN (Twisted Nematic) panel, which sacrifices color quality and viewing angles for a rapid response time speed.

So, in comparison to IPS and VA monitors, you get less vibrant colors, but a faster pixel transition time.

TN panel displays also have narrow 170°/160° viewing angles, which cause the image to shift in color, brightness, and contrast when the screen is looked at certain angles.

However, as you are spending most of your time directly in front of your screen when it comes to gaming, this isn’t an issue for the most part.

Overall, the picture quality of the Acer Predator XB241H monitor is very good for a TN panel display.

You get 8-bit color depth, a standard contrast ratio of 1,000:1, and a bright 350-nit peak luminance.

There are plenty of picture adjustments available, including the advanced 6-axis settings, gamma presets, saturation, etc., so you can get more than a decent image out of this gaming monitor.

Performance

The Acer Predator XB241H input lag is only ~4ms, which is imperceptible even by professional gamers.

In addition to the rapid 1ms response time speed, which effectively eliminates ghosting and trialing of fast-moving objects, fast-paced games feel significantly more responsive and immersive.

The monitor has a native refresh rate of 144Hz, which you can overclock up to 180Hz for an extra boost in motion clarity.

Moreover, the overclocking process is very simple. You just set the refresh rate to 180Hz in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu and then do the same in your graphics card’s drivers.

There’s no frame skipping or any other visual artifacts introduced by overclocking, so don’t be afraid to push the Acer Predator XB241H to the max.

Now for the main course: G-SYNC.

Connecting an NVIDIA GeForce graphics card GTX 650 Ti or newer through the DisplayPort input on the Acer Predator XB241H 180Hz monitor allows you to enable the G-SYNC technology.

G-SYNC allows the monitor’s refresh rate to change dynamically according to the frame rate of the GPU.

In turn, you get a variable refresh rate, which eliminates all screen tearing and stuttering without introducing a significant amount of input lag, as VSync does.

It works all the way up to 180Hz, so you can overclock the monitor and enjoy tear-free gameplay.

Keep in mind that G-SYNC doesn’t work with AMD cards. If you have an AMD GPU, you should consider a FreeSync gaming monitor.

Alternatively, you can use NVIDIA’s Ultra Low Motion Blur (ULMB) technology, which via backlight strobing further decreases the perceived motion blur and ghosting in fast-paced games. It cannot work at the same time as G-SYNC.

Note that ULMB also doesn’t work with FreeSync cards. In order to enable ULMB, you need to set the display’s refresh rate to 120Hz, 100Hz, or 85Hz and disable G-SYNC.

Features

Other gaming features include Aim Point with customizable crosshair overlays, Dark Boost, which brightens up dark areas of the image, and three Game Mode customizable picture presets.

There are six monitor hotkeys that can be used to swap between Game Mode profiles quickly, adjust the OverDrive settings, adjust audio volume, change the input source, open up the OSD menu, and power on/off the display.

The response time overdrive setting consists of three modes: Off, Normal, and Extreme.

Setting it to ‘Extreme’ can introduce pixel overshoot (or inverse ghosting). So, if you see prominent or bothersome overshoot, leave it at ‘Normal.’

Finally, the Acer Predator XB241H 24″ monitor also supports the now outdated NVIDIA 3D Vision technology.

Design & Connectivity

The design is robust and versatile though you might not like the red-accented stand.

More importantly, the Acer Predator XB241H is fully ergonomic with up to 150mm of height adjustment, +/- 30° swivel, -5°/35° tilt, and 90° pivot as well as 100 x 100mm VESA mount compatibility.

The connectivity options aren’t as generous, though. There’s only one DisplayPort 1.2 port, one HDMI 1.4 port, two 2W integrated speakers, and a headphones jack.

Note that the HDMI port on this monitor maxes out at 1920×1080 at 60Hz due to the G-SYNC module.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Acer Predator XB241H price ranges from $340 to $400, and it’s actually the cheapest G-SYNC monitor available.

ASUS has a counterpart monitor based on the same 24″ TN 1080p 180Hz panel, the ASUS ROG Swift PG248Q, which offers an additional USB 3.0 hub, but it’s also significantly more expensive which is why we recommend the Acer XB241H over ASUS’ model.

Conclusion

Now that FreeSync works with compatible NVIDIA cards, the premium price of the XB241H is not worth it.

For just around $200, you can get a 1080p 144Hz gaming monitor that’s certified as G-SYNC compatible by NVIDIA, the AOC G2590FX.

It will even provide you with slightly better image quality as it has a newer 24.5″ TN panel while the performance is basically just as smooth (the difference between 144Hz and 180Hz is not very noticeable).

For ~$340, you can get an excellent 240Hz gaming monitor, which will provide you with a much better performance in competitive games than the XB241H. You can even get a 1440p 144Hz gaming monitor around this price range.

Screen Size	24-inch
Resolution	1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	TN
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	144Hz (OC: 180Hz)
Response Time	1ms (GtG)
Motion Blur Reduction	NVIDIA ULMB
Adaptive Sync	G-SYNC
Speakers	2x2W
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4
Other Ports	Headphone Jack
Brightness	350 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (true 8-bit)
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)