Acer XG270HU Review: 1440p 144Hz 1ms FreeSync Gaming Monitor

The Acer XG270HU is one of the cheapest 27″ 1440p 144Hz 1ms gaming monitors, which by itself is already an appealing deal. 

What made this monitor particularly compelling is the fact that it was one of the first FreeSync displays to receive certified G-SYNC compatibility, thus providing a variable refresh rate (VRR) for both AMD and NVIDIA compatible graphics cards.

Image Quality

Right off the bat, the Acer XG270HU 27″ monitor delivers impressive specifications considering its price.

First of all, 1440p (2560×1440 WQHD) resolution ensures sharp and crisp details with a lot of screen space available.

This also means that reaching higher frames will be more taxing on your CPU and GPU as opposed to the standard 1080p resolution; so, keep that in mind.

The monitor is based on the TN (Twisted Nematic) panel technology, which is known for narrow viewing angles (160° vertically and 170° horizontally) and inferior color quality in comparison to other panels (IPS and VA).

However, TN panels have a very fast 1ms GtG response time speed, and they’re cheap.

That’s why many professional and serious FPS gamers use TN panels, or more expensive fast IPS models.

Other panel-related specs include a 350-nit peak brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and standard sRGB color gamut with 8-bit depth support, which overall makes for a decent picture quality.

Performance

The Acer XG270HU input lag performance is top-notch with only ~5ms of imperceptible delay at 144Hz.

As previously mentioned, there’s no noticeable ghosting of fast-moving objects in video games.

There are also three overdrive options (Off, Normal, and Extreme) available, though we found that leaving it at ‘Normal’ works the best as ‘Extreme’ introduces some pixel overshoot (inverse ghosting).

The backlight of the monitor is flicker-free, and there’s a built-in low-blue light filter meaning that you can game for hours without eye fatigue, strain, or headaches.

Features

Moving on, if you have a compatible graphics card, you can make the Acer XG270HU 144Hz monitor change its refresh rate dynamically and according to the frame rates generated by your GPU.

In turn, you get a variable refresh rate that eliminates all screen tearing and stuttering with virtually no input lag penalty.

For FreeSync, you will need at least 417.71 NVIDIA drivers and a GTX 10-series or newer GPU, while almost all AMD cards support this technology.

Note that NVIDIA cards provide VRR over DisplayPort 1.2a only, with a 40-144Hz dynamic range. With AMD graphics cards, you can get VRR over both HDMI and DisplayPort (with the same 40-144Hz dynamic range).

The new batch of the Acer XG270HU monitors includes an updated OSD menu that offers customizable crosshairs, black enhancement, and gamma settings – these features were not available on the older models.

Design & Connectivity

The design is definitely the monitor’s weakest point as you will most likely be put off by its orange/bronze design; what’s more, the stand is not VESA mount compatible, and it’s tilt-only by -5°/15°.

At the back of the monitor, you will find DVI (max 75Hz on this monitor), HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2a, a headphone jack, and an audio line-in port for the two 2W integrated speakers.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Acer XG270HU price is usually around $300, which is quite expensive considering that you can nowadays get just as fast 27″ 1440p 144Hz gaming monitor with an IPS panel for better image quality, such as the MSI G273QF.

Be sure to visit our always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide for the best deals available and more information.

Specifications

Screen Size	27-inch
Resolution	2560×1440 (WQHD)
Panel Type	TN
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	144Hz
Response Time	1ms (GtG)
Adaptive Sync	FreeSync (40Hz-144Hz) G-SYNC Compatible
Speakers	2x2W
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0, DVI
Other Ports	Headphone Jack
Brightness	350 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (true 8-bit)
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)