Bottom Line
The Acer XV271U M3 is one of the best gaming monitors you can get for the money if you catch it on sale for $200.
For a lot of gamers with mid-range systems, a 27″ 1440p high refresh rate IPS display is still the sweet spot for an enjoyable gaming experience at an affordable price.
The good news is that these gaming monitors keep getting cheaper and can even be found below $200, so let’s see how the Acer XV271U M3 stacks up!
Image Quality
The Acer Nitro XV271U M3bmiiprx uses the M270DAN08.D AHVA (IPS-type) panel by AU Optronics, which boasts a rapid 1ms GtG pixel response time speed and a wide 95% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage for vibrant colors.
The color gamut is equivalent to around 130% sRGB volume, which means that the colors will be over-saturated when viewing SDR content.
However, most users will prefer the extra vibrancy and you can use the sRGB mode to clamp the gamut to ~100% sRGB for better accuracy.
You’ll also find a few more color space presets, including sRGB, Rec.709, HDR, EBU, SMPTE-C, DCI-P3 and General.
Thanks to its wide viewing angles and wide color gamut, the colors are consistent and accurate regardless of the angle you’re looking at the screen, which makes the Acer XV271U M3 suited for basic color-critical work too.
As expected from an IPS panel, you get a static contrast ratio of 1,000:1, which results in somewhat grayish blacks in comparison to VA panels, which usually have a contrast ratio of around 3,000:1.
IPS monitors also suffer from IPS glow, which can be characterized as visible glowing around the corners of the screen. However, it’s mostly noticeable when viewing dark content on the screen at an angle, in a dark room with high brightness settings. So, it’s completely manageable in most cases (intensity can vary from unit to unit).
Moving on, the Acer XV271U M3 has a maximum brightness of 250-nits, which is rather low as far as modern LED-backlit displays go. Make sure that the ‘Max. Brightness’ option is enabled in the OSD menu under Picture settings to unlock full brightness capability.
Still, for most users, the monitor will be able to get more than bright enough under normal lighting conditions.
If you plan on using the screen in a particularly bright room (studio lighting) or facing a window with no blinds or curtains, you should consider a brighter monitor instead for better glare mitigation.
The monitor also supports HDR, but due to its low 250-nit peak brightness and lack of local dimming, the only benefit you’ll get from HDR content is a bit smoother gradient handling thanks to the 10-bit color depth.
Lastly, the 2560×1440 QHD resolution suits the 27″ sized screen of the monitor very well as you get a pixel density of 108.79 PPI (pixels per inch), resulting in sharp details and text with plenty of screen real estate available.
What’s more, 1440p is significantly less demanding on the GPU than 4K UHD, allowing for higher frame rates.
Performance
The Acer XV271U M3 has three response time overdrive modes: Off, Normal and Extreme.
We recommend using the Normal mode as it effectively prevents ghosting behind fast-moving objects without introducing any overshoot.
It also works great across the entire refresh rate range.
Input lag performance is excellent as well with just below 4ms of delay, which is imperceptible.
Next, variable refresh rate is supported with a 40-180Hz dynamic range for tear-free gameplay up to 180FPS via AMD FreeSync Premium and NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible.
While the monitor doesn’t have official certification by NVIDIA, VRR works with GeForce GPUs without any issues.
Alternatively, you can use the VRB (Visual Response Boost) feature that uses backlight strobing to reduce perceived motion blur at the cost of picture brightness, but it can’t be enabled at the same time as HDR or VRR.
The backlight of the monitor is flicker-free (unless VRB is enabled) and there’s a low-blue light filter mode available.
Features
At the rear of the monitor, you’ll find a power button, three hotkeys and a directional joystick for quick and easy navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.
You can also download the Acer Display Widget desktop application for quicker adjustments using your keyboard and mouse.
Apart from the standard image adjustments (brightness, contrast, color temperature, etc.), the Acer XV271U M3 offers some advanced settings too, including 6-axis hue/saturation, gamma, grayscale and sharpness.
Other useful features include Black Boost (improves visibility in dark scenes), auto source detection support, display scaling (aspect or full), various picture presets, a refresh rate tracker and crosshair overlays.
Design & Connectivity
The stand of the monitor can be a bit wobbly, but it offers full ergonomic support with up to 120mm height adjustment, 360° swivel, +/- 90° pivot, -5°/25° tilt and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.
Next, the screen has a light (25% low-haze) matte anti-glare coating that prevents reflections without making the image too grainy.
Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.2, two HDMI 2.0 ports (limited to 144Hz), a headphone jack and dual 2W integrated speakers.
Price & Similar Monitors
The Acer XV271U M3 price ranges from $200 to $300. At $300, it’s too expensive since you can find similar monitors for as low as $150, the KTC H27T22S.
At $200, the XV271U M3 is definitely worth considering if the KTC H27T22S isn’t available for $150 since KTC’s model doesn’t have an ergonomic stand.
In case you can afford something pricier, consider the HP Omen 27qs with a 240Hz refresh rate and an IPS panel for ~$350 or the AOC Q27G3XMN with a fast flat-screen VA panel and a 336-zone mini LED FALD backlight for proper HDR support.
To find out more about monitors and ensure you’re getting the model most suited for your personal preference, visit our comprehensive and always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide.
Conclusion
All in all, you can’t go wrong with the Acer XV271U M3 for $200. You get a 27″ 1440p display with vibrant colors and buttery-smooth performance, as well as an ergonomic stand, integrated speakers and other useful features.
Specifications
| Screen Size | 27-inch |
| Resolution | 2560×1440 (WQHD) |
| Panel Type | IPS |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 (Widescreen) |
| Refresh Rate | 180Hz |
| Response Time | 1ms (GtG) |
| Response Time (VRB) | 1ms (MPRT) |
| Speakers | 2x2W |
| Adaptive-Sync | FreeSync (40-180Hz) |
| Ports | DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0 |
| Other Ports | Headphone Jack |
| Brightness | 250 cd/m² |
| Brightness (HDR) | 250 cd/m² |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 (static) |
| Colors | 1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC) 95% DCI-P3 |
| HDR | HDR10 |
| VESA | Yes (100x100mm) |
The Pros:
- Wide color gamut (with sRGB mode)
- High pixel density
- Accurate and consistent colors
- Plenty of features, including VRR and MBR up to 180Hz
- Fully ergonomic stand
The Cons:
- IPS glow and mediocre contrast ratio (as expected from this panel technology)
