Bottom Line
The Pixio PX248 Prime is an excellent budget gaming monitor, but we recommend investing a bit more in a better model. However, if you’re on a really tight budget, the PX248 Prime won’t disappoint you for the price.
If you’re looking for a budget gaming monitor, the Pixio PX248 Prime is the cheapest model you should consider!
Image Quality
For most gamers with budget PC rigs, a 24″ 1080p 144Hz IPS gaming monitor is all that’s needed for a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience.
The 1920×1080 Full HD resolution looks decent on 24″ sized screens with 92 PPI (pixels per inch), which results in reasonably sharp details and a fair amount of screen real estate, while not being very demanding on CPU/GPU.
Next, the IPS panel offers 178° wide viewing angles, ensuring that the image doesn’t shift in contrast, brightness, gamma or color at skewed angles. Thanks to such image consistency, you can even use the Pixio PX248 Prime for basic color-critical work.
We recommend using the sRGB color temperature preset found in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu for the most accurate image quality out of the box.
The monitor covers the entire sRGB color space, and even has some extension beyond it with 103.26% sRGB gamut volume, providing you with accurate and vivid colors.
What’s more, the Pixio PX248 Prime monitor has an excellent peak brightness of 400-nits, so it will be able to get bright enough even in well-lit rooms.
As expected from an IPS monitor, there’s some IPS glow and the static contrast ratio amounts to 1,000:1, meaning that you won’t get as deep blacks as that of VA panels with ~3,000:1 contrast ratio.
However, VA monitors have other disadvantages – especially at this price range, such as significantly slower pixel response time speed, VRR brightness flickering issues and gamma/saturation shifts.
IPS glow is manageable as you can just add some ambient lighting behind your screen and if you’re gaming in a dark room, avoid cranking up the screen brightness!
Performance
The Pixio PX248P supports AMD FreeSync with a 48-144Hz variable refresh rate range. VRR makes the monitor synchronize its refresh rate to your GPU’s frame rate, thus completely preventing screen tearing and stuttering at no perceptible input lag penalty.
Even though it’s not certified by NVIDIA as ‘G-SYNC Compatible’, VRR works without issues when using compatible GeForce GPUs (10-series or newer) over DisplayPort.
Alternatively, you can use the 1ms MPRT feature, which enables backlight strobing to reduce perceived motion blur at a cost of picture brightness, but it can’t be active at the same time as VRR.
The Pixio PX248 Prime has four response time overdrive modes: Off, Low, Medium and High. We recommend sticking with the ‘Low’ mode as the Medium and High modes are too aggressive and can introduce visible pixel overshoot.
With the Low mode, you get no prominent trailing behind fast-moving objects for a smooth fast-paced gaming experience. Input lag is very low at ~4ms of delay, which is imperceptible.
Features
Beneath the bottom bezel of the screen, there’s a directional joystick for quick and easy navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.
Useful gaming features include Black Equalizer (improves visibility in dark scenes), crosshair overlays, on-screen timers and various picture presets, including three custom profiles.
Besides the standard image adjustments (brightness, contrast, color temperature, etc.), you also get aspect ratio control (full, 16:9 and 4:3), sharpness, gamma (off, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, 2.4), hue/saturation and auto input detection.
The backlight of the monitor is flicker-free (unless MPRT is enabled) and there’s a low-blue light filter.
Design & Connectivity
The stand of the monitor is fairly sturdy, but it’s tilt-only by -5°/15°. The screen has 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility and a matte anti-glare coating that prevents reflections.
Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0 (144Hz), HDMI 1.4 (120Hz), a headphone jack, dual 2W built-in speakers and a USB port for service only.
The 1080p 120Hz mode is supported on both the PS5 and compatible Xbox consoles, but VRR only works on Xbox via AMD FreeSync.
Price & Similar Monitors
The Pixio PX248 Prime goes for $120, which makes it one of the most affordable 24″ 1080p high refresh rate IPS gaming monitors.
There are a few different versions of this monitor. We’ve highlighted the main differences in the table below.
Pixio PX248 Prime | Pixio PX248 Prime V2 | Pixio PX248 Prime S | Pixio PX248 Prime Advanced | Pixio PX248 Pro | |
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 180Hz | 165Hz | 144Hz | 165Hz |
Response Time | 4ms (GtG) | 1ms (GtG) | 4ms (GtG) | 1ms (GtG) | 1ms (GtG) |
Brightness | 400-nits | 300-nits | 400-nits | 300-nits | 300-nits |
sRGB Gamut Volume | 103% sRGB | 110% sRGB | 113% sRGB | 119% sRGB | 134% sRGB |
We recommend getting the Pixio PX248 Pro model since it has the widest color gamut, the fastest pixel response time speed and the sturdiest stand.
However, the BenQ EX240 is our top-recommended budget IPS gaming monitor. It offers an excellent design, a USB hub and integrated speakers for $140.
If you want the most affordable model, check out the KTC H24T09P, which can be found for ~$110 on sale.
To learn 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, the Pixio PX248 Prime is an excellent budget gaming monitor, however, we highly recommend investing $20 extra in the BenQ EX240 – or going with the KTC H24T09P if you want a cheaper model.
Specifications
Screen Size | 23.8-inch |
Resolution | 1920×1080 (Full HD) |
Panel Type | IPS |
Aspect Ratio | 16:9 (Widescreen) |
Refresh Rate | 144Hz |
Response Time (GtG) | 4ms (GtG) |
Response Time (MPRT) | 1ms (MPRT) |
Adaptive-Sync | FreeSync (48-144Hz) |
Speakers | 2x2W |
Ports | DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0 |
Other Ports | Headphone Jack, USB (Service-only) |
Brightness | 400 cd/m² |
Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 (static) |
Colors | 16.7 million (6-bit + FRC) 103% sRGB |
VESA | Yes (100x100mm) |
The Pros:
- Wide viewing angles
- Vivid colors
- Plenty of features, including VRR and MBR up to 144Hz
The Cons:
- Tilt-only stand
- IPS glow and mediocre contrast ratio (as expected from this panel technology)