The Acer Nitro RG241Y Pbiipx is a great budget gaming monitor. It has a compact 24 inch screen with decent viewing angles, and it provides good visibility in most lighting conditions. It has a quick response time to deliver clear images in fast-moving scenes, and its Black Frame Insertion feature can be used simultaneously with variable refresh rate, further improving motion clarity. It supports FreeSync to reduce screen tearing, but sadly, it isn't compatible with NVIDIA's G-SYNC. Its low contrast ratio and bad black uniformity result in blacks looking grayish, which isn't ideal for gaming in the dark. The ergonomics are terrible as it only allows for tilt adjustment, making it harder to share content or adjust the screen to your optimal viewing position. Finally, even though it supports HDR, it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get very bright, so HDR content doesn't look much different from SDR.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, with units that we buy completely on our own, without any cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized and custom tools to measure various aspects with objective data-based results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance against the competition, and whether or not it's easy to find.
Our Verdict
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx is a decent monitor overall. It's great for gaming due to its low input lag, quick response time, and high refresh rate. The screen size is decent for work or media consumption, but it might feel a bit cramped if you like working with a lot of windows opened side-by-side. It has a low contrast ratio, so it isn't the best option for viewing in a dark environment. HDR content doesn't look much different from SDR because it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get very bright.
- Decent viewing angles.
- Low input lag.
- Great reflection handling.
- Might struggle to overcome intense glare.
- Terrible ergonomics.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx is decent for office use. Its 24 inch screen is more on the compact side and should be enough for most people unless you work with multiple windows opened side-by-side. Sadly, it has terrible ergonomics and only allows for tilt adjustment. Also, even though it has an IPS panel, its viewing angles are only decent, so you lose some image accuracy when viewed from the side, which isn't ideal if you need to share your work with colleagues.
- Decent viewing angles.
- Low input lag.
- Great reflection handling.
- Might struggle to overcome intense glare.
- Terrible ergonomics.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx is a great gaming monitor. It has a low input lag, fast response time, and a 144Hz refresh rate to deliver a fluid and responsive gaming experience. It supports FreeSync to reduce screen tearing, but unfortunately, it isn't G-SYNC compatible. It isn't the best option for gaming in the dark due to its low contrast ratio and bad black uniformity. It has great reflection handling, though, and it gets bright enough to provide good visibility in most viewing conditions.
- Excellent response time.
- 165Hz refresh rate.
- VRR support.
- Low input lag.
- Terrible ergonomics.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx is decent for media consumption. The screen might be too small for some, but it handles reflections well and gets bright enough for most lighting conditions. However, it isn't well-suited for dark rooms due to its low contrast ratio and bad black uniformity. Also, it has terrible ergonomics and its viewing angles are only decent, so images look slightly washed out when viewed from the sides.
- Decent viewing angles.
- Low input lag.
- Great reflection handling.
- Might struggle to overcome intense glare.
- Terrible ergonomics.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx is decent for media creation. It has an excellent SDR color gamut, exceptional gradient handling, and decent accuracy out of the box. It handles reflections well and gets bright enough to fight glare. Unfortunately, the screen is a bit small, it has terrible ergonomics, and images look a bit washed out when viewed from the sides.
- Decent viewing angles.
- Low input lag.
- Great reflection handling.
- Might struggle to overcome intense glare.
- Terrible ergonomics.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx is okay for gaming in HDR. It delivers a great gaming experience due to its low input lag, fast response time, and high refresh rate. However, HDR content doesn't look much different from SDR because it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop. Also, it has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look grayish in the dark, and it doesn't have a local dimming feature.
- Excellent response time.
- 165Hz refresh rate.
- VRR support.
- Low input lag.
- Terrible ergonomics.
- Doesn't get bright enough for HDR.
- Can't display wide color gamut.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 20, 2021: For consistency, we've changed the height adjustment from N/A to '0.0'. The score has been adjusted accordingly.
- Updated Dec 08, 2020: We've retested the stand as a user has informed us that it's removable for VESA mounting.
- Updated Dec 01, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Nov 24, 2020: Early access published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 23.8" inch Acer RG241Y Pbiipx. It's also available in a 27 inch size, the Acer Nitro RG271Y Pbiipx, and we expect our results to be valid for that model as well.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or their Acer Nitro RG1 Series doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, such as gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in July 2020; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx is a great budget gaming monitor, one of the best in its price range. However, it isn't as ideal for productivity due to its small screen size and terrible ergonomics. If you need a monitor for office use, the Dell S2721D is a much better choice, although it's slightly more expensive. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best budget gaming monitors, the best 24-25 inch monitors, and the best 1080p monitors.
The Acer Nitro RG241Y Pbiipx is much better than the Samsung T55. The Acer has a significantly higher refresh rate and faster response time to deliver smoother gameplay. It also has wider viewing angles and better accuracy out of the box. On the other hand, the Samsung has a much higher contrast ratio to produce deep blacks, and it's available in three sizes, 24, 27, and 32 inches.
The Acer Nitro RG241Y Pbiipx is much better than the LG 24GL600F for most uses. The Acer has a slightly higher refresh rate, better gradient handling, and its IPS panel has wider viewing angles. However, the LG's TN panel has a better response time and higher peak brightness.
The Acer Nitro RG241Y Pbiipx is significantly better than the ASUS MX279HS for most uses. The Acer has a much higher refresh rate, quicker response time, and VRR support. It also has a lower input lag and higher peak brightness. However, the ASUS has wider viewing angles, and its 27 inch screen provides more space for multitasking.
The ASUS VG279Q is better than the Acer Nitro RG241Y Pbiipx for most uses. The ASUS has a bigger screen, significantly better ergonomics, and higher peak brightness. It also has wider viewing angles and better accuracy out of the box. However, the Acer has a slightly higher refresh rate of 165Hz, better gradient handling, and faster response time.
Overall, the Acer Nitro RG241Y Pbiipx is better than the HP 27F. The Acer has a significantly faster response time, a higher refresh rate, and a Black Frame Insertion feature to improve motion clarity. However, the HP has wider viewing angles and better accuracy out of the box.
Test Results
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has a simple design with thin borders and a wide V-shaped stand. It doesn't look particularly premium, but it doesn't stick out in a work environment either. We can't provide the weight without the stand because we can't detach it from the display.
Update 12/08/2020: A user has informed us that the stand can be removed completely for VESA mounting. The part that attaches to the monitor comes pre-installed, and to remove it, you have to remove the bottom panel completely to unscrew the stand, and this panel is also secured with small plastic pieces that can break easily. Additionally, there are no instructions on how to do it, and some users may not be comfortable opening the monitor on their own. As such, we consider that the stand isn't removable.
The stand of the Acer RG241Y Pbiipx is made of plastic and feels flimsy. As mentioned, it isn't removable. The feet come off easily, but the trunk of the stand is hard to remove since it requires removing the bottom back panel.
Update 01/20/2021: For consistency, we've changed the height adjustment from N/A to '0.0'. The score has been adjusted accordingly.
The ergonomics are terrible. It only allows for a narrow tilt adjustment.
The borders are very thin and aren't distracting, great for multi-monitor setups.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx is very thin with the stand. We can't provide a measurement without the stand since it isn't removable.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx's build quality is okay. Both the display and the stand are entirely made out of plastic. The screen is flexible due to its thinness and can curve if handled by the corners. This may cause some issues down the line if you have to move the monitor around frequently, but it shouldn't be a problem if you just leave it in one place. The plastic border isn't properly aligned with the screen, and the display tends to tilt downwards. The stand doesn't support the monitor well and wobbles a lot.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has a mediocre contrast ratio, resulting in blacks that look grayish in dark rooms. It's slightly higher than the advertised 1000:1; however, contrast can vary between individual units.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx doesn't have a local dimming feature. The video above is provided for reference only.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has decent SDR peak brightness. It's slightly higher than the advertised 250 cd/m² and very consistent across different content. It's bright enough for most lighting conditions, but it may struggle to overcome glare in very bright rooms.
We measured the SDR peak brightness after calibration in the 'User' Picture Mode, with Brightness set to max.
Mediocre HDR peak brightness. Although it's very consistent when displaying different scenes, it's only slightly brighter than in SDR and not enough to make much difference.
We measured the HDR peak brightness in the 'HDR' Picture Mode with Brightness set to max.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has decent horizontal viewing angles. When moving off-center, colors look washed out, and brightness drops. It should be fine for sharing content casually or playing co-op games, but not for work that requires image accuracy.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has good vertical viewing angles. Images remain accurate even if you mount the monitor above eye-level.
Our Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has excellent gray uniformity; however, this can vary between units. The sides are visibly darker, especially at the top corners, but dirty screen effect is minimal, and uniformity is better in dark scenes.
Black uniformity is bad, although this varies between units. There's visible backlight bleed along the top and bottom edges, and the whole screen looks either blue or gray.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has decent accuracy out of the box; however, this can vary between units. Most colors and shades of gray are slightly inaccurate, and its cold color temperature gives the image a blueish tint. Gamma follows the sRGB curve relatively well, but dark scenes are too bright, and bright scenes are too dark.
Accuracy is exceptional after calibration. The remaining color inaccuracies shouldn't be visible to the naked eye. White balance is perfect, and the color temperature is very close to our 6500k target. Gamma is much better, but both dark and bright scenes are over-brightened.
You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and shouldn't be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit due to manufacturing tolerances, even for the same model.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has an excellent SDR color gamut. It covers the widely-used sRGB color space almost entirely, and it has decent coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used mostly for photo editing.
Excellent SDR color volume. It only has trouble displaying dark colors due to its low contrast ratio. It has difficulty with bright blues as well, but that's typical for LCDs.
Unfortunately, the Acer RG241Y Pbiipx can't display a wide color gamut. Its DCI P3 coverage is just okay, and its coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 is sub-par.
Our measurement of the DCI P3 coverage is likely lower than other reviews due to how we measure it. We measure it by sending a Rec. 2020 signal, but unlike most reviewers, we limit the colors to the DCI P3 primaries. This results in a lower but arguably more accurate measurement.
The HDR color volume is sub-par due to its limited HDR color gamut, low contrast ratio, and low peak brightness. It doesn't display dark colors well and has trouble with bright and saturated colors, too.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx doesn't exhibit any signs of image retention; however, this can vary between individual units.
Exceptional gradient handling. There's only a tiny amount of banding in the reds and grays, which shouldn't be noticeable in most content.
There's no color bleed on the Acer RG241Y Pbiipx.
Great reflection handling. The matte anti-reflective coating does a good job of reducing the intensity of reflected lights. You shouldn't have any visibility issues in most rooms, but the screen's brightness might not be enough to overcome intense glare.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has decent text clarity. Enabling Windows ClearType (top photo) makes the letters look more even and diagonal lines more fleshed-out.
| Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Off | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Normal | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has an excellent response time at its max refresh rate, resulting in only a small blur trail behind fast-moving objects. The best overdrive setting is 'Extreme' as it has less overshoot than the 'Normal' option. If you want a similar gaming monitor with better response times at max refresh rate, check out the ASUS TUF Gaming VG249Q1A.
| Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Off | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Normal | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
The response time at 60Hz is excellent, and the best overdrive setting is also 'Extreme'. The image is noticeably blurrier than at max refresh rate, but there's almost no blur trail.
The backlight is entirely flicker-free, which helps minimize image duplication and reduce eye strain.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has an optional Black Frame Insertion feature to improve motion clarity, and unlike most monitors, you can enable it while VRR is active. However, it causes slight image duplication due to strobe crosstalk.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has a high refresh rate that results in a more fluid and responsive gaming experience. It supports FreeSync natively to reduce screen tearing, but unfortunately, it isn't G-SYNC compatible.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx's input lag is outstanding; however, it's significantly higher at 60Hz and when playing with 10-bit HDR. Also, VRR doesn't seem to be working properly at 60Hz, as the input lag kept oscillating between two values. This is likely a bug that'll be fixed in a firmware update; we'll retest it once it's available.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx has a decent screen size and resolution. It might be a little too small for some, especially for multitasking, but the smaller screen size results in a higher pixel density, so images and text still look sharp. The 27 inch variant provides more screen space; however, the pixel density is lower since it has the same 1080p resolution.
The Acer RG241Y Pbiipx doesn't have much in terms of additional features. It has a Black Boost feature to make objects more visible in dark scenes, a blue light filter to help reduce eye strain, and you can add a virtual crosshair.
