The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is an excellent budget gaming monitor. It delivers amazingly smooth and responsive gameplay due to its low input lag, fast response time, and 165Hz refresh rate. It has an IPS panel with wide viewing angles, and its excellent ergonomics include a full 360-degree swivel range, making it great for sharing content and playing co-op games. It has both native FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing. Its 24 inch screen should be big enough for most gamers, but it might feel a bit cramped for work, especially if you like having multiple windows opened side-by-side. Unfortunately, it has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray, which isn't ideal for dark rooms. Also, it can't deliver a good HDR experience because it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get bright enough to make highlights stand out the way they should.
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 Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is a great monitor for most uses. It's excellent for gaming due to its low input lag, fast response time, and high refresh rate. It has wide viewing angles and excellent ergonomics that make it a great choice for work, but some may find the screen too small and the resolution too low. Unfortunately, it can't deliver a true HDR experience because it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop.
- Low input lag.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent ergonomics.
- Good visibility in bright rooms.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
- Screen might be too small for some.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is great for office use. It has wide viewing angles and excellent ergonomics, making it ideal for sharing the screen with coworkers. It handles reflections well and gets bright enough to combat glare. For some people, the screen can feel a little cramped, especially if you work with multiple windows opened side-by-side, and the 1080p resolution might be too low.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent ergonomics.
- Good visibility in bright rooms.
- Screen might be too small for some.
- Pixel density might bee too low for some.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is an excellent gaming monitor. It has a fast response time, low input lag, and a 165Hz refresh rate, resulting in smooth and responsive gameplay. It supports FreeSync and is compatible with G-SYNC to reduce screen tearing. The 24 inch screen isn't the most immersive, but it does make it easier to see your game's entire interface. Sadly, it isn't well-suited for gaming in the dark due to its low contrast ratio and sub-par black uniformity.
- Exceptional response time.
- Low input lag.
- High refresh rate.
- VRR support.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is good for media consumption. It has wide viewing angles and excellent ergonomics, making it a great choice for sharing content. However, its 24 inch screen and 1080p resolution aren't the most immersive. Unfortunately, it has a mediocre contrast ratio and sub-par black uniformity, which isn't ideal for dark room viewing.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent ergonomics.
- Good visibility in bright rooms.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
- Screen might be too small for some.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is good for content creation. It has an excellent color gamut with full sRGB coverage and exceptional gradient handling. It has wide viewing angles and allows for a full 360-degree swivel, great for showing your work to clients and colleagues. However, the screen is more on the compact side and can feel a bit cramped, and the resolution might be too low for some.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent ergonomics.
- Good visibility in bright rooms.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
- Screen might be too small for some.
- Pixel density might bee too low for some.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y is disappointing for HDR. It doesn't display deep blacks due to its low contrast ratio, and it lacks a local dimming feature to further improve the picture quality in dark scenes. It also doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop, and it can't display a wide range of colors in HDR either.
- Can't display a wide color gamut.
- Not bright enough for HDR.
- Mediocre contrast ratio.
- No local dimming.
Changelog
- Updated Aug 15, 2024: Added that the Dell P2425H has a USB hub.
- Updated Apr 18, 2023: Tested the monitor's compatibility with 1440p on the PS5, but it doesn't work.
- Updated Mar 14, 2023: Clarified text throughout as part of Test Bench 1.2, including adding text to the Console Compatibility boxes.
- Updated May 02, 2022: We tested the monitor with the PS5's new variable refresh rate feature and confirmed that it's not compatible, since the PS5 only supports HDMI Forum VRR.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 23.8 inch Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx, also known as the Nitro XF3 Series. There's a 27 inch model in the same series, the Acer Nitro XF273 Sbmiiprx; however, we haven't tested it.
Our unit was manufactured in October 2020; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is an excellent budget gaming monitor, one of the best that we've tested in its price range. However, like most budget monitors, it lacks additional features such as USB ports, and it can't display a wide color gamut for HDR. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best gaming monitors, the best 24-25 inch monitors, and the best gaming monitors under $200.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y and the ASUS TUF Gaming VG259QM are both 1080p IPS gaming monitors, but the ASUS has a much higher refresh rate, 280Hz compared to the Acer's 165Hz. This results in a smoother and more responsive gaming experience. Other than that, these two monitors are remarkably similar. The ASUS is an inch bigger than the Acer.
The AOC 24G2 and the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx are both 24" 1080p gaming monitors. The Acer provides a slightly smoother gaming experience because it has a higher refresh rate and better response times. It also has wider viewing angles, making it a better choice for playing co-op or sharing content. The Acer has HDR support, but it doesn't add much because it can't display a wide color gamut.
Overall, the Acer Nitro XF243Y is much better than the BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P. The Acer has a significantly faster response time and a slightly higher refresh rate, resulting in more responsiveness and clearer motion. Also, it supports VRR to reduce screen tearing, which the BenQ doesn't. However, the BenQ's Black Frame Insertion feature works over a wider frequency range to reduce motion blur.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y performs better than the LG 24GL600F for most uses. The Acer has a lower input lag and a slightly higher refresh rate of 165Hz to provide smoother and more responsive gameplay. It has significantly better ergonomics and wider viewing angles, making it a better choice for co-op gaming. If you're often in a well-lit room, the Acer gets a bit brighter than the LG, but the LG has better reflection handling.
Overall, the Acer Nitro XF243Y is better than the Acer Nitro VG271 Pbmiipx. The XF243Y performs better gaming-wise because it has a much faster response time and a slightly higher refresh rate. The XF243Y is also a better choice for sharing content and co-op gaming due to its wider viewing angles and superior ergonomics. However, the VG271 gets brighter, especially in HDR, and it has a Picture-in-Picture/Picture-by-Picture mode that can be useful for streamers using a second computer to stream.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y is better than the ViewSonic XG2402 for most uses. The Acer has wider viewing angles better ergonomics, making it a better choice for co-op gaming. However, even though the Acer has a slightly higher 165Hz refresh rate, the ViewSonic has a faster response time at the max refresh rate, especially in the darker transitions.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is a better gaming monitor than the HP X24ih. The Acer's 144Hz native refresh rate can be overclocked to 165Hz, which the HP can't do. The Acer has much better ergonomics than the HP, making it easier to place the screen in an ideal viewing position. Lastly, the Acer supports HDR, while the HP doesn't, but it doesn't add much since it can't display a wide color gamut and has low HDR peak brightness.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is much better than the Samsung Odyssey G3 F27G35T. They each have a 1080p resolution, but they have different panel types. The Acer has an IPS panel with wider viewing angles. It also has a significantly faster response time, so motion looks smoother, and you can overclock its 144Hz refresh rate to 165Hz. Although the Acer has a smaller screen, it has a higher pixel density to provide better text clarity. On the other hand, the Samsung has a VA panel with a higher contrast ratio, displaying deeper blacks.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is a much better monitor than the MSI Optix G27C6, but they have different panel types. The Acer has an IPS panel with much wider viewing angles. It also has a much quicker response time, making motion look smoother. The Acer gets brighter, has better reflection handling, and the ergonomics are significantly better. The Acer supports HDR, which the MSI doesn't, but it doesn't add much because it can't display a wide color gamut. On the other hand, the MSI is a bit bigger and has a VA panel, resulting in a much higher contrast ratio.
The ASUS TUF Gaming VG249Q1A and the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx are IPS gaming monitors with a 24" screen, 1080p resolution, and a 165Hz refresh rate. While they both provide a great gaming experience, the ASUS does have slightly better response times at max refresh rate, resulting in a clearer image in fast-moving scenes. On the other hand, the Acer has significantly better ergonomics, whereas the ASUS only allows for tilt adjustment. The Acer also gets brighter to combat glare in well-lit environments. It has HDR support, which the ASUS lacks, but it can't display a wide color gamut.
While the Lepow Z1 Gamut and the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx are 1080p IPS monitors, they're for different uses. The Lepow is a compact portable monitor, while the Acer is a budget desktop gaming monitor. Unless you need a portable monitor, the Acer is a better choice for most uses. However, it doesn't support a wide color gamut, while the Lepow does.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is much better than the ASUS VG246H. The Acer has a higher refresh rate and much faster response times, resulting in significantly clearer motion, with almost no noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects. The Acer also supports HDR, although this doesn't add much, and it has better viewing angles.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is much better overall than the Samsung Odyssey G3 S24AG30. They each have a 24 inch screen with a 1080p resolution, but they have different panel types. The Acer has an IPS panel with wider viewing angles, while the Samsung has a VA panel with better contrast. Motion looks much better on the Acer thanks to the much quicker response time, and it has a slightly faster 165Hz refresh rate. The Acer is also better for bright room gaming because it gets brighter and has better reflection handling. It also has more features like built-in speakers and HDR10, which the Samsung doesn't support.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is better overall than the Dell G2722HS. Although they're both 1080p gaming monitors with a 165Hz refresh rate, the Acer has a few advantages over the Dell. It has significantly better ergonomics, making it easier to place in an ideal viewing position. It's also a better choice if you want to use something for console gaming because it downscales a 4k image, which the Dell doesn't do. The Acer also supports HDR, which the Dell doesn't have, but it doesn't add much because it has a low contrast ratio.
Test Results
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has a simple design that's almost identical to the Acer Nitro XF252Q. It has thin borders on three sides and a stand with a round base.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx's build quality is decent, very similar to the Acer Nitro XF252Q. It's entirely plastic except for the stand's column, which is metal. The stand is sturdy, and the monitor doesn't wobble much. However, there's some flex on the back, and the buttons feel a bit cheap. Overall, it doesn't feel particularly premium, but there are no issues with the construction.
The ergonomics are excellent. It allows for all manner of adjustments so that you can place the screen easily at your optimal viewing position. Like the Acer Nitro XF252Q, it has a base plate that can rotate freely within the plastic enclosure, allowing it to rotate a full 360 degrees. Other than the branding and the airflow vents, the back is relatively plain. There's a small clip at the bottom of the stand that serves as basic cable management.
The stand consists of a simple cylindrical column with a round base. The base doesn't take up much desk space, and you can still put things on top of it. It supports the monitor well, and there's very little wobble.
You can find the controls on the screen's right backside. There are four buttons and a joystick to power the monitor On/Off and navigate the on-screen menu.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has a mediocre contrast ratio that results in blacks looking grayish in dark environments, which is typical for IPS panels. It's very close to the advertised 1000:1 contrast; however, this can vary between individual units. If you want a budget-friendly monitor with a VA panel and higher contrast, then check out the Samsung Odyssey G3 S24AG30.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx doesn't have a local dimming feature. The video above is provided for reference only.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has great SDR peak brightness. It's very consistent across different content and bright enough to combat glare in most lighting conditions. Surprisingly, it's significantly higher than the advertised 250 cd/m².
We measured the SDR peak brightness after calibration in the 'User' Picture Mode with Brightness set to max.
The HDR peak brightness is okay. It's again very consistent when displaying different scenes. However, even though it's very close to the required 400 cd/m² for its advertised DisplayHDR 400 certification, it isn't enough to make specular highlights stand out. It's almost identical to the SDR peak brightness, so HDR content doesn't look much different from SDR.
We measured the HDR peak brightness in the 'HDR Mode' Picture Mode with Brightness set to max.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has excellent horizontal viewing angles. Images remain accurate when viewed from the side, great for sharing content or playing co-op games.
Good vertical viewing angles. Images remain accurate even if you mount the monitor above eye level.
The gray uniformity is good. While the edges are darker than the rest, there's hardly any noticeable dirty screen effect in the center, which is great for browsing the web or watching sports.
Black uniformity is sub-par, but this can vary between units. There's some clouding in the center, as well as some backlight bleed along the top and bottom edges of the screen. That said, this is only noticeable when viewing dark scenes in a dark environment.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has great accuracy before calibration. It has an sRGB Mode that aims to lock the colors to the sRGB color space so that they aren't oversaturated, but some colors are still slightly inaccurate. Luckily, the color temperature is very close to the 6500K target, but gamma doesn't follow the sRGB curve well as dark scenes are too dark, while bright scenes are over-brightened.
You can use the sRGB Mode with any of the picture modes. It doesn't fully lock all of the picture settings, but if you change some settings like Brightness while you're using the sRGB Mode, it disables the mode and reverts to its defaults. The color accuracy is still good if you don't use the sRGB Mode, but some colors are slightly more oversaturated.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has exceptional accuracy after calibration. White balance is nearly perfect, and the remaining color inaccuracies aren't visible to the naked eye. The color temperature is still in the same ballpark, just a little warmer than our 6500K target. Gamma is much improved, but both dark and bright scenes are now slightly too bright.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has an excellent SDR color gamut. It covers the entire sRGB color space used in most content, and it has good coverage of the Adobe RGB color space, mostly used in photo editing.
Excellent color volume. It only has trouble displaying dark colors due to its low contrast ratio.
Unfortunately, the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx can't display a wide color gamut for HDR. It only has decent coverage of the commonly-used DCI P3 color space, and its coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 is sub-par.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has a sub-par HDR color volume, mostly due to its lack of a wide color gamut. It has trouble displaying both bright and dark colors at different luminance levels.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has good reflection handling. Combined with the monitor's great peak brightness, you shouldn't have any visibility issues in well-lit environments.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has decent text clarity. You can improve it by enabling Windows ClearType (top photo) as it makes letters look more fleshed out, especially diagonal lines such as on the R and N.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has exceptional gradient handling. There's only a tiny amount of banding in the reds, but it shouldn't be noticeable in regular content. It's advertised as having a 6-bit+Hi-FRC panel; however, it accepts a 10-bit signal without any issues.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has a native refresh rate of 144Hz, overclocked up to 165Hz. It comes overclocked out of the box, so there's no setting to change. If you want a monitor with an even higher refresh rate, check out the ASUS TUF Gaming VG258QM.
It supports FreeSync to reduce screen tearing and is compatible with NVIDIA's G-SYNC as well, but the latter only works over a DisplayPort connection. Enabling FreeSync disables the overdrive setting and locks Ultra-Low Latency to 'On'. It doesn't prevent you from turning on BFI; however, turning BFI on disables VRR.
| Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Off | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Normal | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
| FreeSync On | Chart | Table | Photo |
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has exceptional response time at its max refresh rate, resulting in almost no blur trail behind fast-moving objects. Enabling VRR disables any of the overdrive settings, and if you disable VRR, the 'Normal' setting performs similarly to when VRR is on. However, turning the overdrive setting off also results in less overshoot than 'Normal'.
| Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Off | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Normal | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
| FreeSync On | Chart | Table | Photo |
The response time at 120Hz is great. With VRR enabled, motion look great as there's minimal blur. If you disable VRR, setting the overdrive setting to 'Off' results in the best motion handling as there's less overshoot than 'Normal'.
| Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| Off | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Normal | Chart | Table | Photo |
| Extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
| FreeSync On | Chart | Table | Photo |
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has a decent response time at 60Hz. There's a lot of overshoot when you have VRR enabled, resulting in inverse ghosting. If this bothers you, disabling VRR and the overdrive setting results in no overshoot and good motion handling.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has an optional backlight strobing feature, also known as black frame insertion (BFI). The setting to enable it is called VRB and you can set it to 'Normal' or 'Extreme', depending on the intensity of how you prefer it. You can also change the overdrive setting at the same time. You can see photos of the combinations of the two settings below. The above photo and graph are with BFI on 'Extreme' and the overdrive on 'Normal'.
| Refresh Rate | VRB Setting | Over Drive Setting | Motion Blur Photo |
| 165Hz | Normal | Off | Photo |
| Normal | Normal | Photo | |
| Normal | Extreme | Photo | |
| Extreme | Off | Photo | |
| Extreme | Normal | Photo | |
| Extreme | Extreme | Photo | |
| 120Hz | Normal | Off | Photo |
| Normal | Normal | Photo | |
| Normal | Extreme | Photo | |
| Extreme | Off | Photo | |
| Extreme | Normal | Photo | |
| Extreme | Extreme | Photo |
The backlight is entirely flicker-free, which helps minimize image duplication and reduce eye strain.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has an exceptionally low input lag, resulting in an extremely responsive gaming experience. It's slightly higher at 60Hz, which is typical, but it shouldn't be noticeable to most people.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has a decent resolution and size. The smaller screen size makes it easier to see the entire screen for better environmental awareness in some games; however, it feels less immersive. It might also feel a bit cramped for productivity, especially if you like having multiple windows placed side-by-side. The 1080p resolution is very common for a screen this size and helps achieve a higher frame rate for smoother gameplay, but the resulting pixel density might still be too low for some.
This monitor works well with the PS5. It downscales a 4k image, which results in a sharper image than a native 1080p signal, but because it lacks HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, you can't use it for 4k @ 120Hz gaming. HDR isn't automatically enabled on the monitor with the PS5, and you have to manually enable it.
There aren't many issues using this monitor with the Xbox Series X|S. Like with the PS5, it downscales a 4k signal, and because the Xbox only supports HDR in 4k, you need to use that if you want HDR. 1440p @ 60Hz also works, but only if you manually enable it with the console's HDMI override settings, which also disables VRR.
If you're looking for a monitor with a USB hub, check out the Dell P2425H.
Unfortunately, there are some issues when using this monitor with a MacBook. It doesn't always recover from sleep mode right away, and when it does, windows don't go back to their original position. VRR and HDR work well in-game, but there's some flickering with VRR enabled if the refresh rate is around 48Hz. You have to manually enable HDR from the monitor's OSD; it doesn't automatically switch.
The Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx has a few additional features, including:
- Crosshair: Adds a virtual crosshair.
- Low Blue Light: Blue light filter to help reduce eye strain.
- DDC/CI: Lets you change the monitor's settings through software.
- Frame rate counter: Adds an overlay that shows the current frame rate.
