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HDMI 2.1 monitors were the new hotness back when the new generation of games consoles arrived in 2020 and 2021, with these models offering 4K 120Hz HDR gaming without the need for chroma subsampling. Unsurprisingly, these monitors also cost a huge amount of money, with even lower-end options in the £600+ range and higher-end examples in the quadruple figures.
Two or three years on, things have settled down and these HDMI 2.1 monitors are now much more affordable – if not yet exactly cheap. One such example is the Acer Nitro XV282KKV, a 28-inch monitor with a 4K 144Hz refresh rate on PC, that’s down to £409.98 plus £5 shipping at Ebuyer. That’s nearly £200 off its UK RRP and an awesome deal for a monitor with these specs.
Looking more closely at the monitor, this is an IPS panel, so you can expect great viewing angles, great (and accurate) colour reproduction, reasonably fast pixel reponse times and middling contrast figures of around 1000:1. These qualities make IPS monitors a good all-rounder choice, as they work for a wide range of game genres without the downsides of other panel types (TN’s woeful colour reproduction, VA’s pixel response time challenges and OLED’s possibility for burn-in).
In terms of HDR performance, this panel does support HDR and attains the base level DisplayHDR 400 rating, but its limited brightness (just over 400 nits) means that HDR lacks the impact of a higher-end set capable of brighter highlights and/or darker blacks. That means it’s probably best kept in SDR mode, which is unfortunately typical for this price point.
FreeSync is supported and the card works fine with G-Sync too, while HDMI Forum VRR should be included for PS5 and Series X use according to reports online. With a VRR solution in place for every potential platform, you can smooth out uneven frame-rates, reduce judder and eliminate screen-tearing, without the input lag penalty of traditional triple-buffered v-sync.
Overall, the Acer monitor is a strong option for its price point and is only really eclipsed by higher-end models that use more advanced panel technologies – which aren’t available at this price anyway! So if you’re in the market for a monitor that can handle PC and console gaming with aplomb and you’re not too fussed with HDR performance – or you just don’t have the budget for it – this deal is definitely worth checking out.