Acer XF250Q Review: Cheapest 240Hz Gaming Monitor

Introduction

Whether you want to upgrade your old 144Hz monitor to a faster model or you’re new to competitive fast-paced gaming and want to go for 240Hz straight away, the Acer XF250Q is the most affordable 240Hz display you’ll find yet it will provide you with an amazingly responsive gaming experience.

Note that the full model name of the unit we’re reviewing is the Acer XF250Q Cbmiiprx.

The Acer XF250Q Abmiidprzx (XF250QA) is the same monitor with an extra DVI port, a quad-USB 3.0 hub, and Motion Blur Reduction.

Image Quality

Just like most 24.5″ 1080p 240Hz 1ms models, the Acer XF250Q is based on a TN panel with a 400-nit peak brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 8-bit color depth, and 160°/170° viewing angles.

So, as far as the image quality goes, you’re getting the same viewing experience that you would get on most 240Hz monitors.

In comparison to IPS and VA panels, you get washed out colors and narrow viewing angles, but you get the rapid 1ms response time speed for minimal ghosting.

With proper calibration, the Acer XF250Q monitor does offer a decent image quality while the narrow viewing angles aren’t troublesome as long as you’re in front of the screen.

It goes without saying that at this point, you have to sacrifice image quality for performance. So, if you want a better image quality, you should opt for a 1440p monitor or a 1080p 144Hz display with an IPS or VA panel instead.

In order to secure fluid performance, the Acer XF250Q features 1080p resolution which is not very demanding on your GPU/CPU and will thus allow you to easily reach and maintain high frame rates in the eSports titles.

Performance

Thanks to its low input lag of ~3ms and quick response time, the monitor delivers a buttery-smooth gaming experience without any ghosting, motion blur, or perceptible delay.

Now, going from 144Hz to 240Hz won’t be nearly as noticeable as it is going from 60Hz/75Hz to 144Hz, but the difference is definitely there. And if you’re a serious competitive gamer, you’re gonna want every millisecond of advantage you can get.

Additionally, the Acer XF250Q supports AMD FreeSync which provides a variable refresh rate (VRR) between 48-240Hz/FPS (Frames Per Second). VRR removes all screen tearing and stuttering with minimal input lag penalty (~1ms).

The monitor is also certified by NVIDIA as ‘G-SYNC Compatible’ thus ensuring flawless VRR performance when using FreeSync with compatible NVIDIA graphics cards (GTX 10-series or newer).

Alas, note that the Acer XF250Q display is prone to certain panel defects.

First of all, some units will have frame skipping at 240Hz. This can be solved by enabling FreeSync, but some users prefer not to use VRR or may not have a compatible GPU. Another workaround is to underclock the display by a few Hz until the frame skipping stops.

Secondly, certain units will have visible flickering at the bottom of the screen when response time overdrive is applied. You can get rid of it by changing the Overdrive option to Off, but then the response time speed of the monitor will be considerably slower resulting in more ghosting.

Keep in mind that these defects affect only some units, but make sure you

test your display and RMA it if you get a defective model.

Features

Besides the standard alterations such as brightness/contrast, color temperature, gamma, 6-axis hue/saturation, etc, the Acer XF250Q 240Hz monitor offers Black Boost which raises visibility in darker video games and Aim Point which consists of customizable crosshairs.

The OSD (On-Screen Display) menu can be navigated via the six hotkeys placed beneath the bottom bezel at the right side of the monitor.

While the menu isn’t particularly user-friendly nor intuitive, it contains all the settings/features you’ll need. When OSD is closed, the hotkeys can be used as shortcuts for certain functions such as volume, input source, and overdrive (Off, Normal, Extreme).

Design & Connectivity

The build quality of the Acer XF250Q gaming monitor is somewhat cheap with simple plastics, but the stand is fully ergonomic with up to 150mm of height adjustment, -5°/35° tilt, +/- 60° swivel, 90° pivot, and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2, two 2W integrated speakers, and a headphones jack. FreeSync works over both HDMI 2.0 and DP with a 48-240Hz VRR range.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Acer XF250Q price ranges from $230 up to $250 which makes it the cheapest 240Hz gaming monitor.

If you don’t want to risk getting a defective panel with frame skipping and/or the overdrive issue, we recommend the Dell Alienware AW2518HF as the next best cheap 240Hz monitor.

You should also check out the Acer XF252Q with Motion Blur Reduction and an even faster response time of 0.5ms as well as the MSI MAG251RX with a 1080p 240Hz IPS panel.

Conclusion

Overall, the Acer XF250Q is an excellent 240Hz gaming monitor for the price, granted that you don’t get a defective unit; although, to be fair, there’s always a small chance to get an imperfect display no matter what monitor is in question.

So, if you’re patient and you’re buying from a place that has a valid return policy, we recommend having a go with the XF250Q if you want to save ~$100. Otherwise, go for one of the above-mentioned alternatives.

Acer XF250Q Specifications

• Screen Size:24.5-inch

• Resolution:1920×1080 (Full HD)

• Panel Type:TN

• Aspect Ratio:16:9 (Widescreen)

• Refresh Rate:240Hz

• Response Time:1ms (GtG)

• Adaptive Sync:FreeSync (48Hz-240Hz)

• Speakers:2x2W

• Ports:DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0

• Other Ports:Headphone Jack

• Brightness:400 cd/m*

• Contrast Ratio:1000:1 (static)

• Colors:16.7 million (6-bit + FRC)

• VESA:Yes (100x100mm)