Acer ED273U H 27" Black 2024

The Acer ED273U H is a 27-inch curved 1440p gaming monitor with a 100Hz refresh rate and FreeSync. It's a solid budget pick for mid-range gaming setups, with strong VA contrast but weak brightness and color accuracy. At the low end of its price range, it's a great value; at the high end, better options exist.

The 100Hz refresh rate is the headline number here, and it's a meaningful step up from 60Hz. You'll notice it immediately in fast-paced games, and the 1ms response time (that's the MPRT number, not true GtG) keeps ghosting mostly under control. FreeSync handles the variable refresh rate side of things, so if you're running an AMD card or even a modern Nvidia card over DisplayPort, you'll get tear-free gameplay. In our testing database, this monitor's performance lands at 68th percentile, which means it's above average but nowhere near the top of the charts.

The VA panel gives you deep blacks and a claimed 100,000,000:1 contrast ratio, which is marketing math but the real-world contrast is genuinely better than most IPS panels at this price. That makes movies and darker games look punchy. The trade-off is the 250 nits brightness, which is fine for a dim room but struggles in bright spaces. The 16.7 million colors spec is standard 8-bit, and our color score puts this at 17th percentile, so don't expect vibrant, accurate color reproduction. It's a gaming panel first, everything else second.

Stacked against the competition, the Acer ED273U H is clearly the budget option in this group. The ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDPG is a high-refresh gaming monster with a much faster panel and better color, but it costs several times more. The MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2 brings OLED contrast and true HDR to the table, which makes the Acer's VA panel look dated by comparison. The LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B and Samsung Odyssey G60SD are both in a completely different performance tier, aimed at competitive gamers who need 240Hz or higher.

But here's the thing: if you're running a mid-range GPU like an RTX 3060 or RX 6600, you're not hitting 240fps at 1440p anyway. The Acer's 100Hz ceiling is actually well-matched to that hardware. The Gigabyte M Series OLED MO27U2 SA is another premium alternative that outclasses the Acer in every measurable way, but again, the price gap is enormous. The Acer wins on one metric alone: cost per frame. For a first 1440p monitor or a secondary display, it makes a lot of sense. For a primary competitive gaming setup, you'll outgrow it fast.

Pricing on the Acer ED273U H is all over the place depending on where you shop. In the US, you'll find it between USD 252 and USD 295 across two listings, which is a pretty wide spread for the same monitor. Newegg has the better deal at the lower end of that range, so check there first if you're in the States. Canadian buyers see an even bigger gap, from CAD 313 to CAD 564, and again Newegg comes in cheaper. At the low end of those ranges, this is a solid value for a 1440p 100Hz curved monitor. At the high end, you're getting into territory where better options exist. For comparison, the ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDPG and MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2 are significantly more expensive but offer dramatically better panels. If you can snag the Acer at the bottom of its price range, it's a good deal. If you're paying top dollar, keep shopping.

The Acer ED273U H is a 27-inch curved VA monitor that sits in the budget 1440p gaming space. You're getting 2560 x 1440 resolution, a 100Hz refresh rate, and a 1ms response time, all wrapped in a 1500R curve. It's the kind of monitor that shows up when you search for "cheap 1440p curved gaming monitor" and honestly, it holds its own for the price. The panel is rated at 250 nits brightness with 16.7 million colors, which tells you right away this isn't a color-critical display. It's built for gaming and media consumption on a budget, not photo editing or HDR content.

Acer markets this under the Nitro line, which is their gaming-focused branding, and it comes with AMD FreeSync support to keep things smooth. The stand only offers tilt adjustment, but there's a VESA 75x75 mount if you want to put it on an arm. Connectivity is basic with one HDMI and one DisplayPort, plus built-in speakers that are about what you'd expect from monitor speakers. In our database, this thing lands at 68th percentile for both performance and display quality, which puts it solidly in the middle of the pack for monitors overall.

If you're asking "is the Acer ED273U H good for gaming?" the short answer is yes, for the price. It's not going to compete with high-refresh OLED panels, but 100Hz at 1440p is a sweet spot for mid-range GPUs. The curve is subtle enough for productivity work too, though the VA panel's viewing angles and color accuracy are where you'll notice compromises.

Skip the Acer ED273U H if you're a competitive gamer who needs 144Hz or higher, a content creator who needs accurate colors, or anyone working in a bright room where 250 nits won't cut it. If you're into HDR gaming, this monitor doesn't have the brightness or color gamut to do HDR justice. For those use cases, look at the ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDPG for high refresh rates, the MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2 for color and contrast, or the LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B for a balance of speed and image quality. If you're on a tight budget and just need a basic 1080p display for office work, you can also find cheaper non-curved options that will serve you just as well.

Should you buy the Acer ED273U H? If you're looking for a budget 1440p curved monitor and you can find it near the USD 252 or CAD 313 mark, yes. It delivers a genuinely good gaming experience with the 100Hz refresh rate, FreeSync, and that immersive curve. The VA panel's contrast is a real strength for darker games and movies. You're getting a lot of screen for the money.

But if you're paying closer to USD 295 or CAD 564, or if you care about color accuracy, brightness, or future-proofing, this isn't the monitor for you. The 250 nits brightness and weak color performance are real limitations. This is a monitor that does one thing well: budget 1440p gaming. If that's your use case and the price is right, go for it. If you want more, save up for something better.