Acer SB243Y UM.QS3AA.001 23.8" Black 2024

The Acer SB243Y is a budget 23.8 inch 1080p IPS monitor that punches way above its weight class with a 120Hz refresh rate and 99% sRGB color coverage. At USD 72 to USD 90 in the US, it's one of the best value monitors we've seen. The 250 nits brightness and single HDMI port are the main compromises. If you need a do-everything monitor for work and casual gaming without spending much, this is the one to get.

The 120Hz refresh rate is the headline number here, and it's legitimately impressive for this price class. Most monitors in this range are stuck at 60Hz or 75Hz, so getting 120Hz means smoother scrolling, less motion blur in games, and just a more responsive feel overall. The 1ms VRB response time is Acer's marketing term for their backlight strobing mode, and while it's not the same as a true 1ms gray-to-gray response, it does help reduce ghosting in fast-paced games. Just know that enabling VRB usually dims the screen a bit, so you'll want to toggle it depending on what you're doing.

The 250 nits brightness is the weak spot. That's fine for a typical indoor office or bedroom setup, but it's going to struggle near bright windows or in rooms with lots of natural light. The IPS panel gives you good viewing angles, which helps offset the brightness limitation since you can tilt the screen without colors shifting. The 0.275mm pixel pitch on a 23.8 inch 1080p panel means text is sharp enough for reading and coding, though you won't get the crispness of a 1440p display. For the price, the performance trade-offs are reasonable.

Stacked against the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQL5A or the LG UltraGear 27GS75Q-B, the Acer SB243Y looks small and basic. Those competitors are 27 inch 1440p displays with higher refresh rates and better connectivity. But they also cost significantly more. The Acer isn't trying to compete with those monitors, it's competing with whatever generic 24 inch 1080p office display you were about to buy for the same price. And in that fight, it wins easily.

The Samsung Odyssey LS27BG402ENXGO and MSI MAG 274CF X are both 27 inch gaming monitors with more features, but again, the price gap is substantial. What the Acer gives up in size and connectivity, it makes up for in sheer value. The 23.8 inch size is actually a point in its favor for small desks and dual-monitor setups. If you're building a budget gaming rig or need a second monitor for work, the Acer does 90% of what those bigger monitors do at a fraction of the cost.

Here's where things get interesting. The USD price spread is USD 72 to USD 90 across two listings, which is a USD 18 difference. That's not huge, but when you're buying a budget monitor, saving USD 18 matters. The CAD spread is wider at CAD 90 to CAD 158, a CAD 68 gap that's worth paying attention to if you're shopping in Canada. The EUR listings cluster tighter at EUR 122 to EUR 132.

At the low end of those ranges, this monitor is an absolute steal. You're getting a 120Hz IPS panel with 99% sRGB for under USD 90 in the US. That's the kind of price-to-performance ratio that makes us double-check our database. The value proposition weakens as you climb toward the higher end of the price ranges, especially in CAD where the spread is widest. If you can find it at the lower end, buy it without hesitation.

The Acer SB243Y is one of those monitors that sneaks up on you. On paper it looks like a budget office display, but flip the spec sheet over and there's a 120Hz refresh rate and a 1ms VRB response time hiding in there. That's a combo you usually see on monitors costing twice as much. Acer basically took a decent IPS panel, gave it gaming credentials, and priced it like a utility purchase.

Who's this for? Honestly, it's for the person who wants one monitor to do everything. Work-from-home spreadsheets during the day, some casual gaming at night, maybe a bit of photo editing on the weekend. The 99% sRGB coverage means colors look right without calibration, and the 23.8 inch size keeps it from dominating a small desk. It's not going to impress anyone with RGB lighting or a curved panel, but it gets the fundamentals right.

What makes it interesting is the value angle. Our database shows this thing sitting at 75th percentile for user sentiment, which means owners genuinely like it. The customer rating is 4.4 out of 5 across 65 reviews. People keep saying the same things: great picture, accurate colors, easy setup. And when you see the price range, it starts to make sense why this monitor has a bit of a cult following among budget-conscious buyers.

If you're a competitive gamer chasing every frame, skip this. The 120Hz refresh rate is nice, but serious esports players want 240Hz or higher, and the 1ms VRB mode dims the screen noticeably. You'd be better served by a dedicated gaming monitor like the ASUS TUF or MSI MAG series, which offer higher refresh rates and better response times.

Also skip this if you need a bright display for a sunlit room or if you do color-critical work that requires HDR support. The 250 nits brightness and lack of HDR mean this monitor is strictly for indoor, SDR use. If you're a photographer or video editor who needs wide color gamut coverage like DCI-P3 or Adobe RGB, look at monitors with higher-end panels. And if you need multiple inputs for a multi-device setup, the single HDMI port will frustrate you. Look for something with at least two HDMI ports or a DisplayPort connection.

For work-from-home setups and general productivity, this monitor is an easy recommendation. The 99% sRGB coverage means documents, spreadsheets, and web pages look accurate, and the 120Hz refresh rate makes everything feel snappy even when you're just scrolling through emails. The slim bezels are nice if you're running a dual-monitor setup, and the VESA mount option gives you flexibility even if the included stand is basic.

For gaming, it's a solid budget choice. The 120Hz refresh rate and FreeSync support mean you can actually enjoy fast-paced games without screen tearing, and the 1ms VRB mode helps with motion clarity. Just don't expect HDR or deep blacks, the 250 nits brightness and lack of local dimming mean this is strictly an SDR monitor. If you're a competitive gamer who needs every frame, you'll want something with a higher refresh rate and better response times. But for casual gaming after work, this thing is more than capable.