I tested this $159 gaming monitor thinking it was a joke — but it's now my favorite budget display

Tom's Guide

22-06-2025

I've tested some premium, ultra-fast monitors with jaw-dropping OLED panels over the years, and it's hard to go back to anything less than the best gaming monitors once you've seen them upfront in all their glory.
So, when the Acer Nitro KG272 E landed in our testing labs, I wasn't expecting much. A quick rundown of its specs will give you a good idea of what I mean: an FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS panel with a 100Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and a 100,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.
All that doesn't exactly make me say "I need this monitor on my desk right now," not when there's a ridiculous LG UltraGear 45GX950A-B 5K2K OLED curved gaming monitor or an MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED boasting a 240Hz refresh rate and a 0.03ms response time.
Impressive? Yes, but they're also both over the $1,000 / £1,000 mark. That's a whole lot of chump change for premium-quality visuals, but depending on your PC setup, some may not even take full advantage of what these monitors can deliver.
Still, it's hardly a surprise that anyone would glaze over Acer's offering to check out these beasts instead. Me included, but that's until I took a peek at the Nitro KG272 E's price tag.
At just $159, and even more impressive £129, (down to £109 as of writing!), this is one of the cheapest gaming monitors out there. For the specs it offers at this price, and having used it as my primary monitor for a week, I can confidently say that this is now my favorite budget display for both work and play.
The Acer Nitro K272 E gaming monitor is a budget underdog for anyone looking for a simple yet effective display to play PC games or get some work done. With its 27-inch (1920 x 1080) IPS panel, 100Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, it may pale in comparison to the top dogs, but for its price, it goes above and beyond.
And it's even more of a bargain in the U.K.! Right now, you can get £20 off this already pocket-friendly monitor. Whether you're using it as a second monitor or your main display for work, gaming, or watching shows, it will do the job just fine for this cost.
There's still more testing to be done, but I've put it through its paces during everyday tasks, watching shows and playing games. So far, it does everything I could ask for, considering its price — and that says a lot about how you don't need to spend a fortune to get ample performance on a gaming monitor like this.
So, let's get this out of the way first. We've received the numbers from the test lab, and just as I expected, it falls far behind its premium competitors in terms of color accuracy and brightness. I mean, is that surprising considering the specs it sports? Hardly. But I'd argue that for its low price, its results are pretty manageable.
Acer Nitro KG272 E
MSI MPG 272URX
Alienware AW2752Q
sRGB
110.1%
131%
182.5%
DCI P3
78%
97%
129.3%
Delta-E
0.17
0.15
0.06
When putting it together (it's very simple) and setting it up with a 4K video just to see how it looks, though, I had a small hint of surprise on my face and said to my fellow tester Nikita Achanta, "Hey, that isn't too bad." And I was met with agreement.
And so, I lugged it home and started using it as my main monitor. For work, I use my 13-inch MacBook Air M3, and while its display offers great detail for work and binge-watching shows, it's always nice to have a 27-inch monitor as a secondary display. Better yet, it worked like a charm.
The Nitro KG272 E doesn't have many customizable settings, nor a display mode for Mac, but bumping up its brightness to max (it only measures 196.2 nits of SDR brightness, but more on that later) and using its "Normal" color mode allowed it to easily reflect exactly what I'd expect to see on my MacBook's display. That includes fine details, smoothness and fine color accuracy.
A 27-inch monitor is big enough for a desk, and seeing as it only weighs 11.9 pounds with the stand (compared to the 24 pounds of the MSI MPG 272URX), it's light enough to shift around to get the right angle. Speaking of, and not something I'd expect from a monitor at this price, the display's angle can also be adjusted. That's only a simple feature, but it makes shifting the monitor to your liking all the more accessible.
Anyway, it isn't just a few Google Docs and Google Sheets that it helped me out with, as I also threw on a few shows to see if it could dish out some decent visuals. Nothing mindblowing here, but I was decently surprised by the image quality it presented.
In anticipation of "28 Years Later," I decided to throw on "28 Weeks Later" on Netflix. This is a 1080p display, so details weren't completely vivid, but I was still on the edge of my seat as Don (Robert Carlyle) fled the house with the rage-infected people coming over the hill chasing him down at full speed. The vicious, bloodshot eyes were on point, and I didn't feel I was missing out on any finer details while watching the thrilling intro sequence.
After that, I finally used the Nitro KG272 E for what it's intended for: gaming. More specifically, first-person shooters such as The Finals and Doom: The Dark Ages.
With its 100Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, this won't be the first choice for hardcore competitive gamers, and it won't take advantage of the powerful performance the Asus TUF Gaming A18 with an RTX 5070 can pull off (with DLSS 4 delivering frame rates over 200 FPS).
Still, especially for budget gaming systems, this can pull off some mighty fine, buttery smooth visuals.
With settings set to Epic at 1080p resolution, with Nvidia's multi-frame gen at x4, I was smashing down buildings, popping off shots and securing cash in The Finals in all its graphical, fast-paced glory. And frame rates were smooth enough to get me clean shots at the competition.
With similar settings in Doom: The Dark Ages with patch tracing turned on, while it wasn't the same "wow" moment I had experienced on a 4K monitor, I was still impressed by the war-torn, demon-infused settings in the game. Visual cues, such as the green orbs you can parry back at enemies, were clear, and despite it looking just a smidge grainy, I was happy with what it was able to pull off.
For those with budget laptops or gaming PCs, the Nitro KG272 E offers an affordable way to elevate your system's visuals, if only by a bit, and it's quite the wallet-friendly solution.
While I've been impressed by its gaming potential and how it handles productivity, I noticed two downsides that are inevitable for a gaming monitor at this price.
I tried putting on "Love, Death + Robots," known for its visually stunning animation. I watched "Can't Stop," which is basically a new music video for the iconic Red Hot Chili Peppers, seeing them as puppets. The Nitro KG272 E could capture the stunning lights and frantic movements of the band, but I did notice during the darker moments, environments that should be visible weren't on show.
That's due to the display's brightness. At an average of 196.2 nits of SDR brightness (no HDR here), it isn't much. If it's in a room where the sun can get at it, it would be hard to see what's on display.
The speakers aren't a key selling point, either. They can sound hollow without that oomph from the bass, and while it's fine for easy watching, you won't be blown away by the audio it fires. Essentially, you may want to get one of the best gaming headsets instead.
Now, with all that said, these are only minor points that are common with budget monitors. Plus, don't expect absolutely jaw-dropping visuals, but for those who only need a simple and affordable gaming monitor solution to catch up with competitive multiplayer games or even the latest single-player adventures, then the Acer Nitro KG272 E does this in its stride.
If I were a student after a display, I can imagine this being at the top of my list.