A Mid-Budget Monitor With an Amazing Refresh Rate

Despite its clunky name, the Acer Predator XB273K V5 is an excellent monitor with a ton of convenient features. Easy to set up, intuitive to use, and an excellent addition to any gaming rig, and it’s not outlandishly expensive either.

Price and Availability

The Acer Predator XB273K V5 is currently only available through Amazon for $380. There are no customization options to choose from. It’s a 27-inch monitor with a black superstructure and a glossy screen surface. It comes with a power cord and an HDMI cable. There are no extra accessories or modifications you can pay for.

The price tag might seem a little hefty to those on a budget, but the Acer Predator XB273K V5 has a lot of great features to make up for it.

The Awkward Base is a Problem For Crowded Desks

Being a 27-inch monitor, it’s no surprise that the Acer Predator XB273K V5 needs a fairly big base to keep it stable. But I can’t help but feel there was a better way to make that happen. The legs are arranged in an X-shape, but the front two legs are pretty long at approximately 10 inches in length. Now, the base itself is fairly far behind the monitor, so they don’t stick out absurdly far, but these long legs, combined with the raised design of the base itself, are a little limiting.

Really, it’s just that the design restricts what you can or can’t fit on or around the base of the monitor. I could definitely see it posing a bit of a cluttering problem if you have a small desk or one that’s already crowded. Thankfully, the monitor itself is very adjustable, allowing it to offer you a bit more space. It can be raised or lowered by 150mm and can tilt five degrees forward or 25 degrees backward, as well as 20 degrees left or right. It can even turn completely 90 degrees, and making any of these adjustments is as easy as pushing it around with your hands.

If space really is a concern, you can also mount this monitor directly on a wall to avoid using the base altogether. Regardless, it’s a good idea to have a fair deal of space at your desk if you want to add the Acer Predator XB273K V5 to it.

A 320Hz Refresh Rate Takes Some Games to the Next Level

One of the big selling points of the Acer Predator XB273K V5 is its 320Hz in DFR(Dynamic Frequency & Resolution) mode and quick response time of 0.5ms. With this much shorter time for frame-rendering, you get lower input lag, so all of those fast-paced, dramatic transitions in a game are buttery smooth and free of ghosting, especially with the help of the integrated AMD FreeSync Premium.

Of course, you’re not going to be hitting that 320Hz refresh rate on every game or at 4K resolution. It’s limited to the DFR mode. If you want that crisp 4K resolution, you’ll have to settle for 160Hz, which is still pretty good. For games that are already really easy to run at 240 FPS, like Stardew Valley, Balatro, or Project Zomboid, the 320Hz refresh rate made them all feel way snappier. But even more graphically demanding games running at 120 FPS, like Space Marine II or Helldivers 2 noticeably benefited from the fast response times.

That said, it’s worth noting that G-Sync is the thing adjusting the frame rate of the monitor to that of the game, so you can’t actually make use of that 320Hz refresh rate unless your graphics card is robust enough to handle it.

The Remote is the Best Part of the Package

I’ve used a lot of different gaming monitors over the years, but somehow, none of them ever came with a remote. The Acer Predator XB273K V5 comes with one, and it’s actually my favorite thing about it. In fact, I have been completely converted; every gaming monitor should come with a remote. It’s so incredibly convenient. It has four buttons and a little analog stick, and that’s all you need to navigate the menus and adjust the majority of available settings for the monitor.

One button can be used to toggle DFR mode, another for the point assist feature (it makes a reticle for shooting games in the middle of the screen, giving you an edge in games where there aren’t any. You even have the option to assign hotkeys to quickly adjust different functions. I love the convenience of this remote because it makes it really easy to fine-tune your settings at any time without having to reach around behind the monitor, which is usually pressed up against a wall.

With the touch of a few buttons, you can change the visual mode, adjust speaker volume, control the gaming assistant features, change the source input (a godsend since I have the monitor connected to both my computer and my Xbox), and a lot more. The remote itself is pretty ergonomic and the user interface is simple and intuitive, clearly telling you how to modify your settings in a crisp, clear menu that you can also customize.

It might seem like a small thing, but the convenience of this remote actually got me to play around with a lot more monitor settings since they were easy to change from the comfort of my chair. I played some war games in grayscale mode. Kicked the refresh rate into overdrive just to see what would happen. Played around with the dozens of minor visual adjustment options mid-game. The remote is an objective quality-of-life upgrade over every monitor that doesn’t have one, and I love the Acer Predator XB273K V5 for having one.

Entry-Level HDR at a Good Price

HDR is all the rage these days; high-dynamic range is usually associated with crisp, clear pictures with deep colors. The Acer Predator XB273K V5 does have HDR, but it’s not quite as robust as, say, HDR10. This monitor comes with HDR-400, which is entry-grade HDR quality with a higher focus on brightness than raw depth of color. HDR-400 means that the HDR has a max brightness of 400 nits. The long and short of it is that you have a higher max brightness threshold.

Now HDR-400 is about the lowest you can get while still being considered “HDR.” But it’s still better than standard dynamic range monitors, and if you’re looking to set up an epic gaming station on a budget, it’s not like HDR-400 looks bad by any means. It’s a step up from the basics, and that makes the Acer Predator XB273K V5 a great budget investment if you’re looking for an affordable monitor that still feels high-quality.

I definitely noticed a major difference when playing darker games on the Acer Predator XB273K V5 compared to my old monitor. When playing the Oblivion remaster, in-game night vision tools were rarely needed; at least, not until I turned the brightness down on purpose to get the genuine experience. That said, some people feel that HDR-400 is only worth it for certain purposes.

Should You Buy the Acer Predator XB273K V5?

Make no mistake, the Acer Predator XB273K V5 is not the high-end of gaming monitors, some of which can be nearly $1000. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good monitor. For an entry-level piece of hardware, it’s fantastic, with a robust array of customization options, a huge display size, a very high potential refresh rate, and a convenient remote that lets you control most of its settings without ever leaving your chair.

If you just need a quality gaming monitor with some capability for HDR, with speakers and plenty of screen size, the Acer Predator XB273K V5 is a great pick at around $380. Its only real flaw is the somewhat awkward design of the base, but that’s easy to work around.