The Acer XFA243Y S offers 165Hz performance at a price you normally pay for a plain jane office monitor. For less than $150, you get a high-contrast VA panel with fast refresh rates that make it perfect for most gaming purposes. However, it’s suspiciously too affordable, so let’s take a closer look to know what we can expect from it.
Acer XFA243Y S Specifications
- Screen Size: 24 Inches
- Resolution:1920 x 1080 FHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Refresh Rate: 165Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 250 cd/m²
- Speakers: None
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot – Yes
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 2
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 21.27” x 20.08” x 9.2”
- Weight: 11.56 lbs
Design and Features
The Acer XFA243Y S looks like any Acer Nitro monitor so it’s easy to confuse it with its predecessors. The monitor has a matte black finish with discrete blue accents, along with a lighter-colored arm which distinguishes it from the previous model. It has a bezel-free design but still has inner orders like most modern monitors.
It’s a 24-inch monitor just like most E-Sports variants, so it’s not the biggest pick on the list. It only needs 9.2 inches of depth, so it won’t displace your other peripherals even if it has a circular base. It only weighs 11.56 pounds, so it’s portable enough to be brought to gaming events or LAN parties.
Its build quality is surprisingly good since you’d expect that to be sacrificed to help drop the price. The plastic panels are thick enough to prevent flexing and cracking, plus there were no cosmetic defects on any of its parts. The stand is firm and stable, so the screen won’t sag or shake while you are in the middle of a heated session.
The Acer XFA243Y S has an OSD joystick, unlike most budget models with buttons for its settings. It’s conveniently located, so you can easily reach it without leaning in or flipping the monitor. Other variants can sometimes include software or remotes, but joysticks are convenient enough.
The included stand offers tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments for your convenience. It’s nice of Acer to include an ergonomic stand for this budget model. You can use VESA mounts with it, but they are unnecessary most of the time.
One aspect that took a hit to lower the price is the Acer XFA243Y S’s connectivity layout. It only has a DisplayPort 1.2 slot and two HDMI 2.0 ports. It doesn’t have extras like USB slots, but that’s understandable since it’s a budget model.
It also doesn’t include speakers like the brand’s other gaming variants. However, most of them only include 2-watt pairs, so you aren’t really missing anything. It’s better to use headsets since they will sound better for immersion and focus, 99% of the time.
Display and Performance
The Acer XFA243Y S sports a 24-inch VA panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 165Hz refresh rate, and a 1ms boosted response time. The backlight has a 250 cd/m2 maximum, while the contrast is listed at 3000:1, like most VA panels. This model doesn’t have special features like HDR, but that’s understandable since it’s a budget model.
24-inch 1080p monitors are still popular now because everyone has used them at some point, whether if its in school or at work. It’s also the universal format for E-Sports gaming, so the monitor type is still very desirable. The best part about it is it’s very easy to run with modest setups, so you don’t have to spend a fortune if you are building a system from the ground up.
The Acer XFA243Y S covers 99.5% of the sRGB gamut and 76% of the DCI-P3 color space. Its default accuracy could be better since the deltaE average reached 2.78. It is not the most vibrant or accurate, but that’s acceptable if the monitor is this cheap.
Calibrating it reduced the dE average to a more acceptable 1.65, resulting in a more natural tone or look. However, you will need a colorimeter to push it to this level. The gadget itself is twice as expensive as the monitor, so it’s not worth buying. We recommend going with a prosumer variant instead if color accuracy is the priority.
The Acer XFA243Y S’s backlight reached 247 cd/m2 at 100% brightness, so it might struggle in well-lit rooms. Its contrast ratio reached 2664:1 at 60% brightness, so it’s capable of deep and convincing black backgrounds or dark scenes. At this point, only OLEDs and mini LED monitors will be better, but those are exponentially more expensive.
Panel uniformity for the test sample didn’t have any major issues like backlight bleeding. There was some variation in the backlight’s spread, but it wasn’t noticeable unless you focused on them in dark scenes. Note that this can change between every monitor due to manufacturing tolerances, so there are worse units out there.
Pixel response time is its main weakness, just like all VA monitors out in the market. It shows blurring and ghosting in fast-paced scenes, particularly where light and dark scenes and objects transition. Setting the overdrive too high didn’t help since it added overshoot which was worse than the original issue.
The Acer XFA243Y S is compatible with both FreeSync and G-Sync, so you are protected from tearing and stuttering. Both GPU companies have ideal GPUs for this monitor, so it’s nice not to be stuck with either one. Input lag sits at 4ms at 165Hz, so it is as snappy as the best E-Sports monitors out there.
Thoughts on the Acer XFA243Y S
The Acer XFA243Y S is an excellent choice for gamers who are on a budget but want smooth imaging performance. You get a 165Hz screen for the price of an office variant, so that alone is an excellent reason to choose it. It’s also built well, and it even includes creature comforts that you won’t usually find in the same price bracket.
Its only glaring issue is its slow pixel response time, but that’s a natural limitation of the panel type Acer used. It’s also missing some essentials like USB ports, but again, that’s acceptable if you consider how affordable it is. Overall, it is an excellent buy if you want a 144Hz-plus monitor without spending a pretty penny.
Pros:
- Excellent Contrast
- Very Low Price
- FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible
- Fully Adjustable Stand
Cons:
- Prone to Blurring
- No Speakers and USB Ports
About the Author: 
Paolo has been a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since junior high. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations; he believes that every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews that accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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