The Pixio PX259 Prime S is one of the most affordable E-Sports monitors that’s capable of top-shelf speeds. You get a 360Hz IPS panel for the price of a 240Hz model, making it a fantastic deal for those who are serious with competitive gaming. Let’s check it out to see and weigh the pros and cons and determine if it should be your next upgrade.
Pixio PX259 Prime S Specifications
- Screen Size: 25 Inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Full HD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 360Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 400 cd/m2
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 2 Watts)
- Stand: Height – No
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot – No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (75 x 75)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.4 x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 2, USB-C PD27W x 1, USB 3.2 x 3, 3.5mm Jack x 2
- Dimensions with Stand(WxHxD): 21.93” x 16.57 x 7.05”
- Weight: 6.94 lbs
Design and Features
The Pixio PX259 Prime S isn’t as fancy as something like the Asus PG259QNR or the Lenovo Legion Y25g-30 when it comes to aesthetics. It has a simple matte black chassis, although it has an RGB strip at the back so you don’t actually see it. The screen doesn’t have bezels on three sides, but it still has inner borders like most modern monitors.
The PX259PS came with an outer brown box that protected the neat all-red packaging the brand uses for its upper-class variants. It doesn’t come fully assembled like Asus variants to keep the packaging sleek, but putting the monitor together was very easy. The three main parts slid and snapped into each other, so you won’t need tools for it.
The box only included a power brick, a standard wall socket plug, and a DisplayPort cable. Other monitors often include at least an additional HDMI cable. However, it’s understandable not to see many extras on this model since the omission was meant to help keep its price as low as possible.
The Pixio PX259 Prime S weighed in at 6.94 pounds, making it light enough to be slid into a tote or pack and brought to gaming events or LAN parties. It is also compact by today’s standards thanks to its modest base and arm. Most users won’t have any issues in placing it on a small desk or study corner, so it’s also suitable for dorms or apartments.
Its build quality is decent, even if most of its main parts are mostly made out of plastic. The panels are thick and sturdy, although the stand was quite wobbly since it has a lower center of gravity. However, Pixio has come far from what it once was, and you’ll know that if you’ve seen or handled the old PX277.
Our least favorite characteristic of the Pixio PX259 Prime S is its OSD controller, which uses cut-out buttons instead of a joystick. They are snappy, responsive, and labeled, but you can’t see them in the dark. It’s easy to reach them, but it also takes practice and extra effort to master it.
The included stand only offers tilt, so it is not the best option if you are after an ergonomic option. The monitor might be a bit short or low for taller people, so they might need to prop it up on top of a few books to get the right posture. We recommend using its VESA mounting option since buying one for it will not break its price advantage.
It has two ports each for DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0, along with a 3.5mm jack for headphones. The video inputs are labeled, so you’d know that you need the DP slots for 360Hz while the HDMI ports are limited to 240Hz. The single USB slot on the monitor was not meant for use other than firmware updates, and it would be nice if it had more for peripherals and accessories.
The Pixio PX259 Prime S has two speakers, but they are incapable of gaming-grade performance. However, it is always nice to have more features from a budget model, especially one that you can use as a backup.
Display and Performance
The Pixio PX259 Prime S sports a 25-inch Fast IPS panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 360Hz refresh rate, and a 1ms response time. The backlight has a 400 cd/m2 output while the contrast is listed at 1000:1. This model is HDR compatible, but its product page does not mention if it’s certified or not.
360Hz 1080p monitors are the “in” thing right now for competitive gaming despite the motion to upgrade to 1440p for it. It is easy to run and use for most people, for both gaming and productivity. You won’t need a top-end card to get to 360 FPS for E-Sports titles.
The Pixio PX259 Prime S worked well with our M16, although we had to switch between its inputs in the OSD to get it running. We also had to adjust the aspect ratio since the monitor retained the laptop’s 16:10 instead of 16:9. It was fine beyond that, so this isn’t significant enough to be a cause for concern.
We also recommend using DisplayPort since it’s the only connector that enables 360Hz on this monitor. Its HDMI 2.0 ports are limited to 240Hz, so they are best used for consoles only. For gaming laptops like the ones we use, you can use a USB-C to DP cable if the device has type-C ports.
The Pixio PX259 Prime S covered 98% sRGB and 78% of DCI-P3, so it is not as vibrant as its more expensive peers. However, its default accuracy was great since the deltaE average is only at 1.12. You don’t have to do anything to it apart from adjusting the brightness which is set to 90% by default.
Calibrating the monitor with our Calibrate Display Plus reduced the dE average to 0.4, making it comparable to some prosumer monitors out there. It would be comparable if it weren’t for the limited gamut coverage and resolution, plus its overall design that’s intended for gaming. It’s already good out of the box, so it would be futile to buy a colorimeter for it.
The monitor’s backlight reached 373 cd/m2 at 100%, and it only reached its 401 cd/m2 peak when it was trying to produce HDR. Its contrast reached 1119:1 at 21% or 120 cd/m2 brightness, so it’s a bit better than some IPS gaming models. It is still not capable of deep blacks, but that’s expected for an IPS display.
Panel uniformity for the test sample was decent since there were no major light leaks on its edges. There is some variance in the backlight’s spread, but it’s only noticeable in dark scenes or when a full black image is shown. Note that this can vary with every monitor made due to tolerances, so there are worse ones out there.
The Pixio PX259 Prime S is compatible with FreeSync and G-Sync, but it doesn’t have Nvidia’s Reflex Analyzer like the other high-end 360Hz models. That’s fine with is since this model is around half the price of those options. Its input lag sits at 2ms, so it’s comparable when it comes to responsiveness.
Thoughts on the Pixio PX259 Prime S
The Pixio PX259 Prime S is a fantastic choice for gamers who want high-end performance at a fraction of the price. It offers a lightning-fast IPS panel with a 360Hz refresh rate that usually belongs in a monitor that costs twice as much. It is not the most vibrant option now, but its accuracy out of the box is better than most of its competitors.
What you are sacrificing with the saved money here is the extra features and a better overall design. The monitor is built well, but it is limited when it comes to ergonomics and features. However, it’s very easy to look beyond that if you are after raw performance, so it still is an excellent upgrade for us.
Pros:
- Very Low Price
- Fast and Lag-Free
- Excellent Accuracy
- FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible
Cons:
- Limited Features
- Tilt Stand and OSD Buttons
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.
Leave a Reply