The Sceptre C275W-1920RN is the ultimate monitor when it comes to affordability and value per dollar spent. It’s less than a hundred bucks, but it has a large screen with high contrast and essential features that will be useful for its intended audience. Let’s take a closer look to know the pros and cons if you go with this money-saving option.

Sceptre C275W-1920RN Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 FHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Refresh Rate: 75Hz
- Response Time: 8ms
- Contrast Ratio: 3000:1
- Brightness: 250 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 2 Watts)
- Stand: Height – Yespaint
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot– No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: HDMI x 1, VGA x 1, USB 3.2 x 3, 3.5mm Jack x 1
- Dimensions With Stand (WxHxD): 24.27″ x 17.69″ x 9.01″
- Weight: 8.59 lbs
Design and Features
The Sceptre C275W-1920RN is a basic monitor when it comes to design, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The monitor has a matte black finish with a silver accent on the base, so it doesn’t look like there’s too much going on. The screen has a bezel-free design, but it still has inner borders like most modern displays.
It’s a curved 27-inch model, so it’s not gigantic or too intrusive by today’s standards. it’s a little over two feet wide and around nine inches deep with its base, so setting it up should be a breeze. It’s very light at 8.59 pounds, so it should be very easy to carry or move around.
the Sceptre C275W-1920RN’s build quality isn’t so great since it’s mostly made out of plastic. We didn’t see any cosmetic defects, but the panels feel thin since they flex if you squeeze hard enough. The included stand can hold the monitor upright, but it wobbles if you touch or nudge the screen.
One downside is this monitor’s use of OSD buttons instead of a more convenient joystick. The keys are located at the back near the right-hand side, so it’s easy to access even if you don’t see them. The problem is that you will need to do multiple presses to get to a specific setting, and that can get annoying sometimes.
The included stand only offers tilt, so you won’t get a lot of room to adjust for comfort. The monitor is quite tall compared to a regular office or school display, but taller users might feel the need to raise it up a bit. You can use 75 x 75 VESA mounts, but those only become necessary in select instances.
The Sceptre C275W-1920RN’s connectivity layout only includes the basics since it fits in that category. You only get HDMI and VGA for video inputs, but that’s all you will need for 1080p 75Hz operation. You also get a 3.5mm jack for headphones, but there are no USB ports for other peripherals.
This monitor does include built-in speakers for basic audio needs. The drivers are backward-firing, so it’s ideal to place these monitors back to a wall to maximize them. However, they only offer 2 watts of power each, so booming bass and clarity for games and movies will not be possible.
Display and Performance
The Sceptre C275W-1920RN sports a 27-inch curved VA panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 75Hz refresh rate, and an 8ms response time. The backlight has a 250 cd/m2 output while the contrast ratio is listed at 3000:1. This model doesn’t have HDR capabilities, but that’s expected since its made extra affordable for the masses.
1080p at 27 inches isn’t the sharpest, but it is great for visibility and legibility. It is easy to read a wall of text on the monitor, plus tiny objects will appear bigger compared to sharper screens. You could run this monitor with basically any GPU, but the power requirement will still scale up if you play top-end games with heavy graphics.
The Sceptre C275W-1920RN covers 100% of sRGB and 70% of DCI-P3, allowing it to put out a decent range of colors in any instance. Its default accuracy could be better since the deltaE average is at 3.12, so some shades or hues might appear off when you use it for the first time. However, it’s understandable that factory calibration isn’t factored with a monitor at this price range.
Calibrating it reduced the dE average to 1.76, which is a world of difference for some users who have experienced better-tuned displays. The downside is that you will need a colorimeter to get a profile like that since its impossible to achieve it by using the limited OSD alone. The gadget itself is way more expensive than this model, so we don’t think it’s worth doing unless you already have a colorimeter at home.
The Sceptre C275W-1920RN’s backlight reached 237 cd/m2, so it can’t get too bright to fight off glare in well-lit rooms. Its contrast reached 2877:1 at 49% brightness, enabling it to produce deep blacks and inky dark scenes. Some “black crush” can happen, but its not a big deal unless you intentionally look for the issue on screen.
panel uniformity for the test sample could be better since there are some noticeable backlight leaks on the top edge of the display. This is very common with curved monitors, but not all of them have the same issue. There will still be better units out there since no two panels are equally identical in this regard.
Another weakness of the Sceptre C275W-1920RN is its slow pixel response time. The brand did put 8ms on the spec sheet instead of some crazy marketing gimmick, so this is expected. VA panels aren’t great when it comes to motion clarity, but it is still serviceable for casual play.
The Sceptre C275W-1920RN doesn’t have FreeSync or G-Sync compatibility out of the box. That’s okay since it doesn’t take a lot to get to 1080p 75Hz anyway. VRR is always handy for demanding titles, but the need for it can be mitigated by optimizing your graphics settings to stabilize framerates. Its input lag sits at 10ms at 75Hz, so it is decently responsive for casual play and typical daily use.
Thoughts on the Sceptre C275W-1920RN
The Sceptre C275W-1920RN is very surprising considering its sub-$100 price range. You can’t normally get a 27-inch monitor in that category unless it’s a massive holiday sale like Black Friday. It offers great colors and contrast, plus some gaming capability for casual users.
It does have a lot of limitations like the lack of VRR and the limited stand. However, that’s forgivable, considering it wasn’t made as a specialty monitor anyway, so we expected all these omissions from the start. It is a great choice if you simply need a cheap and large display for casual gaming or office use, although there is still room for improvement.
Pros:
- Excellent Color and Contrast for the Price
- large Screen for the Price
Cons:
- Limited Features and Refresh Rate
- Prone to Blurring
- Overall
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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