High refresh rate, low price
The notion of a "gaming monitor" is a somewhat new phenomenon, since for what seems like an eternity every monitor just ran at 60Hz and that was your only option. Nowadays there are all kinds of gaming monitors available, and one of the signature features is typically a sky-high refresh rate in order to make everything on the screen appear more fluid. Acer has a pretty deep bench when it comes to these types of monitors, so I decided to test its $200 entry-level 114HZ refresh rate model, the GN246HL (currently $199.99 on Amazon). It's available in other sizes and configurations, including versions with G-Sync, but this is the base model. Aside from its high refresh rate, it's a pretty typical monitor in most respects as you can see in the spec chart.
Design, and Features
Right out of the box, the GN246HL makes a good impression with its thin profile and four-spoked stand with nifty copper highlights. Assembly is a snap, literally, as the base clicks into the stand, which then clicks into the monitor itself. Tightening two screws secures everything, and the screw on the back of the monitor can be torqued using a coin. I learned in testing that it's important to torque all the screws down pretty hard, otherwise it wobbles around a bit.
Once it was set up I was impressed by how thin the upper portion of it is, as it's just 1.7" thick. Part of its space-saving profile is due in part to the fact that it uses an external power supply, so it's a tradeoff really since you either have to clog up a little more space on your desk or put it on the floor and worry about running it over with your chair. Neither is ideal.
As far as outputs go the monitor offers HDMI, VGA, and DVI-D, but no DisplayPort. Though it might be obvious that the VGA connector won't support a refresh rate beyond 60Hz, due to it being ancient technology, the same is true for its older HDMI 1.4 port as well, so to get the benefits of its 144Hz refresh rate you'll need to use the dual-link DVI connection. Thankfully Acer includes the DVI cable in the box along with a VGA cable too.
Aside from the video outputs and the AC adapter port, the monitor includes an audio-out jack that lets you route an audio signal to a set of external speakers, or a set of headphones if you're a sadist. There are no built-in speakers, but we don't mind since ditching them helps keep the price down and lets the monitor retain its svelte profile. Besides, we usually game with a headset or actual decent speakers anyway.
Aesthetically, there really isn't much to discuss with the GN246HL. Aside from the copper highlights on the stand, it looks like an ordinary, 24-inch monitor. The power button on the bottom right of the monitor glows blue when it's on, but otherwise, it doesn't have any panache or notable styling cues.
Acer GN264HL power switch.
Performance
In my testing, it was an interesting experience going from a 60Hz monitor to this 144Hz model. My initial impression in games was that on-screen movement seemed much more fluid than what I've previously experienced, which was expected, but I wasn't positive I'd notice it in every game. Though I didn't see much difference in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, DOOM seemed noticeably more fluid. Overall there was zero ghosting, contrast looked good, and it was surprisingly bright too. There aren't any gaming-specific features to enable or tweak, which made it a true plug-and-play experience, and the monitor felt responsive and fast at all times.
Viewing angle performance was great as long as you don't slouch much in your chair, although I wished I could tilt the GN246HL just a hair forward more. It only tilts forward 15 degrees, and the base doesn't move up or down at all, so if you find yourself slouching viewing angle can become an issue. Dead-on, everything is fine, but serious deviations in any direction and you'll definitely notice a slight color shift. Another unique but not exactly useful feature is that if you're one of the few people who has an Nvidia 3D Vision-enabled graphics card and a pair of glasses, the GN246HL can use it.
As far as black levels are concerned, the GN246HL had no problem with the test patterns on the Lagom LCD monitor test pages. Every square was visible, which is the ideal result for black level testing. When levels are inaccurate, there can be a loss in overall detail. It also affects contrast, meaning there's less difference between the whitest white and blackest black. Unfortunately, when I shifted in my chair or slouched a bit, the black levels suffered, with the top row of squares disappearing into the background.
White levels were not as accurate as the monitor's black levels and adjusting my viewing angle change didn't help. In some of the test patterns it was impossible to tell a very light gray from a pure white, which leads to loss of detail in bright areas. The gradient test showed significant banding in the darker half of the test image. A higher quality panel will show smooth gradients with no noticeable transition from light to dark, and vice-versa, but that's unfortunately not the case with the GN246HL.
The Lagom test for response time shows eight patterns with pixels flashing on and off at a frequency of 10 hertz. Response time is a measure of how quickly a monitor can turn a pixel from black to white, or from one shade of gray to another. The GN246HL showed noticeable flashing in all but one of the test patterns, meaning its response time is poor. For a 144Hz monitor running games at super-high frame rates, this could be a real deal breaker, as it can result in ghosting or visual artifacts.
Running the Blur Busters UFO test, which detects motion blurring and artifacts, the GN246HL showed noticeable inverse ghosting on all three rows. This happens when a pixel goes beyond its intended color value, and in correcting itself, produces the inverse ghosting effect, which looks like a negative color trail behind a moving object.
Overall, the GN246HL didn't fare so well in these tests despite its decent black levels. Given its rock-bottom price of $200 its iffy showing isn't terribly surprising, however.
Purchasing Guide
The Acer GN246HL 144Hz Gaming Monitor can often be grabbed for as long as $199.99, but like a lot of PC hardware prices vary depending on where you shop. Newegg has it for $275, for example, but it's currently $199 on Amazon:
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The Verdict
Despite its plastic-y design and noodle-necked base, the GN246HL is a decent choice for anyone looking to experience a high refresh rate monitor on a tight budget. While you may never use its 3D features you'll certainly notice the high refresh rate in everyday use, as well as the extra money in your bank account.
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