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When shopping for a gaming monitor, the principal considerations come down to price, performance and features, and in most cases you’ll have to sacrifice one of those. But if you’re willing to give up features like speakers, USB ports, RGB lighting and fancy styling, the Pixio PXC273 is worth considering. It has a few flaws; but when gaming it manages to deliver a lot for just $200.
On the positive side, it supports both FreeSync and G-Sync (unofficially) up to 144Hz, has an effective overdrive that eliminates motion blur and low input lag. Contrast is better than many other VA panels, and it delivers nearly 85% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
To get the best possible image, including nixing a green tint, some adjustments are required. Once we made those changes, we enjoyed a decent picture in both games and video. That means an artifact-free experience without frame tears, stuttering or overdrive ghosting. The extra color afforded by its native DCI-P3 gamut will appeal to many, but if you want an sRGB mode, you’re out of luck.
The Pixio PXC273 has room for improvement, but when considering its price it’s hard to fault. At $200, it undercuts similar displays by at least $100, and that may be enough to overcome what’s been left out. For the price-conscious gamer, we have no problem recommending the PXC273.
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Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.
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