Mini LED (opens in new tab) and QD-OLED (opens in new tab) panel technologies, monstrous screen sizes (opens in new tab), and maniacal refresh rates (opens in new tab). Take your pick. But what are the essential elements of a great gaming monitor?

On paper, the answer may be the new Pixio PXC277 Advanced for just $240. It's a 27-inch 1440p panel with 165Hz refresh and a 1ms required response time; it's also HDR capable; and it has a 1.5-inch display with a 1.5-inch resolution and a 1.5ms required response time. At this price, it's a heck of a package.

It also meets almost all of our key metrics: 1440p on a 27" panel remains a great all-around compromise between size, pixel density, and GPU load. Similarly, 165Hz is good enough for all but the most demanding esports addicts. The same goes for a theoretical 1ms response time.

Besides these key specs, there are one or two other questionable data points. However, perfection at this price point is unreasonable. Having said this, if the PXC277 Advanced is even halfway decent, $240 would be a bargain. That's a small fraction of the $1,000 needed for a 27-inch OLED monitor like the LG UltraGear 27GR95QE-B (opens in new tab), for example.

In fact, the monitor is so aggressively priced that one immediately becomes concerned about what corners have been cut. Out of the box, the display's main chassis feels uncomfortably light. However, it is well put together enough.

With slim bezels on three sides, a bit of chin, and a crisp metal stand, the PXC277 doesn't really look like a bargain. The external power supply is certainly a drag on the tone. It's generic, with a cheesy Pixio sticker. The aforementioned stand is tiltable.

Similarly, the contents of the box are noticeably unadorned: there is a single DisplayPort cable, but no HDMI cable. But hey. We're fine with that; DisplayPort is essential to get the full 165 Hz, and the cable is included for that purpose...who doesn't have a few spare HDMI cables in their drawer?"

Incidentally, the PXC277 Advanced actually has dual DisplayPort 1.2 connections, a single HDMI 2.0 socket, and a headphone jack. And that's it: no USB-C or USB-A hub. Then again, at this price point, it's just right.

Ostensibly, HDR is supported. But, of course, the backlighting is monolithic. There is no full-array local dimming, and the rated brightness is a modest 320 nits maximum by today's standards.

Nevertheless, the panel's claimed native contrast is 4,000:1, which is impressive and confirms Pixio's choice of VA rather than IPS technology; VA is usually a bit cheaper than IPS, making it a necessary choice for a low-cost gaming monitor. The advantage is superior contrast, about four times better than a typical IPS screen. The downside is response; VA tends to be slower than IPS. [However, Pixio claims 1ms, which uses a gray-to-gray metric rather than the more forgiving MPRT metric. This means that it is theoretically equivalent to much more expensive monitors. This is very promising.

As for the actual image quality and gaming experience, well, it's not immediately horrible. Phew. The default calibration of the panel is reasonably accurate there, and there are no weird sharpening filters or backlight bleed, which is common on really cheap panels.

Even with the backlight set to maximum, this is certainly not the most punchy display. However, it is reasonably vivid, and the contrast inherent in VA panel technology provides good black levels; the basic desktop experience in SDR mode is quite pleasant.

As for pixel response, it's a bit more complicated: the Pixio's OSD menu provides access to three levels of pixel acceleration overdrive. The fastest option suffers from the worst overshoot we've seen in years. Perhaps this mode is necessary to achieve 1 ms.

Even at the middle overdrive setting, reverse ghosting is noticeable. However, when the overdrive is set to low, it almost disappears, resulting in a surprisingly good response; there is almost no smear or obvious blurring, as is common with VA screens.

It's not as fast as the best IPS monitors. But you'll have to look pretty hard to spot the difference. At this price point, it's a win.

Less impressive, as expected, is the panel's HDR performance: it processes the HDR signal and launches broadly correct colors. However, it is far from a true HDR experience. In addition, the HDR calibration results in compression at the high end, causing bright details to be blown out.

Furthermore, HDR mode is neither brighter nor more dynamic than SDR mode, so there is little point in using it, especially if it offers a worse SDR calibration than SDR mode itself.

But again, we say. Thanks to the high-contrast VA panels, the panels are quite dynamic in SDR mode. For example, the neon lights in the cyberpunk underground bar scene really stand out nicely against the jet-black background. This is a truly great-looking display.

The same can be said for bright outdoor gaming areas. The brightness is not as good as, say, a mini LED monitor. However, it is actually brighter than OLED monitors based on LG's panel technology. Place this monitor next to these monitors and you'll have a hard time justifying the 4x price premium.

As for speed-sensitive gaming, here's another piece of good news: 165Hz refresh delivers nimble response and well-controlled latency. Simply put, no complaints.

So we went into this review expecting a monitor that could do just about anything; the 2,560 x 1,440 pixel grid promises a decent desktop experience, and the VA panel has the right specs for detail in the latest triple-A titles

And the screen is a good size.

And this monitor does just that. At this price point, one could be forgiven for making some excuses. But in practice, you don't have to; the Pixio PXC277 Advanced does almost everything well.

The only exception is HDR. However, since the specs clearly indicate that it is not a true HDR panel, there is no point in complaining that HDR support is not a feature that is actually usable. That said, the biggest complaint, along with the lack of height adjustment from the stand, is that the panel is curved; on a 27-inch 16:9 monitor, it doesn't contribute much to proceedings.

Also, thanks to the gentle radius of the 1500R, this curved surface doesn't get in the way too much. So let us box it in with the other minor disadvantages. Certainly, we are good with this monitor in the broadest sense. And then some. This is more than we expected to pay for it.