Sceptre X270W-1080P Review: A Value 27" That Delivers
by Brian Klug on May 17, 2010 10:22 PM ESTSceptre’s 27” X270W-1080P LCD is targeted primarily at PC gamers and desktop productivity segments of the market. To that extent, it packs a TN panel for higher refresh rate and lower processing lag (we’ve shown in previous tests that, for whatever reason, S-PVA panels show a significant amount of input lag), and for meeting that relatively low price point. There are caveats we’ve repeated time and time over about the TN choice, but it actually makes sense here; Sceptre wants a fast panel for gamers that likely don’t care about super accurate color tracking, and they want it to meet gamers’ budgets.
The X270W-1080P, as you’ve probably guessed already, is 1080P. At this size, we’ve got a slightly bigger pixel pitch than we’re used to seeing at 0.311 mm, but in practice it isn’t all that disturbing. In fact, a quick survey of the 27” class of monitors available as of this writing reveals that nearly all are 1920x1080. The 27” class of monitors are an odd bunch size and price wise - sitting in-between 24” and 30” displays. Jumping up to 30” brings you into a market populated with $1200 offerings with all the trimmings. In fact, the X270W’s primary competition is the Hanns•G HH-281HPB 28” LCD which sits at a similar $300 price point.
Anyhow, let’s dive into the specifications:
| Sceptre X270W-1080P - Specifications | |||
| Property | Quoted Specification | ||
| Video Inputs | DVI-D with HDCP, VGA, HDMI, Audio In (3.5 mm) | ||
| Panel Type | TN (Unknown Panel) | ||
| Pixel Pitch | 0.311mm | ||
| Colors | 16.7 million colors | ||
| Brightness | 400 nits typical | ||
| Contrast Ratio |
1000:1 advertised 60000:1 Dynamic advertised |
||
| Response Time | 2ms typical | ||
| Viewable Size | 27" diagonal | ||
| Resolution | 1920x1080 (1080P) 16:9 aspect ratio | ||
| Viewing Angle | 170 degrees horizontal, 160 degrees vertical | ||
| Power Consumption (operation) | <55 watts | ||
| Power Consumption (standby) | <1 watt | ||
| Screen Treatment | Matte (anti-glare) | ||
| Height-Adjustable | No | ||
| Tilt | Yes | ||
| Pivot | No | ||
| Swivel | No | ||
| VESA Wall Mounting | Yes - 100x100mm | ||
| Dimensions w/ Base (WxHxD) | 25.5" x 17.9" x 9.43" (WxHxD) | ||
| Weight w/o Stand | 18.7 lbs | ||
| Additional Features | Built in speakers - 3 watts per channel, kensington security port, Energy Star V.5 | ||
| Limited Warranty | 1-year limited warranty (parts and labor) | ||
| Accessories | DVI, VGA, and power cables | ||
| Price | $399.99 MSR | ||
The X270W packs an above average selection of ports: DVI-D with HDCP, VGA, and HDMI, the latter of which is hugely important for a gaming display so users can switch between PC and a console.
Audio In, HDMI, DVI with HDCP, and VGA (D-SUB)
Interestingly, the X270W also packs two internal speakers rated at 3 watts per channel, but doesn’t provide any audio out options for HDMI inputs. That’s a marginal omission - arguably Xbox 360 and PS3 users alike can send audio out over optical TOSLINK to a reciever, or over analog 2 channel by using an adapter, but it’d be nice to see the option for versatility sake. Especially since there’s obviously that hardware onboard for stereo audio to work in the first place.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
61 Comments
View All Comments
HollyDOL - Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - link
I really wonder whether this screen contains true 8bit per channel mask or whether it uses dithering to fake it...Usualy, TN panels are just 6bit per channel and remaining colours are faked using dithering or frame rate control.
Brian Klug - Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - link
I wonder that too, and in all honesty it's likely 6-bit and dithered like you said.I'm still trying to figure out a good way to test - displaying the color pattern works, but there's still some dithering on even the highest end stuff I can find. Still trying to get to the bottom of it.
I'm open to any ideas though! ;)
-Brian
Luke212 - Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - link
the Sony G520 does 1024x768x120Hz. I recently bought one for $20 so i'm sure you can find one to testLuke212 - Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - link
sorry, btw the g520 is VGA not DVI. i also had no luck finding a dvi crt.RavnosCC - Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - link
I needs me some high hrz gaming!Brian Klug - Wednesday, May 19, 2010 - link
They're definitely coming ;) I'm working hard on getting a number of 120Hz panels in for reviewing pleasure ;)Stay tuned!
-Brian
jaydee - Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - link
Count me among those dissapointed in the resolution. That big has got to be at least 1920x1200. I know it's cheap, but would it really add that much cost?I bought a 20.1" Sceptre LCD above 4 years ago (for around $350, ughh...), which I'm overall pleased with. The only thing that bothered me, was really dark scenes, there was a fairly noticable criss-cross of light coming from the corners. I've heard the only way to truly avoid this was to get a LED-backlit LCD. How bad was this on the review unit? I didn't see mention of, but maybe you covered it and I'm just not familar enough with the terminology.
Also, I'd like to see review(s) of some of the ASUS units, namely the VW266h (25.5" 1920x1200 for $250 AR right now) and the above mentioned ASUS MT276HE (27" 1920x1080 for $320 AR).
theoflow - Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - link
Hey Anand and crew,Really digging all the reviews in the past couple of months and it is definitely helping me steer myself in the right direction for product purchases.
Although this might delve into a realm that isn't your speciality, I would be very interested in inexpensive 32" LCD review for HTPC usage. I think this is a sweet spot that is neglected quite a bit, with reviews and suggestions jumping to 42" displays way too quickly.
Keep up the good work and looking forward to whatever is in the review pipeline.
Brian Klug - Wednesday, May 19, 2010 - link
Hmmz, there have been more than a few requests for us to take a look at some smaller (well, is 32" small? Small for a TV, large for a monitor, hehe) TVs and profile them against monitors. I've seen an increasing number of friends dropping their computer-LCDs in favor of LCD-TVs, so I think it'd be an interesting thing to take a look at.It's definitely something we haven't tackled yet. I've got a 32" Vizio of my own (oh boy, the irony of having such nice LCD displays and then two Vizio TVs - though they've improved significantly as of late) that I could try, hmmz. I'll see what I can fit in! Thanks for the idea/feedback!
-Brian
Corporate Thug - Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - link
Anandtech/Brian, can you please please please review the DoubleSight DS-2700DW...I know a lot of people who are interested in seeing ONE review of this thing. I think at $399, it would be a nice comparison.