Sceptre E248B-FPT168 Detailed Review: The Luxury of High Refresh Rate Gaming at Cheap!

INTRODUCTION

The gaming industry has shown immense growth in the past couple of years, and with more and more competitions being held, the number of players are increasing globally. Due to increasing demand, the rates to build gaming rig is sky high, and it can cost you as high as your Toyota. Established gamers can afford, but what about those beginners and amateurs. Well, the $100 monitors can run your desired gaming titles. Still, it isn’t about the monitor, what matters is refresh rate, response times, VRR that make the gaming experience much more immersive and give you that competitive advantage.

The more you ask, the more money it will take, but not this time. The guys at Scpetre have got you covered with their newest offering E248B-FPT168, which is the cheapest 165Hz refresh rate gaming monitor in the industry. Yes, you heard it right, the luxury of high refresh rate gaming with the cheapest price tag.

DESIGN & AESTHETICS

The design of Sceptre E248B-FPT168 is understated and clean. It doesn’t look like a gaming monitor as such. Instead, it has more of a professional look that professionals will love more than gamers. What really stands out is its uniquely designed stand that offers excellent grip despite being small and delicate. It sits on 3-legs and its hold the monitor very well. There aren’t any movements or wobbling of the screen when the impact is applied on the desk. It offers seamless tilt adjustments of 5° forward, and 15° backward. However, the offering of a fully adjustable stand would have been great here, especially for those who get productive. Nonetheless, you do get VESA mount support so mounting this monitor on a custom arm is going to be super easy.

The body is frameless with no bezels on the side, and the bottom is quite thick because the Sceptre branding goes there. However, from 3-sides, it’s truly bezel-less, so the monitor looks indeed futuristic and immersive when movies and games are played. The bezel-less design also makes it perfect for multiple monitor setup, and it doesn’t break the bank as well. The build is not the best because that’s where Scpetre has comprised to give you those top tier gaming features. It’s build of plastic which does feel quite cheap and attracts a lot of dust over some time so you might need to wipe a cloth periodically to keep it clean. Ports and controls for OSD are given on the back. The buttons for OSD can be accessed from the front, and the menu is easy to use with several modes for gaming built-in. However, a proper joystick would have been more intuitive than these regular buttons. Apart from that, you do get a pair of built-in speakers on the monitor that don’t sound great, but it is excellent since even some expensive monitors don’t offer.

As far as packaging is concerned, the monitor comes very well packed, and the stand comes detached so you will have to assemble on your own. You do get a screwdriver which is of excellent quality with screws so you won’t have to look for a screwdriver at the end moment.

PERFORMANCE & PICTURE QUALITY

The Sceptre E248B-FPT168 is probably one of the best multi-purpose monitors I have come across in the $200 price segment. Putting the gaming purpose to the side for a bit, the monitor itself is excellent for home, office productivity, and text-reading with its IPS panel. The colors look rich, and the viewing angles are wider than TN and VA monitors. The 320-nits maximum brightness is very rare to see in budget monitors, so using this monitor in a well-lit room isn’t going to be an issue. The 1080p resolution on the 24″ screen size offers decent sharpness, and the texts don’t feel fuzzy, so working on documents for an extended period would feel comfortable. The monitor also has a low blue light mode, which increases the color temperature that causes less eye strain.

Coming to the main highlight of Sceptre E248B-FPT168, the 165Hz refresh rate feels so smooth and fluidic while playing games. The difference is significant even when you move the cursor, and the gaming experience will feel like a luxury to the gamers coming from 60Hz monitors. It supports 144Hz refresh rate on HDMI, and a DisplayPort cable is given within the box, which is excellent at this price.

Further, the gaming experience is delighted with 1ms response time, so the fast motions will appear clear, and there will be no ghosting and stuttering. It also has FreeSync, so gamers with AMD cards will be benefitted. It also supports G-Sync, but the monitor is not Nvidia certified, so the support for G-Sync might not be the best. Apart from that, the Scpetre E248B-FPT168 has built-in FPS (First Person Shooter) and RTS (Real-Time Strategy) that further enhances the gaming experience a bit.

FEATURES

The Sceptre E248B-FPT168 is very well equipped with features, and the amount of value it gives is excellent for the price. Night owls will appreciate the low blue light mode on the monitor which lowers the blue light emission from screen to prevent eye strain as said earlier. It might not be the most desired feature in monitors, but the fact that Sceptre offers so much and still don’t miss out on such a basic feature is what I love about them. Whereas other manufacturers would usually cost cut and save their margin by not giving such features.

Apart from that, the Sceptre E248B-FPT168 houses a flicker-free technology that provides a clear vision without letting the panel flicker periodically. The FreeSync also kicks in to match the framerates coming from GPU to the monitor’s refresh rate for an extra-smooth gaming experience. There is FPS mode onboard which boosts the gaming performance to the max by pushing the monitor to its limit. The response time and input lag is lowered, and the refresh rate is maxed out.

ERGONOMICS & PORTS

Ergonomically, the Sceptre E248B-FPT168 is not best monitor in the segment since there are monitors under $200 that offer a fully adjustable stand. The stand provides a seamless tilt function; however, an offering of atleast height adjustment would have been great here. Nevertheless, the monitor does have VESA mount compatibility so gamers who want adjustments should mount this monitor on a custom arm.

The connectivity ports are ample, and they placed on the back. You get triple HDMIs that support up to 144Hz refresh rate, a DisplayPort that supports 165Hz refresh rate. A DisplayPort cable is given within the box, so we recommend gamers to otp DisplayPort for video connection for maximum performance. It also has 3.5mm audio output for connecting headsets.

SPECIFICATIONS

COMPARISON & ALTERNATIVES

The Sceptre E248B-FPT168 is the only 165Hz gaming monitor in the $200 segment. However, it is always better to look for alternatives and features you get for the money.

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23.8″ Full HD IPS	23.8″ Full HD IPS	24″ Full HD TN
1ms Response Time	1ms Response Time	1ms Response Time
165Hz Refresh Rate	144Hz Response Time	144Hz Response Time
AMD FreeSync	AMD FreeSync	N/A
DisplayPort	DisplayPort	DisplayPort
Built-in Speakers	Built-in Speakers	N/A
VESA Mount Compatible	VESA Mount Compatible	VESA Mount Compatible
Check Price	Check Price	Check Price

Under $200, the BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P and Acer Nitro VG240Y compete with our current contender Secpre E248B-FPT168. They both offer 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, but if you want that little extra smoothness, the Sceptre E248B-FPT168 is still a steal deal for the price. The Sceptre E248B-FPT168 and Acer Nitro VG240Y miss out on a fully adjustable stand. At the same time, BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P offers the same, so moving the monitor in various orientations is going to be super easy. Although, there are trade-offs, because the panel on BenQ ZOWIE XL2411P is TN, so viewing angles are going to be terrible.

OVERALL

If you have $200 to spend on a gaming monitor and ask for the highest refresh rate for that money, then the Sceptre E248B-FPT168 should be on the top of your list because it is the only monitor with a 165Hz refresh rate under $200. It offers stellar gaming performance with no ghosting and stuttering effects, thanks to its super-fast 1ms response time. FreeSync also kicks in to eliminate motion trails and other unnecessary effects.

The best thing about this monitor is that it is not limited to gaming only. It houses an IPS panel, so colors and viewing angles are excellent, making it a versatile monitor for most purposes other than gaming as well.