Sceptre E255B-1658A Review in 2023

Shaving off a few shillings can benefit you for a time being, but compromising on quality can cost you a lifetime. Your ideal goal should be to get peripherals that can withstand and endure all the shortcomings, and keeping that in mind, today’s winning spot is taken by Sceptre E255B-1658A. It’s a gaming Freesync monitor that falls within the mid-range budget, giving you a decent head start for optimum gaming sessions. This specific monitor is known for enhanced eSport gaming and comes with a dynamic refresh rate. It’s a 25-inch monitor that can display 1080P with a response rate of 1ms.

Regardless of being a budget monitor, it blesses you with AMD Freesync technology which alters the refresh rate to balance off any tearing and freezing screens due to inconsistent refresh rate between the monitor and the GPU.

In short, you are paying less for such a phenomenal artistic piece. Imagine getting a 165 MHz display at such a low cost. Let’s begin it by first listing down all the features.

Features of Sceptre E255B-1658A

Design

The word “budget” can bring in morbid thoughts, especially when you are getting a monitor. You start battling with your conscience that you’ll end up getting an ugly looking piece on your table. But this is not the case with Sceptre E255B-1658A. There are no repulsive black bezels on the monitor. It comes with an edgeless design with a horde of other gaming-centric features that help you have an outstanding performance.

The monitor is supported by a V-shaped stand that provides 15 degrees backward and 5 degrees forward adjustment. This correlates to having imperial control over the monitor. Surprisingly, you also get the ability to detach the neck and base alike for personal reasons. Slightly push holders, and you are good to go.

The monitor lacks pivot, height adjustments, and swivel which is understandable because those are the things that make the monitor shaky and imbalanced and you don’t want that whilst playing your favorite game. In addition to that, a pair of speakers come along with the monitor, which is articulately embedded at the base. To be honest, to me the piece seems flawless.

Image Quality

Fortunately, Sceptre E255B-1658A takes over a new generation 24.5” TN Panel. This results in the monitor producing fine and sharp colors with a few tilting properties. This means that you can view the screen from different angles, but it’s restricted by the use of the TN panel. This technology is known for not providing high resolution and wide-angle views. If you are an ISP fan, then this monitor might not be your shot.

Sceptre E255B offers 8-bit color support with 16.7 million color combinations, a contrast ratio of 1,000: 1, and a peak brightness of 300-nits. This is progressive because you get a panoply of features in a budget-friendly gaming monitor.

You might be wondering about the 1080P 144Hz 1ms gaming monitors that offer a higher and probable brightness of 400-nits minimum. For example, brands like ACER, ASUS, and HP are known for providing sharp brightness support. But let me remind you, this Sceptre monitor uses a different supportive technology which is way brighter than the other flagship models. I can assure you that even on 300-nits you will be blinded. It will be imperative for you to tune down the settings by a few percentages.

Most of the system units don’t use 1080P resolution on idle sessions. Only if you are having an intense gaming moment, that the pc will tune its setting upwards. Let me remind you that the advantage of having a 165Hz monitor is worth mentioning. Since your monitor will be working on a lesser resolution on idle sessions, even if the game doesn’t require 1080P for now, the boost on Frame rates per second is praiseworthy. You will be having uncapped FPS on your screen because of the 165Hz refresh rate. That’s quite a thing to note. Even the pixel density will be linear without and congesting spikes. Believe me, you are in a good position by having this monitor.

Last but not the least, the monitor comes with a flicker-free technology in conjunction with AMD Free Sync which allows you to have a smooth gaming and rendering session. Even the DC backlight dimming helps you to achieve the perfect and consistent screen.

Inputs and Presets (Advanced features)

There are restrictions on a couple of features that are usually visible on other monitors, and not on this one. Regardless, you can still feast upon the remaining ones. It offers HDMI and Display port that can be used for a plethora of reasons. Connect the monitor to the console, or PC, the choice is yours. On top of that, you get the AMD Free Sync option which helps in reducing tearing and freezing alike.

In addition to that, you also get a pair of speakers that are embedded within the monitor. It’s worth mentioning that the speakers can be varied according to your preference, giving a wide range of noise levels.

Moreover, you also get an array of presets and color modes that can be channeled as per your wishes. For instance, you can set the night mode to reduce the strain on your eyes. Select from Standard picture mode, RTS, FPS, and blue shift. They are there for your convenience, so put them to good use. Surprisingly, you can also tune down and up the gamma and contrast settings.

Last but not the least, you are also earned with a couple of hotkeys that are situated at the back of the monitor. Through them, you can navigate the OSD (on-screen display) menu with ease.

Performance Gain

Speaking of performance, the first thing that hits our mind is the response and delay rate. Luckily, the response rate is 1ms which is as par the modern high-end gaming requirement. The delay rate might not fascinate you, but it’s around 5ms which is comparably fine for what the monitor costs. When combining these two rates, the overall rate affects how the image is projected. You will not be experiencing any trailing for fast-moving objects.

Sceptre E225B offers two response time overdrive options: On and Off. To eliminate ghosting properties, you will be in a dire need to turn this option “On”. But there’s a little problem. This can introduce pixel overshoot (inverse ghosting) that can reduce the number of FPS you are getting on more consuming games. It should be your priority to toggle the options for different games, depending on the GPU demand.

You should be glad for what AMD did for you. Free sync technology is what you want in these modern times. The range prescribed by AMD is 60-165 Hz, which means that you will not be experiencing any stuttering and freezing if the FPS threshold is set within the VRR (variable refresh rate) range.

Which refresh rate is better: 60Hz, 144Hz, 165Hz?

In my opinion, 60Hz is completely a decent refresh rate if your GPU can only synch at 60. It’s useless to even go for a higher rate if the GPU is not compatible with it. It will only result in lags and stuttering.

Most of the games run smoothly at 60 Hz but if you are someone who values every minor detail, then 144Hz or 165Hz is your shot. It was tested on a plethora of mid-end games like Assassins creed black flag, and GTA 5 with core i7 and GTX 1080. There weren’t any significant changes between 144Hz and 165 Hz, but the FPS generation was worth notice.

If you are looking forward to enjoying the games at 165Hz, all you have to do is toggle the display settings and you are good to go. It’s worth keeping in mind that the difference between 144Hz and 165Hz is minimal, but for gaming enthusiasts, every single millisecond counts.

Should you go for Sceptre E255B-1658A?

At the end of the day, people still question the reliability and credibility of a product, and it’s completely understandable because no one wants to get coaxed into buying a faulty piece. But, believe me, Sceptre E255B is one of those products which can provide you with a high-end gaming environment at such a low cost.

If you are looking for alternatives, you can search for the relevant list on different blogs and sites that will cost you around the same. As far as the Sceptre E255B is concerned, my advice will be to go for this product only because of the price tag. It’s inexpensive and has solid positive reviews that you can read for greater exposure.

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Muhammad Bilal

Hey, I’m Muhammad Bilal. I’m a tech fanatic (also read: Gamer), who loves scrutinizing fine details. I aim to strive hard in my respective fields (as a writer and software programmer). Before pursuing my majors in a university (right now in A-levels), I want to spend time exploring and reviewing the latest technology.