With the Acer Predator X27, Nvidia desires to alter our preconceptions about G-Sync screens. For many of us, Nvidia’s G-Sync expertise is worried primarily with offering excessive refresh charges for gameplay and the elimination of display tearing.
Whereas that’s nonetheless true, with the brand new line of G-Sync HDR screens (which incorporates the Acer Predator X27), Nvidia is eager to place G-Sync because the mark of a premium gaming monitor. Which means it doesn’t simply cope with excessive refresh charges and low enter latency (so the sport responds shortly to your mouse, keyboard or gamepad directions), however ultra-high resolutions, excessive picture high quality, and now HDR help as effectively.
At an occasion showcasing the Acer Predator X27 – alongside the second of this new era of G-Sync HDR screens, the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ – Nvidia highlighted excessive dynamic vary (HDR) as an essential addition to those screens. The HDR helps enhance picture high quality, not simply with higher distinction, but in addition a wider shade gamut – which is able to profit avid gamers.
Value and availability
We do not have a value for the Acer Predator X27 but, however as a 27-inch 4K G-Sync monitor with HDR, don’t anticipate it to be low-cost.
Equally-specced G-Sync screens with out HDR help go for round $900 (£700, AU$1,300), and whereas Nvidia could not present costs on the showcase occasion, it hinted that the Predator X27 gained’t be any lower than $1,000 (£800, AU$1,400). Having spoken to Acer, we imagine the worth can be round £2,199 ($three,000, AU$four,000).
That will be an terrible lot to pay for a monitor, and if the worth does find yourself being that prime, it will imply the Acer Predator X27 can be geared toward lovers and professional avid gamers who’re keen to spend that amount of cash. As quickly as we hear concerning the official value, we’ll replace this part.
Nvidia additionally wasn’t capable of give us a precise date on when the Acer Predator X27 can be that can be purchased, however Acer has instructed a Q3 launch, which is July, August and September.
Design and options
Out of the 2 G-Sync HDR screens we noticed, the Acer Predator X27 is subtler than the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ – however that’s to not say that the design is boring.
At 27 inches with a 16:9 facet ratio, this monitor will sit fairly simply in your desk with out being overbearing (as some screens with bigger screens and ultra-wide facet ratios are usually).
The bezel surrounding the display is kind of thick and bears the ‘Predator’ title alongside the underside. On the again of the monitor you will discover 4 buttons for controlling the onscreen menu, which could be reached on the left-hand aspect when you sit going through the monitor. There’s additionally a small joystick-like button that can be utilized to pick out choices within the menu.
Acer’s title is engraved within the again, and the stand holds the Predator brand. The stand itself is described by Acer as having “diamond-cut, geometrically impressed arms” that “lengthen outward, accenting the chiselled all-metal stand”. It’s definitely a handsome monitor that doesn’t distract you from the display.
After all, the display is the place probably the most consideration has been lavished. Together with its 4K UHD decision (three,840 x 2,160), it has a display refresh fee of 144Hz, which is effectively above the 60Hz refresh fee that almost all of 4K screens are at present able to.
This implies, if in case you have a graphics card that’s highly effective sufficient, you’ll be capable of get pleasure from 4K visuals at 144 frames per second, providing the holy grail of wonderful graphics and silky-smooth efficiency and gameplay. The 4ms response time means enter lag and ghosting are lower drastically, making for a quick and responsive gaming expertise.
It additionally options HDR 10 help, with a direct LED backlighting system, a quantum dot show and nearly 100% DCI-P3 shade gamut. It additionally has 99% Adobe RGB, and this wider shade house means way more practical colours onscreen.
The HDR, alongside the excessive refresh fee and 4K decision, implies that the Acer Predator X27 can be top-of-the-line trying gaming screens available on the market.
In the meantime, the onscreen menu offers you a variety of presets and helpful options for gaming, which can be acquainted to homeowners of different Acer gaming screens. These embody presets designed particularly for sure recreation genres, and a Darkish Increase mode that allows you to brighten up the display in dimly lit environments in video games, which may give you a aggressive benefit.
The Acer X27 on the proper, in comparison with an SDR monitor
Efficiency
We didn’t get to spend a lot time with the Acer Predator X27 on the Nvidia occasion, so we are going to develop on this part after we obtain a assessment pattern and correctly put it by way of its paces.
Nevertheless, from what we noticed, this can be a very spectacular trying monitor. It was positioned subsequent to a equally specced G-Sync monitor with out HDR, and the distinction when enjoying Ultimate Fantasy XV was very noticeable.
Colours have been way more vibrant on the Acer Predator X27, and the real-time climate system of the sport actually shone because of the HDR. For instance, trying on the solar on the Acer Predator X27 introduced the height brightness sky rocketing (it will probably go as much as 1,000 nits), however with out dropping the finer particulars of the remainder of the scene, such because the clouds. In the meantime, on the common monitor, the scene merely seemed washed out.
Due to the excessive refresh fee, the motion onscreen seemed and felt and responsive too. Players who shell out for the Acer Predator X27 ought to be in for an actual deal with, and we sit up for giving the monitor a extra in-depth look quickly.
Early verdict
From what we’ve seen, the Acer Predator X27 seems set to be an unbelievable 27-inch gaming monitor, which for the primary time combines 4K decision, excessive refresh charges and HDR, which actually makes a distinction to the picture high quality of video games that help it.
For the time being, the variety of HDR-enabled PC video games is small, however it’s rising, and with main names like Nvidia, Acer and Asus pushing HDR PC screens, hopefully we’ll see much more content material quickly.
Our one concern in the meanwhile is value – now we have a sense that is going to be an costly monitor, which can imply it is out of the attain of many avid gamers.