Introduction and Specifications
IPS G-Sync gaming at 144Hz!
Displays have been a hot item as of late here at PC Perspective. Today we are looking at the new Acer XB270HU. In short, this is an IPS version of the ASUS ROG Swift. For the long version, it is a 1440P, 144Hz, G-Sync enabled 27 inch display. This is the first G-Sync display released with an IPS panel, which is what makes this release such a big deal. Acer has been pushing hard on the display front, with recent releases of the following variable refresh capable displays:
- XB270H 27in 1080P 144Hz G-Sync
- XB280HK 28in 4K 60Hz G-SYnc
- XG270HU 27in 1440P 40-144Hz FreeSync
- XB270HU 27in 1440P 144Hz G-Sync < you are here
The last entry in that list is the subject of todays review, and it should look familiar to those who have been tracking Acer's previous G-Sync display releases:
Here's our video overview of this new display. I encourage you to flip through the review as there are more comparison pictures and information to go along.
Continue reading our review of the Acer XB270HU 1440P 144Hz IPS G-Sync Monitor!!
Specifications
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
One aberration we noted in the specs was a lack of included USB 3.0 cable. Many competing displays (even Acer's previous G-Sync panels) incldued this cable, so beware of that point when purchasing.
G-Sync
Ryan did a deep dive on G-Sync in his original ASUS PG278Q Review. Those unaware of what G-Sync is or would like to be educated further should read that linked review. Here's an excerpt:
The idea of G-Sync is pretty easy to understand, though the implementation method can get a bit more hairy. G-Sync introduces a variable refresh rate to a monitor, allowing the display to refresh at wide range of rates rather than at fixed intervals. More importantly, rather than the monitor dictating what rate this refresh occurs at to the PC, the graphics now tells the monitor when to refresh in a properly configured G-Sync setup. This allows a monitor to match the refresh rate of the screen to the draw rate of the game being played (frames per second) and that simple change drastically improves the gaming experience for several reasons.
If you would like some more reading on G-Sync technology, here are a few prior articles on the matter (in chronological order):
- Ryan's first G-Sync technology article
- PCPer Live! G-Sync Q&A w/ Tom Petersen
- G-Sync Surround Impressions (SLI + 3x ROG Swift)
- ASUS ROG Swift Review (has a good summary of the tech)
- Dissecting G-Sync and FreeSync (analysis of refresh rates at low FPS)
Acer rates the panel at a 350 nit maximum brightness, a 4ms GTG response time and a 1000:1 contrast ratio that lines up with our testing. We will not be going as in-depth as the excellent TFTCentral review of this same display, but we will be pointing out some issues not covered in their review. This monitor stand and shell is physically identical to the XB270H 27-in 1080P 144Hz G-Sync panel, and also appears very similar to the XB280HK 28-in 4K G-Sync panel (minus an inch off of its diagonal).
“One aberration we noted in
“One aberration we noted in the specs was a lack of included USB 3.0 cable.”
Not sure if Acer changed their mind or whatever, but mine had one included. Was a pleasant surprise after reading this review. 🙂
The lower right corner bleed
The lower right corner bleed is massive and really annoying. It is also considered as “work as design” by Acer. This screen was the last piece of hardware I will buy from that company.
My monitor has no dead pixels
My monitor has no dead pixels but there is one annoying thing. Sometimes the right half of the screen will have vertical lines and nothing will stop it. Someone please help and tell me the problem with my monitor. My friend says its the Graphics Cards problem and I need to fix it. email me at BobLu323@gmail.com and tell me the problem please thank you
Are you aware of any
Are you aware of any competing displays coming out from other brands with the same features and the same or similar panel? I like the feature set but I lack confidence in Acer to provide a unit with good build quality and without any defects.
I haven’t seen this on my
I haven’t seen this on my Benq XL2730Z, though my old PG278Q Swift did have this issue and finally broke from it I believe.
Asus couldn’t fix and and had no replacements so they refunded me, I t lasted 7 months.
It most definitely also
It most definitely also occurs on the XL2730z, I’ve just returned a display bought on Nov 4th.
They all use the same 1440p pane, so it is expected they all exhibit the same problems.
I love this monitor. I have
I love this monitor. I have October model, So been playing games with 165gz refresh rate. This is awesome monitor. Sure it had bit bleeding light on 3 of 4 corners, this has not affected my gaming and is only noticeable when very dark screen. It expected to have little bleeding. Yet to see IPS monitor that dint have it. Key factor is 0 dead Pixels and amazing colours. Best monitor on market by long shot 🙂