acer predator x34 34-inch screen led-lit lcd monitors free sample

Fitted with a 1900R1curve, up to 180Hz Refresh2, and an Agile-Splendor IPS1 panel that revs up to 0.5ms3 response time – the Predator X34 Series has a single purpose: complete, total immersion.

Curved displays take gaming to a new level of play – one that pulls you in, wraps around your vision and refuses to let go. So, when it came to delivering gameplay in full 34-inch panoramic glory – only a 1900R1 curve in breathtaking 21:9 would do.

Few displays can match the speed of this display. Using fast crystal liquid technology and a wide color gamut, the X34 can achieve a 0.5ms response3 time while maintaining a high color gamut – meaning all the on-screen action comes through nice and smooth with almost no ghosting or color banding.

Want to be at the top of the competitive ladder? Use NVIDIA®’s Reflex Latency Analyzer1,4 to measure exactly how long it takes for your click to register on screen. Finally, a way to accurately measure the bond, or lack thereof, between mouse, PC and your display is all yours..

By detecting the clicks coming from your mouse and measuring the time it takes for a resulting display pixel change (i.e. gun fire) to happen on the screen. A measurement and report ensues.

Accessed via the OSD (on-screen display), GameView provides a number of useful features, such as setting the level of dark boost, ambient lighting, gaming profiles (up to 8), and more. Using this will optimize the display for the type of game you are playing.

With the right tech, you too can protect your eyes from the strains of long gaming sessions. Featuring: Flickerless™, BlueLightShield™, ComfyView™ and Acer Low Dimming technologies.

Choose from four filter settings via the OSD if you suspect that blue lights, being emitted from the LED panel, are causing eyestrain. We know the X34 is impressive but we never said don’t blink!

2 Actual refresh rates may vary depending on model and/or region, computer specifications/hardware and/or set up. This device is designed to support refresh rate overclocking up to 180Hz. However, overclocking may result in system instability. If you experience instability, try reducing the overclock to a lower refresh rate through the on-screen display settings.

© 2022 Acer Inc. Intel, the Intel Logo, Intel Inside, Intel Core, and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.

We"ve discussed at length what separates gaming monitors from other categories. No longer can a panel manufacturer wrap a 60Hz business-class screen in a zooty-looking chassis with red trim and call it done. It"s pretty well established that fast refresh, low input lag, quick panel response and perhaps a few game-specific picture modes are the minimum requirement for a display to truly qualify.

Also making its way up the priority list are resolution and pixel structure. Even though 1920x1080 (FHD) is the standard on most desktops, gamers want at least 2560x1440 (QHD); preferably in a 27-inch size, which is fast becoming the most common form factor in all display categories. With that much screen area, you"ll need QHD to render sufficient pixel density to remove jaggies from the image equation.

We"ve looked at some excellent gaming screens that keep costs down by employing TN panels. But ultimately, the best overall image fidelity comes from IPS. The differences are small but of all the monitors we’ve reviewed, IPS still stands as superior. It also still stands as a premium technology that commands fairly high prices.

Today, we"re checking out one such example: Acer"s Predator X34. It checks nearly every box with a 100Hz refresh rate, G-Sync, IPS and an ultra-wide 34-inch 21:9 aspect ratio with a 3800R curvature.

This is far from the first curved display reviewed here at Tom"s but it seems that with each one, performance gets a little better. Unfortunately prices have remained fixed at around $1000 or even a little higher. At this writing, the Predator X34 is selling for around $1300.

For your hard-earned cash you get a 3440x1440 pixel IPS panel with a flicker-free LED backlight, 10-bit color (courtesy of frame-rate conversion), a claimed 4ms response time, G-Sync, 100Hz refresh (with overclock) and decent built-in speakers that feature DTS tuning. It"s a good package for any gamer and it adds to its attractiveness by employing a bright and color-accurate panel part from LG. If the specs look familiar it"s because Acer is using the same part found in the XR341CK FreeSync display.

By using G-Sync and upping the max refresh to 100Hz, Acer has tacked on a $200 premium to the price of admission. So right off the bat, if you"re an AMD-user, you can save a bit of money by going for the XR341CK. The only thing you"ll be giving up is an extra 25Hz. The panel runs at 75Hz natively but the X34 adds an overclock option that lets you tweak up the action in 5Hz increments. Turning up the heat won"t void the warranty but Acer doesn"t guarantee 100Hz in every case. We had no trouble running at full honk all day long with our GTX Titan-based test system.

We haven"t talked much about the curve yet and that subject has been covered at length in past reviews. The X34 uses a slight 3800mm radius that wraps the image around just a bit without introducing visible distortion. It"s a neat effect that we like and it seems enough people are buying in to keep the category alive.

The Predator X34 seems to have every necessary qualification to take its place in the gaming category. Does its performance also measure up? Let"s take a look.

Approximate diagonal size of the display. If the manufacturer does not provide such information, the diagonal is calculated from the width and height of the screen.863.6 mm (millimeters)

There are curved displays, whose curve is part of a circumference (arc). In order to give more precise information about the curve of the screen, often the manufacturer provides data about the radius of this circumference. The smaller the radius, the larger the screen curve.3800 mm (millimeters)

Information about the number of pixels on the horizontal and vertical side of the screen. A higher resolution allows the display of a more detailed and of higher quality image.3440 x 1440 pixels

The pixel pitch shows the distance from the centers of two neighboring pixels. In displays, which have a native resolution (the TFT ones, for example), the pixel pitch depends on the resolution and the size of the screen.0.233 mm (millimeters)

The backlight is the source of light of the LCD display panels. The type of backlight determines the image quality and the color space of the display. There are various backlights such as CCFL, LED, WLED, RGB-LED, and etc.W-LED

Desktop monitors and smart TVs experience a latency/lag in visualizing the information. The time in milliseconds that the display needs to visualize the signal input.9 ms (milliseconds)

Is 4K really the future of gaming? A quick look at the Steam hardware survey reveals that 1080p is the dominant gaming resolution, with all others occupying less than one per cent of the market. In short, the long term migration to 1440p and 4K is by no means a fait accompli and there"s room for PC display tech to evolve in different, more intriguing directions. All of which leads us to the new wave of ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio displays and this brace of excellent new monitors: the Acer X34 Predator and the XR341CK.

Both represent Acer"s continuing push into the enthusiast gaming market - these are 34-inch curved displays with superb build quality, high-end materials and enthusiast-friendly features. Resolution is a superb 3440x1440 on both, offering a 33 per cent increase in horizontal resolution over a standard 2560x1440 screen. Both are equipped with state-of-the-art adaptive sync technologies - G-Sync on the X34 Predator and FreeSync on the XR341CK. Effectively, Acer"s focus on the high-end enthusiast is neatly divided between owners of AMD and Nvidia graphics hardware, with nobody missing out.

Both the Acer XR341CK and Predator displays use IPS panels that feature impressive colour performance out the box without the need for extensive calibration to accurately hit the Rec.709 and D65 standards for high definition material - setting gamma to 2.4/2.5 along with configuring the brightness (backlight) to suit your viewing environment is all most people will need to do to get a natural image. The form factor and subtle curved screen are also identical between the two monitors.

Functionality is similar too: both screens support variable refresh rates, with the AMD FreeSync-equipped XR341CK topping out at 75Hz. Meanwhile, the Predator is limited to 60Hz out of the box, although there is an option to overclock the display in order to enable refresh rates up to 100Hz. However, both AMD and Nvidia variable refresh options can only be used when hooking up the GPU by DisplayPort, as the current HDMI specifications only support fixed refresh rates.

Connectivity options divide the two screens, however. The utilisation of G-Sync limits the inputs of the X34, restricted to just a single HDMI and DisplayPort. Meanwhile, the XR341CK luxuriates in available ports - twin HDMI (2.0 and MHL support), DisplayPort in both mini and full-size configurations, plus a DP out for daisy-chaining multiple screens. On top of this, the XR341CK features picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture support unseen on the X34. However, both screens do feature the same quad-port USB 3.0 hub.

In terms of day-to-day work and play, these two screens offer a very similar experience. Sitting roughly 2.5 image heights away from both Acer displays, the ultra-wide 21:9 screen delivers a panoramic view to the presentation in games featuring large scale environments - such as Just Cause 3 and Star Wars Battlefront - with the gentle curve helping to subtly wrap scenery around the edge of our field of vision. With the view of the environment opened up, the extra visibility on offer works well in better immersing us into the world. Details fill out field of vision in a way that setting closer to a traditional 16:9 display can"t quite match, and this results in an image that feels more cinematic, and often larger in scope. The extra field of view also comes in handy when surveying the battlefield in FPS titles, allowing you to spot enemies across a wider area of the environment.

Movies also benefit from the same increase in screen space. Films shot in scope (2.35:1 and 2.39:1/2.40:1) are 33 per cent wider than those shot in aspect ratios close to 16:9, and this helps to deliver an extra panoramic sense of scale to the proceedings. Essentially, you are getting a visual experience more in line with what the director intended compared to the bordered presentation on a normal 16:9 display. One downside is that 1080p content has to scale heavily in order to fill the screen. After the borders are cropped out, the actual movie only fills around 800 lines of vertical resolution, leading to some soft-looking imagery when these videos are resized to 1440p.

On top of that, getting movies to be displayed correctly on the Acers can be problematic. There"s no option for vertical crop and zoom, so non-anamorphic scope content like Blu-rays and some PS4 games (such as The Order 1886 and The Evil Within) do not fill the screen correctly. Both the Acer XR341CK and the X34 Predator only offer options to horizontally stretch a 16:9 image to fill the screen at the sides, or to display this at the correct aspect ratio - but that"s it. Essentially, this means it"s impossible to hook up a PS4 or Blu-ray player to the monitor and enjoy ultra-wide gaming and movies with content produced in wider aspect ratios - the black borders are part of the 1080p 16:9 image and remain at the top and bottom of the screen. In order to get around this issue, you"ll need to play back Blu-ray movies on a PC and use software such as VLC media player to crop out the black bars and get a true 21:9 full screen image.

In terms of the curve, this aspect serves to subtly enhance the way content is displayed, with the bend often blending away into the background when gaming, rather than intrusively warping the image around you in an unnatural manner. However, the effect only really works when the display fills your field of view. Increase your viewing distance by a few feet and the curve starts to look unnatural. The effect also doesn"t quite suit productivity tasks. The inwards bend on the sides makes icons and text look a little odd - desktop icons and the menu bars in the top left in programs tend to appear a little closer compared to information at the centre of the screen. This effect works well when watching moves and playing games, but takes some time to get used to when video editing or web browsing on the monitor.

On the other hand, the expanded 21:9 aspect ratio makes video editing using software like Premiere easier: more of the timeline is visible without needing to zoom in, while there"s extra space to have additional effects and video windows on screen compared to when using a 16:9 display. On the desktop, more icons and windows can be displayed on the taskbar, while the extra space would also work well for splitting the screen into two separate workspaces, making it easier to have multiple windows and programs open and on screen at once.

Aside from the ultra wide aspect ratio, the other major feature of the Acer XR341CK is the support of variable refresh gaming via AMD"s FreeSync technology, while the X34 Predator supports Nvidia"s G-Sync instead. However, the XR341CK"s refresh is fixed at 75Hz during desktop use, with 60Hz video content featuring judder when played back. We tried overriding Windows 10"s refresh rate settings via the AMD control panel, but this didn"t give us the desired 60Hz update. By comparison, the Predator features a max 60Hz refresh by default, allowing for smooth playback of 30 and 60fps sources, plus there"s easy scalability to higher refreshes up to 100Hz if you want them. It"s clearly the more versatile display in this regard, and the flexibility with refresh rates comes in handy - especially for those working in video production.

Top-tier GPU technology simply isn"t a good fit for 4K screens right now. 3440x1440 ultra-wide offers up anything between a 45 to 55 per cent increase in gaming frame-rates, as these benchmarks demonstrate.

Adaptive sync is often touted as a means by which judder can be removed entirely from the gameplay experience, but this isn"t the case - the effect is minimised but the persistence of each frame is still variable, which can impact the experience in many gaming scenarios. Our recommendation here is to cap the frame-rate at a level sustainable by the GPU under load: so if you"re getting between 45-65fps a good solution would be to cap at 45fps to gain a more consistent experience. It"s at this point that the strengths of adaptive sync make themselves known - any arbitrary value above the screen"s minimum refresh rate can be chosen, and outside of eSports scenarios, generally the human eye tends to favour a consistent update.

Of course, both of these screens offer very high refresh rates for those looking for the most responsive gaming experience. Running at 100Hz on the Predator and at a maximum 75Hz on the XR341CK, visual motion appears similar to 60fps gaming, but the feel of the controls changes markedly for the better: input latency is reduced: controls feel snappier and analogue stick precision comes closer to replicating the feel of a mouse when it comes to fast movement. Meanwhile, mouse movement gains significantly, helped still further by the displays" low latencies. Measured at just 10ms on both Acer monitors, the gaming experience here is simply superb.

Running at 100Hz on the Predator reduces the amount of ghosting compared to running the display at 60Hz, with there being a little more clarity in fast moving scenes. However, motion resolution remains unchanged: 300 lines of detail is all the Acer XR341CK and the X34 Predator can manage, in line with the vast majority of LCDs available. This doesn"t change when using the overdrive option, although setting this to normal helps to reduce visible ghosting.

Interested in finding just the right monitor for your desktop setup? If you’re shopping for an all-around display, we highly recommend the Dell P2720DC monitor. It looks fantastic, comes at an affordable price like many of the budget monitors out there, and has an updated USB-C connection for your latest accessories. Our reviewers, who’ve tested and reviewed more than 100 monitors over the years, find little fault in it.

It"s not as sleek as Dell"s UltraThin monitors, but the P-series look fairly modern as well. The P2720DC isn"t necessarily for enthusiast photo editors, as the color calibration isn"t quite up to snuff. However, it"ll work great for hobbyists and most other kinds of computing tasks, sporting solid image quality and convenient adjustability.

We highly suggest looking at the different versions of this monitor to expand your choices, too. If you want the highest refresh rate possible you’ll have to compromise a bit with this 1080p resolution and 24-inch screen size, but that"s perfect for esports. But if you’re absolutely fine with the still amazingly-high 240Hz refresh rate, you can bump up to a 27-inch screen with a UHD resolution. There are plenty of options with this model, depending on what you would like to prioritize.

One of the best 4K monitorsout there, the Dell UltraSharp U2720QE might not have the largest screen, but at 27 inches and 4K resolution, it packs an enormous range of pixels inside a compact frame, making for an exceptionally crisp picture.

When combined with great HDR support and a huge 2,000:1 contrast ratio, this monitor looks stunning no matter what you"re doing on it. It"s also one of Dell"s monitors that comes with a USB-C hub to support the latest connections for your devices, so you shouldn"t have to worry about accessory compatibility.

The strong features of the Dell UltraSharp U2720QE are available at a price that"s not out of this world, so you needn"t break the bank just to get yourself a great 4K screen.

Why you should buy this: It"s expensive, but this ultrawide is stunning to look at and stands head and shoulders above most other big-screen displays.

Ultrawides are an alternative to traditional monitors. If you"ve got the desk space, they can give you more screen real estate than you"ve ever had before, with relatively few downsides and a whole lot of performance. A curved monitor is an especially good match for an ultrawide because it can help save a little bit of space while improving immersion. It"s no wonder this kind of ultrawide is a favorite pick for racing games and other genres where immersion is important (as long as they can support the screen size) — but it can also excel at managing complex editing programs and multi-window projects.

LG"s UltraGear ultrawide is a particularly good pick no matter why you"re interested. Its 34-inch display is a good middle ground that can fit on most desks, and the G-Sync compatibility also makes the monitor friendly for gaming. The Nano IPS panel is excellent for color and provides a 1 ms response time, while the refresh rate can be overclocked all the way to 160Hz. That 3440 x 1440 QHD resolution is also helpful for juggling tasks or detailed apps in a professional setting.

Ultrawides can feel too big and too expensive for the average desktop setup, but this Mobiuz monitor is here to prove differently. At 34 inches, the monitor adds extra screen space but is still reasonably sized for most desk spaces, and the price is more affordable than most similar ultrawides you can find on the market.

The monitor also includes DisplayHDR 400 support and a remote, both of which can make it an excellent all-purpose entertainment screen. Just note that it’s a curved monitor, so it may not be the best choice for larger groups.

Curved monitors are an alternative to traditional flat panels. They can offer more immersion and easier access to details at the edges of the screen but are primarily designed for a single user and struggle with viewing angles. It"s no surprise, then, that curved monitors are popular among gamers, especially when they love games that support the aspect ratios for these screens.

The Acer Predator X34 is an excellent example, packed with gamer-friendly features on a 34-inch curved screen that can also be useful in the office or studio. The 3440 x 1440 resolution is made all the better with the 100Hz refresh rate, which can be overclocked to 120Hz, along with G-Sync support to help prevent tearing. Ports include DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, and USB-A 3.0 connections.

If there’s no such thing as “too much” for your monitor, this new entry in the Odyssey line beckons: The enormous 49-inch ultrawide is like having two or three monitors to work with without annoying borders getting in the way, while the curve is excellent for immersion. Screens like these are favorites among gamers with serious racing game setups, but they can be useful for anyone who wants as much immersion and screen real estate as they can possible (and already knows they have the room for it).

But that’s just the beginning of how the Odyssey Neo G9 G95NA impresses. It comes with a vibrant mini-LED display, a UHD resolution so no details go to waste, and a refresh rate of 240Hz to ensure even the fastest action is smooth and clear. It’s also one of the few (but growing) monitors to offer both FreeSync and G-Sync, so it doesn’t matter if you use AMD or Nvidia. HDR2000 is also supported for additional optimization. Oh, and don’t forget about the picture-by-picture mode, which is an important tool for managing a screen this wide.

No one monitor brand makes all the best monitors in the world — that’s why this list is populated by a number of different manufacturers. That said, there are some that you can rely on more than most to produce great screens. Dell is a longstanding favorite of ours with years of fantastic displays under its belt. It also tends to cater well to the professional crowd just as much as gamers, so you know there will be something you like in its lineup.

Other noteworthy brands worth considering include Acer, which tends to produce some of the world’s best gaming screens; Samsung, which offers some of the best ultrawide screens and large-size monitors we’ve ever seen; and LG, which has a good all-around catalog of displays.

This very much depends on the resolution you’re targeting and how much desk space you have. While bigger does tend to look better, giving you more screen space for work and larger images for games and movies, they can stretch entry-level resolutions like 1080p to the limits of their clarity. Big screens also require more room on your desk, so we’d caution buying a massive ultrawide like the Samsung Odyssey series if you’re working or playing on a small desk.

As a quick rule of thumb, 1080p looks great up to about 24 inches, while 1440p looks good up to and beyond 30 inches. We wouldn’t recommend a 4K screen any smaller than 27 inches as you aren’t going to see the real benefit of those extra pixels in what is a relatively small space by that resolution.

They can be. 4K offers the pinnacle of gaming detail and, in atmospheric games, can give you a whole new level of immersion, especially on larger displays that can fully display that mass of those pixels in all their glory. These high-res displays really excel in games where frame rates are not as important as visual clarity. That said, we feel that high refresh rate monitors can deliver a better experience (especially in fast-paced games like shooters), and unless you have the deep pockets to splash out on a powerful graphics card or two as well, you aren’t going to get those frame rates at 4K. A 27-inch, 1440p display is still the sweet spot.

The short answer is they’re both the same. The longer answer is that this is a failure of company marketing in properly conveying what its products are. Today most monitors that use LCD technology are backlit with LEDs, so typically if you’re buying a monitor it’s both an LCD and LED display. For more of an explanation on LCD and LED technologies, we have a whole guide dedicated to it.

That said, there are OLED displays to consider, although these panels haven’t made an impact on the desktop market yet. OLED screens combine color and light into a single panel, famed for their vibrant colors and contrast ratio. While that technology has been making waves in televisions for a few years now, they’re only just starting to make a tentative step into the world of desktop monitors, from Samsung"s QD-OLED tech to LG"s extra-bright G2 monitors.

If you suffer from eye strain, look for monitors that have built-in light filter software, especially filters that are specifically designed for easing eye problems. These filters are designed to block more blue light, which is the part of the spectrum that affects our eyes the most and is responsible for most eye strain problems. However, you can also download eye filter software apps for any type of monitor you get.

Refresh rate shows how many times per second the display can update an image with new visual information — the higher the refresh rate, the smoother transitions will look and the more information will be displayed. Refresh rates start at 60Hz but many monitors go higher, with refresh rates of 240Hz, 360Hz, and some even as high as 500Hz! This specification helps games and movies look better, and lowers input lag, making a high refresh rate popular for gaming machines and similar setups.

Ultrawide monitors use a 21:9 aspect ratio and have elongated displays to accommodate it. This not only allows users to play compatible games and movies in a larger aspect ratio, but the extra space also makes it easier to multitask or work with more complex software.

The best monitors overall is a great place to start, but if you are particularly interested in a gaming monitor, make sure to stop by our guide to the best gaming screens, and if you want to save, we have a list of the top budget-friendly monitors, too.

When it was announced last spring, I called Acer’s XR341CK monitor “drop-dead gorgeous”. Some time later, the company decided to swap the monitor’s G-SYNC capabilities with FreeSync, and then released the monitor as if no change happened. After that, the Predator X34 was born, a monitor like the XR341CK that sports G-SYNC in lieu of FreeSync, a boosted refresh rate, and tweaked aesthetics.

On paper, Predator X34 checks the important – and some not-so-important – boxes. One of the more notable features is its size of 34 inches. That means that the monitor claims a lot of desk space, but in return, it delivers expanded views in games, and more desktop space to take advantage of – versus resolutions of 1440p or less.

The monitor’s large size owes a lot to the width; the Predator X34 and a standard 27-inch 1440p monitor have the same pixel width of 0.233mm, meaning that this is “like” a 27-inch monitor, just 7 inches wider. That might seem like a minor point, but it’s important if you are moving over from a ~27-inch 1440p monitor and are expecting a learning-curve – there won’t really be one. Those who move up from a 1080p resolution or a monitor that’s 27-inches or smaller will be in for a surprise, but it’s a good one.

Other Predator X34 perks include an IPS panel, NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology, a refresh rate that’s overclockable to 100Hz, DisplayPort and HDMI, built-in speakers, 4x USB 3.0 ports, and if that isn’t enough: a curved design.

Due to a lack of room, I can’t take pictures of many products on a white background. Being that this is a 34-inch monitor we’re dealing with, that really wasn’t happening here. At least with these pictures, you can see the monitor in a more natural environment. The first shot below shows just how much room the display can take up on a modest desk.

The fact that the Predator X34 commands so much desk space makes Acer’s stand choice hugely appreciated. Aside from its two thin (but strong) legs that extend from the back, a ton of room is left available around the monitor. In use, I had a router and a switch sitting to the left behind the monitor, a tablet and game controller sitting underneath it, and of course, a mouse and keyboard in front of it. If you’re using a smaller desk and a larger mousepad, don’t be surprised if you have to set part of the pad under the monitor.

All of the buttons on the monitor are hardware-based, not touch-sensitive – thankfully. There are six total, all found beneath the right side of the panel. The one on the absolute right is for power; I wish Acer decided to move that over even more to the right, as I’ve accidentally hit it when navigating the menu with the other buttons. There are no icons that correspond with the buttons on the front of the monitor, so a lot of the tweaking will be done “blind”, based on feeling where each button is.

It’s worth noting that the Predator X34 has a small loop at the top of its stand that lets you route cables through. It works great to keep cables out of your way, and it of course helps things look cleaner, too.

Some curved monitors have more of a curve than others, but on Predator X34, the effect is subtle – at least when sitting in front of it. After showing a family member the monitor, they didn’t even realize it was curved until I told them. During regular use, the fact that it’s curved doesn’t even stand out too much. After having used the monitor for two months, I admit that I’ve come to like the curved design, but I don’t feel like the monitor would be losing anything if it missed out on that feature. Of course, if the monitor suddenly lost its curve, it’s hard to predict whether I’d want it back or not.

Prior to receiving the Predator X34, I had assumed that the 3440×1440 resolution would win me over – and sure enough, it did. The photo of Sleeping Dogs gameplay above will hopefully portray at least a little bit just how cool the resolution is, and not to mention how dominating the display itself is. When a game takes proper advantage of ultra-wide resolutions, the results can be downright gorgeous.

One of the shots above highlights the Predator X34’s IPS glow, which is much more pronounced than I’ve seen on other monitors. The photo above emphasizes the issue due to a slower shutter speed being used to snap the photo, but even in regular use, that glow isn’t too subtle when watching or playing in dark scenes. This isn’t a downside per se, as IPS glow is typical of all IPS panels. It’s just that on this monitor, being that it’s so wide, the effect of the glow is more noticeable.

If you are looking for a curved monitor with NVIDIA G-Sync support the Acer Predator X34 might be exactly what you are looking for. This monster 34-inch curved display sports an IPS panel with a 3440×1440 screen resolution for a 21:9 aspect ratio. The monitors default 60Hz refresh rate might not be anything to get excited about, but Acer is letting users overclock the panel up to 100Hz if the DispalyPort video input is used to help cut down on motion blur. The Predator X34 also has a fast 4ms gray-to-gray pixel response time, a brightness of 300nits, 100% sRGB color gamut capability and LED accent lighting. Those features allow the Acer Predator X34 to command $1299 plus $6.99 for shipping from Newegg. The Predator X34 is without a doubt an expensive monitor, but it has the specs to justify the high price tag.

If you don’t need NVIDIA G-Sync and wanted basically the same panel with AMD FreeSync technology for nearly $500 less, you could look into the Acer XR341CK that retails for $819.59 shipped and tops out at 75Hz instead of 100Hz. The review today is all about the Predator X34 with NVIDIA G-Sync technology though and this just happens to be the first curved G-Sync display to be released in the United States.

The Acer Predator X34 has been out for a few months now and it still selling for close to its $1299 MSRP as it is one of the most sought after gaming monitors for some time. The monitor looks great with a very thin bezel around the panel. The monitor itself measures in at 32.2″ in width, 14.8″ in height and it has a depth of about 4″, so this is a fairly large monitor. The subtle curve of the panel itself is said to have a curvature radius of 3,800R, which means that if complete a circle with multiple displays that the circle the monitors create will have a radius of 3,800-millimeters.

The Acer Predator X34 weighs in at 22 pounds, so it comes with a beefy aluminum v-shaped stand. It’s hard to see the curve in the image above that is taken straight on, but its certainly there and you can notice it when you are sitting dead center! There are a pair of tiny stereo speakers with DTS sound tucked into the lower edge of the panel. The speakers are rated at 7 Watts each for a total of 14 Watts. They sound decent and do a pretty good job filling a small room, but you’ll still want to game with your gaming headset.

The back of the display is covered in high gloss black plastic and the only place you’ll see the Acer logo is on back there. We would have preferred a matte finish, but that really just comes down to personal taste.

On the bottom of the curved display you’ll find nine LED lights that make up the ACER Predator X34’s underglow lighting system. You can customize the colors of the LED light with the monitor OSD and the underglow helps illuminate your keyboard, which is nice for those that don’t have a back-lit gaming keyboard. If you hate the idea of LED lights you can turn them off completely.

The Acer Predator X34 has an adjustable stand that provides ergonomic tilt from 5 to +35 degrees and height adjustments of up to 5 inches. The monitor stand on the X34 doesn’t swivel and the fixed stand is rather large with the front of the monitor being 10-inches away from the wall when the stand leg is touching the wall. This is one of the largest stands that we have ever used, so be prepared to give up desk space! A VESA wall mount option is available for those that are looking to maximize their valuable desk space. It’s also worth noting that the top of the stand has a handle built-in to help you lug the beast around if you need to move it.

Quality control matters for avoiding the frustration of a defective display out of the box. Both ASUS and Acer seem to do as well as can be expected given the variation between panels.

Keep in mind that ASUS and Acer often share the same display panels between similar models. You may see as big as a $100 difference between brands – this despite the specs and image quality being the same.If you’re looking to squeeze a better monitor into your budget, I don’t hesitate to recommend Acer.

Acer seems to like to reinvent the wheel with each model. From varying their buttons to changing menu layouts, there isn’t a lot of consistency. Acer’s menus are gradually improving, but the info just isn’t as well laid out.

I personally love monitor arms for the space they free up on the desk and huge adjustment range. I use my monitors’ built-in VESA mounts and my stands never see the light of day.

All of ASUS’s gaming monitors (aside from the VA325H/VA326H) have stands with full height and tilt adjustment. Some of the <$200 monitors from both brands lack height adjustment, so be sure to check the specs.

Above ~$200 or so, I think ASUS stands have a high quality look and feel. With Acer, the Predator line’s stands are well done. Outside of these ranges, give the stands a close look if the appearance and adjustments matter to you.

The 3-year warranties from both ASUS and Acer cover almost everything. If the display suddenly stops powering on, has lines through it, ports or buttons stop working – this is all covered without question.

I wish they had given them completely different names, but this is what we got. The X34 Bmiphz is the older version. It can be overclocked to 100Hz, while 60Hz is the native refresh rate.

Response time and input lag for these monitors are some of the lowest of any monitor. Combined with the high refresh rates and resolution, they’re outstanding for higher-end PC gaming.

ASUS has the better on-screen display of the two. The top menu bar shows the resolution, refresh rate, and display mode at all times. Acer’s requires some digging around through menus to get to this info. The Acer menu is just not quite as well laid out, though the options are very similar.

If there’s any weakness, it’s the contrast. It’s not bad, but as with other IPS monitors it won’t match the black levels of TFT or VA panels. Most people find the better colors and viewing angles of IPS outweigh this downside.

First, Acer has a couple different versions of the KG271. The KG271 Cbmidpx is a 144Hz display that competes with the VG278Q. The KG271 bmiix (aka KG1), which I won’t compare here, is limited to 75Hz.

By going with TN rather than IPS panels, the cost of both monitors is kept down. The lack of a hardware G-Sync module offers significant savings, even though these displays are G-Sync compatible.

I personally wouldn’t step down from these 27″ monitors to a 24″ 144hz display from either brand. The VG248QE only costs slightly less but doesn’t offer adaptive sync, and the performance isn’t as good. Acer’s GN246HL and XFA240 are cheaper, but they have poorer visual quality.

If you intend to do photo work or view the screen at an angle, the R240HY is the only way to go. For everyone else, the Acer will still have the nicer looking display.

Response time is a bit better on the VS248H-P. This means motion blur is a bit reduced versus the Acer in fast moving games and movies. Again, keep in mind that a monitor with higher refresh rate is best if clarity and smoothness during fast-paced motion is important.

The color and viewing angles look better on the R240HY. For web browsing, Microsoft Office apps, Adobe software, and other desktop apps the Acer will be the better choice.