Acer XB1 Predator
Sexy, speedy and well-priced
Availablein both 1440p and 4K resolution, the price of this version makes it obvious that this is the 1440p version. From the moment we opened the box, it was apparent we were dealing with a gaming product, as the striking sharp red lines of the stand would make it stand out like a sore thumb in an office environment. We love the edgeless design, which makes the tiny bezel look almost invisible. The stand itself is also highly manoeuvrable, perfect for lining it up in just the right spot, minimising long-term ergonomic damage after lengthy gaming sessions.
Considering the price and resolution, we were very pleasantly surprised to see that this has a 144Hz refresh rate. However, if you’re feeling risky, you can hit the overclock button and crank it all the way up to 165Hz. When combined with the 4ms pixel response time, overall motion and smoothness is absolutely exceptional. There’s even G-Sync if you’re rocking Nvidia in the graphics department.
Given the low pixel response time, we were surprised to learn that this screen uses an IPS panel, as they tend to have higher response times. IPS is also known for better colour reproduction, and this screen scored in the middle of the pack when it came to colour accuracy. The overall colour accuracy measured in at 2.02 – anything below 3 is regarded as excellent. It had one of the best contrast ratios though, at 1199:1, second only to Samsung’s magical new Q-LED technology. This is even better than the quoted ratio of 1000:1 that Acer has on its website. It’s also very bright, with a brightness rating of 350 Nits, which we had to turn way down during our calibration.
The OSD uses good old- fashioned buttons on the front bezel, making it approximately one gazillion times easier to use than monitors that tuck the buttons away on the rear. There weren’t extremely deep colour tuning options though, but there are a range of profiles depending on the type of game you’re playing. It’s also nice and easy to navigate, with a layout that simply makes sense. In terms of inputs, there’s four USB pass throughs, as well as a single HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort. It’d be nice to have a few more graphical inputs, but this limitation is likely due to Nvidia’s G-Sync processor.
It might not be the cheapest display on the market, but Acer has really outdone itself with this gaming display. The super smooth motion is outstanding, though we found 144Hz
when combined with the 4ms pixel response time, overall motion and smoothness is exceptional
had less motion blur than 165Hz. It looks stunning, and has a fantastically adjustable stand. The edgeless bezel makes it look super flat, while the 2mm depth of the bezel means it’s hard to see even when the display is turned on. Throw in 2560 x 1440 resolution and G-Sync, and you have one of the best gaming monitors on the market.