ACER PREDATOR GN246HLBBID

£199 inc VAT • acer.co.uk

Most monitors have a refresh rate of 60Hz, which means they can display 60 images per second. The 24in Acer Predator GN246HLBbid more than doubles this with 144Hz. However, while it’s by not the only monitor to offer this high refresh rate, it also offers nVidia’s LightBoost technology, which helps reduce motion blur.

Build quality and design

The Predator’s high-gloss stand is X-shaped, which gives it decent stability. It can tilt backwards and forwards 15- and five degrees, respectively, but doesn’t offer pivot or height adjustments. On the plus side, it has VESA 100x100mm holes, so you can mount it on a compatible stand. The screen has a matt finish, which prevents reflections, though the bezels aren’t slim and have a high-gloss finish that can be distracting since they can reflect bright lights.

Connectivity and on-screen display

At the back you’ll find HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs, and a 3.5mm auxiliary output. It was disappointing not to see a DisplayPort input as this can handle both high refresh rates and audio: DVI carries video only. Still, most people will probably connect speakers directly to their PC’s sound card, and not run stereo audio from their monitor. The Acer doesn’t have any built-in speakers, but can output sound (arriving through the HDMI input) through its 3.5mm auxiliary jack.

We found the on-screen display (OSD) a little hard to use, as the buttons used to control it (located at the bottom right of the monitor) are not labelled. Through the OSD you’ll be able to adjust the monitor’s LightBoost level, colour temperature and Adaptive Contrast Management, which is used to change the Acer’s contrast ratio on-the-fly. The OSD also allows you to change other settings such as its brightness levels.

Performance

At the heart of the Predator is a 1920x1080 TN panel. As we’ve touched upon, the display can run at 144Hz when used with an appropriate cable, such as through DVI, and a compatible graphics card. There’s no specific zero input-lag mode, though we found the monitor’s lag to be minimal when tested with fast-paced shooters. Unfortunately, there’s no way to adjust the default response time, and in our tests the Predator suffered from slight ghosting. NVidia’s Build Features Performance Value