Acer Predator X38 impressions (broken IPS)

The dark clouding is visible in games as well. I loaded Far Cry 5 and it's all over the sky. It now looks like another gaming flawed POS display, unfortunately. It's got so close, though. I will test another X38 and will update my initial impressions in a few days. Fuck, it was so close. I also run calibration tests (Calman Ultimate) on it and by default - the color deviation on all colors was Delta E <1.9. Which is mindblowing for a consumer monitor. It still has the best, the most precise, sRGB image quality I have ever seen. If the one I will test, will not have the dark clouding, I will be the happiest sob on the block.
 
Which is all well and great if you can keep your head within the fraction of a degree that the panel appears to be uniform...

after going back to VA from IPS i cant ever go back to RGB blacks and yellow whites on IPS panels.
 
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after going back to VA from IPS i cant ever go back to RGB blacks and yellow whites on IPS panels.
If they could get the color fixed and the black smearing down to more or less unnoticeable, I'd be alright. As it stands, I'd prefer IPS simply because they're actually calibratable and VA mostly isn't.
 
Returned the display, back to the oled wall again. Dayum these gaming monitors...
 
lel. Buut, they will have more of these probably next week. It still got a chance.
 
Where is this panel in North America? Want to get it over the LG panel because of speakers and adjustability. Nowhere to be seen web site shows order then disappears. Oh well would be nice have a panel good at HDR and regular games.
 
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Perfect IPS is way off till hdr 1000 is included. Still cant have it all yet. Do mean yet. I think were still a few years off still.
 
Perfect IPS is way off till hdr 1000 is included. Still cant have it all yet. Do mean yet. I think were still a few years off still.
This monitor is definitely about SDR. I haven't checked the HDR performance, but one thing for sure, in comparison with the OLED HDR performance - it should be nominal. Spec say brightness goes as high as 700 nits though, which corresponds to VESA HDR600 certificate, rather than HDR400...
Hopefully only my unit was faulty, and not every X38 exhibit the dark clouding issue (right in the center). I don't know when there will be more of these monitors available. I wait every day.
The monitor I bought was the last available, probably it was the last for a reason, and someone had returned it before me because of the same issue. You really can only notice the dark clouding in motion and not in every game. In Far Cry 5 it is extremely visible and with such flaw, the monitor shouldn't have left the factory. Thus my hope for just one bad apple... In stationary colors and images - not a hint of it. Everything just looks perfect.
 
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This monitor is definitely about SDR. I haven't checked the HDR performance, but one thing for sure, in comparison with the OLED HDR performance - it should be nominal. Spec say brightness goes as high as 700 nits though, which corresponds to VESA HDR600 certificate, rather than HDR400...

Just because it gets bright does not mean it performs well. While OLED does not get as bright as some Samsung VA monitors and TVs do, because it has per pixel level local dimming it will still perform better overall. With no local dimming to speak of on the X38 afaik, it just won't do much in HDR.

I wish they would not try to peddle HDR support if the display is incapable of even the basic level of local dimming found on a cheap 4K TV. A display this expensive should come with at least a basic 16 zone backlight.
 
Just because it gets bright does not mean it performs well. While OLED does not get as bright as some Samsung VA monitors and TVs do, because it has per pixel level local dimming it will still perform better overall. With no local dimming to speak of on the X38 afaik, it just won't do much in HDR.

I wish they would not try to peddle HDR support if the display is incapable of even the basic level of local dimming found on a cheap 4K TV. A display this expensive should come with at least a basic 16 zone backlight.
Local dimming is broken anyway, it's good that this monitor doesn't have it.
Apart from contrast requirements, that a display should meet for VESA HDR certificates, there are also color gamut requirements, that the X38 does meets perfectly, especially given the outstanding factory calibration. But still, the HDR performance should be nominal compared to an LG OLED. Hopefully one day I will be able to tell for sure does it suck completely or not.
 
Problem is you cant have SDR and HD both high end. At this stage should be able to get both. Problem is technology hasnt evolved where we can have both. Only thing is greed of panel makers. No real interest in dominating to have gravy train keep going. I want both with good text and HD visuals and good SDR and why cant panel manufactures deliver. Same story when comes to Intel Cpus. Greed.
 
Problem is you cant have SDR and HD both high end. At this stage should be able to get both. Problem is technology hasnt evolved where we can have both. Only thing is greed of panel makers. No real interest in dominating to have gravy train keep going. I want both with good text and HD visuals and good SDR and why cant panel manufactures deliver. Same story when comes to Intel Cpus. Greed.

Given that there's really no PC software using HDR on the map for probably another 2 years, I can't say I care much. I highly suspect I'll be buying a new monitor anyway before pervasive HDR on the PC is actually a thing.

This is a solid "meat and potatoes" panel. Despite the shitty vignetting, I'd still say that the G-Sync version is the best monitor on the market today if money's no object.
 
Problem is you cant have SDR and HD both high end. At this stage should be able to get both. Problem is technology hasnt evolved where we can have both. Only thing is greed of panel makers. No real interest in dominating to have gravy train keep going. I want both with good text and HD visuals and good SDR and why cant panel manufactures deliver. Same story when comes to Intel Cpus. Greed.
Really just want SDR to still look good with HDR enabled, and for HDR to be processed properly and displayed properly within the limitations of a given display.
 

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lel. I bought another one, will post the verdict in a few days. Is it another broken gaming monitor, or it is really an expensive IPS gem.
This one is less expensive btw - just $2460.
 
Why on Earth are you spending an extra $600 for an identical display to the LG? Literally the only difference is panel shroud/housing/stand and on-screen display firmware.
 
Why on Earth are you spending an extra $600 for an identical display to the LG? Literally the only difference is panel shroud/housing/stand and on-screen display firmware.

Some people live in MOZAHHH RUSSIA where everything is expensive........and others like to be punched in their big purple nuts!
 
Why on Earth are you spending an extra $600 for an identical display to the LG? Literally the only difference is panel shroud/housing/stand and on-screen display firmware.
Perfect factory calibration, can adjust the RGB values, and no vignetting or backlight bleed. That costs money. Not only in Russia.
 
It's literally the same panel, almost all of those things are/were identical.
 
Read the TFTCentral review on the LG model... it's literally only the contrast ratio that stands out.

You know, except for the price and the existance of the CX48 ;)
 
Adjustable white point (7000K and 6500K is quite a difference) and the lack of vignetting and back light bleed is enough reason for me to keep trying the X38. Also the fan didn't wobble. Tomorrow I will have the delivery of the second unit and will post briefly if it has the same dark clouding in the center or not. Meanwhile I have read other threads dedicated to the LG model and found one post of a guy mentioning this same issue on his LG, so now I'm almost positive that it is the unique panel defect. I just got unlucky, it should really be perfect. Tomorrow I will know.
I specifically came into town to take the delivery and to test the damn monitor. The Moscow country nature is so beautiful now, it is probably the only time in the year when you don't wanna be anywhere else. It was again the last unit and the date of the next supply is unknown, so I had to rush. It was actually ready for delivery yesterday, I just didn't want to leave the beautiful outdoors and postponed the delivery for tomorrow. Thanks for attention.
 
Same shit as the first one. Dark spot in the middle and top side. Visible in motion like when moving the nvcp around desktop and in games with bright colors... I will edit the first post.
These gaming companies are really useless. Can't even make a working monitor out of cherry picked perfect IPS panels. Fucking retards.
 
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Get a 48CX and call it a day.

Они продаются в России?
 
And see the uneven hues from center to sides...be aware that can be quite distracting coming from a good IPS panel, all the other strengths of the panel aside.
Oh yes, I know that. I've been using the 55" OLED for the past 3 years as a PC monitor. One of the reasons why I wanted a nice IPS instead. Got tired of this 60hz wall. 48" is still massive, btw, and I never been fan of 16:9 aspect ratio for PC monitors, honestly. This 37.5" IPS panel by LG has a perfect size, very good aspect ratio.
 
OP, I'm glad people like you exist because you make me look less of a nitpicker.

I used to always buy multiples of the same panel, and only keep the best of the lot. Now it's just too much money to tie up in the quest for the perfect IPS. It seems we are kindred spirits in that quest.

You're still a bit insane though. 🤪
 
OP, I'm glad people like you exist because you make me look less of a nitpicker.

I used to always buy multiples of the same panel, and only keep the best of the lot. Now it's just too much money to tie up in the quest for the perfect IPS. It seems we are kindred spirits in that quest.

You're still a bit insane though. 🤪
I once returned 12 monitors to Microcenter in a month...back in the good old days when I lived down in OC...surprised they didn't ban me since most of them were $1k samsung S27B971Ds ...now I need to decide whether I can live with Oled color shift on my 48 cx or keep my 3818dw before someone picks it up over the weekend lol.
 
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I once returned 12 monitors to Microcenter in a month...back in the good old days when I lived down in OC...surprised they didn't ban me since most of them were $1k samsung S27B971Ds ...now I need to decide whether I can live with Oled color shift on my 48 cx or keep my 3818dw before someone picks it up over the weekend lol.

Giving up instant response times, perfect blacks, real HDR capability, etc., all for the sake of "muh viewing angles" is too big of a compromise in my book. Aspect ratio is also personal preference, ultrawide isn't objectively better than 16:9 and nothing stops you from making an ultrawide resolution on the TV anyways.
 
So, has anyone actually compared the LG38GL950G side by side with this Acer variant. Obviously they use the same panel so the differences might be minimal.

Thanks to OP for clarifying that the Acer has less to no back light bleed and less vignetting.

But what about response performance? I have the LG 38" version and the response and speed on this thing is insanely fast! No ghosting at all, and I play games @ 160Hz on it with FAST OD. If you look at the TFT review, the LG unit has input almost as quick as those pro gaming TN panels which is bloody nice feat. So I am wondering if the Acer version will have as fast response and input delay.



Spec say brightness goes as high as 700 nits though, which corresponds to VESA HDR600 certificate, rather than HDR400...

Needs some sort of local dimming as a requirement for HDR600 certification, not just peak brightness like HDR400 cert.

Why on Earth are you spending an extra $600 for an identical display to the LG? Literally the only difference is panel shroud/housing/stand and on-screen display firmware.

If you don't know by now, each manufacturer has their own electronics and modules inside to drive the panel, aswell as their own input ports. All this can effect things like the OP has already mentioned, the backlight bleed, vignetting, uniformity, color accuracy, response and a host of other things I am sure.
 
If you don't know by now, each manufacturer has their own electronics and modules inside to drive the panel, aswell as their own input ports. All this can effect things like the OP has already mentioned, the backlight bleed, vignetting, uniformity, color accuracy, response and a host of other things I am sure.

No, the panel unit comes pre-assembled and sealed. Response times are dictated by the G-Sync module, which NVIDIA tweaks for the panel. The only items different are the input daughter board for crap like HDMI that doesn't even work with G-Sync+fans, stand/monitor housing and the OSD firmware. I've literally taken apart 50+ monitors.
 
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