Acer X27 4k 144hz HDR Gsync

I can confirm that the X27 can play Crysis...repeat can play Crysis!
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Some MOOOAAAAAAR BF1 shots cause I am a horny dog today!!!

I wanted to find a map with more colors but this is the best I could do in a jam. Mine does not looked washed out or over saturated.........it looks AMAZEBALLZ!

Here I am running windows 8.1, HDR enabled in game, all settings on ULTRA, 98hz RGB 10bpc

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Those RE7 shots don't look bad at all given the halfassed solution for contrast that FALD is...

Color me surprised :)
 
My God, that looks like one of those 'golden orb' coolers from decades past...

And an open-loop water block? Holy shit...

Also, it looks like the common denominator is Nvidia's current G-Sync module revision.
 
They should atleast give you the option to set up a fan profile for it lol, the fan is kind of ridiculous. Louder than the rest of my system while idle, when gaming I can still hear it over my GPU but it is less noticeable, I actually turned up my system fans so I hear less of the monitor fan since it sounds
X27 Waterblock pre-ordered...I just hope my upside down G-Sync HDR sticker logo does not cause problems down the line!

Mine didn't come upside down so I removed it. :(
 
I verified that HDMI does show the BIOS screen. So even those that can't boot/see the BIOS using the DP have a backup.
I also watched Oblivion 4K Blu-Ray via the new HDMI 2.0 port on the G-Sync module. HDR seems to work properly but the blooming is quite apparent. Especially when bright objects are near the letterboxes. Also, even though I confirmed my 4K Blu-ray player was outputting 4K and the X27 confirmed 4K input, it has somewhat of a "1080p" quality to it. Just doesn't look as clear as you would think for whatever reason versus a true 4K TV. Playing 24 fps content like movies too has noticeable judder, as to be expected since the G-Sync module has none of the TV type high end processing. Overall a bit underwhelming, but I guess anything would be when you are used to watching movies on OLED.
Obviously watching 4K blu-rays is not the primary purpose of these monitors.
Now that I've tested movies via the HDMI 2.0 port, I'll do a quick run-down of what I think about the monitor:

Pros:
1. 4K at 144 Hz even though it is 4:2:2 10-bit is simply amazing for games. I don't run this refresh at the desktop since the reduced chroma is more apparent.
2. 4K at 120 Hz 4:4:4 8-bit on the desktop makes it the best desktop monitor I've ever used. Super clear fine text, snappy mouse, low input lag precise mouse movements. Hardly anyone has a 10-bit workflow on their computer so 8-bit + FRC is not a hindrance.
3. Stand is nice and modern, looks good and does what it needs to do.
4. Games in HDR at 144 Hz 4:2:2 10-bit look just fine. No real reason to use 98 Hz 4:4:4 10-bit HDR unless your FPS won't exceed 98 FPS anyway (very likely).
5. Colors are excellent. Quantum Dot film really has made this LCD standout. Ensure SDR Colors sRGB is set to "off".
6. FALD is pretty quick to react to movement. Keep on "Gaming" setting.
7. Wide gamma range and black boost for those that like to have the advantage in a game.
8. Motion clarity is slightly better at 144 Hz over 120 Hz. Pixel transition speed may not be quite as fast as the 165 Hz 1440p IPS gaming monitors, but it is fairly good.
9. On-screen aim reticles for those that like hardcore modes.
10. HDR+G-Sync+144 Hz+4K is an amazing combination and experience.
11. DC dimming.
12. FALD in SDR. Even though the monitor allows you to turn it off; don't. The combination of IPS and direct FALD without local dimming control leads to extreme BLB and IPS glow.
13. Contrast ratio greatly improved by the FALD.

Neutral:
1. 4K at 27", very good clarity. It is a neutral point for me and not a pro since I would have preferred 32".
2. AR film. It is much better than what they put on TN panels these days, but still short of my preferred semi-gloss.
3. Build quality. Not the best or worst I've seen. Joystick control on the back feels a bit flimsy.
4. Mediocre 4K Blu-Ray playback via the HDMI 2.0 input.
5. Light sensor on top of monitor. Auto brightness is not adjustable if turned on. A bit too dim for my liking when enabled.

Cons:
1. Fan. I normally wouldn't care too much about the fan but it is audible. And it is always on. It even stays on for a few minutes after you turn the monitor off/standby. They really want to make sure this thing stays cool. To be determined if it is for the G-Sync chip, the FALD backlight, or both. Could effect monitor longevity if you plan to keep the display outside the warranty period. Although a fan would be easy to replace.
2. Wish there was some sort of indicator (LED color change?) to indicate when HDR was active.
3. Not a con for the monitor per say, but you will need some significant hardware to push this display. My OC'd Titan V struggles to keep up (90+ FPS) in a lot of newer titles with higher graphics settings at 4K. 4K is still very punishing and may continue to be so even when the next GPU generation comes out.
4. Auto black level in OSD doesn't appear to do anything.
5. Haloing is there. Not very noticeable in bright games but you will notice it in dark games such as horror/space shooters, menus etc. It is IPS+FALD, that's just the way it is.
6. Some GPU's won't show boot-up screens on the monitor using the DP.
7. If you use a aftermarket monitor arm, you may have to cut breather holes in the plate for the fan to breath.
8. 300 nit maximum SDR brightness. Perplexing to me considering how robust the backlight is. Most monitors these days have 350 nit minimum and gaming monitors pushing over 400 for those of us that like to play during the day in brighter rooms.
9. Even though it would be extremely hard to run at 4K, no ULMB. I feel this has been a wasted opportunity of the FALD backlight.

Overall for desktop use and bright games/first person shooters like PUBG and the Battlefield series, there is nothing that can hold a candle to the X27. Including a 2018 OLED. The amazing clarity, colors, high variable refresh rate plus HDR makes it a real treat. There are some significant drawbacks, most notably blooming and the fan, but if you want the best gaming monitor on the market, look no further.

8.5/10.
 
The Asus is going to be essentially the same thing as this, yes? I can't believe a monitor needing a fan and/or watercooling. Wow.


Thanks Vega, l88, and whomever else took/takes the plunge on this and breaks it down for all of us. :)
 
All the comments on the fan I've seen are based on the Acer version. Usually these displays are pretty similar, but if the fan is chosen by the AIB it's possible Asus' design is different? I don't know. Does anyone have a PG27UQ in their hands yet?
 
This monitor's dead on arrival. Making it 27" was fucking stupid. These should have been 31.5" out the gate. No one who has the cash for this or wants these specs wants it at 27".

Seriously, why the fuck would I spend this when I can just get a 40" OLED VRR TV next year? Dumb.
 
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This monitor's dead on arrival. Making it 27" was fucking stupid. These should have been 31.5" out the gate. No one who has the cash for this or wants these specs wants it at 27".

Seriously, why the fuck would I spend this when I can just get a 40" OLED VRR TV next year? Dumb.

I think the original plan was for this to be release in 2016-2017, but the engineering proved to be more challenging than they originally anticipated and delays happened.

First you said the word "next year." Also, there is zero confirmation that we will be seeing 40" 4k120OLED VRR next year or if we will even have GPUs with the proper HDMI to run them.

I wanted 32" but this 27" is amazing. Hands down the best gaming monitor I have ever owned. Work productivity is a breeze and gaming is great.

Oh and the fan is not an issue on mine. Sounds like some are defective or got dropped HARD during shipping.
 
"Fan is not an issue." This is classic honeymooner talk. A year into the marriage, people will be telling horror stories about this monitor. It's painfully obvious.
 
"Fan is not an issue." This is classic honeymooner talk. A year into the marriage, people will be telling horror stories about this monitor. It's painfully obvious.

That is why, just in case, I ordered the EK X27 waterblock...duuuhhhhh!
 
Ok so for all this... the one thing I haven't seen discussed is: Price. Let's get real here.

Basically 2 grand for most of us mere mortals is a tough sell at best.

Break it down for us Vega, L88, and whomever else.


I can't say I'm real impressed with seeing a fan on a monitor going close to the year 2020, either, and I understand the waterblock is entirely optional but frankly for that kind of money I almost feel like it should have been tossed in as part of the package.


I want to make a smart buy at some point and especially if my bluff gets called on my ten year old monitor.

Where am I going wrong here? Be gentle. *braces self* ;)
 
Ok so for all this... the one thing I haven't seen discussed is: Price. Let's get real here.

Basically 2 grand for most of us mere mortals is a tough sell at best.

Break it down for us Vega, L88, and whomever else.


I can't say I'm real impressed with seeing a fan on a monitor going close to the year 2020, either, and I understand the waterblock is entirely optional but frankly for that kind of money I almost feel like it should have been tossed in as part of the package.


I want to make a smart buy at some point and especially if my bluff gets called on my ten year old monitor.

Where am I going wrong here? Be gentle. *braces self* ;)

You know the answer to your question. We're all just so desperate for a monitor to not be a piece of shit we don't want to believe the truth.

This is a two grand monitor that had to ship with a 5 cent fan and has joystick controls that Vega called "flimsy." Yeah. It needs a FUCKING FAN, and it's a two grand monitor that's already been described as "flimsy."

It's yet more cheap Chinese crap. To top everything off, it can't even do what it's been marketed for without shitty color compression.

Do not buy this monitor, people. Wait for something that can run at 4:4:4 with all the bells and whistles, doesn't need a fan, and is 31.5" or some size that wasn't designed for ANTS. This industry is such a fucking farce it's gone straight into parody territory. 2 fucking grand 27" monitors that are nothing but a set of shitty compromises.
 
You know the answer to your question. We're all just so desperate for a monitor to not be a piece of shit we don't want to believe the truth.

This is a two grand monitor that had to ship with a 5 cent fan and has joystick controls that Vega called "flimsy." Yeah. It needs a FUCKING FAN, and it's a two grand monitor that's already been described as "flimsy."

It's yet more cheap Chinese crap. To top everything off, it can't even do what it's been marketed for without shitty color compression.

Do not buy this monitor, people. Wait for something that can run at 4:4:4 with all the bells and whistles, doesn't need a fan, and is 31.5" or some size that wasn't designed for ANTS. This industry is such a fucking farce it's gone straight into parody territory. 2 fucking grand 27" monitors that are nothing but a set of shitty compromises.


Honestly? The only reason I'm even paying attention at all is because of Vega and l88. ;)
 
Ok so for all this... the one thing I haven't seen discussed is: Price. Let's get real here.

Basically 2 grand for most of us mere mortals is a tough sell at best.

Break it down for us Vega, L88, and whomever else.


I can't say I'm real impressed with seeing a fan on a monitor going close to the year 2020, either, and I understand the waterblock is entirely optional but frankly for that kind of money I almost feel like it should have been tossed in as part of the package.


I want to make a smart buy at some point and especially if my bluff gets called on my ten year old monitor.

Where am I going wrong here? Be gentle. *braces self* ;)

Worth is subjective as this is an early adopter product with no competitive products yet.

My gaming displays also double as my work productivity displays as fast 100+ refresh rates make my work life much easier.
So in the past I would rock an X34 or two 27" 1440pee 165hz and they were great for work productivity, but I found their picture quality extremely lacking in games and I was not able to fully enjoy gaming on them.

The X27 changed that....yes 27" is small and I would prefer 32" but this thing is razor sharp and I can do all of my work productivity on it alone. I no longer need an ultra wide and I no longer need 2-3 displays on my desk.

So I am sold on the productivity part which leaves the gaming part. Gaming on this X27 if freaking fantastic. Picture quality is leaps above the prior crop of UW's and 1440pee gaming displays. 4k120/144 + Gsync + HDR is a real treat and has renewed my interest in actual gaming.
 
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This is so obviously honeymooner talk. Monitors don't "renew" people's interest in gaming. Pure hype and bullshit. This monitor is a dud.
 
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This is so obviously honeymooner talk. Monitors don't "renew" people's interest in gaming. Pure hype and bullshit. This monitor is a dud.

Could be honeymooner but l88 has gone through a LOT of hardware. He deserves a bit more benefit of the doubt than this. ;)

I'm glad he feels good about it for now. (And Vega, too, apparently) Let's see what a few weeks or so does. ;)

Both of these guys combined have gone through an astonishing amount of hardware so their opinions definitely carry some weight around here. Take it all FWIW.
 
You know the answer to your question. We're all just so desperate for a monitor to not be a piece of shit we don't want to believe the truth.

This is a two grand monitor that had to ship with a 5 cent fan and has joystick controls that Vega called "flimsy." Yeah. It needs a FUCKING FAN, and it's a two grand monitor that's already been described as "flimsy."

It's yet more cheap Chinese crap. To top everything off, it can't even do what it's been marketed for without shitty color compression.

Do not buy this monitor, people. Wait for something that can run at 4:4:4 with all the bells and whistles, doesn't need a fan, and is 31.5" or some size that wasn't designed for ANTS. This industry is such a fucking farce it's gone straight into parody territory. 2 fucking grand 27" monitors that are nothing but a set of shitty compromises.

Not sure if you have tried it. So far my opinions are pretty high of the display and it isn't flimsy. Could be Vega's monitor could have defects. The controls on this display are the same as the PG278Q and similar. The joystick feels slightly better if anything. The mode changes are programmable and intuitive, found a lot of use for that so far, didn't make use of it on my X34 since the controls on that were atrocious.

Literally the only annoying thing about this display is the fan and that has gotten less annoying as time goes by. The picture quality in HDR and SDR is the best I've seen for a gaming display. Yes there will be better displays and $2k is a lot of money. But you won't see a new display with these features for probably another 2 years other than the 32" variant coming in Q4 or Q1 2019.
 
If I could get 100 frames in PUBG on this thing I would have already bought it. Maybe SLI support will start showing up again with the slow video card release cycle.
 
This is so obviously honeymooner talk. Monitors don't "renew" people's interest in gaming. Pure hype and bullshit. This monitor is a dud.

Sounds like you got a lot of SALT in your diet there BigBluefart! You should really cut back before you give yourself a heart attack!!!

Lol....honeymoon??? WAT? I have been gaming since 1981 man, literally have owned and gamed on every PC & console since the Atari 2600 days....I built my first PC in 1987....so I have "been around" for a while.

Over the years I have lost and gained interest in the gaming hobby, sometimes out of boredom over industry stagnation and other times out of necessity like the time I went to university for 4 years and needed to focus on pussy and grades.
Sometimes its a console (like PS1 or N64) which have renewed my interest, other times is a game (Super Mario Bros, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Halo, BF1942).....and other times its hardware (Radeon 9700Pro, 8800 Ultra, Eyefinity/Surround, SLI/Crossfire).

I remember back in 2002 when the FW900 came out, it was $2,499.99 and I could not afford it, but I appreciated it for what it was. IMHO the X27 & PG27UQ are now taking the FW900's "spot" and give a lot better value for your 2018 $2,000 than the FW900 did for your 2002 $2,499.99
https://www.cnet.com/products/sony-gdm-fw900/specs/

Since 2002 I have always upgraded my hardware and sold off old hardware to defray the cost and this X27 is no different as I sold my Zisworks X39 kit and PG27VQ to help bring the cost sting down....so its not like I am some rich asshole telling you to go be poor somewhere else. The X27 & PG27UQ are attainable and great!
 
Over the years I have lost and gained interest in the gaming hobby, sometimes out of boredom over industry stagnation and other times out of necessity like the time I went to university for 4 years and needed to focus on pussy and grades.

It took me a second time. I didn't see the word I was expecting and caught me off guard.
 
It sounds interesting, but I'm not willing and not really able to pay the early adopter tax.

In a year, they will have a fanless 32" version for $1500 and an 1180Ti will be able to drive it well enough.

I still won't buy it though.

I get that some of you are in love with pixel density, but for my money, I just enjoy a panoramic view a lot more than I do smaller dots.

I'll be rocking a 5120x1440 Doublewide G-sync panel.

But much respect to the g̶u̶i̶n̶e̶a̶ ̶p̶i̶g̶s̶ trailblazers, you guys are what makes it all move forward.
 
Actually, FW900 was $2000 (sorry -- $1999.99) by then and salesperson thought I was crazy. A lot of money for me, but such was my obsession. My more recent FW900 has had a much more gentle life (original was a full time work monitor and my TV) and is still great. Good to know there's somewhere to go next whenever that ends up being.

(Still hoping PG27UQ shows up with ULMB, even if I have no basis for this belief.)
 
Ya but remember $2K back then when the FW900 came out is like $3K today.

I did some more testing of DP 1.4 since this Is the first display that really pushes the bandwidth limits. With my 24 gauge 15-foot DP cable, I am able to run 144 Hz 4:2:2 4K HDR at 10-bit color. I was afraid that the bandwidth would overwhelm even my thick expensive "long run" DP cable. Pleasantly surprised it worked out.
 
Ya but remember $2K back then when the FW900 came out is like $3K today.

I did some more testing of DP 1.4 since this Is the first display that really pushes the bandwidth limits. With my 24 gauge 15-foot DP cable, I am able to run 144 Hz 4:2:2 4K HDR at 10-bit color. I was afraid that the bandwidth would overwhelm even my thick expensive "long run" DP cable. Pleasantly surprised it worked out.

That is impressive at 15ft.
 
Looks nice, but I'm most likely going to hold off for 120Hz OLED 4K HDR monitors. After experiencing OLED there hasn't been anything that comes close to it in terms of picture quality. LG spoiled me with their TVs.

Also, going to wait a few months to hear impressions once the hype has had a chance to die down a bit and more people have had time with the monitors for a longer period of time.
 
Looks nice, but I'm most likely going to hold off for 120Hz OLED 4K HDR monitors. After experiencing OLED there hasn't been anything that comes close to it in terms of picture quality. LG spoiled me with their TVs.

Also, going to wait a few months to hear impressions once the hype has had a chance to die down a bit and more people have had time with the monitors for a longer period of time.

I too cannot wait for 4k120 OLED VRR HDR, but in the meantime the X27 will tide me over :)
 
I too cannot wait for 4k120 OLED VRR HDR, but in the meantime the X27 will tide me over :)
It's too expensive for what it is (for me) but I guess you're looking at it from the right perspective. Hell, even if those OLED's come out next year, you can probably sell your used x27 for $1,000. If you look at it from that perspective, $1,000 for a years worth of premium gaming isn't that bad.... but I still can't justify it.
 
Not sure if you have tried it. So far my opinions are pretty high of the display and it isn't flimsy. Could be Vega's monitor could have defects. The controls on this display are the same as the PG278Q and similar. The joystick feels slightly better if anything. The mode changes are programmable and intuitive, found a lot of use for that so far, didn't make use of it on my X34 since the controls on that were atrocious.

Literally the only annoying thing about this display is the fan and that has gotten less annoying as time goes by. The picture quality in HDR and SDR is the best I've seen for a gaming display. Yes there will be better displays and $2k is a lot of money. But you won't see a new display with these features for probably another 2 years other than the 32" variant coming in Q4 or Q1 2019.
What 32" variant? Is this announced? My google skills have failed me.
 
What 32" variant? Is this announced? My google skills have failed me.

According to TftCentral AUO will have a professional type (so probably 60hz) 32" IPS 4k HDR600 panel in January. For gaming use 27 and 32" 4k IPS panels with 60/144 hz versions and a ~1000 zone miniLED FALD backlight are due sometime in Q1.

The update also implies that a 32" version of the 27" panel is currently in production, although the wording is ambiguous enough that it could be a more plebeian 32" model instead.

For all of those dates add at least a month or two for them to go from the panel factory to stores; and hope that whatever the massive hangup AUO had with the current 27" model is solidly in the past and won't affect future development.

Unfortunately for people hoping for a less flaky panel source, neither LG nor Samsung (keep scrolling past the AUO update) are reported to be working on 27/32" 4k 120/144 panels for release in the next year or so. They doing 144hz in ultrawide and TV sized panels though.
 
According to TftCentral AUO will have a professional type (so probably 60hz) 32" IPS 4k HDR600 panel in January. For gaming use 27 and 32" 4k IPS panels with 60/144 hz versions and a ~1000 zone miniLED FALD backlight are due sometime in Q1.

The update also implies that a 32" version of the 27" panel is currently in production, although the wording is ambiguous enough that it could be a more plebeian 32" model instead.

For all of those dates add at least a month or two for them to go from the panel factory to stores; and hope that whatever the massive hangup AUO had with the current 27" model is solidly in the past and won't affect future development.

Unfortunately for people hoping for a less flaky panel source, neither LG nor Samsung (keep scrolling past the AUO update) are reported to be working on 27/32" 4k 120/144 panels for release in the next year or so. They doing 144hz in ultrawide and TV sized panels though.
Thanks!
 
I want to take the time to thank l88bastard and Vega.

I'm not looking to drop 2 grand on a display unless it can be used to sit back and watch movies on with the Mrs. (OLED), but my HP Omen X 17 inch laptop's 120hz Gsync screen has definitely peaked my interest in LCD based displays again. Its not anywhere near on par with something like this or an OLED TV but it still has a wonderful picture and the word on Gsync is by far the truth.

Either way you guys have given us another glimpse at the cutting edge of gaming monitors. In due time there will be better and far improved displays of this caliber and eventually all this tech does find it's way down in price far down the line.

Needless to say, fan and haloing aside this display sounds truly amazing and I appreciate the time you guys have taken into sharing your experiences with us.
 
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