Official Acer [XB270HU] 27" 1440p 144Hz G-Sync IPS ULMB Monitor Thread


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What happens if you run standard Vsync at 144hz? (no triple buffering and no gsync), does it go 144hz > 72hz > 36hz?
 
I agree that ULMB mode dulls/mutes the screen way too much, even in low light conditions and at pulse width of 50 or 70.
I'm fairly certain that 100hz strobing would bother me too as I'm sensitive to strobing.

A display with much more "pop" in g-sync mode at 50 - 60% blur reduction at high fps-hz is much better imo. However I can only get a playing fps of around 100 at very high settings on the more demanding games which varies into the 120's and 130's for 50% - 60% blur reduction at times (and down to 70 - 90 which is prob ~ 40% blur reduction or less?).
At 100 common playing frame rate you might be dipping down into 90 and even 70 during more demanding parts (see frame rate graph in previous post for an example). w/o g-sync you'd be getting screen aberrations at fps swings unless your minimum frame rate was over 100, not your playing frame rate.

I've used both g-sync mode and ulmb on my swift on the same games and the contrast and saturation is dull/muted considerably, too much imo, in ulmb mode.
For ULMB they'd have to increase the brightness of the panels at least 50% for me to use it regularly.

If you aren't a stickler for the arbitrary ultra graphics ceiling (which usually includes massive downsampling/supersampling and other frame rate crushing settings) in modern games you can get a lot more frames/sec, however even with dual titans you wouldn't be getting an over the top frame rate average (not minimum frame rate though would be high, nor common playing rate) on some games on ultra even on a single 1440p let alone 4k or triple. Shadow of mordor is 91 fps min to 121 fps average on a single 2560x1440 with dual titan x for example, which is great but not over the top. On some you surely would get very high frame rates though of course but it would depend on the arbitrary graphics ceiling settings (and downloaded mods, tweak apps etc pushing it arbitrarily even higher in some cases).

hardocp single titan x
980 sli GTA V

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hexus.net review nvidia-geforce-gtx-titan-x-sli (actual dual titan x sli benchmarks incl single 2560x1440)
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/81892-nvidia-geforce-gtx-titan-x-sli/?page=6

Some other titan x reviews of single titans vs dual 980's and other single cards to give an idea of it's place in the gpu power hierarchy.
Btw I really appreciate that hardocp shows actual fps graphs (as does hardwarecanucks). They've also been pretty good lately about at least showing one page of 1440p benchmarks instead of pushing only 4k.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/03/17/nvidia_geforce_gtx_titan_x_video_card_preview/2

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/68992-nvidia-titan-x-performance-review-9.html

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9059/the-nvidia-geforce-gtx-titan-x-review/5
 
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Does anybody know how to get to the factory menu, that is mentioned in the TFTcentral review?
Thanks!
 
Hi guys. First post on this thread. Question about ULMB - I understand that along with G-Sync, it is either/or, right? And is the Swift the same - either/or? Also, why ever disable G-Sync in favor of ULMB? G-Sync seems to be the messiah so I am confused on why these two features on these newer monitors are being released concurrently?
 
Hopefully this next batch will have addressed some of the quality issues. Can't wait.

When is the next batch suppose to be available? I put in a order with Amazon but they say the estimated delivery date is late May to early June, would that be the second batch?
 
When is the next batch suppose to be available? I put in a order with Amazon but they say the estimated delivery date is late May to early June, would that be the second batch?

I have the same estimate on my order as well, ordered couple days ago and still no other update besides the estimate of May 25, 2015 to June 8, 2015 :eek:
 
Does the picture still look sharp at 1080p resolution? Any added input lag?

I only have one GTX 970 video card and I may not be able to run 1440p in all games.
 
Doubt you will notice much of a difference in game. Desktop environment is a different thing.
 
Does the picture still look sharp at 1080p resolution? Any added input lag?

I only have one GTX 970 video card and I may not be able to run 1440p in all games.

I don't notice any additional input lag, YMMV. Can always use GPU scaling. And of course, it doesn't look sharp at non-native resolutions. No LCD will.

It's too bad Nvidia GPU scaling doesn't support pixel doubling for non-fractional ratios, then you could run 720p gpu scaled to 2560x1440(and 1080p for 4K monitors) and it would be sharp, Apple style.
 
Does the picture still look sharp at 1080p resolution? Any added input lag?
Definitely not, it's not going to look as sharp as on a 1080p display. Even on my smaller 25" screen the difference right after I switch from 1440p to 1080p is obvious. However you may get used to 1080p after a while.
 
I'm really curious about something. I'm coming from a catleap korean oc'd to 120hz for about 2 years now. I've generally been pretty happy with it but of course I've been wanting to jump into a true 120/144hz gsync panel. In reality i wanted to also move to a larger and higher resolution screen at the same time but as we know the Acer 34"screen due out in august will only be 75hz. So that brings me back to this screen is it a worthwhile upgrade? Have any of you guys come from one of the overclocked korean screens to this one and was it worth it? Pros/cons?
 
Canceled my Amazon order, and ordered from Acer.com store since they are in stock.


FYI to anyone using the ACER store- If you add the monitor to your cart and leave it for a few hours, you should get a pop up window for 10% off and free shipping. If you don't, you can chat with support and they will call you with a 10% off and free shipping promo code but you have to order via phone. Was able to get one for $719 with free shipping :)
 
Canceled my Amazon order, and ordered from Acer.com store since they are in stock.


FYI to anyone using the ACER store- If you add the monitor to your cart and leave it for a few hours, you should get a pop up window for 10% off and free shipping. If you don't, you can chat with support and they will call you with a 10% off and free shipping promo code but you have to order via phone. Was able to get one for $719 with free shipping :)

I just checked and they are not in stock from Acer, only 3rd party.
 
I'm really curious about something. I'm coming from a catleap korean oc'd to 120hz for about 2 years now. I've generally been pretty happy with it but of course I've been wanting to jump into a true 120/144hz gsync panel. In reality i wanted to also move to a larger and higher resolution screen at the same time but as we know the Acer 34"screen due out in august will only be 75hz. So that brings me back to this screen is it a worthwhile upgrade? Have any of you guys come from one of the overclocked korean screens to this one and was it worth it? Pros/cons?

I used to own a Catleap, however it was not overclocked as I just ran it at 60Hz. I know the price may seem very steep for this monitor but I feel like it's well worth the upgrade. Apart from getting a guaranteed 1440p 144Hz, this is the FIRST and currently the ONLY ips display that is capable of strobing and if that doesn't really concern you then there's gsync for completely tear and stutter free gaming. You'll also get a usable although somewhat limited OSD but it's still nice to have. The only problem is that there seems to be QC issues so you may want to wait it out before picking one up.
 
I used to own a Catleap, however it was not overclocked as I just ran it at 60Hz. I know the price may seem very steep for this monitor but I feel like it's well worth the upgrade. Apart from getting a guaranteed 1440p 144Hz, this is the FIRST and currently the ONLY ips display that is capable of strobing and if that doesn't really concern you then there's gsync for completely tear and stutter free gaming. You'll also get a usable although somewhat limited OSD but it's still nice to have. The only problem is that there seems to be QC issues so you may want to wait it out before picking one up.


I appreciate the insight some good points. I guess what i really want to know is how is 120hz on my screen gonna be compared to 144 on this one. Is it that much smoother looking or not much different? That's what would sway me one way or the other.
 
I appreciate the insight some good points. I guess what i really want to know is how is 120hz on my screen gonna be compared to 144 on this one. Is it that much smoother looking or not much different? That's what would sway me one way or the other.

Well to be honest after switching back and fourth between 120 and 144Hz, my human eyes actually can't tell the difference between the two. However I don't think it's the extra 24fps that makes this monitor a much better gaming experience than an overclocked Korean monitor but rather the GSync/ULMB.
 
The pixel response times on this monitor are much better than any of the Catleaps, regardless of them hypothetically accepting 120hz when overclocked they don't display it properly.
 
Except for the viewing angles, this monitor is the most superior in every category. Ghosting, colour accuracy, response time, everything.
 
Except for the viewing angles, this monitor is the most superior in every category. Ghosting, colour accuracy, response time, everything.

This monitor has artificial firmware caps that limit the refresh rate. It displays an "out of range" message when it is sent input above 144Hz. If I was interested in LCDs, I would much rather have a Korean 1440p over this. I don't like to be artificially limited by monitor manufacturers. This monitor would likely be capable of 160Hz, almost certainly 150Hz if it didn't have an artificial cap. The cheap Korean IPSes can almost always hit 120Hz, sometimes even up to 160Hz, if you get lucky.
 
This monitor has artificial firmware caps that limit the refresh rate. It displays an "out of range" message when it is sent input above 144Hz. If I was interested in LCDs, I would much rather have a Korean 1440p over this. I don't like to be artificially limited by monitor manufacturers. This monitor would likely be capable of 160Hz, almost certainly 150Hz if it didn't have an artificial cap. The cheap Korean IPSes can almost always hit 120Hz, sometimes even up to 160Hz, if you get lucky.

great, but they have much slower response times, no variable refresh rate support, no blur reduction mode.....
 
This monitor has artificial firmware caps that limit the refresh rate. It displays an "out of range" message when it is sent input above 144Hz. If I was interested in LCDs, I would much rather have a Korean 1440p over this. I don't like to be artificially limited by monitor manufacturers. This monitor would likely be capable of 160Hz, almost certainly 150Hz if it didn't have an artificial cap. The cheap Korean IPSes can almost always hit 120Hz, sometimes even up to 160Hz, if you get lucky.

and if they hit 200Hz so what? They have still slow pixel transition times and sample-and-hold motion blur.
Strobed at 85Hz would be already much clearer
 
up to 150hz is still within spec of this panel
but yeah, its probable there is an artifical cap.
One could try to create a custom resolution 1440p@150hz with custom timings (to keep the pixel clock down) and see if it works
not that the extra 6fps would make a noticeable difference though :p
 
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I'm conflicted.

I finally got mined "repaired" from Acer, and while it has no dead pixels and minimal backlight bleed (very lucky in that regard), it still has 2 ingrained dust spots. One's fairly minor and I'd never notice it through every day use unless looking for it. The other, while still on the edge of the screen, is still large enough that it's easily noticeable on anything that's not a black screen.

I have less than a week to decide to return it.
 
I also got mine "repaired" by Acer, and it was delivered an hour ago. I only had a brief moment to test it here at work, but it looks much better than before. I didn't notice any dead/stuck pixels, and no trapped dust. Not yet at least. Backlight bleed was almost none existent, but I'll know more when I get home. All that said, the way they shipped it back is atrocious.

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I'm conflicted.

I finally got mined "repaired" from Acer, and while it has no dead pixels and minimal backlight bleed (very lucky in that regard), it still has 2 ingrained dust spots. One's fairly minor and I'd never notice it through every day use unless looking for it. The other, while still on the edge of the screen, is still large enough that it's easily noticeable on anything that's not a black screen.

I have less than a week to decide to return it.
what's the conflict? if you're unhappy in the slightest then return it.
 
I don't like to be artificially limited by monitor manufacturers. This monitor would likely be capable of 160Hz, almost certainly 150Hz if it didn't have an artificial cap. The cheap Korean IPSes can almost always hit 120Hz, sometimes even up to 160Hz, if you get lucky.

I don't understand the obsession with refresh rates the panel will accept. You do realize that the pixel transition time on the old Korean panels is around 10ms average, right? That means that any refresh rate faster than 100hz is completely pointless on a Korean 1440p screen, and frankly, even that much is going to be a poor quality experience due to the frequency of transitions that will exceed the average. There's a reason no major manufacturer made 120hz monitors with the Korean 1440p panels -- it's because they aren't capable of displaying 120hz at all.

According to TFTcentral, without excessive overshoot this panel transitions in 5.9ms average. That's what you are paying for, here, the first IPS panel ever made that is faster than 8.6ms transition time. It is even faster than some TN panels like the BenQ XL2720Z and Samsung U28D590D!!!!!

Comparing this monitor to a 1440p Korean panel is total nonsense, they are not even close to comparable products. It's true that the panel could hypothetically do 160-170hz with its transition times, but this reduces the safety margin on transitions to zero, and are unusual refresh rates not supported by any other monitor. It makes complete sense, from a design and engineering perspective, to limit the refresh rate comfortably within spec. It's not like 160hz would gain you any visible benefit over 144hz, it would be entirely psychological.
 
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Don't forget the lack of modern gaming overdrive on the korean panels either. Yes their poor response time makes them smear blur at any hz anyway so there is no comparison from the get go as far as motion clarity goes.

Also remember that the acer's response time is apparently tied to the refresh rate, so running at lower fps-hz (relying on g-sync for low frame rates as some do) will bring it back to poor response times. 8.x ms at 60fps-hz was quoted, and probably worse at lower fps-hz graphs.

The refresh rate is very important as long as the response time is low enough and the panel is being fed high frames/sec.

If you have both, then you get both increase motion clarity (blur reductions of ~40% or so at 100fps-hz I'm guessing, and measured up to 50% at 120fps-hz, and 60% at 144fps-hz) as well as greatly increased motion definition (more defined movement, not regarding blur), motion articulation (motion path smoothness and path pattern detail/intricacy), animation cycle definition (potentially missing less of animation cycles). These motion definition and motion clarity benefits apply to the entire viewport/game-world moving relative to you during mouse looking and movement-keying in 1st/3rd person games as well as to the movement of individual objects in the scene.

If you are running low frame rates, especially when using g-sync, you are essentially running a low hz monitor and getting none of those benefits outside of g-sync avoiding screen aberrations (judder mostly).
 
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