ACER PREDATOR 4K XB321HK 32" IPS G-Sync

[killswitch73]

I'm going to take the plunge on this screen week after next after pc is back together . might not buy from here as i had the X34 from here and it was a proper mess . i also had to send back 2 x dell screens here due to dead pixels and dirt . .

 

[Rannoch]

And here's me thinking deal pixel days were long gone, haven't seen once since 2000 I reckon. Installed 100s since then, mind you never installed a monitor above 1080p , all office work,

 

[RidingTheFlow]

For past 2 weeks I was also monitoring Amazon stock of XB321HK, and not very encouraging sales dynamics there - some sellers (Amazon including) have no stock, for some days briefly getting "just one in stock". Quite some used "like new" for sale too.

Looks like lot of returning going on here...

Btw did take a look at Dell UP3216Q and it does have the same complaints about non-uniform backlight and dead pixels (some people noting its quite unlike other Ultrasharp monitors). No surprise here, since its using exactly the same M320QAN01 panel from AUO, and looks like they are quite troubled to get quality yield from UHD panel of this size (32").

Sadly, looks no alternative for the foreseeable future...

 

[VEGACORTEZ]

That light bleed picture looks nasty, it can't be glow surely as it's taken from far away. Mine has no bleed at all really. The ips glow dead on is the best i've had on ips. These 32" panels are known to be quite good for low glow. Sitting dead on the slight glow is slightly rusty/autumn coloured staining to the black levels in all 4 corners but it is not annoying like light bleed or heavy pale grey glow. Can't fault the monitor in any way. After calibration it looks perfect for 2.2 gamma and greyscale and colours. Overdrive is perfect with no overshoot on medium setting. Only negative is the scaling via the hdmi socket is not the best but for pure 4k pc gaming over displayport it is perfect unless you need a glossy screen of course.

 

[killswitch73]

I have now ordered this screen from elsewhere as had a bit of a run with overclockers customer service regarding a refund . its not put me off buying from here its the fact that if i get a dud the hassle of it getting it returned and exchanged and considering its through finance i took a risk from else where and much cheaper too .

 

[RidingTheFlow]

Got a replacement today, this one manufactured week 17-April (previous was February). Just did some dusk room testing - no stuck pixels found yet.
Right bottom corner bleed is not present, on this one is a bit of bleed in the top left corner - http://i.imgur.com/6QAGqyj.jpg

In comparison, IPS glow much more pronounced and somewhat a problem on a screen of such size (because you viewing screen at angle closer to edges). It creates what people may think is "bleed in corners", but it actually only appears because of angle - http://i.imgur.com/P5OP4F9.jpg

 

[killswitch73]

This is mine , i havent had a proper play yet but this was hooked up to a cheap i3 laptop that cant really power anything but it dispayed 4K not problems all be it 30HZ . I have packed it away for now until my pc get put back together . but here is a sneak pic i took , the blacks are insane and checked for bleed and couldnt see any really in the light i was in . will check proper next week once pc is finished with 3 x 980ti SC under water .

 

[RidingTheFlow]

http://imgur.com/BEoYu0Z

Would be much more interesting to see photo of black screen to compare uniformity on yours.

 

[killswitch73]

Would be much more interesting to see photo of black screen to compare uniformity on yours.

I will do this within the next 10 days as i have to test it with the 14 day window to get a return or refund . so will test properly once pc is all up , if not will still test with test bench .

 

[killswitch73]

I have tested the screen proper and all i can say is LEMON ..i have a proper BAD BAD BAD LEMON . and the place i bought it from wants me to send it back at my own cost a they say the backlight bleed is not classed as a fault ..

pics dont do the uniformity any justice , it gives a DSE when playing games and is awful and not fit for purchase . you can make out 3 streaks down the middle .

top angle

35% brightness

50% brightness

 

[killswitch73]

i can also say that the screen cant be viewed from different angles as in picture 5 taken about above the screen

 

[eddiew]

That really sucks killswitch73, you have my sympathies. The lack of QC/caring on premium monitors like this is absolutely shocking :/

 

[RidingTheFlow]

Pictures appear a bit overexposed, but this does not look good indeed, sorry to hear that

Looks like this definitely a light bleed and not a glow since you clearly have difference between corners.

What is the date of manufacture of your screen? Initial one I had was made in February and one I got later from different retailer (with free returns) and still have now (because its a lot better) manufactured in April.

Here white uniformity on my current one. There are some bit of shadowing near edges and some faint vertical stripes, but its I consider pretty good for monitor that costs below 1K and of that size (bigger monitor is, harder for backlight uniformity it becomes even for super-expensive pro monitors).
http://i.imgur.com/TBuP12i.jpg

 

[killswitch73]

Pictures appear a bit overexposed, but this does not look good indeed, sorry to hear that

Looks like this definitely a light bleed and not a glow since you clearly have difference between corners.

What is the date of manufacture of your screen? Initial one I had was made in February and one I got later from different retailer (with free returns) and still have now (because its a lot better) manufactured in April.

Here white uniformity on my current one. There are some bit of shadowing near edges and some faint vertical stripes, but its I consider pretty good for monitor that costs below 1K and of that size (bigger monitor is, harder for backlight uniformity it becomes even for super-expensive pro monitors).
http://i.imgur.com/TBuP12i.jpg

It's also a February build . There was also fingerprints on the screen . Looked used and a return maybe .

I'm still waiting on a reply and I've only 2 days left to sort this . If it's not sorted today for collection them I'm contacting the finance company . Wish I never bought from the devil . should have bought from here .

 

[killswitch73]

It's only slightly over exposed it's neat to what I'm seeing and the uniformity is not being picked up by the camera that well . The banding dse is just making the screen not fit for purpose . I sent the pics by email to there fault management team and I have a shocking reply saying it's not a fault . How can that not be a fault trying to do photo editing in black and watching films but all can see is that in corner and only at 35% brightness and 50% contrast .

 

[RidingTheFlow]

Funny thing that bad February one I had was pristine, and April one had a fingerprint on screen, messed screen cover sheet and I strongly suspected it was at least re-packaged - but it was actually tons better in terms of screen quality. Makes me wonder it was actually due to being extra pre-tested somewhere in retail chain.

First retailer I've bought from accepted my pictures as justified reasons for returning and collected at their cost. I only lost initial cost of weekend shipping - but still fair considered that I saved on price in first place. They did overall good job with return but only quibble was it took quite a time to process. And they didn't have "exchange" process, so I had to wait for return/refund to complete, then re-order.

That's why second time I've paid slightly more, but bought with famous online retailer with free no-quibble 1 month return policy(I am sure you know which I mean), since they finally got new stock. Still lost about same money as shipping due to higher price, but at least I wouldn't have lost more time if need to exchange (which they have process for unlike first one).

 

[silverfoxxxx]

Looking at getting this monitor or the 1440p Acer g sync, is it about the same panel lottery wise?,
Also currently got a gtx 1080 so thinking 4K would be the better option in the long term as this should run most games currently pretty well and obviously in the next couple of years 4K should be doable by mid to high end cards as the norm, thinking 1440p would just be a stop gap monitor at present now the gpu's are pushing on a bit.

Any thoughts?

 

[RidingTheFlow]

I'd say 4K is a lot more future-proof and flexible.

- with 4K you won't have to buy a new monitor at least for several years, because it will be able to keep up with raising GPU/CPU power
- with 4K right now you have ability of having very high DPI content on desktop, for movie watching, and less demanding games (like 2.5D top-downs). And 4K simply blew my mind first time I've seen 4K youtube clips - so much detail. Even websurfing, because many websites already support high DPI (e.g. Amazon looks amazing on 4K Chrome). Also to give you rough idea, on 4K monitor you can watch FullHD youtube without maximizing the player
- more resolution flexibility, because with such high DPI blur due to re-scaling is lot less noticeable, and perfect pixel-doubling scaling to FullHD (1920x1080). I use 200% scaling in windows, so my legacy apps (Steam, grrr) have no blur at all

But unfortunately it still a lottery. I wouldn't say its worse than any competitor - it just that overall situation with acceptable quality in the present monitor market is quite shocking and sad

 

[Alphafox]

Mine has nasty light bleed affecting mainly the bottom right area, and to a much lesser extent the top left corner. With the brightness at 24 it is not noticeable during the day and is only visible at night in near pitch black scenes.

The panel had two fingerprints on it but not a single dead/stuck pixel. And for that reason I couldn't be arsed returning it as I'm sick to death of RMAing monitors and just want to game. Not impressed though, I sent back two asus g-sync monitors for the same issue.

 

[killswitch73]

The guy i been speaking to on sellers facebook page says he the one responsible for buyer the Acer screens . wondering the reason why they are £80 cheaper than everywhere else is because they know they have a few melons and some just dont complain or just dont bother .anyhow he says the bleed and uniformity goes away after a while . yea right . my monitor was picked up friday so today (Monday) should get an email or txt saying received back and when i was talking over pm to the guy on facebook he can see the bleed and the uniformity very clear and said dont worry we will swap it for you . just have to wait now , if i get another lemon i will just cancel the finance and send other stuff back too as its holding up the re-building of the PC as just using a test bench at the minute .