Acer XB270HU - Worlds First IPS, 1440p, 144hz, Gsync

On Holiday · 27 May 2015 at 15:40

With the new batch imminent, are you not tempted to try again?

Andydigital · 27 May 2015 at 15:42

I must admit that I am slightly because its such a nice image, but I'm afraid the longer I leave it the less chance I get to just get my money back if things don't go well.

Sylver123 · 27 May 2015 at 16:49

Here's hoping the new batch that is imminent is good because if it isn't then I will be arranging a refund and then waiting some
months to see if the issues with this screen get fixed or if a new screen comes out from a different company by then.

RaidenGB · 27 May 2015 at 23:32

Have OCuk got the new batch in? plus wont they just send all the old ones out first if someone was to order one?

Ashendie · 28 May 2015 at 11:15

Aye, would be nice to get an update of some sort regarding this. Still haven't even heard anything from Acer myself yet.

The temptation to pull the plug on the whole thing and send it back just for a refund is becoming more appealing.

Glanza · 28 May 2015 at 11:56

I have one of these in my basket ready for checkout, after reading this thread though I'm not too sure whether to gamble on getting a good one or not as it's a fair chunk of wedge for a monitor.

snips86x · 28 May 2015 at 11:57

Giggz said:
I have one of these in my basket ready for checkout, after reading this thread though I'm not too sure whether to gamble on getting a good one or not as it's a fair chunk of wedge for a monitor.

Same!! What have you read? Specifically?

I was debating between this and a 34".....

Glanza · 28 May 2015 at 12:02

snips86x said:
Same!! What have you read? Specifically?

I was debating between this and a 34".....

It's the whole dead pixels or dirt on the screen that's putting me off. IPS bleed isn't a issue.

Superstringy · 28 May 2015 at 12:15

snips86x said:
I was debating between this and a 34".....

I’ve got one of each of the following right now:

LG 34UM95 (34”, 3440 x 1440, 60Hz, 21:9 Superwide)
Acer XB270HU (27”, 2560 x 1440, 144Hz, G-Sync, 16:9)

Depending on the content different panels suit best.

The LG superwide is best for general OS stuff, web browsing, emails, music/image editing, Excel etc, some action games (Assassin’s Creed and other 3rd-person stuff), RTS games etc. Going to this for the first time was like going from 4:3 to 16:9 for the first time again. There’s so much screen real estate! Side-by-side viewing of docs/progs etc is blissful, you’re talking the productivity of a dual-monitor setup but without the bezels, and of course a nice wide viewing port for gaming. Switching from this to regular 16:9 is quite jarring, you feel something is lost.

Not everything is supportive of this aspect ratio, but with a bit of work and the help of the Flawless Widescreen app most things work, although you have to settle for what is essentially a cropped FOV on some titles. Newer stuff seems to support wider ratios more readily.

To be honest, if my superwide wasn’t capped at 60Hz I wouldn’t have gone for the Acer, but I needed something that can handle 75/90Hz for ease of use with my Rift DK2 (you need your panel to match the refresh rate of the Rift to avoid judder on the HMD). Plus I wanted to see what life was like above 60fps.

The build quality, design and overall feel and look on the LG is really tight, it is a beautiful piece of kit.

The Acer has been problematic – poor bezel design and construction makes for backlight bleed in the corners (especially the bottom right) and there’s more noticeable IPS glow than on the LG or other IPS screens I’ve owned/used. The OSD/menu is basic and not very nice to navigate.

Colour reproduction is good and the pixel density makes for tight viewing. 144Hz is lovely (when you can reach it!) and G-Sync makes for fluid viewing, but the screen I’ve got seems to lock up my GPU(s) on a regular basis… but it seems not many have suffered with these type of faults, and are more concerned with the bleed/pixels etc.

Oh and you’ll want a bracket or another third-party stand as the supplied one is a bit poor.

TL;DR: The Acer I had is defective, so it's hard for me to make an objective comparison as I can't get long periods of time on it without incident. When it has worked it is a really nice panel, but I find myself using the 34" Superwide more often, and appreciating the extra real estate over the higher refresh rate - both in gaming and other general use.

If I had to pick one, it would be the 60Hz 34" Superwide right now. Here's hoping the newer batch of Acers and (hopefully) other brands making similar specced monitors can up their game.

Ashendie · 28 May 2015 at 12:17

Giggz said:
I have one of these in my basket ready for checkout, after reading this thread though I'm not too sure whether to gamble on getting a good one or not as it's a fair chunk of wedge for a monitor.

I highly advise waiting at least. This monitor is amazing if you take away the QC issues.

If this new batch sorts out the dirt, pixel issues and the excessive IPS glow then it's happy days.

The one I have now is my 2nd attempt... and it still has the same issue my first did with dust stuck inside the panel.

When all these issues are sorted out it will be a must have.

snips86x · 28 May 2015 at 12:28

Superstringy said:
I’ve got one of each of the following right now:

LG 34UM95 (34”, 3440 x 1440, 60Hz, 21:9 Superwide)
Acer XB270HU (27”, 2560 x 1440, 144Hz, G-Sync, 16:9)

Depending on the content different panels suit best.

The LG superwide is best for general OS stuff, web browsing, emails, music/image editing, Excel etc, some action games (Assassin’s Creed and other 3rd-person stuff), RTS games etc. Going to this for the first time was like going from 4:3 to 16:9 for the first time again. There’s so much screen real estate! Side-by-side viewing of docs/progs etc is blissful, you’re talking the productivity of a dual-monitor setup but without the bezels, and of course a nice wide viewing port for gaming. Switching from this to regular 16:9 is quite jarring, you feel something is lost.

Not everything is supportive of this aspect ratio, but with a bit of work and the help of the Flawless Widescreen app most things work, although you have to settle for what is essentially a cropped FOV on some titles. Newer stuff seems to support wider ratios more readily.

To be honest, if my superwide wasn’t capped at 60Hz I wouldn’t have gone for the Acer, but I needed something that can handle 75/90Hz for ease of use with my Rift DK2 (you need your panel to match the refresh rate of the Rift to avoid judder on the HMD). Plus I wanted to see what life was like above 60fps.

The build quality, design and overall feel and look on the LG is really tight, it is a beautiful piece of kit.

The Acer has been problematic – poor bezel design and construction makes for backlight bleed in the corners (especially the bottom right) and there’s more noticeable IPS glow than on the LG or other IPS screens I’ve owned/used. The OSD/menu is basic and not very nice to navigate. Colour reproduction is good and the pixel density makes for tight viewing. 144Hz is lovely (when you can reach it!) and G-Sync makes for fluid viewing, but the screen I’ve got seems to lock up my GPU(s) on a regular basis… but it seems not many have suffered with these type of faults, and are more concerned with the bleed/pixels etc.

Oh and you’ll want a bracket or another third-party stand as the supplied one is a bit poor.

Thanks for your comment.

I've been using a 1440p 60hz panel for some time now and I've had no issues with FPS games (BF3/4/Hardline) at that speed which is why I'm still considering the 34". I already have a 27" so my logic would be to get the 34" and see how I get on. Considering the prices are not that far apart and the issues being reported with the unit in this thread, this pushes me more towards the 34".

The other side is that I've yet to experience and try g-sync!

Glanza · 28 May 2015 at 12:34

Is their an ETA for the new batch? I've seen the 25th pop up a few times in this thread, 25th May or June?

Raumarik · 28 May 2015 at 12:37

snips86x said:
Thanks for your comment.

I've been using a 1440p 60hz panel for some time now and I've had no issues with FPS games (BF3/4/Hardline) at that speed which is why I'm still considering the 34". I already have a 27" so my logic would be to get the 34" and see how I get on. Considering the prices are not that far apart and the issues being reported with the unit in this thread, this pushes me more towards the 34".

The other side is that I've yet to experience and try g-sync!

gsync is very nice, it's convinced me to wait until it's on larger 60Hz panels, rather than grabbing a smaller faster panel.

Andydigital · 28 May 2015 at 12:39

Took mine back this morning for a refund, was a hassle free process and had the money back in my Paypal account almost immediately, how long my bank takes to reflect the refund will usually take longer, crafty buggers. Can't fault OCUK for their service though, thanks.

Superstringy · 28 May 2015 at 12:52

snips86x said:
Thanks for your comment.

I've been using a 1440p 60hz panel for some time now and I've had no issues with FPS games (BF3/4/Hardline) at that speed which is why I'm still considering the 34". I already have a 27" so my logic would be to get the 34" and see how I get on. Considering the prices are not that far apart and the issues being reported with the unit in this thread, this pushes me more towards the 34".

The other side is that I've yet to experience and try g-sync!

I guess I'll need to await my replacement Acer to really test it objectively but I've been a little underwhelmed with G-sync so far.

I've enjoyed the higher frame rates offered by the 100Hz-144Hz capability of the panel when my rig could get up to it - and where the game engine didn't stop me reaching it; Shadow of Mordor won't go higher than 100fps and the 'Creed games top out at 60fps. Notable highlights are Borderlands 2 at 144Hz and Elite: Dangerous at 120Hz though, both very pretty!

But when those inevitable frame rate drops do hit, they aren't being as smoothed out as I was led to expect. Not sure if they're spiking at <40fps or whatever the low end of the G-Sync threshold is, or if my monitor is so b0rked that it isn't carrying out the G-Sync duty as it should, but I'm yet to have the 'wow' factor that the reviews implied from the tech.

For reference, I'm rocking an i7 5930k @ 4.5GHz and 3 x GTX980 in tri-SLI so I'd like to think that I'm running something that has the juice required to show it off.

How are other Acer owners finding G-Sync?

snips86x · 28 May 2015 at 13:29

Cheers, I think I'll leave G-sync for now and look at a 34" or 27"+ with 4K

BG1980 · 28 May 2015 at 15:39

Just a heads up, I was told when I asked that they are now expecting the new batch the week commencing 1/6/15.

Glanza · 28 May 2015 at 15:40

Will wait till next week then before ordering one.

Sylver123 · 28 May 2015 at 16:27

BG1980 said:
Just a heads up, I was told when I asked that they are now expecting the new batch the week commencing 1/6/15.

Was it OcUK that told you of this or was it Mark from Acer?

BG1980 · 28 May 2015 at 17:23

It was Bailey from OcUK