Acer Bakes Nvidia's G-Sync Into 27-inch IPS QHD Monitor With 144 Hz Refresh Rate

[Murissokah]

Looks really promising, but I'll wait until it actually gets reviewed before I start obsessing over one.

 

[FTLAUDMAN]

I want a monitor with these specs that supports BOTH G-Sync and Freesync. I keep my monitors much longer than I keep my GPUs and I don't want to be locked in to one vendor for this technology.

 

[SkyBill40]

I want a monitor with these specs that supports BOTH G-Sync and Freesync. I keep my monitors much longer than I keep my GPUs and I don't want to be locked in to one vendor for this technology.

As my old man would say..

"Put want in one hand and spit in the other. Guess which one fills up faster?"

 

[hixbot]

I'll believe it when I see it, my guess is the press release is incorrect and it's a TN panel. Or the press release is incorrect and its 5MS response time.

 

[hannibal]

The 60Hz 27" BenQ with AHVA panel is 799$ so this will be much, much more expensive...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014357

 

[Deus Gladiorum]

Oh man, this was sooooo close to being my perfect monitor. The only problem is the resolution. 1440p is too much for me. My gaming rig is designed around ~60 fps at the 1080p mark, I just would've really loved some beautiful IPS colors and no input lag nor screen tearing to accompany it :\

 

[Deus Gladiorum]

Oh man, this was sooooo close to being my perfect monitor. The only problem is the resolution. 1440p is too much for me. My gaming rig is designed around ~60 fps at the 1080p mark, I just would've really loved some beautiful IPS colors and no input lag nor screen tearing to accompany it :\

 

[arossetti]

Oh man, this was sooooo close to being my perfect monitor. The only problem is the resolution. 1440p is too much for me. My gaming rig is designed around ~60 fps at the 1080p mark, I just would've really loved some beautiful IPS colors and no input lag nor screen tearing to accompany it :\

Then run it at 1080p

 

[arossetti]

I would like to see 1440p @ 21:9 @ 144 MHz w/ GSync & 1 ms response @ 10 bit color & 3D capable IPS

 

[Deus Gladiorum]

Oh man, this was sooooo close to being my perfect monitor. The only problem is the resolution. 1440p is too much for me. My gaming rig is designed around ~60 fps at the 1080p mark, I just would've really loved some beautiful IPS colors and no input lag nor screen tearing to accompany it :\

Then run it at 1080p

Rendering any image at a resolution lower than its native resolution looks terrible. Absolutely terrible. Compare any two monitors of similar sizes but differing resolutions, and run them both at the lower's resolution. The difference is obvious. Scaling will result in an image that is visibly stretched, because it'll either be extremely aliased or blurred.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

We have politicians writing press releases now ?

It's an IPS monitor but it's not

It's has a 1ms response time, but it's doesn't.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Why stick with 27-28 inches, just not making any sense. 30 inches plus is where its at and 4k.

Because larger diagonal without changing resolution decreases image sharpness. Same reason why 1366x768 doesn't belong on screens larger than 12 inch and 1920x1080 seems meh on a 23 inch screen after working with a 15.6 inch laptop with the same resolution. Ideally 1440p belongs on 17-21 inches, not 27, but it's better than 1080p at least. Ultra HD (nope, not 4K, that's a marketing gimmick, proper term for 3840x2160 is UHD) on 27 inch makes much more sense but the focus here is refresh rate and not resolution.

Sadly, you won't see Ultra HD screens with 144 Hz refresh rate for a while, I believe - currently, enthusiasts must pick either UHD or 144 Hz. Manufacturing costs, I suppose.

Oh, and I see that the obsession with the response time is alive and well. How many of you can actually see the difference between 1-2 ms on TN panels and 4-7 ms on typical IPS? Or even 10-15 ms? I know for sure that I can't, as long as framerate is high enough everything is alright. (Own both TN and IPS screens) When will people stop obsessing over that meaningless spec already...

 

[codo]

You wont say the price of the Swift is ridiculous after seeing it in action. That said, many, many people have had very serious trouble with theirs (check the rog forums) so I'm still a little weary, but I think I've escaped that initial period where it would either crap out or stay going. Not too hot on acer but if this comes in at around 5-600 bucks, would be hard to resist for anyone way back on 1920x1080 still.

 

[envy14tpe]

You wont say the price of the Swift is ridiculous after seeing it in action. That said, many, many people have had very serious trouble with theirs (check the rog forums) so I'm still a little weary, but I think I've escaped that initial period where it would either crap out or stay going. Not too hot on acer but if this comes in at around 5-600 bucks, would be hard to resist for anyone way back on 1920x1080 still.

If it is around $500 I'll snatch it ASAP, the Acer one. Looks cool and has all the right specs to be good. We'll have to wait and see what the true calibration is.

I remember going from a 19" 900p to a 24" 1080p, oh my god. I knew the difference and thats why I want 1440p now.

 

[Wisecracker]

Any word on if either panel supports Freesync (or Adaptive-Sync if you want to use the standard's actual name)? I'd be willing to bet that nVidia has some sort of incentive if manufacturers leave that standard out.

Adaptive-Sync Added To DisplayPort 1.2a Spec

NEWARK, CA (12 May 2014) — The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA®) today announced the addition of Adaptive-Sync to its popular DisplayPort 1.2a video interface standard ...

nVidia is likely subsidizing the cost of manufacture, but they will not dump DP 1.2a.

So. Yes. You will be able to Free-Sync on your G-Sync :lol:

 

[CraigN]

We have not seen any prices on FreeSync monitors yet, so nobody can make the argument that FreeSync will be cheaper. ASUS reps on their boards have already made the case that hardware changes are required to support FreeSync (just because the DP 1.3 port supports use of the V_Blank interval and Adaptive Sync standard, does not mean the scaler it is attached to does. This requires a hardware change, which is still expensive for manufacturers who have been doing it one way for years) and thus will have a price premium over regular monitors as well, so until one is released, we'll never know.

Also, like many have pointed out, Acer never released the response time of this monitor in their press release. They only specified it would be "IPS", 1440p, and 144Hz. I suppose we'll get an idea of response time at CES this week.

 

[wabba]

unless you only play cs go or anything that easy, you dont get 144fps when you need it, even at 1080p, forget about starcraft, wow, dota, lol planetside 2 and many more.
sure 144hz monitor is better than 60 and should be standard, even windows and internet browsing is improved, but games that benefit most dont get 144fps minimum. and btw, its not ips, i call bs, is there not any laws against lying?

 

[CraigN]

unless you only play cs go or anything that easy, you dont get 144fps when you need it, even at 1080p, forget about starcraft, wow, dota, lol planetside 2 and many more.
sure 144hz monitor is better than 60 and should be standard, even windows and internet browsing is improved, but games that benefit most dont get 144fps minimum. and btw, its not ips, i call bs, is there not any laws against lying?

There are many different kinds of In-plane-switching technologies. It's not lying.

With an SLI setup, it's easy to get 100+ FPS on most games easy at 1080p, so that's not entirely true.

 

[Bondfc11]

The Gsync 144 does not have the 1ms response time - need to clarify the article better - or read Acer's press release better.

 

[Ninjawithagun]

...now the XB270HU is a whole new animal and would definitely be worth a higher price for entry since it is the very first 144Hz IPS panel. But notice how Acer didn't provide a response time, which leads me to believe they were not able to get it down to 1ms. I guess we'll know soon enough ;-)

Uh, how did you miss this?

"The star of the show is the XB270HU, which is a 27” monitor with an IPS panel and a resolution of 2560 x 1440. On top of that, it has an extremely high refresh rate of 144 Hz, with a response time of just 1 ms, and support for Nvidia’s G-Sync."

Apparently, that was added to the article later AFTER I posted my comment

 

[CraigN]

...now the XB270HU is a whole new animal and would definitely be worth a higher price for entry since it is the very first 144Hz IPS panel. But notice how Acer didn't provide a response time, which leads me to believe they were not able to get it down to 1ms. I guess we'll know soon enough ;-)

Uh, how did you miss this?

"The star of the show is the XB270HU, which is a 27” monitor with an IPS panel and a resolution of 2560 x 1440. On top of that, it has an extremely high refresh rate of 144 Hz, with a response time of just 1 ms, and support for Nvidia’s G-Sync."

Apparently, that was added to the article later AFTER I posted my comment

No, no, you were still right the first time Ninja. Toms included the response time, but ACER did not.

From the Acer Press Release, added some comments in bold for clarity.

The XB270HU (Notice the B.) is the first NVIDIA® G-SYNC™-enabled gaming monitor to feature IPS technology, which provides consistently clear images from up to 178 degree wide viewing angles. NVIDIA® G-SYNC™ technology ensures every frame rendered by the GPU is perfectly portrayed by synchronizing the monitor’s refresh rates to the GPU in a GeForce® GTX-powered PC. This breakthrough technology eliminates screen tearing and minimizes display stutter and input lag to deliver a smooth, fast and dynamic gaming experience for all the latest PC game titles. Scenes appear instantly, objects are visually sharp, and gameplay is more responsive to provide faster reaction times, giving gamers an advantage. Even in multi-monitor setups, the Acer XB270HU delivers crisp images from wide viewing angles to provide an excellent in-game experience. Furthermore, its multi-functional ErgoStand allows users to tilt, swivel and adjust the height to the most comfortable viewing position. (Note the lack of response time listed)

The XG270HU (Note the G. Different monitor)is the world’s first gaming monitor with an edge-to-edge frameless display which maximizes viewing area and provides a more seamless viewing experience for multi-monitor setups. A quick 1ms response time (not the G-Sync monitor) assures that actions or dramatic transitions will be rendered smoothly without smearing or ghosting effects. Built with post-consumer recycled ABS plastic, this monitor adorns the characteristic Acer gaming identity with a bold orange strip along the bottom horizontal frame and also outlines the base stand. For easy connectivity, the XG270HU includes HDMI 2.0, DVI, and DisplayPort 1.2.

Source: http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/press/2015/151682

 

[CraigN]

Sorry for the double post, but wanted to reply to a couple other people too, to make some corrections/inform some people.

Any word on if either panel supports Freesync (or Adaptive-Sync if you want to use the standard's actual name)? I'd be willing to bet that nVidia has some sort of incentive if manufacturers leave that standard out.

Adaptive-Sync Added To DisplayPort 1.2a Spec

NEWARK, CA (12 May 2014) — The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA®) today announced the addition of Adaptive-Sync to its popular DisplayPort 1.2a video interface standard ...

nVidia is likely subsidizing the cost of manufacture, but they will not dump DP 1.2a.

So. Yes. You will be able to Free-Sync on your G-Sync :lol:

This is not true. It does not matter if they don't dump DP 1.2a. Just because the connector port supports it, doesn't mean the hardware it's soldered to does. The standard DOES NOT REQUIRE that manufacturers actually use hardware that supports these features. Merely that the connector they solder to their scalers HAS THE CAPABILITY for these features, but does not mean that the hardware its attached to utilizes all of them. Considering that G-SYNC uses an FPGA board they designed that happens to have a DP1.2a soldered to it, not your typical ASIC scaler, they are in not obligated to support Adaptive Sync even if they are using a DP 1.2a port that has it baked in.

To make a comparison, imagine you bought a cheapo budget Android phone, that has no accelerometer. Android has basic driver support for accelerometers built in, so phones know when they're sideways or right-side up and then adjust the screens accordingly, However, the phone isn't required to make use of that feature if it doesn't have the hardware, so you can't rotate your screen on this budget android phone. The same is true of DP 1.2a. Yes, it has support for control of the V_Blank interval from the GPU. But no, you don't have to bake that feature into your scaler if you want to still sell cheapo monitors but include a DP 1.2a port on the back.

gsync only increases the cost of the monitor. ill stick with nothing for now. if freesync is truly free, gsync is a short lived tech.

Adaptive refresh needs a ASIC display IC physical redesign, not just a firmware update. This means silicon redesign, tape out, manuf, testing, firmware - the lot. This is not "free". This will still inflate the price of the monitor. It is yet to be seen if this price will be less than G-SYNC, but even if it is, the reason being is that while ASICs are cheaper, they take longer to make, whereas FPGAs are easy to make, but very very expensive.

 

[SkyBill40]

Apparently, that was added to the article later AFTER I posted my comment

It's all good. Apparently Tom's has made the error here and not you as they've clearly mixed up the two monitors' info. While I'd like to know what the true response time of the XB is, I suppose we'll just have to wait a bit longer for that info to come out. So long as it's 5ms or so, I'm good. Hell, even under 8ms would be fine so long as the price is in the sweet spot.

 

[hasten]

@wabba - there is nearly no game (arma3 exception) I can't run at 120 frames or greater... And most at 144. You are basing your argument on your inferior hardware. Not only that the purpose of g-sync is to reduce/eliminate the effect of dips under. I'm very confused by your argument, other than you don't have a powerful enough rig...

 

[Shendue]

I've read that Freesync monitors, judging by the first tests, don't PERFECTLY eliminates tearing as G-Sync does, so it seems that for now G-Sync outperforms them.
Anyway, i don't get what "it's an IPS panel but actually it's a VA yet it doesn't matter because it's better than TN anyway" is supposed to mean. If it's IPS, it's IPS, if it's VA, then its VA so that would be false advertising by Acer.