Contemplating: Asus - PB278Q or Acer - XB271HU?

[Matthew_Lagster]

I'm wondering which one of these I should buy...
The Asus seems very good, and has a fair price.
The Acer looks to be even better, but comes with double the price tag.

I have the budget to buy whichever one of them.
Hmm... Which one?

 

[Eximo]

PB287Q is a 2560x1440 60hz monitor. The Acer XB271HU is a 2560x1440 144hz G-sync monitor (Nvidia GPU required for G-sync). (It does support a 165hz overclock mode, but I wouldn't bother, adds ghosting back into the mix)

G-sync monitors have an Nvidia supplied scalar that adds quite a bit to the cost. But it does enable G-Sync which makes a zero tearing experience with an appropriate Nvidia GPU.

Your decision should be based on what you plan to do with it. You will need quite a decent GPU to push a QHD display to 144hz with recent titles. If you plan to play older or lower power fast-paced games, then 144hz is useful. If you play only turn based/strategy games, or even 'sight-seeing' MMOs or RGPs then they make less sense (Then a 4K G-sync display might be more to your liking, you get the good visuals and no tearing when your GPU can't handle it)

You should not consider a G-sync display if you have an AMD GPU, might as well buy a free-sync display which are often much cheaper and can even have the exact same LCD panel. Think GTX1070Ti and up as a requirement for a QHD/144hz panel. Or Vega56/64 for a free-sync display.

 

[Matthew_Lagster]

PB287Q is a 2560x1440 60hz monitor. The Acer XB271HU is a 2560x1440 144hz G-sync monitor (Nvidia GPU required for G-sync). (It does support a 165hz overclock mode, but I wouldn't bother, adds ghosting back into the mix)

G-sync monitors have an Nvidia supplied scalar that adds quite a bit to the cost. But it does enable G-Sync which makes a zero tearing experience with an appropriate Nvidia GPU.

Your decision should be based on what you plan to do with it. You will need quite a decent GPU to push a QHD display to 144hz with recent titles. If you plan to play older or lower power fast-paced games, then 144hz is useful. If you play only turn based/strategy games, or even 'sight-seeing' MMOs or RGPs then they make less sense (Then a 4K G-sync display might be more to your liking, you get the good visuals and no tearing when your GPU can't handle it)

I already know the specs of both monitors. I use a ASUS GTX 1070 graphics card. I don't really plan on playing many fast paced games either. Do you think I should go for the PB278Q then? Or do you recommend any other monitors?

 

[Eximo]

If you like ASUS, then it is a pretty good choice. There is a similar model from BenQ for a little less:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YZn2FT/benq-monitor-gw2765ht

GTX1070 can handle about 70FPS in most recent titles at QHD, there are a few that it will probably dip below 60FPS on.

If you like the Acer, ASUS has an identical model in the form of the PG279Q (Which I have), but it is usually a bit more expensive. Both are prone to backlight bleed and IPS glow. Some people are not used to IPS glow effects and it can seem like a defect, but that is typical with IPS and VA panels like these. Backlight bleed is more serious and can cause bright spots and color uniformity issues.

If you don't think you need fast paced response times then you probably don't want to invest in a fast refresh rate monitor (Or if you do, go for 1080p so you can get the most of fast paced games)

I bought mine planning for future upgrades, so at some point I will get a GPU that can handle 144FPS in all titles I play, right now it is closer to half.

 

[Matthew_Lagster]

If you like ASUS, then it is a pretty good choice. There is a similar model from BenQ for a little less:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YZn2FT/benq-monitor-gw2765ht

GTX1070 can handle about 70FPS in most recent titles at QHD, there are a few that it will probably dip below 60FPS on.

If you like the Acer, ASUS has an identical model in the form of the PG279Q (Which I have), but it is usually a bit more expensive. Both are prone to backlight bleed and IPS glow. Some people are not used to IPS glow effects and it can seem like a defect, but that is typical with IPS and VA panels like these. Backlight bleed is more serious and can cause bright spots and color uniformity issues.

If you don't think you need fast paced response times then you probably don't want to invest in a fast refresh rate monitor (Or if you do, go for 1080p so you can get the most of fast paced games)

I bought mine planning for future upgrades, so at some point I will get a GPU that can handle 144FPS in all titles I play, right now it is closer to half.

I, just as you, am planning to buy a monitor with future updates in mind.
What matters to me when buying a monitor is:
Color
Issues with the monitor (backlight bleed, stuck/dead pixels)
Image quality

Which monitor do you think I should choose with these criteria?

 

[Eximo]

Certainly the older techs are more reliably produced. IPS glow is fairly common unless you opt for professional grade monitors where color accuracy is supreme. They tend to have very high response times though.

Sounds like the PB278Q meets your needs. Not much sense buying a gaming monitor for color/backlight bleed, they prioritized speed and latency over all else.

 

[Matthew_Lagster]

Certainly the older techs are more reliably produced. IPS glow is fairly common unless you opt for professional grade monitors where color accuracy is supreme. They tend to have very high response times though.

Sounds like the PB278Q meets your needs. Not much sense buying a gaming monitor for color/backlight bleed, they prioritized speed and latency over all else.

Do you think the acer has a lot of issues with the backlight bleed and stuck / dead pixels?

Edit: Did some research and decided to get the Acer. I looked at the ASUS PG279Q with similar specs, but a lot of reviews stated that the Acer XB271HU has less problems with backlight bleed and QC issues.

 

[Eximo]

Yes, that was true at launch and seems to still be somewhat true. I recently counseled someone who thought their PG279Q was worth returning, mine is actually much worse.

The old XB270HU was actually the first "IPS" QHD 144hz G-sync display to the market. At the time though Acer was stuck on a gamer aesthetic. Now ASUS and Acer have kind of reversed that. I don't need the monitor to look fancy, just perform well. The PG279Q is still decent looking, but some of their recent monitors are a bit much.

I'm probably going to hold out for desktop class OLED screens if that ever happens. Dell has one, but is $3500. ASUS has a 21.3" coming to market soon. All OLED production seems to be focused on large format TVs or tiny screens. Largest OLED screen I think I have seen outside of TVs was 13" for one of the early netbooks.