Acer Predator X34 X0 evaluation: A Mini-LED ultrawide monitor for lower than $500

Greatest Costs Right this moment: Acer Predator X34 X0

Bear in mind Mini-LED displays? If not, I can hardly blame you. Although they appeared as in the event that they may be a well-liked various to OLED a number of years in the past, the speedy lower in OLED monitor pricing pushed lots of them apart. 

Mini-LED nonetheless has its perks, although, and the Acer Predator X34 X0 is a brand new, reasonably priced Mini-LED choice for individuals who need very vivid HDR and a low-glare show on a funds.

Learn on to study extra, then see our roundup of the most effective gaming displays for comparability.

Acer Predator X34 X0 (X34 X0bmiiphux) specs and options 

The Acer Predator X34 X0’s dimension and backbone are exactly the identical as tons of of 34-inch ultrawide displays offered over the previous half-decade. It’s a 34-inch diagonal show with a 21:9 side ratio and a decision of 3440×1440. 

• Show dimension: 34-inch 21:9 side ratio 
• Native decision: 3440×1440
• Panel sort: Mini-LED VA panel with 1,152 dimming zones 
• Refresh price: 200Hz
• Adaptive Sync: Sure, AMD FreeSync Premium
• HDR: VESA DisplayHDR 1000
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB Sort-C with 65 watts of Energy Supply, 1x 3.5mm audio out
• Audio: 2x five-watt audio system
• Value: $599.99 MSRP, $479.99 present retail

What makes this Acer totally different from most displays is the Mini-LED backlight with 1,152 unbiased dimming zones, which is paired with a Vertical Alignment (VA) LCD panel. The monitor additionally has built-in audio system and a USB-C port with as much as 65 watts of Energy Supply, each of that are unusual for a gaming monitor. 

Acer launched the Predator X34 X0 at a $599.99 MSRP, however it’s already on sale for $479.99 on Amazon. I count on gross sales to be frequent on this mannequin, as Acer is commonly extremely aggressive on worth. 

Acer Predator X34 X0 design 

The Acer Predator X34 X0 appears good-looking, although fundamental. It makes use of a easy matte-black coloration scheme with a little bit of aptitude, which features a fake heatsink on the rear and a lovely material cowl over the monitor’s audio system positioned on the decrease lip. 

Construct high quality is common however adequate. Other than the stand, which incorporates some metallic, the monitor’s exterior is plastic. That’s typical for a monitor at any worth bracket, and the few displays that buck that pattern, like some Samsung Odyssey displays, are costlier. 

It is a curved monitor with a 1500R curve (a decrease quantity means a extra noticeable curve). The curve is apparent however not so excessive that it makes the show’s picture look extraordinarily warped. I do are inclined to want an excellent much less aggressive curve, although. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Acer ships the monitor bundled with an ergonomic stand that gives peak, tilt, and swivel adjustment. It does its job, however I’ve a beef with the stand base, which is each broad and deep. It’s so deep that I wasn’t in a position to place the monitor at my most popular viewing distance on my desk, which is about 26 inches deep. A smaller stand base would’ve been a better option. 

The monitor does present a 100x100mm VESA mount, so third-party monitor arms and stands are an choice. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Acer Predator X34 X0 connectivity 

You’ll discover two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and one USB-C port on the rear of the Acer Predator X34 X0. That’s a complete of 4 video inputs, which is yet another than the typical for a gaming monitor. It’s additionally nice to see USB-C included, notably at this worth level. Some manufacturers, like Alienware, are giving USB-C the chilly shoulder. 

There’s an issue, although: The HDMI ports solely help a refresh price of as much as 100Hz. That’s a disappointment, because it means you received’t see very best movement readability from any HDMI supply. 

The monitor additionally has two USB-A downstream ports, which increase USB connectivity when utilizing the USB-C port or, alternatively, when utilizing a separate USB-B upstream port. Acer’s specs didn’t listing the model of USB that the USB-A ports supply, however the speeds appear in step with USB-A 3.2 Gen 1. 

A joystick on the Acer Predator X34 X0’s rear proper flank gives fast, responsive entry to the monitor’s on-screen menu system. The menu itself is nicely organized and supplies a very good vary of picture high quality choices, which embody right gamma settings, in addition to six-axis coloration customization. I do really feel the textual content could possibly be bigger and simpler to learn, although. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Acer gives a Home windows utility referred to as Acer Show Widget that may present entry to most monitor settings inside Home windows. It really works nicely sufficient however the consumer interface feels half-baked when in comparison with comparable software program from Asus and Dell. 

There’s additionally a variety of gaming choices, reminiscent of a timer and on-screen crosshair. One function to notice is a mode that restricts the seen area of the monitor to a smaller, 16:9 side ratio with a number of dimension choices. That’s helpful if you wish to play an older PC recreation that doesn’t work nicely with ultrawide resolutions. 

Acer Predator X34 X0 audio 

Acer packs a pair of five-watt audio system within the Predator X34 X0, and needs you to know it. The material overlaying the monitor’s decrease lip, the place the audio system are positioned, appears premium. Audio high quality is first rate although you’ll have to maintain expectations in verify. 

The excellent news is that the pair of five-watt audio system are a lot louder than typical monitor audio system and supply a extra exact, full sound. They’re satisfying if you wish to hearken to ambient music whereas working, or if you’re taking part in a recreation the place the audio expertise isn’t entrance and middle. 

The Predator X34 X0 doesn’t have a built-in woofer, although, so there are nonetheless limits to what the audio system can supply. The soundstage is slim and bass-heavy conditions could make the audio sound muddy. 

I additionally seen a quiet however audible buzz from the audio system on my evaluation unit, as if the wiring for the audio system wasn’t correctly shielded. I didn’t decide up on it till over per week utilizing the monitor, however it was there. 

Players will need headphones for extra immersive titles, however the audio system work nicely sufficient for the value, and most rivals don’t have audio system in any respect. 

Acer Predator X34 X0 SDR picture high quality 

The Acer Predator X34 X0 has a Vertical Alignment (VA) LCD show panel. It is a frequent sort of panel present in tons of of displays and televisions. 

What’s extra uncommon, although, is the Mini-LED backlight. It consists of 1,152 particular person dimming zones which might activate and off independently for higher management of distinction and brightness. Most LCD displays have a decrease variety of LED backlights positioned solely alongside the perimeters of the show. 

The Mini-LED backlight has benefits but additionally comes with downsides. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

First up is brightness, the place the Acer Predator X34 X0 supplies a most of 379 nits in SDR. That’s vivid, although not unusually vivid for an LCD show. Because the HDR outcomes will present, the monitor might get brighter, however it seems Acer positioned a restrict on the brightness in SDR. 

It’s additionally price point out the show has a matte end with modest glare, so reflections are not often a problem. Meaning the monitor seems vivid and readable in all kinds of lighting conditions. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The monitor’s distinction is tough to sum up in a single graph. 

As proven above, I measured a distinction ratio of 8,930:1 at 50 p.c of most brightness. However distinction can differ tremendously relying on the brightness of the show, which isn’t typical for many shows. 

The distinction ratio is successfully infinite at decrease ranges of brightness, the place the show’s minimal brightness registers an ideal results of zero nits. At one hundred pc brightness, in the meantime, I measured a distinction ratio of 16,470:1, which remains to be an incredible outcome. 

I believe most players will use this show at decrease ranges of SDR brightness, through which case the distinction ratio is successfully infinite. 

However the Mini-LED backlight additional complicates the difficulty as a result of, not like OLED displays such because the Alienware AW3425DW, it can’t dim or brighten particular person pixels. The Predator X34 X0’s 1,152 dimming zones are rather a lot, however you’ll nonetheless see a splotchy “halo” or “blooming” impact round small vivid objects—like your mouse cursor—when they’re on a darkish background. 

That is typically not that noticeable in video games, however it’s extra apparent on the Home windows desktop. Even one thing so simple as white textual content on a darkish background may cause an apparent blooming impact. This can even be a problem when you activate subtitles in motion pictures or video games. 

Personally, I don’t thoughts this overly a lot, however your mileage will differ. Some individuals could hardly discover whereas others could discover it utterly unacceptable. 

It’s price point out, too, that the dynamic backlight might be turned off. I wouldn’t suggest that for video games, as you’ll lose the distinction advantages of the Mini-LED backlight, however it’s a nice choice when you dislike how blooming appears in Home windows desktop apps. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Subsequent up is coloration gamut, and the Predator X34 X0 knocks this metric out of the park. It managed to cowl one hundred pc of sRGB, 98 precent of DCI-P3, and 95 precent of AdobeRGB. 

These figures are just like OLED displays and imply the Predator X34 X0 can ship a vivid, colourful, extremely saturated expertise. The monitor additionally covers sufficient of the DCI-P3 and AdobeRGB coloration gamut to be helpful for photograph and video enhancing or digital artwork in these wider coloration areas. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Shade accuracy is sweet, too. Although not the best, the typical coloration error was constantly low, which implies the picture appears reasonable. The monitor additionally hit the popular gamma goal of two.2. Shade temperature was solely barely off at 6600K, barely cooler than the goal of 6500K. Total, the monitor’s picture feels balanced and true-to-life. 

Sharpness is simply okay. The monitor’s 3440×1440 decision works out to roughly 110 pixels per inch throughout the 34-inch ultrawide panel. That’s pretty sharp, however rather a lot much less so than the ultrawide equal to 4K decision, which is 5120×2160 and delivers about 163 pixels per inch. Nonetheless, 34-inch ultrawides with 5120×2160 are uncommon, so you’ll in all probability have to accept 1440p if you’d like a 34-inch ultrawide monitor. 

The Acer Predator X34 X0 places in a stable SDR efficiency for the value. It has coloration efficiency just like costlier OLED rivals alongside increased brightness and considerably aggressive distinction. The query you want to ask your self is whether or not you possibly can put up with Mini-LED’s “blooming” impact, which I feel most customers will discover and might be distracting. 

Personally, I discover it most noticeable in video games with quite a lot of menus, like Crusader Kings 3, and far much less so in video games the place you’re usually immersed on this planet, reminiscent of Cyberpunk 2077. The monitor’s aggressive retail worth of $479.99 may additionally assist budget-conscious customers overlook the blooming impact.   

Acer Predator X34 X0 HDR Picture High quality 

HDR was a bonus for Mini-LED, as OLED shows couldn’t attain brightness ranges excessive sufficient for good HDR. OLED has improved, nonetheless, and the competitors between Mini-LED and OLED is now blended. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Because the graph exhibits, the way in which the Acer Predator X34 X0 performs in HDR is a lot totally different from how an OLED monitor will carry out. 

The Predator X34 X0 really displayed a decrease most brightness than some current OLED displays, which shocked me. Nonetheless, the Predator X34 X0 nonetheless exhibits a major benefit in HDR brightness when bigger areas of the show are lit. 

Subjectively, I feel there’s a brilliance with Mini-LED that you simply don’t fairly get from OLED. This was most blatant within the “Into the Storm” scene from Mad Max: Fury Street. Right here, bursts of lighting weave their method by means of a mud storm. The most effective OLED displays additionally carry out nicely right here, however the lighting appears to leap from the scene on the Predator X34 X0. 

The flipside is that OLED will carry out higher in darkish scenes, which might make Mini-LED’s “blooming” subject apparent. You’ll be able to count on to see apparent orbs of sunshine surrounding small, vivid HDR particulars. 

It’s price conserving worth in thoughts, too. At $600 MSRP, and sub-$500 present retail, the Acer Predator X34 X0’s HDR efficiency might be tough to beat. OLED ultrawides are sometimes $100 to $200 costlier. The Predator X34 X0’s HDR efficiency has execs and cons, however it’s the most effective I’ve seen lately in a monitor offered below $500. 

Acer Predator X34 X0 movement efficiency 

The Acer Predator X34 X0 supplies a refresh price as much as 200Hz. 

That’s positively a lot increased than 60Hz, and it means the Predator X34 X0 can really feel reasonably easy. However 240Hz displays are actually quite common, so 200Hz doesn’t really feel as particular because it used to. You should buy 34-inch ultrawide displays with a 240Hz refresh price for lower than $300. 

Due to that, the Predator X34 X0’s movement readability is merely okay for the value. It’s easy and fairly crisp in fast-paced content material. I might use the monitor for a lot of recreation genres and by no means have a problem with the readability. But when you’ve ever used a 240Hz OLED, or perhaps a 240Hz IPS monitor with a low pixel refresh time, you received’t be impressed. 

Additionally, as talked about earlier, the 200Hz refresh price is simply obtainable over DisplayPort and USB-C. HDMI is caught at 100Hz. That’s a bit bizarre. I even thought it may be a typo within the monitor specs, however I attempted it with HDMI and I can affirm 100Hz is the restrict at 3440×1440 decision. 

The Predator X34 X0 helps adaptive sync with official AMD FreeSync Premium certification. Nvidia G-Sync help isn’t official, although it did work with an Nvidia-powered laptop computer I had available. 

Do you have to purchase the Acer Predator X34 X0? 

The Acer Predator X34 X0 is an fascinating addition to the sub-$500 monitor market. It delivers a Mini-LED panel with excessive brightness, stable distinction, a large coloration gamut, and good HDR efficiency, although these traits come paired with a “blooming” impact that may be distracting. 

The monitor additionally supplies USB-C and first rate audio system, each of that are a bonus at this worth, although it additionally has a refresh price of solely 200Hz (and simply 100Hz over HDMI), which isn’t all that spectacular for near $500. 

That makes the Predator X34 X0 a complicated monitor to think about. I can’t suggest it to everybody, however the Predator X34 X0 is a stable decide if you’d like a vivid ultrawide monitor with first rate HDR and USB-C connectivity within the sub-$500 worth bracket.