It looks like Acer is getting ready to release a pair of Predator gaming monitors that mate a fast 240Hz refresh rate to an IPS screen. The combination of this much speed and IPS color quality is rare in the monitor space, with only a small handful of IPS models capable of refreshing the screen at 240Hz. A few years ago, 144Hz IPS panels were a big breakthrough.
The caveat with 240Hz is that you'll need a meaty graphics card capable of keeping up. Displays with high refresh rates are particularly useful for less demanding games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends.
As for using an IPS screen, these types of panels typically offer better image quality compared to cheaper TN screens. Wider color gamuts and more flexible viewing angles are both staples of IPS monitors (same goes for VA).
Acer posted product pages for these two new monitors—the 24.5-inch Predator XB253QGX bmiiprzx and 27-inch Predator XB273GX bmiiprzx. Specifications are mostly the same for both models, though not completely identical. here's a rundown of the 24.5-inch model:
- Panel—24.5-inch IPS
- Resolution—1920x1080
- Refresh rate—240Hz
- Response time—1ms gray-to-gray (GtG), 0.5ms via OverDrive
- Color gamut—99 percent sRGB
- Brightness—400 nits standard, 400 nits HDR
- Viewing angles—178 degrees vertical and horizontal
And here's a rundown of the 27-inch model:
- Panel—27-inch IPS
- Resolution—1920x1080
- Refresh rate—240Hz
- Response time—1ms gray-to-gray (GtG), 0.5ms via OverDrive
- Color gamut—99 percent sRGB
- Brightness—350 nits standard, 400 nits HDR
- Viewing angles—178 degrees vertical and horizontal
Both of these are 1080p displays. I'd prefer to see a 1440p resolution on the larger 27-inch panel, but perhaps one is in the works. That said, 1080p is less graphically demanding, especially when trying to push 240fps.
These are also both labeled as G-Sync Certified. That means Nvidia has tested and qualified them to run in G-Sync mode, and will enable the setting automatically. Adaptive sync monitors that are not G-Sync Certified might still be able to run G-Sync, but without the certification, GeForce GPU owners have to go into the GeForce Control Panel and flip the switch themselves, then hope for the best.
Connection options are also the same on both models, consisting of a DisplayPort 1.2a input and two HDMI 2.0b inputs. In addition, there's a 3.5mm audio output and a built-in 4-port USB 3.0 hub.
The product pages only exist on Acer's Japan portal at the moment. According to our friends at Anandtech, the 24.5-inch model is expected to list at ¥46,000 (around $450) and the 27-inch model for ¥55,000 (around $540).
Pricing can (and often does) vary by region, though, so we'll have to wait and see what the MSRPs are in the US, Europe, and other areas. As a point of reference, the Asus TUF VG279QM is a 27-inch 1080p monitor with an IPS screen and 280Hz (overclocked from 240Hz) refresh rate, and it sells for $399 on Amazon in the US, and £360.27 in Europe.
