Acer Predator XB271HU Review: 1440p 165Hz G-SYNC Gaming Monitor

The Acer Predator XB271HU bmiprz is a premium gaming monitor that combines a 144Hz refresh rate (overclockable to 165Hz) and a 1440p IPS panel with NVIDIA G-SYNC technology for a perfect gaming experience.

Additionally, the monitor offers extensive connectivity and ergonomic options, as well as plenty of gaming features, including NVIDIA’s ULMB motion blur reduction technology.

Image Quality

Based on AU Optronics’ AHVA (IPS) panel technology, the Acer XB271HU offers a 350-nit peak brightness, a 1,000:1 static contrast ratio, a 4ms response time speed, and 10-bit dithered color support with 100% sRGB color space covered.

Alas, the monitor isn’t factory-calibrated, so for the best Acer Predator XB271HU calibration settings, you will have to fiddle with the color adjustments yourself. Advanced 6-axis and RGB color settings are available in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.

Many find the 27″ screen size and 1440p resolution to be the ideal combination for gaming. The monitor isn’t too big nor too small, while the resolution provides just the perfect pixel density.

With 108.79 pixels per inch, you get maximum details and screen real estate without any UI scaling required.

Keep in mind that the bandwidth required to run 1440p at 144Hz is almost double than it’s for 1080p at 144Hz. So, you will need at least the GTX 1070 for low/minimum settings at 1440p/144Hz, depending on the game.

Performance

The main complaint you may see about the Acer Predator XB271HU 27″ monitor is its IPS glow and backlight bleeding. These two similar but different monitor defects show as excessive light leaking around the corners or edges of the screen.

We didn’t see any prominent backlight bleeding nor any dead pixels on our unit. IPS glow, on the other hand, is expected from IPS panels.

If you max out the brightness on your screen and dim all the lights in your room, the glow that appears on the screen is supposed to happen, and you should either lower the screen brightness or let some light in your room.

Moving on, the Acer Predator XB271HU input lag performance is top-notch with less than 5ms of delay. The response time is also impressively fast as it effectively removes almost all ghosting and motion blur in fast-paced games.

Now, the response time isn’t as fast as that of TN panel displays with 1ms, nor is the contrast as high as it’s on VA panel monitors; but these panels have their own drawbacks.

Moreover, blacks won’t be as deep as they’re on VA displays, but then again, you won’t get the horrible black smearing you get on VA monitors at this price range.

NVIDIA G-SYNC & ULMB

Equipped with NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology, the Acer Predator XB271HU monitor enables a variable refresh rate when connected to a compatible GeForce GTX card, 650 Ti or newer.

This will allow the display to change its refresh rate dynamically and in synchronization with the GPU, which will eliminate screen tearing and stuttering for good.

Moreover, it won’t introduce as much input lag as VSync does; in fact, the Acer Predator input lag is just 1ms higher with G-SYNC enabled.

Alternatively, you can use ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur), which via backlight strobing completely eliminates motion blur and ghosting of moving objects in video games.

ULMB cannot be active at the same time as G-SYNC as it can only work at fixed refresh rates of 85Hz, 100Hz, or 120Hz.

When ULMB is enabled, the screen becomes a bit dimmer without the ability to increase its brightness, and input lag gets increased a bit to ~10ms, which is still imperceptible.

You can use the Acer XB271HU with an AMD card as well, but you won’t be able to benefit from a variable refresh rate or ULMB.

In case you have an AMD card, get a 27″ 1440p 144Hz IPS monitor with FreeSync instead, so you don’t pay a premium for G-SYNC for no purpose.

Features

The XB271HU, as well as the rest of the Acer Predator XB1 series monitors, offer additional gaming features, including Dark Boost, which you can use to alter the gamma curvature and increase visibility in dark parts of video games.

Next, you can set a custom Aim Point on-screen for better precision in FPS games and track your framerates/refresh rates with the Refresh Rate Num feature. There are also three customizable picture profiles.

The screen is flicker-free unless ULMB is enabled, and there’s an integrated low blue light filter that prevents eye strain and fatigue.

Finally, you will find the Overdrive settings with Off, Normal, and Extreme modes. We suggest using either Off or Normal as Extreme introduces pixel overshoot or inverse ghosting.

Design & Connectivity

The design won’t appeal to everybody due to gamer-inspired aesthetics. It’s a tad bulky looking at it from the side, but at least the bezels are very thin at the top and at the bottom of the monitor, so it’s a great choice for multi-monitor setups.

Ergonomic abilities include -5°/20° tilt, -/+ 30° swivel, 90° pivot, and up to 150mm (5.9″) height adjustment. There are also 100 x 100mm holes for VESA mounting.

For 1440p at 165Hz and G-SYNC, you will need to use the DisplayPort input. There’s an extra HDMI port, which maxes out at 2560×1440 at 60Hz. There’s also a headphones jack, a quad-USB 3.0 hub (two ports at the side), and 2x2W DTS built-in speakers.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Acer Predator XB271HU price ranges from $390 to $470.

There are better yet cheaper gaming monitors available. The MSI G273QF, for instance, offers a wider color gamut and a faster response time speed for ~$300. It doesn’t have a dedicated G-SYNC module, but it offers smooth VRR performance.

To learn more about monitors and ensure you’re getting the model most suited for your personal preference, visit our comprehensive and always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

The Acer XB271HU was one of the best gaming monitors available back in the day. Nowadays, you can find equally good or even better alternatives for less money.

Screen Size	27-inch
Resolution	2560×1440 (WQHD)
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	144Hz (165Hz OC)
Response Time	4ms (GtG)
Motion Blur Reduction	NVIDIA ULMB
Adaptive Sync	G-SYNC
Speakers	2x2W
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4
Other Ports	4x USB 3.0, Headphone Jack
Brightness	350 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC)
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)