ACER XF270HUA Review: A revision of the ACER XF270HU with a frameless panel design. A Gaming Monitor with an excellent price-performance ratio.
Introduction
Specifications
| Panel Type | IPS |
| Backlight | EDGE LED / W-LED |
| Display size and format | 27" Inch |
| Maximum Resolution | 2560x1440 (WQHD) |
| Pixel density | 108.8 (Pixel per inch) |
| Refresh rate | 144 Hz native |
| Native color depth and color space | 8-bit, 100% sRGB |
| Response time (GtG) | 4 ms |
| Brightness | 350cd/m2 |
| Integrated speakers | Yes |
| Video inputs | 2x HDMI 1.4, 1x DP 1.2, 1x DVI-D |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone (out) |
| USB Hub | Yes 4x |
| power consumption | ?? |
| Frame width | 8 mm in total, 2mm frame |
| Warranty | 2 years |
| Adjustability | Tilt, Height, Pivot, Swivel |
| Adaptive Sync | Freesync |
| Free-Sync Range | 40-144 Hz |
| Contrast (Native) | 1000:1 |
| Vesa | Yes 100mm |
| Curved | No |
Alternatives
Alternative 144Hz WQHD (2560x1440) IPS monitors to the Acer XF270HUA:
(All other alternatives are listed in the Gaming-Monitor-List. Future releases can be found here)
Find the Acer XF270HUA here: Buy on Amazon
With Freesync:
Eizo Foris FS2735 Review / Buy on Amazon
ASUS MG279Q Buy on Amazon
With G-Sync
ViewSonic XG2703-GS Review / Buy on Amazon
AOC Agon AG271QG Buy on Amazon
Acer Predator XB271HU Buy on Amazon
Asus PG279Q Review / Buy on Amazon
YouTube Video Review
Measurement data
Presets and Measurements:
Measurements with optimal settings (without calibration):
Measurements after calibration:
Comparison Charts
Ufo-Testpictures / Text-Scrolling / Chase-Square Test / Eiffeltower-Test / sRGB / Homogeneity
Pros & Cons
Pro:
- A good but not perfect panel frame construction
(especially the lower bezel pressures a bit against the panel)
- Very good foot stand and minimum height adjustment
- Frameless panel design (good to avoid IPS Glow)
- Very good IPS glow conditions on MY UNIT
- Very good image quality and colors
- Freesync with a range of 40-144 Hz
- Very good response time
- Very good viewing angles
- Very low input lag
- Own OSD presets
- 4 times USB 3.0
- Good contrast
Neutral:
- Not a perfect fluently grayscale
- Half matte panel coating
- OSD navigation
Contra:
- No overdrive changes possible with a connected AMD graphics card
(It's not a real issue since "normal" is the best setting which is selected)
- IPS Glow is typical for an IPS type monitor
- Bad gamma settings (2.4 / 2.6 / 1.8, while 1.8 is very bad and destroys the image quality completely - So you have to use Windows gamma tool as an AMD graphics card user)
- Homogeneity and gray uniformity could be a bit better
Support Lim's Cave with a subscription on YouTube. Follow at Twitter and Facebook for news and info about upcoming reviews, monitor releases, and other interesting posts.
The last Monitor Reviews
7 comments
Both are very different monitors and it depends on the content and other factors like your environment (pitch black room or a brighter environment etc). The Acer has a better color stability and no color shift issues while the Samsung has. In dark image content (Sci-Fi or Horror titles or even darker areas in games like Witcher 3 in a cave for example) the Samsung usually wins because of the contrast ratio. The farther away you sit from the CHG70 away, the better the overall image quality and less VA glow. Same applies to the Acer (fewer IPS glow when increasing the distance to the panel). Personally, I still would prefer IPS simply because of the color stability and combined with it the viewing angles, which are usually much harsher than on a TV for example, where a VA panel mostly wins on a TV (also because good TVs have a stronger contrast ratio than current VA monitors).
You should check out my IPS vs VA (Viewsonic vs LG) comparison, this maybe can help.
Thanks, mate :) Yes the Samsungs VA glow is better than on the CFG73 and far better than on the HP Omen X35 for example. But the VA Glow still is visible and depending on the "individual person" still an issue
I think that has possibly making me think the overdrive was bugged but it might be freesync having some issues on DP. Looking at UFO tests the overdrive pretty much looks the same but the freesync on HDMI 2.0 is just smoother and I still think has better overdrive :)
I'm gonna do some IL2 BOS soon so that will be interesting.
Lim what did you use to calibrate the monitor? Is it just the windows 10 Calibrator?
I am really wondering why HDMI 2.0 works better for you :X
I am using basICColor mostly as well as DisplayCAL. BUT, ICC profiles are not really important (while most games do not read ICC profiles and it would only change the color temperature as well as gamma settings). Gamma + Color temperature + Brightness can be easily set within the OSD, so you do not really need to "calibrate" with software. You can use Windows calibration if you want a different gamma setting than offered in the OSD (:
I was using HDMI 2.0 on my Rx vega 64 but been trying DP 1.2a but I think i'll be going back to HDMI 2.0 as it's freesync is smoother.
HDMI does give a darker image with the black set to Normal, the other setting is way to dark. So collaboration settings will be different.
Good to know, thanks. I just could not notice that the image is darker when using HDMI, you're the first person from that I hear of that "problem". Will try to ask some owner of the Acer
I just did test DP (no HDMI) and I did not have any Ghosting issues tbh. I bought an RX580 just to test Freesync monitors :X But if HDMI works for you without any issues, then it should be still good without suffering from your mentioned issues.
Thanks for letting me know, will try to update the review asap
Maybe.. It would be really awesome to own more graphics cards as a reviewer T_T Unfortunately obviously I cannot afford all those graphics cards to test Freesync issues within a specific line :/
