The Acer Predator XB271HU has been my go-to monitor for months now, for everything from Assassin’s Creed: Origins to Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds. So far, it’s been delivering the raw performance needed to beat out the competition, while still delivering crisp visuals and smooth, tear-free gameplay.
This Acer Predator monitor offers a variety of desirable features, including G-Sync, a sky-high 144Hz refresh rate, QHD resolution (2560 x 1440), and a 1ms response time. This means top of the line performance in competitive shooters, while still maintaining the high quality image you’d expect from a TN panel.
At the time of publication, you can pick up the Acer Predator XB271HU on Newegg for $565.21.
Competitive specs
When it comes to competitive shooters like Rainbow Six: Siege or Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, your monitor matters in a big way. The refresh rate and response time of a good monitor can be the difference between winning or losing.
That means that if you’re playing a competitive shooter of any kind, the Acer Predator XB271HU’s 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response provide a smoothness and stability that a 60Hz, 5ms monitor struggles to replicate. Combine that with Nvidia’s G-Sync, and the Acer Predator XB271HU gives your monitor the freedom to match the FPS of the rest of your rig, while eliminating screen tearing and smoothing out FPS drops.
If you’re looking for competitive performance, the Acer Predator XB271HU is hard to beat, and delivers a solid balance between visual fidelity and functionality.
Fine detail, balanced with performance
Although 4K monitors are great, gamers looking for competitive performance aren’t usually as interested in a resolution so demanding that they can’t maintain high, consistent frame rates. As a result, 2K monitors like the Acer Predator XB271HU are finding a home in battlestations everywhere, for gamers that want to balance low latency performance with a resolution that’s a step up from 1080p.
The Acer Predator XB271HU delivers a crisp, clear, 27 inch 2K WQHD image without compromising FPS on most modern GPUs, making it a great balance between visuals and performance. Although the TN panel can’t match the raw color contrast of an IPS display, the Acer Predator XB271HU manages to deliver a quality 1:1000 white to black ratio that looks almost as good as a TN panel.
For someone that plays both competitive shooters and titles where the need for stunning visuals might trump raw gaming performance, the Acer Predator XB271HU offers an excellent balance. This is a monitor for someone that wants to experience The Witcher 3 in all its gorgeous glory, but also might want to jump over to a competitive shooter, and still have the edge of a low latency monitor running at a high refresh rate.
A compelling feature suite
This is enhanced by the Acer Predator XB271HU’s more practical features. Setup with the Acer Predator XB271HU is relatively quick and easy, and can be accomplished in less than the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee.
That said, the included red and black base rides the line between gaming and professional aesthetic, but feels like a rock steady and dependable mount for a gaming monitor in this price range. The Acer Predator XB271HU is also VESA compatible, which gives you a host of options for third party mounts if the standard base isn’t doing it for you.
That said, the standard base will be plenty for most consumers, because it offers a decent 15-30 degree tilt and a smooth height transition that adjusts with pressure from as little as two fingers. It also maintains its position with very little wiggle or wobble, even on the highest vertical setting.
Even better, Acer’s control suite makes adjusting color contrast and swapping between various gamma settings a simple experience. The controls are reasonably intuitive and responsive for a monitor menu, and there’s something to be said for a system that lets you smoothly swap between low blue light options and high contrast color schemes for when you’re struggling with eye-strain during long gaming or work sessions.
A jack of all trades
Although the Acer Predator XB271HU isn’t the prettiest monitor on the block, it’s undeniably a reasonable jack of all trades that delivers on smooth visuals without compromising on refresh rate or response time.
For gamers interested in balancing performance and visual fidelity, this display delivers the best features of both worlds, without sacrificing the competitive edge you expect from a low response time monitor.
