240Hz gaming monitors have come a long way. Whereas a couple of years ago every 240Hz gaming monitor was just another TN display sacrificing color and contrast for maximum frame rate, these days you’ll find just as many VA and IPS screens that look substantially better.
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Acer’s latest Predator XB3 pretty much sets the gold standard for what a 240Hz gaming monitor should be now. It features a fast IPS panel that can hit 240Hz while displaying a bright and colorful HDR picture at 400-nits. What really sets it apart from other IPS displays in its class is it also features a 0.5ms response time while also supporting FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync compatibility.
And if that wasn’t enough to make the Acer Predator XB3 standout, it also features integrated RGB lighting just under the display.
We’ve been using the monitor for a few days now and we’ve been blown away by its great picture quality paired with its incredibly fast refresh rate. Thanks to it being G-Sync compatible, we also haven’t seen a single torn frame even as we wildly whip our mouse around trying to freeze everyone with Mei in Overwatch.
Instead, every frame of animation looks like a crisp still image, allowing us to easily track targets and line up headshots.
The only thing we wished was a little better on the monitor was the integration of the RGB bar lighting. For now, it doesn’t seem like there’s any software to tie its effects or color to your games. By comparison, MSI have used GameSense to tie reloading alerts to the RGB lighting on its monitors.
Of course, this is only just an early preview of an early unit right now, so some software may develop by the time of our final review.
The Acer Predator XB3 gaming monitor will release later this September for a starting price of $429.
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Kevin Lee is IGN’s Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
Source: IGN.com The Acer Predator XB3 Sets a New Bar for 240Hz Gaming Monitors