Acer Predator X34 X0 34-inch Mini LED 200 Hz gaming monitor review: Ultra wide, ultra fast, and ultra bright

There are many different shapes and sizes in the curved gaming monitor category, but the bread-and-butter screen is a 34-inch 21:9 panel with a 1500R radius. This is the easiest and least expensive way to put a 21:9 display on your desk, and there are many good choices available if you’re looking for one of the best gaming monitors.

You can expect to spend around $500 for one of these, but if you can add a C-note to that, Acer has a new Predator, the X34 X0, with a 1,000-nit Mini LED backlight, 1,152 dimming zones, HDR10, 200 Hz refresh rate, Quantum Dots, Adaptive-Sync, 3440x1440 WQHD resolution, and a 21:9 aspect ratio curved to 1500R. Let’s take a look.

Acer Predator X34 X0 Specs

The X34 X0 has the two things that contribute to maximum LCD contrast: Vertical Alignment (VA) technology and a Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) Mini LED backlight with 1,152 dimming zones. It’s the next best thing to OLED, and you’ll save around $400 in the process. Native contrast is 3,000:1, and with the zone dimming at its max setting in HDR mode, blacks are immeaurable. The X34 X0 delivers some killer HDR.

It's made even better with a huge color gamut courtesy of a Quantum Dot layer that covers over 106% of DCI-P3. Primary colors are especially vivid, and you can use this extra volume for SDR and HDR content at your preference. Or engage a super-accurate sRGB mode when the smaller gamut is required. Speaking of requirements, there is one that the X34 X0 doesn’t have and that’s calibration. It’s very accurate out of the box for all content, regardless of color standard.

Gaming runs smoothly and responsively thanks to a 200 Hz refresh rate and Adaptive-Sync. The X34 X0 works on G-Sync and FreeSync platforms and includes VRR support for consoles over its HDMI 2.1 inputs. A DisplayPort 1.4 supports full bandwidth at 200 Hz, while the HDMI ports top out at 100 Hz. You also get a USB-C port, which covers DisplayPort functions up to 200 Hz. USB 3.2 is also covered with one up and two downstream ports on a rear-facing jack pack.

Physically, the X34 X0 is premium all the way. The stand is rock solid with firm adjustments. A metal headphone hook unfolds from the top, and you get a nice cable management clip below, also made from metal. The OSD is controlled by a backlit joystick protruding from the bottom right. It includes aiming points and a refresh rate counter, plus three user programmable picture modes and full calibration control with color gamut selection.

Monitors like this cost $1,000 just a few years ago. Now, you can get a premium example like the X34 X0 for $600. That’s progress for sure, and it makes a compelling alternative to OLED.

Assembly and Accessories

My X34 X0 sample came securely packed in crumbly foam with the panel encased in a curved form and the base and upright in the top tray. Assembly is toolless and creates a solid package that befits a premium display. A large power supply brick brings the juice, and you get USB-C, DisplayPort, and HDMI cables.

Product 360

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The most obvious thing looking at the X34 X0 from the front is the wide fabric-covered trim strip. Though it gives off soundbar vibes, there are only two speakers in there. Not a bad thing though, they sound amazing thanks to their larger-than-average size. Five-watt op amps power them to respectable volume levels, a wide frequency range, and no audible distortion.

The base is very wide and deep and made from cast aluminum. Stability is assured in every direction and though it is large, the narrow legs have a minimal desktop footprint. The upright sports a 4.8-inch height adjustment, plus 5/20 degrees tilt and 20 degrees swivel. Movements are very tight and free from play or wobble.

The 1500R curve is gentle by modern standards and strikes a good balance between entertainment and work. You get a good wraparound effect but there’s no image distortion when working on things like spreadsheets and document editing. The anti-glare layer is effective at preventing reflections while being grain-free.

In the back is a fine texture with white bits that look like LEDs, but they are just white bits; there is no lighting. The input panel is recessed, faces backwards, and includes a DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.1, a USB-C with DP function, and traditional USBs, one upstream and two down. You also get a headphone jack. The stand has a substantial metal headphone hook and a metal cable loop at the bottom.

OSD Features

The X34 X0’s OSD joystick protrudes from the bottom right and lights up blue when the power is on. It controls all monitor functions. Pressing it brings up a quick menu that is programmable by the user. A second press brings up the full list of options.

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The tree-based menu has eight subsections plus a field with three memories for user settings. Beginning with Game Assistant, you can see there is a timer and a selection of aiming points. There are three shapes and three static colors, plus an auto option that changes the reticle’s color to stay in contrast with the background.

Video processing is found in the Gaming menu, and there you get an Adaptive-Sync toggle, zone dimming (three levels), a frame rate counter, a two-level overdrive, and aspect ratio choices. There is no backlight strobe, which isn’t unusual, but I discovered that you can’t have overdrive and Adaptive-Sync on at the same time. That is an odd choice, but all is not lost. If you can keep the frame rate at 200fps, you don’t need Adaptive-Sync. And I found almost no frame tearing until the rate dropped below 144fps. The overdrive is very precise and effectively cuts blur to almost nothing.

The Picture menu has two important features: HDR, which activates two modes when HDR10 content is played, and Max Brightness. As stated, you need to turn this on to have, you know. That means HDR peaks over 1,000 nits, which is incredibly bright. Coupled with zone dimming, the X34 X0 produces some deep contrast and true blacks for HDR content.

There are eight picture modes in total. Action, Racing, and Sports correspond to the three user memories, so you can bend them to your will if you like. The default is Standard, but if you change any setting, it switches to User. This menu also has color space options, gamma and color temp presets, and a two-point white balance control, along with six-axis hue and saturation for color management.

Ultra-wides like the X34 X0 are perfect for PBP and PIP, and both are offered here. You can control the position, size and sources along with the audio source. To save your settings, go to Save Setting to… and pick one of the modes for later recall.

Acer Predator X34 X0 Calibration Settings

The X34 X0 comes with a calibration data sheet that verifies its accuracy, and you don’t need to adjust, but if you make a few tweaks, there is a small improvement to be had. The white balance sliders have gain and bias control and are very precise. I made a few changes, which I’ve indicated below, and dropped contrast one click to tighten up gamma tracking. Color covers almost 107% of DCI-P3 if you use the General gamut option. sRGB and other gamuts are available in the color menu and they proved to be accurate as well. The X34 X0 can be used for color-critical applications. In HDR mode, you get Auto and HDR1000 modes, which are very close to mark. I used Auto for testing and reviewing.

Gaming and Hands-on

From the first few minutes I played Doom Eternal, I knew the X34 X0 was no ordinary 34-inch ultra-wide. It has a few features that set it apart from competitors, such as greater brightness, more saturated colors, and smoother motion processing. Though its 200 Hz wasn’t a massive advantage in testing, it made a difference to gameplay with incredibly precise aiming, perfect motion resolution, and no perceptible input lag.

The HDR image is simply stunning. Though an OLED is better, it’s only a little better. The X34 X0 has equal color volume to any QD-OLED, so there’s no difference in saturation. And black levels are superb thanks to the Mini LED backlight and its 1,152 dimming zones. For $600 versus $1,000, it’s a compelling option. And if you can’t afford a 34-inch OLED, the X34 X0 is a no-brainer.

Gaming was completely addictive with precise aiming and movement that tracked my control inputs perfectly. I noted in tests that you couldn’t use overdrive and Adaptive-Sync together. But my GeForce RTX 4090 locked the frame rate at 200 fps so that I could ditch G-Sync with no penalty. If you can’t maintain more than 144fps at 3440x1440, the X34 X0 might not be the best option.

Once I tore myself away from gaming, no easy feat, I was able to quickly and comfortably dispatch workday tasks like spreadsheet and graphics editing. For word processing, a taller monitor suits me better, but Excel is a dream on a 21:9 screen. Vertical scrolling is always easy thanks to the mouse wheel, but side-to-side is less convenient. With the X34 X0, I didn’t have to do as much of it.

I was able to engage local dimming for SDR and enjoy fantastic contrast that rivalled that of any OLED panel. It made the image appear sharper, with super-clean rendering of small fonts and icons. Graphics editing in Photoshop was also quick and easy, thanks to the full selection of color gamuts in the OSD. The X34 X0 is a very flexible tool for creative applications.

I noted the extra convenience features like USB ports, PIP/PBP, and useful user settings memories. I also enjoyed the sound quality from the front-mounted speakers. Though they didn’t amaze me with deep bass, they played loud and clear with a very wide sound stage. Not too many monitors point the drivers at the user, so it was nice to have a sound bar arrangement. The X34 X0 is nearly unique in this regard.

Takeaway: The X34 X0 is a supremely useful and flexible display. It has a gorgeous image that works equally well for gaming, video and productivity. The color saturation is tremendous but never harsh or overblown. The picture is finely detailed and textured and HDR is among the very best I’ve seen, good enough to rival many OLEDs. My only wish was for the ability to run Adaptive-Sync and overdrive together. It wasn’t a factor for me but if you can’t maintain at least 144fps, you’ll see some tearing.

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