Acer Announces XR341CK 34-Inch Curved IPS FreeSync Monitor
Acer's new XR341CK is a 34-inch curved FreeSync monitor with an IPS panel.
Slowly, various manufacturers have been introducing their large curved gaming monitors, and Acer won't be left out. Therefore, the company introduced its new XR341CK – a 34-inch curved monitor with an impressive spec sheet, wherein the words "IPS" and "FreeSync" especially catch our attention.
The monitor's 34-inch curved IPS panel has a resolution of 3440 x 1440 pixels, upping the ante a little bit compared to various ultra-wide 1080p displays. With a resolution well below 4K, though, it should still allow you to achieve smooth framerates without packing the latest and greatest graphics cards.
Viewing angles sit at 172 degrees horizontally and 178 degrees vertically (the difference is due to the curvature of the monitor), the panel covers 100 percent of the sRGB color space, and it has a brightness of up to 300 nits. Gamers will particularly appreciate the 4 ms response time and refresh rates up to 75 Hz. We say "up to" 75 Hz because the FreeSync support will allow the monitor to adjust its refresh rate on-the-fly to minimize stuttering and tearing. Unfortunately, Acer did not provide a minimum refresh rate, so we do not know how wide the supported refresh rate range is.
To our surprise, the monitor also comes with what looks like a very fine stand. It supports height adjustments with a range of 5.12", and it can tilt from -5° through 35° facing up. It also has a cable management hole to keep things tidy.
Connectivity for the monitor is fairly lavish and includes one DisplayPort 1.2a connection (which is required to use Freesync), Mini-DisplayPort, DisplayPort out, one HDMI 2.0 connection with MHL support and a power jack, and there is also a four-port USB 3.0 hub along with a single 3.5 mm headphone jack. Let's also not forget the pair of 7W speakers to complete the cake.
Do note that this is a fairly sizable monitor. It will stand 23.07" tall and 32.48" wide, and it's 12.17" deep. Of course, when you remove the stand, those numbers fall to 14.8" and 3.9" for the height and depth, respectively.
Acer said that the monitor will be available in late July, and that it will carry an MSRP of $1,099.
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Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.
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poochiepiano Man, that is a beautifully designed monitor. Now if only I could afford to buy a monitor the price of an entirely new PC.Reply -
salgado18 So, I finally found that every single feature I want in a monitor costs $1100. Fair price probably, I think I have a spare kidney...Reply -
salgado18 So, I finally found that every single feature I want in a monitor costs $1100. Fair price probably, I think I have a spare kidney...Reply -
jaber2 That's not a curve, that how i get my monitor if I send it via USPS, its just bent slightlyReply -
Frozen Fractal I thought Acer would implement a "fast" IPS panel, like 120Hz+, at least that's what we can expect from Acer when we listen to "New Acer IPS monitor".Reply -
eklipz330 so close to the ideal monitor... just need a 20-144hz range and THEN we are in business.Reply -
captaincharisma no thanks acer. if you want me to spend that kind of cash on a monitor it has to be 4KReply -
Frozen Fractal Reply16154435 said:no thanks acer. if you want me to spend that kind of cash on a monitor it has to be 4K
Well, it is kinda 4K, just short of about 3 Mega pixels :p -
childofthekorn Replyso close to the ideal monitor... just need a 20-144hz range and THEN we are in business.
This. -
mosc The whole point of freesync is that you don't NEED crazy refresh rates to make things smooth anymore. In fact, Freesync doesn't seem to be able to cut the refresh more than in half so 144hz max might force you into some pretty high refresh rates and not really fix anything if your graphics can't deliver. 40-75 hz is a great range of playable motion with no tearing. It's already expensive enough!Reply
My main complaint is cost. If I could get one more thing at the same cost I'd request more resolution going to 1600 pixels tall