Acer's Predator X34 Monitor Hits The Market With Curved Display, Ultra-Wide QHD, G-Sync

At Computex in June, Tom's Hardware paid a visit to the Acer booth to try to get some answers about its upcoming Predator products. The company had recently revealed some upcoming products under the Predator name that included a desktop, tablet, laptops and an ultra-wide curved monitor. However, at Computex, Acer wasn't prepared to share many of the details.  

In regards to the Predator X34, we were told that it is 34 inches, features a 21:9 aspect ratio with QHD resolution, and supports G-Sync. The company also told us that it would include two 7-watt speakers and would have an adjustable stand with tilt and height adjustments. Acer was not ready to share the rest of the specifications, nor would it talk about pricing and availability.

Rather than make an announcement with the details of the display and a future release date, Acer waited until the Predator X34 was ready for sale before talking about the full specifications.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Acer Predator X34
Resolution3440 x 1440
Refresh Rate60 Hz (overclockable to 100 Hz)
Panel TypeIPS
Viewing Angle178 degrees
Contrast Ratio100,000,000:1
Brightness300 cd/m2
Color Reproduction1.07 billion colors - 100 percent RGB
Special FeaturesComfyView, Acer Eye Protect
AudioTwo 7w speakers with DTS Sound
InputsHDMI, Display Port 1.2, four USB 3.0 ports
StandTilt (-5 to +35 degrees) Height (5-inches), VESA wall mount
Warranty3 years parts and labor

In addition to supporting G-Sync and featuring a curve, Acer has included its own technology to help reduce eye fatigue. Acer Eye Protect is meant to filter out some of the blue light that can be harmful to your eyes. The Predator X34 also features ComfyView, which is Acer's term for its matte screen finish. 

The stand that Acer included with the Predator X34 has height and tilt adjustments, but it does not rotate, nor does it pivot. The designers did manage to integrate a stylish loop for cable routing at the bottom and what looks like a handy carrying handle at the top of the stand. It can also be replaced with a VESA-compatible stand or wall mount.

Acer's Predator X34 34-inch curved IPS G-Sync display is available now with a suggested price tag of $1,299.99.

Follow Kevin Carbotte @pumcypuhoy. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

 Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years. 

  • TechyInAZ
    Lovely new monitor. But for $1299, it should have at least 144hz without question. Sure "overclockable to 100hz" but still, at that price tag it should have at least 144hz.
    Reply
  • arossetti
    144hz is not currently possible for a screen that large and at 1440p resolution. No current panel can achieve that, nor does the currently implemented DP standard either on hardware or the current generation of NVIDIA GPUs.

    Regardless, 100Mhz is a very noticeable improvement above 60Hz. The difference between 100Hz and 144Hz is less noticeable.

    And while $1300.00 is salty - the original ASUS ROG Swift was also crazy expensive at launch- and was constantly sold out! I'd expect ASUS's version of this monitor (released around December) to be the same.

    Either way I was lucky enough to score one of the few X34s from Newegg and come Thursday (assuming there are no RMA issues) I'll be staring at a 34" curved screed of 1440p GSync goodness.
    Reply
  • chumly
    The $250 premium for gsync vs freesync makes me want to switch to the red team.

    Pascal better blow my mind in DX12 or nVidia is losing a customer.
    Reply
  • wkwilley2
    Overclockable to 100hz? Ugh.....hold on guys, gotta stress test my monitor to make sure it's stable.

    Give me a break.
    Reply
  • arossetti
    I have to agree. The GSync premium is a little hard to swallow. But for me the power/heat efficiency of NVIDIA over AMD will always win out.
    Reply
  • RedJaron
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the point of G-Sync and FreeSync that you don't need insanely fast refresh rates for smooth gameplay? Seems that reaching the 75 - 100 Hz range should be plenty.

    In a related note, I just ordered my own 21:9 screen. Not nearly as nice as this one ( one day I'd like to try a 34" 1440p curved display ), but I'm hoping I'll enjoy it.
    Reply
  • eklipz330
    The $250 premium for gsync vs freesync makes me want to switch to the red team.

    Pascal better blow my mind in DX12 or nVidia is losing a customer.
    it's upsetting that nvidia is nearly ready to release their next generation probably early next year... amd just released their response to the 900 series. amd is seriously behind.
    Reply
  • TechyInAZ
    16777544 said:
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the point of G-Sync and FreeSync that you don't need insanely fast refresh rates for smooth gameplay? Seems that reaching the 75 - 100 Hz range should be plenty.

    In a related note, I just ordered my own 21:9 screen. Not nearly as nice as this one ( one day I'd like to try a 34" 1440p curved display ), but I'm hoping I'll enjoy it.
    Yes your wrong. :D

    The purpose of adaptive sync overall is to make gameplay smooth only when the frame rate isn't optimal. Think of it as a better version of V-Sync (which it is).



    Reply
  • flybri
    Nice that these widescreen G-Sync monitors are finally coming out, but knew they would be extremely expensive. I understand having to paying a premium for a faster panel and G-Sync support, but not THAT much of a premium -- it's priced $300-400 too high, IMO. I'd like to have a FreeSync/G-Sync monitor, but when I just got my Dell U3415W for about half the cost of the Predator X34, the price premium it's currently isn't fully justifiable. That said, if you got the extra scratch lying around to blow on this, then by all means...
    Reply
  • arossetti
    16777733 said:
    Nice that these widescreen G-Sync monitors are finally coming out, but knew they would be extremely expensive. I understand having to paying a premium for a faster panel and G-Sync support, but not THAT much of a premium -- it's priced $300-400 too high, IMO. I'd like to have a FreeSync/G-Sync monitor, but when I just got my Dell U3415W for about half the cost of the Predator X34, the price premium it's currently isn't fully justifiable. That said, if you got the extra scratch lying around to blow on this, then by all means...

    There is always a premium to new tech. I would suspect as more of these types of panels/monitors come online that there will be a price drop though I'd suspect that it will not be as drastic as most would like - and not for a long time.

    If the market couldn't support the premium then the price would have dropped; but it hasn't. That's just economics. And the hope that people had that AMD's Freesync would be competitive and cause a price war has not materialized either.

    GSync, in my opinion, is just a better implementation of the adaptive sync solution.
    Reply