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There are many color standards referenced in today’s gaming and video content. Creative pros need a monitor that can cover them all, and that usually means a high price tag. The Acer ConceptD CM3271K aims to deliver maximum flexibility and usefulness to video editing and graphics work for substantially less money.
With a huge native color gamut that covers nearly 75% of Rec.2020, the CM3271K can easily deliver DCI-P3, Adobe RGB and sRGB. Acer has also included support for EBU and SMPTE-C and even a grayscale mode. There's no content that can't be viewed accurately on this monitor.
We wish there were more calibration flexibility here. The User mode allows for two-point grayscale adjustments with accurate gamma presets but is limited to the monitor’s full native gamut, which is near Rec.2020. When you select another gamut, grayscale controls are locked out, and we noted some slightly visible white point errors that couldn't be corrected.
If you want it to do double-duty as a gaming monitor, the CM3271K is fine for casual play, but with a 60 Hz refresh rate limit, hardcore players will be left wanting. Though Adaptive-Sync is included, activating it locks out overdrive. This produced some blur when the action became intense.
But for creative tasks like video and photo editing,or game production; the CM3271K is a great tool that sells for far less than most professional monitors. Its flagship counterpart, the CP7271K, boasts a higher refresh rate and a FALD backlight but costs nearly three times as much.
Though there are a few flaws, the CM3271K’s greatest asset is its price/performance ratio. For $650 at this writing, it doesn’t cost any more than other 27-inch 4K monitors that lack its many color gamut options. For creatives seeking a budget display, it’s worth a serious look.
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