Acer XB280HK 4K G-SYNC Gaming Monitor Review

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m going to start this piece off with a bit of a confession: Last year, when I was first exposed to NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology, I turned to one of our contacts at the company and said, “The moment someone comes out with a nice 4K version, I’ll hand over my credit card”. At the time, I had been riding along on a 30” HP display with a resolution of 2560x1600 for a few years, and quite frankly, was itching to upgrade. After all, smartphones and tablets were already available with high-resolution screens that put the pixel densities of typical PC displays to shame. And after years of upgrading every other part of my personal workstation (multiple times), I was yearning for something new and fresh in the monitor market. There really wasn’t anything better available at the time, though.

Save for a smattering of relatively small, 3K and 4K laptop displays, we haven’t quite gotten to the same type of pixel densities on the PC that's currently available on today’s high-end ultra-mobile devices. However, thankfully the monitor space has really heated up as of late, with 4K displays generating a large part of the excitement. Today, we can show you the first 4K display that supports NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology, the 28” Acer XB280HK. And here she is, in all her UHD glory...

Acer XB280HK G-SYNC Display
Specifications & Features

Display
Panel Size (diagonal) 28” (16:9)
Maximum Resolution 3840 x 2160
Refresh Rate 60 Hz
Panel Type TN
Response Time 1 ms (G to G)
Brightness 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio (Max.) 1000:1
Viewing Angle (CR=10) 170° (H), 160° (V)
Display Colors 1.07 billion
Bits 8 bits + HiFRC
Video Features
NVIDIA G-SYNC Technology Yes
Input / Output
Connectors DisplayPort (v1.2), USB Hub 3.0 (1 up / 4 down)
Speaker No
Signal Frequency
Frequency 30-80KHz Horizontal / 55-75Hz Vertical
Power
Power Supply Internal (100V – 240 V)
Mechanical Design
Chassis Colors Black
Tilt (angle) -5°~ 35°
VESA Wall Mounting (mm) 100 x 100mm

Find The Acer XB280HK G-SYNC Display @ Amazon (When Available)


If you take a look at the Acer XB280HK’s specifications above, there are a few things that will stand out. First, obviously, is the display’s resolution of 3840x2160. With over 8MP crammed onto its 28” screen, the Acer XB280HK owners won’t be craving additional sharpness. The display’s response time of 1ms is also very good for a 4K monitor, so ghosting shouldn’t be a concern. The rest of the specifications—except for G-SYNC support—will read much like of the better TN panels out there, however, with brightness, a contrast ratio, viewing angles, and a 60Hz refresh rate that are unremarkable.
 


Marco Chiappetta

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com

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