Acer Predator XB273K 27" 4k Gaming Monitor | AMD FreeSync Premium | ZeroFrame Design | 160Hz Refresh | Up to 0.5ms Response | Height, Tilt, Swivel, Pivot Adjust | HDR 400 | 1 x DP 1.4 & 2 x HDMI 2.1

I've had this display for two years now and I can finally give it a five-star review.TL;DR version: This monitor has a firmware bug which sometimes causes it to black out and need a power cycle when switching in and out of 144Hz ActiveSync mode at 4K resolution, with or without HDR enabled. If your equipment and use cases permit you to run in this mode all the time (as my equipment, primarily an Xbox Series X and a pair of M1 MacBook Pros, does) then I can strongly recommend this monitor, especially if you're looking for a display you can spend long sessions in front of with less eye strain than with other panels, and don't need the HDR brightness available in newer but more expensive QD-OLED displays.Before I could give this a five star review and a recommendation to buy, I had a few issues I had to figure out:1. The monitor stand design hogged too much desk, and still had some annoying wobble. But the monitor uses a recessed VESA mount so with a compatible arm or after-market stand that's a fixable problem.2. The screen kept doing black any time I switched my Xbox Series X between a game and the home screen and needing a power cycle, and would sometimes do the same thing when I switched the input between HDMI1 and HDMI2. I figured out how to fix that this weekend, which is to force 144Hz ActiveSync to be always on across every input, and to use cables which support it across every input. While there's some kind of firmware bug that keeps the monitor from switching into and out of this mode cleanly, I no longer have to disable the feature in order to benefit from it. By default Xbox Series X only turns on ActiveSync during games and not for apps like the store and the home screen, and by default MacOS doesn't use it. But I was able to enable both in the respective OS settings, and when I retired my CalDigit 10Gbps USB-C SOHO Dock in favor of a direct 20Mbps USB-C connection from my monitor to my work MacBook, I was enable to enable it there too.I should note, I'm deeply unimpressed with Acer as a support organization. This issue has been widely reported by end users and their website basically just says "try a different cable." No acknowledgement that the display isn't working as intended. No documented workarounds. It took me nearly two years to figure out what was happening, and why.3. The design of the button's for the monitors OSD is poorly considered and makes switching inputs harder than it needs to be. But I found the open source CLI tool m1ddc which let my M1 MacBook Pro directly input-select between any of the monitor's four inputs whether or not the MacBook Pro is the currently selected input. This gets me one step closer to being able to get one-key switching of all my displays and input peripherals between multiple connected systems without having to connect everything through an expensive, performance-bottlenecking KVM.My only remaining minor complaints are:1. The stereo line out adapter on the back of the display has a ground loop with the USB 3.0 ports on the back of the monitor, meaning that in my configuration I can hear electronic interference from the monitor's internals if I have that line out connected to my stereo mixer at the same time as a separate audio device such as a phone or a Bluetooth receiver which is being powered off the monitor's USB. But this is a common problem and is easily resolved by simply connecting such peripherals to a dedicated charging solution such as an Anker Prime hub.2. The HDR isn't especially bright, especially compared to the HDR available on some higher end televisions. But I don't deduct a star for this because I still saw significant visual improvements after calibration in Xbox Series X games.I bought this monitor for a home office to share time between after-work gaming and tech+videoconferencing during my workday. Between those, I spent 50 to 60 hours a week at minimum in front of the screen. The Eyesafe technology was a huge factor in my purchase decision and I have no complaints about it. This remains the best Acer monitor to have achieved that certification--and there are still less than 10 4K displays on the market which have ever done so. I noticed significant improvement in my tolerance to long times spent in front a display after switching to this from my previous 4K monitor.I'm definitely happy with the money I spent on this monitor. I will likely buy a better one soon and demote this to "secondary position," but now that I have resolved the problems I was having with the 144Hz Freesync mode, I'm willing to consider a second Acer monitor instead of being firm on the idea of switching brands.

For those having issues with HDMI 2.1 connectivity with this monitor, namely if you are trying to push the full 48 Gbps bandwidth, such as doing things like 3840x2160 (4K), 144 Hz or higher, HDR, and/or VRR, if you're not already using an "active" (directional), fiber, HDMI 2.1 cable, you may want to consider trying one of those, especially if you are going over lengths of 10 feet. If you're trying to send "all the things" over a single HDMI 2.1 cable that is less than 48 Gbps, then you *should* be fine, but you still may want to try an active, fiber, HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps) cable.More information can be found online if you look up the following videos:-Don’t buy the wrong HDMI cable! | Buying HDMI 2.1 cables at the 9 minute and 42 second mark.-I Spent a THOUSAND Dollars on HDMI Cables.. for Science at the 12 minute and 57 second mark.While my time spent with this monitor, the Acer Predator XB283K V3, was very limited, I was impressed with my time with it. I was upgrading from a 24" Dell SG2417DG monitor which was a TN panel that had a 2560x1440 resolution, had built-in G-Sync, and 165 Hz refresh rate to this. Needless to say the color reproduction and clarity was a night and day difference between the two monitors.The base of this Acer monitor is HUGE though, at least by comparison to my old, and other monitors I use. That's not to say the base isn't solid or heavy duty though, as in my opinion it certainly is. I think the base of this monitor is actually made of metal and not just plastic so it definitely means business. Just be prepared for the amount of space it will take up on your desk. In terms of monitor movement, such as tilt, swivel, etc., I too was impressed how much versatility and movement it provided.I did find the on-screen monitor interface a little cumbersome to use, namely due to the amount of buttons on the back of the monitor. I feel this could have been alleviated by just keep the "joystick" only and integrating all functionality into that, or at most, only having one other button in addition to the joystick. That's not to say it's terrible, but I feel it could be improved upon.With the panel I received I did not notice any defects such as dead pixels, however I think I did spot a very slight bit of "light bleed" around the one edge of the monitor, but nothing too terrible, and it was something I'd only notice if I'm in a dark room while playing a game that is also dark.

I originally bought this monitor for gaming (my first Acer product), but it quickly became my go-to secondary monitor for work as well. The vibrant colors and sharp picture make everything—from gaming to spreadsheets—look amazing. The 4K resolution is a serious upgrade, and with the FreeSync and 160Hz refresh rate, I get zero tearing, even in fast-paced games. The adjustable stand design make it a perfect fit for my desk setup. It’s definitely worth the price—whether you’re gaming or working, this monitor does it all and then some. If you want top-tier performance, this is the one to get. ✅