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Acer’s new 32-inch Predator monitor will super-size your gaming experience

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While Acer teased us with information about its new 32-inch 4K gaming monitor back in November, it wasn’t clear when the screen would be more readily available. Now, it looks like the wait is over, because the Predator XB321HK is on shelves and ready for action.

The IPS display doesn’t skimp on the features. It boasts a four milisecond response time for lightning fast gaming, and a 60 hertz refresh rate. If you can’t quite reach a solid 60 frames per second, the Acer has built-in G-Sync, Nvidia’s adaptive refresh technology that matches the refresh rate of the monitor to the current system framerate, as long as you have an Nvidia 650 Ti Boost or newer.

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The XB321HK is compatible with HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2, and includes a USB 3.0 hub with four ports. There’s a pair of two watt stereo speakers, as well, for those without a separate set already. The stand has a wide range of motion, with a 4.7 inch up-down movement and -5 to 25 degree tilt. If that doesn’t help your eyes, the screen also includes Acer EyeProtect, which filters out unnecessary flickering and blue light, and ComfyView, which filters some blue light for more comfortable long-term viewing.

It’s a remarkably similar offering to the XB280HK, a gaming monitor that we awarded an editor’s choice for its solid build quality, and excellent image quality after calibration. We didn’t care for the monitor controls, but the line has since seen a major design update. There were also some issues with G-Sync at low framerates at the time, but those have since been resolved.

Granted, the 4K and G-Sync combination isn’t as novel now as it was in late 2014 when we last spent time with the Acer, and the older model’s price is now in the $600 range, but that doesn’t take away from the potential of a larger panel.

Unfortunately, all that performance comes at a price. The Acer XB321HK’s suggested retail is $1,300, one of the highest price tags we’ve seen, even for a 32-inch 4K screen. That being said, it doesn’t have a lot of competition in the market. UHD panels with gaming features like G-Sync are few and far between. Hopefully the newest from Acer can live up to its predecessors well-earned reputation.

Brad Bourque
Brad Bourque
Former Staff Writer
Brad Bourque is a native Portlander, devout nerd, and craft beer enthusiast. He studied creative writing at Willamette…
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