[Review] Acer XB273K - Is 4K/144Hz/HDR400 Worth it ?

tankyx · November 21, 2019

So, after seeing this deal on microcenter, I decided to treat myself with that monitor, and here I am with a small review of it.

Introduction

To give some context, I have never been a "big screen resolution guy". I have own multiple high refresh rate 1080p screens (Qnix qx2414, AOC G2790PX, LG 34uc79g-b, ASUS PG258Q) and I have been fine with those ever since. But now that I have a GPU supposedly capable of 4K 60+Hz gaming, and finding this great deal, I was too curious to not test this. Also, it happens that I am more into casual gaming right now, playing Destiny 2/The Outer Worlds/NFS Heat/COD MW, 1080p is lacking a bit of that eye candy that would enhance my gaming experience.

Testing

A few thing first. This monitor is indeed the Freesync version, but it is totally compatible with GSync, and works perfectly. But the screen is in reality a 4K/120Hz monitor. If you want that 144Hz refresh rate, you have to plug in two cables in order to have the bandwidth, and that means loosing Freesync/GSync, which is a bad thing. I recommend to keep it at 120Hz, as the extra refresh rate is not worth sacrifying the extra smoothness that syncing technologies bring (Unless you are only playing esport titles).

The monitor comes into a unusually large box for a screen of this size, and it is actually a good thing. The stand is already mounted to the screen, so you just have to take the screen out of the box, plug in two cable and you are good to go. Also, don't forget to put your screen in HDR mode in the OSD menu, or HDR in Windows and your game will look very bad.

Also with HDR, I have a bug with blue artifacts when playing a non-HDR video. it does not bother me much as it works perfect in game.

Now, time to try some games !

I am using a RTX2080ti (2070MHz GPU, 8250MHz memory). CPU is irrelevant at that resolution.

First game I tried was The Outer World. BTW even if you are not into RPGs, it is worth to try, it is a nice game. 4K brought a lot of eye candy to this game and its aging graphics engine. Everything looks sharper compared to my 1080p monitor. Actually, on my old screen I had to put screens effects and post process effects to low, as it was making the game even blurrier. On the XB273K, colors are vivid, image is sharp, and I am rediscovering the game. I was able to get 80fps consistently during my gameplay, and GSync made it look smooth as baby bottom.

Second game I tried was NFS Heat. This was probably the game where 4K was the least noticeable jump compared to 1080p. The car model looks sharper indeed, and the biggest difference I was able to notice was the rain drops on the car. Apart from that, meh. I struggled to keep 60 fps in this game, with regular dips under 50fps, but GSync was as efficient as ever, keeping everything smooth, and it didnt affect my gameplay. This is a game I would recommend to stay at 1080p or 1440p, it is not worth going up to 2160p.

Third and last game I tried is Destiny 2. And oh boy it is night and day compared to my 1080p screen. HDR is very well used, contrast is insane and colors are really vivid. Going to the Moon, I could get dazzled by the brightness of the ground. Going to Io, I was ovewhelmed by all the colors. Using the sparrow just shows how well HDR is used in this game. To be honest, 4K and HDR really bring this game to life, you can feel it has been created with HDR in mind. I was able to keep a steady 75fps in game, and same as the other two games, GSync is working his magic to make the game look smooth. By far my best experience with that monitor.

Pros :

Cheap for the features it packs.
Included Shades (That I didnt use)
Factory color calibration
Not over the top, exhuberant, gamer style stand like the ROG ones
Comes already with the stand mounted
Plenty of IO options

Cons :

Not 1000 nits HDR though
Not a real 144Hz screen
4K is not easily usable for most of the hardware we have currently

Bottom line

In the end, it all comes to your hardware. Is it good enough to run 4K ? Well if you dont have a 2080ti (Or maybe a 2080 Super), it is not. And then, it is not worth to get that screen. I would even say that in most of the cases, a good 1440p screen is a better choice than this screen usually. But at $650, honestly, it is the best choice you can make when it comes to a monitor. If you have the hardware that can handle 4K gaming, go for it.