Try 4th RMA on PG279Q or try my luck with the Acer Predator XB271HU

[farmfowls]

So I'm here again, asking for everyone advice. I recently upgraded my GPU and Monitor and had went with the Asus Rog Swift PG279Q for a display. I bought insurance on it with NCIX so I could do exchanges (instead of having to deal with Asus directly for RMA's) if anything was wrong. I just recently got my third exchange in (all because of back light bleed) and its still worse than ever. I'm coming up to the point in time where I would have to purchase more insurance to continue dealing with NCIX for exchanges instead of Asus directly for RMA's. But I do now have the option to return the PG279Q for store credit and get the Acer Predator XB271HU instead.

 

Now here's where my question lies. Do you guys think it would be a wise decision to cash out now and try the Acer Predator XB271HU? Or do you think I should re-purchase insurance and keep trying with the Asus? I would also purchase insurance on the XB271HU as well if I cashed out. I only second guess myself on going with Acer straight away because I have heard that the base isn't as sturdy (I can deal), the OSD isn't as good (I'll accept that) but most importantly that whites on the XB271HU aren't as accurate as on the PG279Q as well as the colors are more washed out. Now the major reason I would cash out would be because I'm trying to stay away from the major BLB issues on the PG279Q. On all three of monitors I've tried, the BLB has been horrendous. When the QC issues arose with both monitors, I've read that Acer actually did something to improve it (what that is I don't know but would be interested to find out) and that I would have a better chance of receiving a monitor with minimal BLB if I went with Acer. 

 

Does anybody have any advice for me? What would you do? Suggestions? 

[Lays]

Odds of you finding a panel like that without BLB is gonna be pretty difficult, almost everyone I see has BLB with them.  (Yes it's stupid that monitors that expensive have problems) 

[farmfowls]

1 minute ago, Lays said:

Odds of you finding a panel like that without BLB is gonna be pretty difficult, almost everyone I see has BLB with them.  (Yes it's stupid that monitors that expensive have problems) 

I am totally fine with some blb. Just not so bright that I notice it even when browsing the internet. 

[elkenrod]

sounds like you're in an abusive relationship...

[farmfowls]

5 minutes ago, elkenrod said:

sounds like you're in an abusive relationship...

With NCIX or Asus? I'm always in abusive relationships... 

[EunSoo]

Both the Asus and the Acer use the same panel so there shouldn't be much of a difference, if any. Asus is known for their lack of quality control. I'm not sure if Acer is better or worse though. I would give the Acer a try.

[farmfowls]

4 minutes ago, SCGazelle said:

Both the Asus and the Acer use the same panel so there shouldn't be much of a difference, if any. Asus is known for their lack of quality control. I'm not sure if Acer is better or worse though. I would give the Acer a try.

I've also heard that the whites and general colors are more washed out on the Acer than the PG279Q. Will it be a trade off for color accuracy and vibrant colors against blb? 

[ARikozuM]

If the meaning of insanity is "trying the same expecting different results", does that make you insane?

 

I'd go Acer.

[EunSoo]

6 minutes ago, farmfowls said:

I've also heard that the whites and general colors are more washed out on the Acer than the PG279Q. Will it be a trade off for color accuracy and vibrant colors against blb? 

Sorry if I wasn't clear. The display in both the Acer and the Asus are literally made by the same company (AU Optronics) and have the same model number (AU Optronics M270Q008 V0). Both panel's specs are identical. Most things other than that (controller, casing, etc...) are from Acer/Asus but the panel itself are the same. However, displays can be like CPU overclocking in a way. You can have two identical displays (Both from the same company, retailer and have the same box) and one can look better than the other. It is up to the company's quality control to make sure that they give you a good one. A company like Dell has great qc while Asus has crappy qc (which is why I generally avoid them) and Acer probs has a little better qc than Asus. But still, no one can guarantee that your display will perform as expected unless he/she sees it and evaluates it. I can't tell you if the Acer will have better or worse color accuracy, colors, or blb than the Asus. But I trust Acer more to give you a display that isn't defective.

[farmfowls]

10 minutes ago, SCGazelle said:

Sorry if I wasn't clear. The display in both the Acer and the Asus are literally made by the same company (AU Optronics) and have the same model number (AU Optronics M270Q008 V0). Both panel's specs are identical. Most things other than that (controller, casing, etc...) are from Acer/Asus but the panel itself are the same. However, displays can be like CPU overclocking in a way. You can have two identical displays (Both from the same company, retailer and have the same box) and one can look better than the other. It is up to the company's quality control to make sure that they give you a good one. A company like Dell has great qc while Asus has crappy qc (which is why I generally avoid them) and Acer probs has a little better qc than Asus. But still, no one can guarantee that your display will perform as expected unless he/she sees it and evaluates it. I can't tell you if the Acer will have better or worse color accuracy, colors, or blb than the Asus. But I trust Acer more to give you a display that isn't defective.

At this point, I would trust Acer over Asus for sure. I do know they have the same panel but had read somewhere that Acer's method of fixing the blb may have somehow affected the color quality. No proof of this though. If you google "Acer Predator XB271HU washed out", tons of posts come up but not so much when you do the same search with the PG279Q. Whether this is a fact or not has yet to be seen, but at the same time I can't RMA a machine on lack of color accuracy. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/review/B017DG09WM/R26BTOYV4AN8UI/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1

 

Like look at the whites in these links:

 

 

Thee are the things that bother me. The QC with Asus is definitely bad especially with BLB but the colors I've seen have been vibrant and rich. I haven't gotten one with any coloring issues. Just blb. If Acer did "fix" the blb issues, could their QC not be up to par with the coloring portion but on point with blb? What sucks is, as you said, I'd actually have to see it to make an educated decision. But if I go with the Acer, I can't go back to the Asus. I don't want to be stuck with something that has washed out colors but I also don't want to be stuck with blb wither. 

 

 

 

[EunSoo]

1 minute ago, farmfowls said:

At this point, I would trust Acer over Asus for sure. I do know they have the same panel but had read somewhere that Acer's method of fixing the blb may have somehow affected the color quality. No proof of this though. If you google "Acer Predator XB271HU washed out", tons of posts come up but not so much when you do the same search with the PG279Q. Whether this is a fact or not has yet to be seen, but at the same time I can't RMA a machine on lack of color accuracy. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/review/B017DG09WM/R26BTOYV4AN8UI/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1

 

Like look at the whites in these links:

 

 

Thee are the things that bother me. The QC with Asus is definitely bad especially with BLB but the colors I've seen have been vibrant and rich. I haven't gotten one with any coloring issues. Just blb. If Acer did "fix" the blb issues, could their QC not be up to par with the coloring portion but on point with blb? What sucks is, as you said, I'd actually have to see it to make an educated decision. But if I go with the Acer, I can't go back to the Asus. I don't want to be stuck with something that has washed out colors but I also don't want to be stuck with blb wither. 

 

 

 

hmm, I don't think Acer did anything to the panel. Maybe they threw away the ones with less blb over worse whites when it came to qc. idk

[HungryHamster]

I would say try ASUS again. I got a 279q months ago and was super worried about the noted BLB issue, but the first one they sent me had only a little in the top right corner so I kept it. Unless it's a totally black screen it is not noticeable at all. In dark environments it does become more apparent from different viewing angles so try to find one that minimizes whatever BLB you do get. Anyways, I voted for ASUS since I had no issues and they did come out with a press release about a year ago stating that they were aware of the complaints and would strive to do better. They also seemed to be pretty active in reaching out to unhappy customers in the Amazon review section. Hope something works out for you soon. 

[farmfowls]

3 hours ago, HungryHamster said:

I would say try ASUS again. I got a 279q months ago and was super worried about the noted BLB issue, but the first one they sent me had only a little in the top right corner so I kept it. Unless it's a totally black screen it is not noticeable at all. In dark environments it does become more apparent from different viewing angles so try to find one that minimizes whatever BLB you do get. Anyways, I voted for ASUS since I had no issues and they did come out with a press release about a year ago stating that they were aware of the complaints and would strive to do better. They also seemed to be pretty active in reaching out to unhappy customers in the Amazon review section. Hope something works out for you soon. 

The only thing is this will cost me a good chunk of money and I would then commit to Asus until I find one. I don't how much it will cost me in the end as I will have to buy insurance over and over again until I get a decent one. 

[farmfowls]

9 hours ago, HungryHamster said:

I would say try ASUS again. I got a 279q months ago and was super worried about the noted BLB issue, but the first one they sent me had only a little in the top right corner so I kept it. Unless it's a totally black screen it is not noticeable at all. In dark environments it does become more apparent from different viewing angles so try to find one that minimizes whatever BLB you do get. Anyways, I voted for ASUS since I had no issues and they did come out with a press release about a year ago stating that they were aware of the complaints and would strive to do better. They also seemed to be pretty active in reaching out to unhappy customers in the Amazon review section. Hope something works out for you soon. 

Also, what batch is yours form? 

[farmfowls]

On 6/2/2017 at 4:30 AM, HungryHamster said:

I would say try ASUS again. I got a 279q months ago and was super worried about the noted BLB issue, but the first one they sent me had only a little in the top right corner so I kept it. Unless it's a totally black screen it is not noticeable at all. In dark environments it does become more apparent from different viewing angles so try to find one that minimizes whatever BLB you do get. Anyways, I voted for ASUS since I had no issues and they did come out with a press release about a year ago stating that they were aware of the complaints and would strive to do better. They also seemed to be pretty active in reaching out to unhappy customers in the Amazon review section. Hope something works out for you soon. 

Also, do you have any pics of yours? 

[Cl2G]

Op. 

 

 

This is your own inability to accept and acknowledge that ips glow and backlight bleed are unavoidable biproducts of how ips panels are produced and function. 

 

 

Not a problem with the monitors and I'm surprised they're accommodating you.  

 

Dead pixels. Bright pixels. Physical damage or scratches. By all means. 

 

But ips glow and bleed in an ips panel?

 

thats all you over reacting and being unrealistic. 

[farmfowls]

1 hour ago, EinZerstorer said:

Op. 

 

 

This is your own inability to accept and acknowledge that ips glow and backlight bleed are unavoidable biproducts of how ips panels are produced and function. 

 

 

Not a problem with the monitors and I'm surprised they're accommodating you.  

 

Dead pixels. Bright pixels. Physical damage or scratches. By all means. 

 

But ips glow and bleed in an ips panel?

 

thats all you over reacting and being unrealistic. 

Poster, this has nothing to do with any kind of ability or lack thereof. It's actually pretty simple logic. IPS glow is a byproduct of the IPS panel yes (and cannot be avoided). It's an inherent component of IPS technology itself. I have never said anything to question that fact. But I'm not talking about IPS glow. I'm talking about back light bleed. And excessive back light bleed at that. I can tell the difference. Back light bleed is a completely different story all together. It is a QC issue (in this case) [especially at the degree it is at] and while it may be apparent in some fashion on panels minimally, that does mean it is in any way acceptable in any of my cases. Nor should anything more than minimal be. 

 

But I'm not talking about minimal blb here poster (which one could accept), I'm talking about extremely bright blb that can be seen during normal use and in bright environments. I'm talking about blb that even Asus agrees is warrant for an exchange. The fact that you disagree with a multi-billion dollar company on if they should run exchanges on their own products or not is surprising. If you actually saw my monitors I'd be very surprised if you still found them to be acceptable and deemed it not a problem with the monitor. I'm not here complaining that I have some blb in one of the corners. I'm here saying that I have had three samples that have had back light bleed in pretty much every corner that extend out quite far with multiple bright spots along the sides of the panel as well. 

 

If you see something like that as acceptable, then there's no point in even debating this as you obviously have a different set of standards when purchasing a nearly $1300 monitor. This is not a question of me being unrealistic or over-reacting. I do not expect a perfect monitor at this point. I do expect some blb and am very ready to accept a decent monitor. I simply asked my peers here some advice on how they would proceed if they were me. 

 

[aithos]

You're just as likely to get BLB with the Acer and everyone saying that Asus has "bad" QC is uninformed about how the process actually works.  The fact of the matter is that both monitors use the same panel, are likely assembled at the same factory and go through QC to be checked by the same people.  Both companies have had similar problems with IPS glow, dead pixels and back-light bleed. 

 

If you've gotten three in a row that are that severe then the problem is that you're getting them from the same source that obviously got a bad batch, demand a full refund and buy from another retailer.  That isn't Asus' fault, that's NCIX for not bothering to check their remaining stock and removing that batch from their inventory to RMA to Asus.  Don't blame the manufacturer because a store is being lazy in taking care of a customer, that's on them/you and not Asus.  Shit happens and they can't control that, you could have gone to Asus and they would have taken care of you just as quickly if you made them aware of the problems you've had.

 

Also, in case you didn't know: not every monitor is checked.  They generally have a certain number they check per batch and as long as the numbers are on par with what they expect then the entire batch gets passed.  That usually results in the normal amount of issues, but sometimes through sheer dumb luck a bad batch goes out because the ones that were checked happened to be all good ones. 

 

Personally I wouldn't pay a cent for another warranty, you should already be covered.  I also wouldn't swap for the model I didn't want, I'd keep exchanging until I got one that was acceptable.  The Asus has much better visual appearance and the OSD is significantly better.

 

[farmfowls]

6 minutes ago, aithos said:

You're just as likely to get BLB with the Acer and everyone saying that Asus has "bad" QC is uninformed about how the process actually works.  The fact of the matter is that both monitors use the same panel, are likely assembled at the same factory and go through QC to be checked by the same people.  Both companies have had similar problems with IPS glow, dead pixels and back-light bleed. 

 

If you've gotten three in a row that are that severe then the problem is that you're getting them from the same source that obviously got a bad batch, demand a full refund and buy from another retailer.  That isn't Asus' fault, that's NCIX for not bothering to check their remaining stock and removing that batch from their inventory to RMA to Asus.  Don't blame the manufacturer because a store is being lazy in taking care of a customer, that's on them/you and not Asus.  Shit happens and they can't control that, you could have gone to Asus and they would have taken care of you just as quickly if you made them aware of the problems you've had.

 

Also, in case you didn't know: not every monitor is checked.  They generally have a certain number they check per batch and as long as the numbers are on par with what they expect then the entire batch gets passed.  That usually results in the normal amount of issues, but sometimes through sheer dumb luck a bad batch goes out because the ones that were checked happened to be all good ones. 

 

Personally I wouldn't pay a cent for another warranty, you should already be covered.  I also wouldn't swap for the model I didn't want, I'd keep exchanging until I got one that was acceptable.  The Asus has much better visual appearance and the OSD is significantly better.

 

The issue is I can't order from another retailer as they won't give me a full refund. I'm lucky they'll even give me a store credit. That's why I am still with NCIX. And with your statement on Asus taking care of me, I am the one opening the RMA's and am the one that is in contact with them. The reason I hesitate on dealing directly with Asus is that I have dead pixel coverage through NCIX but with Asus, it would take like 5 or more dead pixels to be considered defective.  

[Foxxer]

I had mine RMA'd twice, it is a hassle. 

There is no running away from the backlight bleed. 

Just adapt with it I guess.

[aithos]

34 minutes ago, farmfowls said:

The issue is I can't order from another retailer as they won't give me a full refund. I'm lucky they'll even give me a store credit. That's why I am still with NCIX. And with your statement on Asus taking care of me, I am the one opening the RMA's and am the one that is in contact with them. The reason I hesitate on dealing directly with Asus is that I have dead pixel coverage through NCIX but with Asus, it would take like 5 or more dead pixels to be considered defective.  

But you aren't dealing with dead pixels, you're dealing with back-light bleed and if you send Asus and email explaining your situation it's likely they will go out of their way to make sure you get a good panel.  These companies know that it is in their best interest to get people taken care of, and if you've ever seen the company reps on sites like Newegg posting on negative reviews to resolve issues then that's what they are doing. 

 

Also, if you've gotten 3 bad panels then you are well within your rights to request a full refund from NCIX as they clearly have been unable to take care of you.  At this point I'd be telling them that either they give me a refund or I'm contacting my credit card company to dispute the charges and keeping their monitor.  With your level of issues their "return policy" doesn't apply, you just need to be polite but firm when dealing with them and make sure you're talking with someone who has the authority to make decisions.

[farmfowls]

2 minutes ago, aithos said:

But you aren't dealing with dead pixels, you're dealing with back-light bleed and if you send Asus and email explaining your situation it's likely they will go out of their way to make sure you get a good panel.  These companies know that it is in their best interest to get people taken care of, and if you've ever seen the company reps on sites like Newegg posting on negative reviews to resolve issues then that's what they are doing. 

 

Also, if you've gotten 3 bad panels then you are well within your rights to request a full refund from NCIX as they clearly have been unable to take care of you.  At this point I'd be telling them that either they give me a refund or I'm contacting my credit card company to dispute the charges and keeping their monitor.  With your level of issues their "return policy" doesn't apply, you just need to be polite but firm when dealing with them and make sure you're talking with someone who has the authority to make decisions.

That's true but I just don't want to be left with a monitor that has decent blb but then 4 dead pixels. Do you think Asus would make an exception on dead pixels as well, considering my situation? I have purchased thousands of dollars in their products over the years and this purchase has really got me questioning that relationship.  

 

I took your advice and asked them about the refund. I'll see how it goes. They did agree to do one more exchange before more insurance etc had to be bought. But as you said, that monitor is most likely coming from the same place anyway (meaning the same batch), so it's probably going to be bad as well. Not sure how this is going to go. 

 

I have been in contact with the Manager throughout the entire process. He has one above him who has to give the o.k. They are very nice and have allowed more exchanges than their policies allow, but I still haven't received a decent monitor, so I shouldn't have to buy anything else in order to accomplish that. And I paid in cash, so the credit card company idea would be out of the question I would think. If things come to a head, what should I do? I can't very well withhold money that has already went through. 

[aithos]

23 minutes ago, farmfowls said:

That's true but I just don't want to be left with a monitor that has decent blb but then 4 dead pixels. Do you think Asus would make an exception on dead pixels as well, considering my situation? I have purchased thousands of dollars in their products over the years and this purchase has really got me questioning that relationship.  

 

I took your advice and asked them about the refund. I'll see how it goes. They did agree to do one more exchange before more insurance etc had to be bought. But as you said, that monitor is most likely coming from the same place anyway (meaning the same batch), so it's probably going to be bad as well. Not sure how this is going to go. 

 

I have been in contact with the Manager throughout the entire process. He has one above him who has to give the o.k. They are very nice and have allowed more exchanges than their policies allow, but I still haven't received a decent monitor, so I shouldn't have to buy anything else in order to accomplish that. And I paid in cash, so the credit card company idea would be out of the question I would think. If things come to a head, what should I do? I can't very well withhold money that has already went through. 

I understand your frustration, believe me.  I've been on both sides of this kind of situation (I used to sell TVs and HT equipment) and it sucks for everyone including the manufacturer.  If you got one with dead pixels you just RMA it, but honestly: dead pixels are much less likely than BLB and unless they are in the middle of the screen with a 27" 1440p monitor (especially a matte one) you can't really even see them. 

I had an ordeal with my Korean IPS and had to dispute a purchase because the seller sent me the wrong version of the monitor and after a ton of hassle over a refund ended up getting a glossy panel from another seller with several dead pixels in the upper-right hand portion of the screen.  I paid for a "pixel perfect" model and it qualified for an exchange/refund but it was going to be an even bigger pain, so I played on it for a few days and realized that most of the time you couldn't even see them.  They were fairly noticeable when doing a "pixel test" at a very close distance, but with normal use were so small you basically had to be looking for them.

 

Hopefully this exchange goes better for you and they will have gotten through all the bad batch (or you'll get one of the few good ones), but I think you definitely should NOT have to pay more to extend a guarantee when it isn't your fault that you've had these issues.  I'm of the opinion that if they won't exchange it until you get an acceptable monitor that they should refund your money in full. 

 

If it comes to the worst case scenario and they won't take care of you I'm not sure what you can do since you paid cash (unless it was Paypal).  That's one of the reasons I stopped using my debit card or paying cash and started buying literally everything with a credit card, because they include buyer protection services and in the worst case you can open a dispute and in your kind of situation the company will typically rule in your favor.

[Monkey Dust]

I'd give the Acer a go, it can't be much worse. Though sadly the build quality of high end gaming monitors isn't befitting of their price, so there is no guarantee it will be better.