The first NVIDIA G-Sync HDR monitor is on sale, but it costs $1,999
Acer's Predator X27 has great specs, but that price is insane.
NVIDIA G-Sync HDR gaming monitors promise great specs with required features like an iris-searing 1,000 nits of peak brightness, wide color gamut and high 144 Hz refresh rate. Unfortunately, G-Sync HDR monitors from the likes of ASUS and Acer have been delayed multiple times, so we've yet to learn the price or whether the displays can live up to the hype. Now, Acer's Predator X27 has gone on pre-order at Newegg, so at least we know how much it'll cost: A mind-blowing $1,999.
The Predator X27, much like the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ that's also coming soon, uses an AU Optronics IPS panel with Quantum Dot technology that offers 384 LED backlighting zones. As such, it has 4K (3,840 x 2,160) resolution, a 144 Hz refresh rate and a typical brightness of 600 nits peaking at 1,000 nits, which is a lot for a PC display. You also get full 10-bit support with support for the wide DCI-P3 color gamut for maximum color accuracy, and a very rapid 4-millisecond response time.
These are the best specs on the market, but even at that, it seems hard to justify the price. For instance, Dell's UltraSharp 27 4K monitor aimed at graphics pros has most of those features (bar the 144 Hz refresh rate), including the 1,000-nit brightness, but can be had at the moment for $1,549, a good $450 less than the Predator X27.
One reason for the high price, apparently, is that the monitors must have a proprietary NVIDIA module that adds $100 or more to the price. Hopefully, they'll soon figure out how to manufacture them more cheaply, because the market for a $2,000 gaming monitor doesn't seem particularly large. Acer's Predator X27 is expected to arrive on June 1st for $1,999.
