Introduction

The Acer Predator X34P is a popular ultrawide curved gaming monitor. It offers a high 1440p ultrawide resolution and an IPS panel for stunning detail clarity and color vibrancy. Further, it has a quick response time speed, low input lag, a high 120Hz refresh rate, and NVIDIA G-SYNC for smooth and tear-free gaming performance.

Now, the full name of this model is Acer Predator X34 Pbmiphzx. The prior version, the Acer Predator X34 bmiphz has a native refresh rate of 60Hz that you could overclock up to 100Hz, whereas the Acer X34P model has a native 100Hz refresh rate which is overclockable to 120Hz.

Besides the refresh rate, there are some differences in the design as well. The Acer X34P has a steeper screen curvature of 1900R as opposed to the subtle 3800R curve of the Acer X34. Moreover, unlike the original X34, the design of the X34P also includes the ability to swivel the screen to the left/right.

Image Quality

Based on LG’s AH-IPS panel with 10-bit color depth (8-bit + FRC) and 100% sRGB color gamut, the Acer Predator X34P monitor ensures accurate, consistent, and vivid colors.

Additionally, 3440×1440 UWQHD resolution hits the pixel density sweet spot of 110 pixels per inch on the 34″ screen of the Acer X34P. This means that you get a lot of screen space as well as clear details without any scaling needed.

IPS panels also have wide 178-degree viewing angles, so the image will be ideal no matter the angle you’re looking at the screen.

Other panel-related specifications include a 300-nit peak brightness and a static contrast ratio of 1,000:1, which is standard for a high refresh rate/high-resolution ultrawide display at this price.

There are 34″ 3440×1440 100Hz models with a higher contrast ratio of ~3,000:1 which allows them to produce much deeper black shades, but these variants, such as the AOC AG352UCG6, have more ghosting and smearing in fast-paced games due to the slower response time of their VA panels.

The Acer Predator X34P IPS ultrawide monitor, on the other hand, has a faster response time speed (4ms GtG), which is sufficient to eliminate virtually all trailing of fast-moving objects.

Performance

Moving on, the Acer X34P input lag amounts to ~9ms, which makes for no perceptible delays between your actions and the result on the screen; In addition to its quick response time and high refresh rate, the gaming performance is buttery smooth and without any visual artifacts.

NVIDIA G-SYNC can further enhance the performance by synchronizing the monitor’s refresh rate to the GPU’s frame rate. A compatible graphics card by NVIDIA is necessary for this technology.

The synchronized, or variable, refresh rate ranges from 30Hz up to 120Hz on this monitor. As long as your FPS (Frames Per Second) rate remains within this range, there will be no screen tearing nor stuttering visible with minimal input lag penalty (~1ms).

Turning to the bad things about the screen, the two main things users complain about is the IPS glow and visible scanlines.

IPS glow is an expected drawback of the IPS technology; As excess light passes through the panel, there is apparent glowing around the edges/corners of the screen.

The amount of the visible glow varies between individual units of the Acer X34P, so you might get a unit with unbearable IPS glow in which case you can return it, or you can get a unit which has next to none IPS glow. Hence the term panel lottery.

Our unit had a tolerable amount of IPS glow and backlight bleeding, and the newer Acer X34P supposedly has better quality control than the previous generation Acer X34 and ASUS PG348Q models. Learn more about IPS glow and how to reduce it.

As far as the issue with scanlines is concerned, the panel lottery comes into play again. Some units will have pronounced scan lines (alternating dark and light horizontal lines) while G-SYNC is enabled and/or when the monitor is overclocked to 120Hz.

This problem is present in many G-SYNC monitors, especially the 34″ 3440×1440 ultrawide models. For the most part, the issue is tolerable as to notice it, you have to really look for it, and it’s only bothersome when looking at it from up close – excluding the extreme scenarios of defective panels in which case you can RMA the display.

Features

Other useful features for gaming include Aim Point (customizable crosshairs) and Dark Boost (increases visibility in darker games).

Note that the Acer Predator X34P G-SYNC gaming monitor does not feature ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur), which is sometimes included with G-SYNC models. This is not a big downside as the monitor has no issues with motion handling anyway.

There are three overdrive options available, including Off, Normal, and Extreme, but the Normal setting works best as Extreme introduces pixel overshoot.

In the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu, you will also find three customizable picture profiles and the advanced 6-axis and gamma picture adjustments.

The backlight of the monitor is flicker-free, and there’s a low-blue light filter so you can game four hours without straining your eyes.

There’s also the Ambient Light RGB technology, which consists of 10 LEDs placed beneath the bottom bezel for atmospheric lighting. You can customize the lighting with seven different colors and four different glowing patterns.

Design & Connectivity

The Acer Predator X34P boasts a high-quality design with a sturdy metal stand and versatile ergonomics, including up to 130mm height adjustment, -5°/35° tilt, +/- 30° swivel, and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility. There’s also an anti-glare screen coating, which eliminates reflections.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4 (max 60Hz), a quad-USB 3.0 hub, a headphones jack, and two 7W integrated DTS speakers with decent audio quality.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Acer Predator X34P is usually priced at around $800, which is a fair price.

We don’t recommend the previous-generation of 34″ 3440×1440 100Hz G-SYNC ultrawides such as the Acer X34 and the ASUS PG348Q. Due to their lower native refresh rate, visual artifacts such as frame skipping and scan lines are more likely to occur when the display is overclocked.

You should also check out the Dell Alienware AW3418DW, which is based on the same panel as the X34P and offers pretty much the same image quality, features, and performance. Unlike the X34P, though, it doesn’t support 10-bit color, only 8-bit.

This shouldn’t be a deal-breaker as you most likely won’t be able to take advantage of 10-bit color on the X34P as it only works with select GPUs. It also requires G-SYNC to be disabled, and all you get is less banding in a few games that actually support 10-bit color.

On balance, we recommend the Dell AW3418DW over the Acer X34P as Dell appears to have better quality control; their model is less prone to have excessive IPS glow and pronounced scan lines. Unfortunately, the Dell AW3418DW has no gamma adjustments, so if you intend on doing color-critical work, the Acer Predator X34P is a better pick.

The Acer Predator X34P is also available as a cheaper variant with FreeSync instead of G-SYNC, the Acer XR342CKP. It’s is a more cost-effective 34″ 3440×1440 100Hz display. It offers software-enabled HDR, USB-C with 60W power delivery, and the 1ms MPRT backlight strobing technology. However, it has a native 60Hz refresh rate that’s overclockable to 100Hz, which can cause frame skipping, but your mileage may vary.

Another cheap 34″ 3440×1440 100Hz ultrawide display worth checking out is the MSI Optix MAG341CQ with a VA panel. It has a higher contrast ratio, but slower response time speed which may appeal to those who prefer better visuals and immersion to fast-paced competitive gaming. Not to mention that it’s available at nearly half the price of the X34P.

Conclusion

All in all, the Acer Predator X34P is an excellent gaming monitor, and you will undoubtedly enjoy its stunning image quality and smooth performance. The previous Acer X34 used to be one of the best gaming monitors available in its time, and the X34P model has only improved on it.

Nowadays, however, there are newer models, and we highly recommend you save up for the LG 34GK950F. It’s a 34″ 3440×1440 IPS ultrawide curved gaming monitor with a native 144Hz refresh rate, FreeSync 2, and entry-level HDR support, among other things.