The latest addition to Acer's Predator line of gaming monitors, the Predator Z1 (Z271) ($599.99), offers the same edgy look and solid gaming performance as its siblings, and it uses Nvidia's G-Sync technology to correct screen tearing and provide silky smooth action. The Z271 has a curved 27-inch Vertical Alignment (VA) panel and an ergonomic stand, and it offers plenty of settings. However, its 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, as well as its feature set and overall performance, can't match our top pick for large-screen gaming monitors, the Viewsonic XG2700-4K ( at Amazon) .
Design and Features
With its matte-black cabinet, red accents, and zero-bezel design, the Z271 ($1,299.00 at Amazon) shares a similar design with the Acer Predator XB271HU($484.60 at Amazon) and the Acer Predator XB271HK. However, the Z271's 27-inch panel has an 1,800R curvature radius, which means that if you put several of these monitors edge to edge to create a complete circle, the circle's radius would be 1,800mm. That's the same curvature radius used on the Samsung LC27F591FDN ($520.00 at Amazon) and is much more pronounced than the 3,800R of the Philips Brilliance Curved UltraWide (BDM3490UC/27) ($520.00 at Amazon) .
The non-reflective VA panel has a peak brightness of 300 cd/m2, a 16:9 aspect ratio, a speedy 144Hz refresh rate, and a 4-millisecond (gray-to-gray) pixel response. The Z271 also supports Nvidia's G-Sync anti-tearing technology, but its 1,920-by-1,080 resolution pales in comparison to the Acer Predator XB271HK ($586.46 at Newegg) and the Viewsonic XG2700-4K, both of which are Ultra-High-Definition (3,840-by-2,160) monitors.
The 16-pound cabinet is supported by a stand with a V-shaped base and a mounting arm with a sliding hinge that provides 4.7 inches of height, 30 degrees of tilt, and 30 degrees of swivel maneuverability. There are four function buttons and a four-way jog dial on the right side of the rear of the cabinet that are used to power the monitor on and off and navigate the settings menus. On the left side are five USB 3.0 ports (one upstream and four downstream), and in the center, facing downward, are a DisplayPort input, an HDMI input, and a headphone jack. By way of comparison, the Viewsonic XG2700-4K is equipped with three HDMI inputs and two DisplayPort inputs. The Z271 has two 7-watt speakers that are loud and deliver a decent amount of bass.
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Acer Predator Z271
Like other Predator monitors, the Z271 has a good selection of settings. Picture settings include Brightness, Contrast, Blue Light (to reduce eyestrain), Dark Boost (to enhance shadow detail), and Adaptive Contrast, which uses an ambient light sensor embedded in the lower bezel to automatically adjust the contrast ratio, depending on lighting conditions. The Color settings menu has Gamma, Saturation, Color Temperature, and Red, Green, and Blue intensity sliders. It also has the 6-Axis Color adjustments that you get with most other Predator monitors, as well as with the LG 27UD88-W ($699.99 at Amazon) gaming display. There are eight picture presets, including three Games modes (Action, Racing, and Sports), a User mode, and Standard, ECO, Graphics, and Movie modes. You also get three choices of crosshair reticles to help improve your aim.
The Z271 comes with a three-year warranty on parts, labor, and backlight. Included in the box are HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB cables, and a VESA mounting adapter for use with an optional VESA wall-mounting kit.
Performance
The Z271 performed quite well in the Crysis 3 (PC) and Grand Theft Auto V (Sony Playstation 4($799.95 at Amazon)) gaming tests. The panel handled fast-action scenes without exhibiting any motion blur or ghosting, although there was occasional screen tearing while playing Crysis 3. Enabling G-Sync in the Nvidia control panel eliminated any trace of tearing and delivered noticeably smoother gaming action. Using a Leo Bodnar Lag Tester, the Z271 measured a relatively short input lag (the time it takes for the monitor to react to a controller command) of 14.8 milliseconds. Our fastest monitors, the BenQ XL2430T($470.69 at Walmart) and SW2700PT($529.99 at Amazon), measured 9.5 milliseconds.
Out-of-the-box color accuracy was not ideal. As shown on the chromaticity chart, red and green colors (represented by the colored dots) are not in line with their ideal CIE coordinates (represented by the boxes), while blue is right where it should be. Fortunately, the heavy reds and greens aren't so skewed that they present an oversaturated picture, and there wasn't any noticeable tinting in my test images. Overall color quality was good while watching Marvel's Deadpool on Blu-ray and while running my gaming tests.
The Z271 provided wide viewing angles, with no noticeable color shifting or loss of luminance at any angle in testing. Grayscale performance was also very good; the VA panel displayed every shade of gray from the DisplayMate 64-Step Grayscale test cleanly, and delivered sharp highlight and shadow detail in my test photos.
The Z271 doesn't use a lot of power. It consumed 28 watts in my tests while set to Standard mode, and 21 watts while set to ECO mode. The Acer XB271HU consumed 31 watts while operating in Standard mode, and 24 watts while operating in ECO mode, and the Viewsonic XG2700-4K consumed 35 watts while set to Standard mode, 27 watts in Optimize ECO mode, and 18 watts in Conserve ECO mode.
Conclusion
With the Acer Predator Z1 (Z271), you get solid gaming performance, courtesy of speedy refresh rates and Nvidia's G-Sync technology. Its curved VA panel puts you close to the action and delivers wide viewing angles, but its out-of-the-box color accuracy could be better. Fortunately, you can use the 6-Axis Color settings to correct any color issues. You don't get many video inputs with this monitor, but it is equipped with a highly adjustable stand and a four-port USB hub, and it offers a couple of neat gamer features, including crosshair-aiming reticles and multiple gaming modes. That said, its 1,920-by-1,080 resolution is on the low side for a $600 gaming display. For around $20 more, the Viewsonic XG2700-4K offers better all-around performance, multiple inputs, and a stunning UHD resolution, which is why it remains our Editors' Choice for large-screen gaming monitors.
The Acer Predator Z1 (Z271) is a good-looking 27-inch gaming monitor that uses a curved screen, Nvidia's G-Sync technology, and a fast refresh rate to deliver smooth gaming performance.
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