Technology News, Reviews and Buying Guides review, monitor review, tablet review, laptop review, mobile review, smartphone review, buying guide,
Acer brought the best ultrawide gaming monitor Nitro XV431C Pwmiiphx – a 43.8-inch widescreen with an aspect ratio of 32: 9 and a resolution of 3840×1080 pixels. The new Acer gaming monitor is designed for gamers, so it received a high hertz, minimal response time, and several useful technologies for the game. Let’s check out the innovation in the Acer Nitro XV431C review below.
32:9 – Is it generally convenient?
Thanks to the aspect ratio and impressive diagonal, the Acer Nitro XV431C combines two 24-inch displays into one. Therefore, this Acer Nitro monitor is ideal for anyone using a pair of monitors. There are no annoying bezels just in the center of the screen.
Users of the classic game monitor with a 16: 9 aspect ratio may be surprised by this type of display. After all, windows that open to their full-width stretch and look strange – eyes just moving in different directions. But in practice, you quickly get used to it. In everyday situations, the desktop is enough to perform office work – for example, between a browser, a music player, and a messenger. Programmers will be able to simultaneously open an application for coding, folders with sources, a page with technical specifications – and all this without moving from one minimized window to another.
A wide screen monitor is also not always superfluous. Many professional programs, such as Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere, provide flexible work environments. The idea of editing video on such a screen sounds especially cool – a long timeline tape will allow you to control the video without zooming in. In the photo editor, you will be able to take out all the necessary layers, styles, libraries, and much more from the submenu.
Gaming without borders
The company’s marketers focus on gamers, but the situation with games is not so simple. Due to the ultra widescreen of the gaming PC monitor, it is best to destroy virtual enemies on it from a distance of 1.5 meters or more. If you sit close, then it is difficult to look from one corner of the screen to another – you have to constantly turn your head, which causes slight dizziness. Peripheral vision also does not always cope – well, how the enemy attacks from nowhere.
There is another difficulty in preparing space for the monitor as its dimensions are solid. Together with the stand, it takes up the lion’s share of space on most tables, which are usually designed for a laptop and a cup of coffee. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain a comfortable distance of at least one meter – you have to either play on the couch with a gamepad or come up with ways to keep the mouse and keyboard away from the screen.
Also, not all games support the 32:9 aspect ratio. For example, The Witcher 3 and Forza: Horizon 4 launched with large black bars on either side of the main window. Even in hits adapted to a non-standard format, it is not always convenient to spend time – health indicators, mini-maps, and other information hang in the corner, so you have to see the farthest area to cover up.
On the other hand, as more objects fit into the frame, this gives an advantage in some games. By increasing the field of view in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you’ll see enemies earlier than on a classic monitor for gaming. And in projects like Microsoft Flight Simulator, the level of immersion goes even higher. Some users launch entertainment on such screens in small windows – this way you can save PC resources and get a beautiful picture. And on the sides, there is a place for messengers, streams, music, and everything else that may be needed, for example, during the cleaning of areas in Cyberpunk 2077.
The Nitro XV431C monitor also received PIP and PBP functions – picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture. They allow you to display an image from two different sources or split the display into multiple work areas. With this, you will be able to do the work of both desktop and laptop on the same screen, such as watching videos or playing streams.
A picture is what you need
The Acer Nitro XV431C uses a 43.8-inch IPS panel with DFHD resolution – 3840×1080 pixels. Even such clarity does not seem to be a record for such a large device – if you wish, you can see a slight looseness of the picture. However, an even higher density would significantly increase the cost of the monitor and the hardware requirements of the computer.
The Acer Nitro XV431C supports a frequency of 120 Hz and a response speed of 1 ms – good performance for a game monitor. Gamers don’t need to explain the benefits of high hertz: in online shooters, every moment matters, so any delay can be fatal. Monitor displays all animations smoothly, no need to talk about any train while running and jumping. Illumination uniformity is good, viewing angles are traditionally decent – the image doesn’t fade when you shift the viewing angle. The maximum brightness of 400 nits is enough for comfortable indoor work. There is support for an extended dynamic range using Acer HDR400 technology and a high-quality anti-reflective coating.
The display is not only good for interactive entertainment. It has an excellent palette with 93% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, so the picture looks natural, without distortions in cold or warm tones. In the parameters, you can activate the Blue Light filter so that your eyes do not get tired so quickly – almost the same modes are available on modern smartphones. Features are available to reduce screen flicker and reduce glare in low light conditions. Another cool feature is AMD FreeSync Premium technology. It dynamically controls the refresh rate of the screen, ensuring a smooth picture with no interruptions and minimal output lag.
Expressive presence
The designers did a good job – the best ultrawide gaming monitor is attractive and may well become the main decoration of the desktop. The appearance is austere and minimalistic, but at the same time, the white case sets the Acer Nitro XV431CP apart from the countless black monitors. The bezels around the screen are thin, as is adapting to modern technology.
The Acer Nitro XV431C is massive – it weighs about 12 kg, and its width is more than a meter. To securely hold such a case, there is an equally impressive stand. It allows you to adjust the tilt and angle of the screen in the range of 20-30 degrees – not much, but in this case, it is quite enough. Additionally, you can adjust the height of the display up to 9.5cm. And if you need to hang it on the wall, a standard VESA mount 100 x 100 mm will come in handy. Of course, this is a controversial idea, but it is good that the manufacturer has provided such an opportunity.
With ports, the situation is standard: two HDMI inputs, DisplayPort, and an audio jack that allows you to connect headphones. No USB hub or Type-C design adds to the cost. The menu is simple, and in addition, there is a convenient remote control with batteries included. For gaming and watching videos, you can use a pair of built-in 2-watt speakers. But they sound modest – it’s better to immediately connect a full-fledged sound system.
Acer Nitro XV431C Specifications
- Display: 43.8-inch IPS panel
- Resolution: 3840 x 1080 pixels
- Colors: 1.07 Billion Colors
- Brightness: 350 cd/m² Native, 400 cd/m² Peak (HDR Mode)
- Response Time: 1 ms VRB
- Refresh Rate: 120 Hz
- Aspect Ratio: 32:9
- Pixel Pitch: 0.28 mm
- Viewing Angle: 178°/178°
- Native Contrast Ratio: 1,000:1
- Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 100,000,000:1
- Features: AMD FreeSync Premium, Wall Mountable, Speakers
- Dimensions: 514.10 x 1089.40 x 280.40 mm (with stand)
- Weight: 9.45 kg
Final line
The Acer Nitro XV431C will be the best ultrawide gaming monitor for those who use two displays for work and play or simply dream of that. The ultra-wide-angle format makes it easy to organize a comfortable work environment for any task. Decent color reproduction allows you to work with graphics. On such monitors, it is convenient to edit videos and process photos in whole batches.
In some games, the impressive 32:9 aspect ratio gives it an advantage over the enemy and adds emotion to interactions with the virtual world. But sometimes the impressive size becomes a hindrance to the gameplay. The Acer Nitro XV431C is a non-standard monitor that certainly grabs attention.
The Acer Nitro XV431C is obviously not a product for everyone. It’s not practical for most people’s desktops, or as an overall entertainment display. At its price of $699.99 on Amazon.com, it’s more expensive than a lot of small size 4K monitors too. Yet it is highly impressive the first moment you lay your eyes on it and continues to impress when you play games that take full advantage of it.
