We previously reviewed the Acer Predator X38 Gaming Monitor and were extremely impressed. Packing blisteringly fast speed, crystal clear graphics and zero tear in a curved 38-inch screen is commendable. This time Acer sent us the Predator X25. Offering a 25-inch screen, the X25 may be not as grand as the X38, but it is an insanely brilliant machine. While the latter featured a refresh rate of 175Hz and a response rate of 1ms, the former offers a whopping 360Hz refresh rate with a response time of 0.3ms. If the X38 turned out to be such a huge success, imagine how impressive the X25 was with its more-than-doubled refresh rate and more-than-halved response time.
Mind-blowing Speed
It is very cool of Acer to provide such brilliant specs in a monitor that comes at a fairly reasonable price of $679. Considering you have to pay $1700 for the X38, this gaming machine is a great deal. Its 360Hz refresh rate came through with lightning-fast speed and zero tear. The absence of judder also had to do with the insanely fast 0.3ms GtG (or gray-to-gray) response. I played a number of action-packed games on this and didn’t experience screen tear or ghosting once. The frames were fast, clear and focused. They featured sharpness and clarity.
X25 comes with the NVIDIA G-SYNC technology that allows the speed of the monitor to be accurately synced with the output speed of the input device; the mouse in my case. This enhanced the smoothness of the graphics by a great extent. The cherry on top is the NVIDIA’s Reflex Latency Analyzer: a complementary feature provided by Acer. It’s extra features such as these that make a product so much more worth recommending and a company much more reliable.
NVIDIA’s Reflex Latency Analyzer measures exactly how long it takes for your click to register on screen. It’s a fool-proof way of accurately measuring the connection between the input device and the monitor. It detects the clicks coming from your mouse and measures the amount of time it takes for a pixel to change on the display. Then it provides you with a measurement report. The X25 also sports the GeForce Experience’s new Performance Overlay that provides you with a report on the latency metrics. The analyzer features a breakdown of the report as well by categorizing the report in three main groups: Mouse Latency, PC + Display Latency and System Latency.
Sufficiently Good Display
The X25’s display isn’t a feature I would swear by. It’s a 24.5-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen Dual Driver IPS display with a ZeroFrame design, which means its bezels have been significantly trimmed to enlarge your view. It offers the option to turn on HDR, features a 99% sRGB color gamut, color accuracy of Delta E < 1 and a VESA-certified display. While all of these specs sound cool on paper, the result isn’t. I found the X25’s display to be a little less bright than expected. It lacks vibrancy and liveliness. The colors weren’t as plentiful as advertised; I would’ve liked them to have popped out a little more than they did. Working on Google docs and Chrome, I didn’t really have a major problem. However, the primary function of the monitor is gaming, and that’s where I felt the screen could have been more vivid.
Acer made up for its below-average display in other areas, though. The company offers a wide range of display features that are immensely thoughtful to say the least. VisionCare, Flickerless and BlueLightShield are a few examples of said features. The three technologies work together to make sure the display doesn’t exhaust your eyes. It minimizes eye strain, thus keeping screen fatigue at bay as well. You don’t need to put on your blue light spectacles for gaming on the X25, all thanks to the Acer’s generous efforts.
It doesn’t end here. The Lightsense technology integrated in the monitor automatically adjusts the brightness and color temperature of the screen by estimating the ambient light in the room. The Adaptive Light technology minimizes eye fatigue in general, by gauging the ambient light and tweaking the RGB LED strips for the ideal viewing experience. Proxisense detects whether you’re in the room or not and switches power saving mode on. If it’s left unattended for a while, it automatically goes into standby mode. All of these features show the extra effort on the company’s part to ensure optimum viewing experience. I highly appreciated their presence and definitely gave Acer a point for them.
Fairly Good Ergonomics
The X25 can do multiple tricks. It is capable of being tilted, swiveled, pivoted and adjusted in terms of height. While the mentioned features may be standard for most gaming monitors, the ability to be pivoted isn’t a common spec and I’ve got to give the company another point for that. The degree of ergonomic tilt is -5° to 25°, the height adjustment range is 4.5 inches, the swivel degree is +/- 20° and the range of pivot is +/- 90°.
With the inclusion of five USB ports, lack of controls will likely never be an issue. There’s a Display Port, two HDMI 2.0 ports, one audio-out slot and three USB 3.0 ports (Display Port, HDMI & USB Cable Included).
The X25 features two 2-watt speakers that are not the best speakers you will ever come across on a monitor but aren’t too shabby either. They do a decent job at playing game sounds fairly well. Don’t expect crystal clear clarity, depth or precision from the sound.
All in all, the X25 is a brilliant machine offering quite a lot of features in an economical price. It could’ve featured a more vibrant display and better sound, but none of these proved to be deal breakers in the midst of gaming sessions. What matters the most is speed, and the monitor did a superb job at that.
Is It Hardcore?
For sure!
Acer Predator X25 Gaming Monitor is a highly impressive machine. It features fast speed, an ergonomic body and a plenty of display features to minimize eye strain. Overall, it is a well-thought-out machine that is worth your money.
