Acer Predator Z35: a curved 35-inch monitor for gamers

Presentation

Last November, we tested the Acer Predator X34, the first 34-inch G-Sync curved monitor to enter our lab. This screen had a 3,440 x 1,440 px panel, certainly comfortable for office automation, but very demanding in terms of graphics card to obtain smooth games. The Acer Predator Z35 is not really its successor, but offers a different approach, oriented towards the players, with a curved AMVA panel of 35 inches displaying a definition precisely "reduced" to 2,560 x 1,080 px. It is little for office automation, but sufficient for games where the number of frames per second is often more important than the definition. In addition, if the Predator X34 was limited to 100 Hz, the Predator Z35 has a 144 Hz panel overclockable up to 200 Hz. The G-Sync module is always present, a guarantee of fluidity for owners of Nvidia graphics cards - owners of a Radeon graphics card will turn to a FreeSync screen like the Iiyama ProLite B2783QSU. Finally, this is not the price that will decide between the two models, since the Acer Predator Z35, like the Predator X34, is sold for around € 1,100.

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Ergonomics

The Predator Z35 is a little more massive than the X34. The screen edges are thicker and the stand is more imposing. Here, the gamer look is fully assumed. It is also more curved, with a radius of curvature reduced to 2 m. This would promote immersion and avoid problems with viewing angles in the corners of the slab. Note that this AMVA panel is mat.

The grid at the back of the Predator Z35 allows the heat released by the LED backlight system to be dissipated and also the sound of the two 9-watt speakers to be broadcast. Like the X34, the sound here is better than most other monitors. The bass is still absent, but the low mids are heard.

The monitor is adjustable in height by 13 cm and in inclination from -5 ° to + 35 °. There is no pivot and the stand is not rotatable.

Connectivity is almost standard for a second generation G-Sync screen: a DisplayPort input, which allows you to fully exploit the potential of the screen, with a base frequency of 144 Hz and even overclocking up to 200 Hz, and an HDMI 1.4 connector useful for connecting a console or box. There is also a headphone output and a hub with 4 USB 3.0 ports. Note that the power is transferred to an external box.

Three LEDs at the base of the screen light up the desk and can change state (oscillation, breathing, flashing, fixed) and color (green, white, blue, red and orange). In comparison, the Predator X34 has 9 LEDs, with a slightly more pronounced effect.

Access to monitor settings (OSD) is always via the five buttons located at the base of the monitor. It is still much less practical than the joystick of Asus monitors, for example, but the menus are quite readable and well laid out.

With a white set at 150 cd / m² on our test pattern, the Acer Predator Z35 monitor consumes 35 watts, or a relative consumption of only 79 W / m², making it one of the least greedy monitors in our comparison; the average which is usually around 100 W / m².

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Colors and contrast

Default: average temperature at 6460 K

Default: gamma curve at 2.2

Default: Delta E average at 1.8

The Acer Predator Z35 monitor arrives from the factory perfectly calibrated with an average temperature of 6460 K and a gamma curve which blocks out the blacks a little, but whose average is at the perfect value of 2.2. The color fidelity is exemplary (average delta E of 1.8).

Manual setting: average temperature at 6530 K

Manual adjustment: gamma curve at 2.2

Manual setting: Delta E medium at 1.8

By lowering the brightness to 26, so as to display a white calibrated at 150 cd / m², the values also remain good: an average temperature of 6530 K, an average of gamma to 2.2 and an average delta E to 1.8.

The contrast is very good for a monitor. If the best models manage to exceed 3000: 1, this contrast of 2715: 1 already allows you to enjoy a very good depth of blacks, whether in movies or in games.

Calibrated: average temperature at 6570 K

Calibrated: gamma curve at 2.2

Calibrated: Delta E medium at 1.8

The monitor is already perfectly calibrated basic, the transition to the calibration probe does not improve much. The average temperature is still very close to 6500 K, the gamma curve, still at 2.2, straightens and the average delta E remains at 1.8. To benefit from this improved gamma curve, you can download the monitor profile from Focus Numérique.

The VA panel is rather homogeneous. The average difference in white is only 15% over the entire slab. If the viewing angles are narrower than on an IPS panel, the curved panel here makes it possible to compensate for the defect, especially in the corners of the screen which may appear blackened on large diagonals of this type.

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Reactivity

Good news for those who are sensitive to it, the Acer Predator Z35 monitor does not use Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to vary its brightness. This helps prevent flickering from the drop in light, which in some people causes headaches and eye strain.

The AMVA panel is rather reactive (average remanence time of 9.5 ms). By default, the overdrive is set to "normal" and provides a satisfactory result by improving the reactivity of the panel without causing any harmful effect. Switching to the "extreme" setting results in a rather annoying reverse ghosting phenomenon. The overclock allows to push the refresh rate to 200 Hz, which also improves the response time up to this value of 9.5 ms. However, even with a response time at the lowest of 9 ms, the pixels cannot change state more than 111 times per second and the monitor therefore cannot effectively display more than 111 images per second.

Another special feature of the Predator Z35 is that the 120 Hz setting enables the scanning of the backlight (Ultra Low Motion Blur) of the G-Sync module, which further improves the sharpness of moving objects. Unfortunately, the ULMB only works at 85, 100 and 120 Hz. In addition, activating the ULMB disables G-Sync synchronization. You have to choose between one or the other. The OSD reduces the scanning time, resulting in a darker image. The longer the backlight off period, the more the image loses brightness. Finally, the ULMB can cause a flickering phenomenon.

Finally, the delay in display is measured at 18 ms, a little more than one frame per second. This is more than the best monitors, which go down to 10 ms, but the difference between the image generated by the graphics card and that displayed on the screen is imperceptible.

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Conclusion

In line with the Predator X34, the Predator Z35 is a G-Sync compatible curved game monitor. The 35-inch diagonal and the reduced radius of curvature provide good immersion, while the low definition helps maximize fluidity. However, it is less versatile than the X34. These same criteria handicap him for surfing or office tasks. For movies, however, the contrast is sufficient to produce deep blacks and the colors are simply perfect.

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