The first 4K G-Sync HDR gaming monitor hits pre-order at a budget-busting price

Acer Predator X27

If you were hyped up about the very first 4K, Nvidia G-Sync HDR gaming display from Acer, the Predator X27, then try not to get too deflated by this: the thing costs $1,999 (about £1,490, AU$2,660). 

The news comes via a pre-order listing on Newegg, promising that the monitors will be ready to ship on June 1.

That price is more than most high-end gaming PCs – full stop. However, the price is less than expected, given earlier leaks from European retailers of prices converted from Euros reaching nearly $3,000.

Unfortunately, Newegg has yet to list the monitor in the UK or Australia. Either way, expect equally eye-watering prices in those regions.

Now, at least there’s a relatively good reason why this monitor is so damn expensive. Simply put, on paper, this screen is better than literally any other gaming monitor.

This monitor has a faster refresh rate than most 4K displays at 144Hz, and the 384 backlight zones behind the HDR technology work well in tandem with G-Sync frame smoothing. Then, there’s the DCI-P3 color gamut standard met by the monitor with a brightness of 1,000 nits required by HDR10 certification.

As PCWorld points out, that’s far brighter than the 600 nits found in AMD’s FreeSync 2 displays.

All told, you’re going to have to wait for Nvidia’s next generation of graphics cards to even play games at the maximum resolution that this display allows. The GTX 1080 Ti can’t even handle 4K at 144Hz in today’s top games. So, beware, early adopters.

Joe Osborne

Joe Osborne is the Senior Technology Editor at Insider Inc. His role is to leads the technology coverage team for the Business Insider Shopping team, facilitating expert reviews, comprehensive buying guides, snap deals news and more. Previously, Joe was TechRadar's US computing editor, leading reviews of everything from gaming PCs to internal components and accessories. In his spare time, Joe is a renowned Dungeons and Dragons dungeon master – and arguably the nicest man in tech.