Custom PC - UK (2020-03)

T

heAcerCG437Kis a perfect
exampleoftheratherbafflingarray
ofHDRmonitorsthatareavailable.
Puttingasidefora momentthefactthatitssize
makesit moreofa TVreplacementthana
conventionalmonitor,thisthinghasan
intriguingtakeonHDR.
RatedforDisplayHDR 1000 certification,it
boastsa 1,000cd/m^2 maximumbrightness
anda nativecontrastratioofa whopping
4,000:1.However,there’snoFALDbacklight
heretoachievethatDisplayHDR 1000 rating;
insteadit usesjust 16 backlightingzonesthat
arecontrolledviaLEDsalongthetopand
bottomedgesofthescreen.
Thesezonessplitthedisplayinhalftop
tobottomandintoeightcolumnsacross
itslength,sothateventhetinyclusterof
pixelsrequiredtoilluminatea cursorresults
ina hugeareaofthedisplaybeinglitup.
Becauseofthis,theCG437Kdoesn’texcel
atshowingHDRcontentwherethepointsof
contrastarequitesmall(starsina nightsky
orfireworks,forinstance),butit cancreate

ACER PREDATOR

CG437K/£1,300inc VAT

SUPPLIER acer.com

quite a convincing

result where you

have larger broad

strokes of contrast,

such as a dark forest

floor and bright sky above, for example.

What’s more, the sheer dazzling brightness of

1,000cd/m^2 means that the display impresses

with its dynamic contrast from scene to scene.

We normally consider dynamic contrast a bit of a

cheat, but those moments where an explosion

goes off and the screen can blast you with light

make for an impressive spectacle.

At least there’s no debate about its HDR colour

performance. This display has a proper sRGB

colour mode for non-HDR and – as indicated by

its DisplayHDR 1000 rating – can also extend to

the required 90 per cent DCI-P3 when required.

Getting back to the size of this screen, then,

much to our surprise, it works reasonably well

as a conventional monitor.

The 4K resolution stretched over such

a vast area results in the same sort of pixel

density as a 27in, 2K monitor, but here you

just get more desktop. That said, you really do

have to crane your neck to see the top of this

thing and it certainly wouldn’t be our top choice

for general desktop work.

Ironically, though, gaming is where we

found the size worked least in its favour,

at least for anything competitive using a

keyboard and mouse. The nature of our eyes

is that we can only really concentrate on a

relatively small area to pick out detail, so much

of the vastness of this screen is wasted. Plus,

the native response time isn’t great, making for

a smeary look to the image.

For more cinematic games where you have

the luxury of taking in the whole scene, though,

it impresses, especially given the 144Hz refresh

rate (two DisplayPort cables required) and both

Freesync and G-Sync compatibility.

The size and refresh rate also mean it’s

excellent for console gaming. As befits such a

large screen, the speakers are also decent.

Conclusion

The Acer CG437K represents the closest

thing we can currently get to what we

consider true HDR performance, without

resorting to the expense of FALD backlights.

The maximum brightness is dazzling, while

the native contrast and colour accuracy in

both HDR and non-HDR is impressive. Add in

144Hz gaming and adaptive sync and you get

a lot for your money.

SPEC

Screen size 43in

Resolution 3,840 x 2,160

Panel technology VA

Maximum refresh rate 144Hz

Response time 1ms

Contrast 4,000:1

Display inputs 2 x DisplayPort,

3 x HDMI 2, USB Type-C

Audio 3.5mm audio in, 3.5mm

audio out, 2 x 5W speakers

Stand adjustment None

Extras FreeSync 2 HDR, 4-port USB 3 hub

HDR standard DisplayHDR 1000

VERDICT

We’re not entirely sure what the market is for

a 144Hz, 43in HDR display, but by and large

this one impresses.

DUTCH

+ Dazzling 1000cd/m^2

HDR

+ Impressive native

contrast

+ Huge screen and

high resolution

+ 144Hz gaming

performance

DILLON

• Only 16 backlight
  zones


• Too large for practical
  desktop use


• Slow response time

IMAGE QUALITY

26 / 30

FEATURES

16 / 20

GAMING

22 / 30

VALUE

16 / 20

OVERALLSCORE

80 %