Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx Review – 34-inch Ultrawide Gaming Monitor

Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx Review

Our Verdict:
The Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx is an excellent ultrawide gaming monitor. It has a high refresh rate, low response time, and also supports FreeSync technology. It also comes with many other important features that help increase your productivity while working. Overall, The Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx is a great choice as your first ultrawide monitor or as an upgrade.

Image Quality:
4/5
Ergonomics:
4/5
Performance:
4/5
Value for Money:
4/5
4.0
4/5

What’s Good

  • Impressive Image Quality 
  • FreeSync support
  • 144Hz refresh rate
  • 1ms VRB response time
  • Ergonomic Stand

What’s Bad

  • HDR performance is Hit / Miss

What is The Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx?

The Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx (Acer Nitro XZ342CKP) is an ultrawide monitor best suited for mixed usage. It comes with impressive specs and offers a decent value for money.

Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx – Image Quality

The Acer Nitro XZ342CKP is a 34-inch ultrawide WQHD (3440 x 1440) monitor. It is based on the VA panel. It covers 98% of the sRGB color gamut and supports true 8-bit color depth.

The image quality of this monitor is first class. The pictures are vivid and the colors pop out and make them true to life. The out of box color accuracy of this monitor is very good. You won’t need to tweak them further and can use the monitor as it is.

If you’re a perfectionist who wants the best possible colors, here are my best color settings for the Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx.

  • Brightness: 60
  • Contrast: 75
  • Black Boost: 0
  • Gamma: 2.4
  • Color: Normal or sRGB (depending upon your taste)

If you’re using an Nvidia Graphics card, Go to Nvidia Control Panel and use these below settings

  • Brightness: 50%
  • Contrast 70%
  • Gamma: .95
  • Digital Vibrance: 65%

Do keep in mind that these settings worked the best for me. You may have slight variations depending upon your requirements. Nonetheless, the above settings should make the visual quality of your monitor much better. 

The VA panels are popular for their excellent contrast ratios. The Acer Nitro XZ342CKP has a contrast ratio of 3000:1. The images will have more depth to them. Blacks appear darker and whites appear brighter. You will have an immersive gaming or movie watching experience. The curved screen adds to the immersion.

It has an impressive brightness level of 400-nits. You will not have any issues using it even in a well-lit room. I would suggest you tone down the brightness a bit to reduce eye strain.

This monitor has 178-degree wide viewing angles. You won’t have any problems with washed out colors like in TN panel monitors when you view this monitor from various angles. 

It has an optimal pixel density of 109PPI. This results in crisp-looking images and sharp text. It is also easy on the eyes as you don’t have to deal with pixelated images or blurry text.

This monitor is DisplayHDR400 certified which is an entry-level HDR. Its HDR performance is mediocre. Many monitors that we tested in this price range had bad HDR performance. 

The HDR performance of the Acer Nitro XZ342CKP is Hit or Miss. In some games, the images were oversaturated and in others the colors were vibrant. Still, I would not recommend choosing this monitor if you’re only buying this for HDR gaming. 

Its HDR performance would have been much better if this monitor had a wider color gamut and higher peak brightness.

The monitor we reviewed had no dead pixels on it. It had a less burn-in effect. You won’t even notice it most of the time. It also has a matte anti-glare coating on it that prevents reflections from forming on it. 

Overall, the image quality of the Acer Nitro XZ342CKP is impressive. Except for its HDR performance, it has no major drawbacks. You will definitely be satisfied with it while gaming and watching movies.

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Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx – Design, Ergonomics, and Connectivity

The Acer Nitro XZ342CKP comes in a fairly simple design. Except for the red color stand, it has no major aesthetic enhancements. It is a curved monitor that has a curvature of 1500R. Its bezels are very thin and you won’t have any problems using it for multi-monitor setups. 

It has a joystick present on its lower bezel that helps you navigate through the OSD menu. It is much user-friendlier than OSD buttons. 

The build quality of this monitor is decent. It is made of good quality plastic that is strong and durable. The backside of this monitor has a matte anti-glare coating that helps prevent any smudges from forming on it. The stand has a circular base and stands sturdy without any wobble.

The ergonomics of the stand include 150mm Height adjustment, 180° Swivel, and -5° / +35° Tilt functionality. Its connectivity options are: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.2. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Acer Nitro XZ342CKP has 2 x 3W built-in speakers. They are not too loud but better than nothing. I suggest using external speakers for a better audio experience. 

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Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx – Gaming Performance

The Acer Nitro XZ342CKP is an excellent gaming monitor.

It has a refresh rate of 144Hz. You will have buttery smooth gameplay.

It has a 1ms VRB response time. Its GtG response time is around 4ms. Its input lag is around 5ms which is impressive for a VA panel monitor.

Just like any other VA panel monitor. There was ghosting observable only in dark areas of a fast-paced game. It is definitely tolerable and Most of you won’t even notice it. There was no major motion blur.

You can use this monitor for anything except for hardcore competitive gaming. 1ms TN panel monitors are best for that purpose.

The Acer Nitro XZ342CKP supports FreeSync refresh rate technology that prevents any stuttering, screen tearing, and lagging in video games. It also works perfectly with 10-series and later Nvidia graphics cards.

Do keep in mind that FreeSync cannot work along with HDR.

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Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx – Features

The Acer Nitro XZ342CKP has a blue light filter. You can use it for work or game on it for long periods of time without worrying about eye strain.

It is also a flicker-free monitor. You will have no headaches using it if you’re sensitive to flickering.

The Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture modes help you multitask effectively while working on it. You can divide the monitor into separate segments and assign different applications to them.

The standard bells and whistles include different image modes and custom crosshairs that enhance your visual experience.

The OSD menu is easy to navigate and gives you access to various settings like brightness, contrast, gamma, etc.

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Monitors Similar to Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx

The AOC CU34G2X is an excellent alternative that costs you $50 less than the Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx. It has all the essential gaming features such as 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and FreeSync support. It provides an excellent bang for the buck.

The ASUS TUF Gaming VG32VQ1B is a decent 32-inch alternative to the Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx. Though it is not an ultrawide monitor, it has amazing features such as 165Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, FreeSync Premium Support, Extreme Low Motion Blur technology. It costs you $100 less than the Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx. For those looking for a large widescreen monitor, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG32VQ1B is a great choice.

The Sceptre C355W-3440UN is an affordable 35 Inch Curved Monitor. It supports AMD FreeSync technology and has a refresh rate of 100Hz hence it is a decent choice for gaming. It costs you $120 cheaper than the Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx and is a great choice for those with tight budgets.

The LG 34WK650-W is a budget-friendly 34-inch ultrawide monitor. It is decent enough for multimedia consumption, office usage, and casual gaming. It also supports FreeSync technology. It costs $150 less than the Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx and is perfect for budget setups.

The Philips 346B1C is a high-quality ultrawide monitor. It has an amazing picture quality. It is not a hardcore gaming monitor but is decent enough for casual gaming. It is $20 cheaper than the Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx.

Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx Review

Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx Review – Final Thoughts

The Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx is a great choice for gaming, work, and multimedia consumption. It is a high-quality monitor and has many useful features and no major drawbacks. It comes at a reasonable price and offers a great value for the money to its users.

Who should buy the Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx?

1.Those who are looking for an ultrawide monitor for gaming, work, and multimedia consumption

2.Those who want a frameless ultrawide monitor for multi-monitor setups

Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx Specs

Screen Size: 34 Inches
Resolution: WQHD (3440 x 1440)
Aspect Ratio: 21:9
Panel Technology: VA
Refresh Rate: 144Hz
Response Time: 1ms (VRB)
Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 (Static)
Brightness: 400 cd/m²
Built-in Speakers: 2 x 3W
Adaptive Sync: FreeSync
Stand: Fully Ergonomic
VESA Compatibility: Yes (100x100mm)
Connectivity: 1 x DisplayPort 1.2, 2 x HDMI 2.0
Audio: 3.5mm Audio Jack
Dimensions with Stand (WxHxD): 808 mm x 427 mm x 269 mm
Weight: 8.10 Kg

Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx Review – 34-inch Ultrawide Gaming Monitor – Spacehop
Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx Review

This review covers everything you need to know about Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx. All the pros and cons of it are discussed in detail and many alternatives are mentioned.

Product In-Stock: InStock

Editor's Rating:
4
Avatar of Vishwak
About Vishwak

Vishwak is the man behind Your Tech Bro, now part of the Spacehop family. He has been into technology ever since his dad brought him a PC when he was a 10-year old. He is an avid PC gamer, Android Fanboy, and a Tech geek.

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