Acer Predator X45 hands-on: Next-level immersive, next-level price

So, you’re looking to take your gaming experience to the next level with faster refresh rates, vibrant colors, and a massive panel. The Acer Predator X45 is a monitor that does all that and more.  

ONE Esports was invited to get our hands on the brand-new Acer Predator X45 gaming monitor. Through this hands-on, we’ll share some first impressions on the monitor features and how it all translates to an elevated gaming experience.  

An absolute unit of a monitor, the very first thing that struck us was the sheer size of the screen. At 44.5-inches, this monitor is the largest monitor I’ve ever used for gaming that wasn’t a full-blown TV. The scale of the screen aside, being an OLED Panel, the colors and contrasts were one of the best on the market, handily beating out the more widely used IPS panels. Additionally, this boasts a 240hz refresh rate which will make playing games on the monitor a butter-smooth experience — if the hardware can drive games at that framerate.  

We had an Acer Predator desktop equipped with an i7-13700F and RTX 4070 during our playtest. We tested the screen on several different game genres; FPS, 3^rd-person shooters, MOBAs, and racing titles.

Hands-on playtest: How did the Acer Predator X45 fare?

So, it’s a big, curved OLED screen. How did this affect our gaming experience compared to our setups in the office, or is the X45 simply too much screen? 

The games tested were:

• Call of Duty Warzone
• Dota 2
• Forza Horizon 5
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Starfield

Forza Horizon 5

Jumping first into the driver’s seat of Forza Horizon 5, the cars immediately stood out with the vibrant red of our Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray. Cars aside, the Acer Predator X45 did not disappoint when touring around the map and completing races. Every mile felt immediately more immersive with the bright colors and sheer scales of the visuals when paired with X45. 

Armored Core VI

From driver’s seat to the cockpit of an AC, the experience was similar, the deep blacks accentuated the myriad of explosions and gunfire raging across the screen as I tore my way through mission after mission. Compared to a smaller screen, I did feel like I needed to spend a little longer keeping track of my ammo counter, health, and boost meters a little more due to the larger screen space. 

Call of Duty Warzone

Speaking of explosions and ammo, the next title we played was Call of Duty Warzone. As a big fan of Call of Duty, battling it out on Ashika island and Vondel never felt more exciting than before. Visuals were crisp, and controls felt sharp thanks to the 240hz. I did however feel like because of the size of the monitor combined with a maxed out FOV slider, sprinting around the map felt oddly slow but that’s likely due to perspective.

Dota 2

It was surprisingly easy to adapt to the enlarged screen real estate. There were even some tangible benefits, like seeing more of the sides of the map. The large screen proved very immersive for Dota, though there’s an argument to be made that having a smaller screen means capturing more details at once. 

Acer Predator X45 is a stunner — if you have the funds to spend

We can safely say that the Acer Predator X45 is truly quite a stunner, both in design and gaming experience. Titles like Forza, Starfield, and Cyberpunk were next-level cinematic and immersive.  

Additionally, the price tag is a hefty pill to swallow. Selling for US$1,698, this monitor is a hefty pill to swallow, the Acer Predator X45 is certainly one of the top gaming monitor contenders for AAA enthusiasts looking for that next-level immersive gaming experience. 

If AAA titles are your focus, you have the funds to spend, and you’re looking to step up your immersive experience, the Acer Predator X45 is certainly one of the top contenders for your next gaming monitor currently on the market.

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