Acer ET430K - 43" 3840x2160 Display

[Chaotic42]

Me: My name is Chaotic42. I have a monitor addiction.

Monitor-aholics Anonymous: Hi Chaotic42!

So I haven't seen any reviews of this beast and when I stumbled upon it at Microcenter, I was stunned. It's a 43" IPS 10-bit monitor. Microcenter had it playing Eve, which was kind of neat. When I saw that it was $549.99, I whipped out the phone to look for reviews, but couldn't really find any. The salesman asked if I needed help and I told him I was trying to figure out what was wrong with this monitor.

He laughed and said "we have good buyers and we only have five of these in stock". I couldn't find any flaws in it at the store and now that I'm home, I'm going to put it through its paces. The only problem I see is that the pixels are really big, but my vision is something around 20/8 to 20/10, so I've yet to see a monitor where I couldn't see the pixels at a normal viewing distance.

The official specs are as follows:

• Driving System - TFT Color LCD
• Size - 43" (108cm) Diagonal
• Pixel Pitch - 0.2451mm
• Brightness - 350 cd/m² (Typical)
• Contrast - 100,000,000:1 Max (ACM)
• Viewable Angle (Typical) - 178° (H) (V) (CR >= 10)
• Response Time - 5ms (GTG, Typical)
• Panel Type - IPS
• Video - Digital Interface
• H-Frequency - 30-133KHz
• V-Frequency - 50-60Hz
• Colors - 1.07 Billion
• Dot Clock - 600 MHz
• Resolution - 3840x2160 @ 60Hz

Let me know if there's anything you want to know about it. Like I said, information on the internet seems spotty, so I don't mind answering questions.

Here's a pic of it next to two 34" 3440x1440 monitors. The picture doesn't do it justice.

 

[AMD64Blondie]

Wow...and here I thought my new LG 32MA68HY-P 31.5 inch 1080p LCD was the biggest screen I'd ever seen.

Is that really designed as a LCD monitor,or is it a HDTV in disguise?

 

[mnewsham]

It appears to be using the same panel the Phillip was using for their 43" 4k panel that had a lots of burn-in issues with image retention.

Not sure but it might also be the panel Dell is using in their 43", but I can't confirm this.

 

[Chaotic42]

It appears to be using the same panel the Phillip was using for their 43" 4k panel that had a lots of burn-in issues with image retention.

Not sure but it might also be the panel Dell is using in their 43", but I can't confirm this.

There is some image retention if you leave windows open for a long time.

 

[hislordship57]

im actually looking to get this to replace 3x24" 1080 screens for work. this should theoretically give me 1 extra screen space - keen to hear how you get on with it.

is it difficult to read text in the corners?
with multiple screens you can turn the outer ones to get a better reading angle but I'm curious how easy it would be to work on / read things in the corners / anywhere outside the centre with a big screen like this.

 

[SKORPI0]

Let me know if you have image retention/burn-in problems.
https://hardforum.com/threads/acer-et430k-43-4k-monitor.1917879/

 

[cbn]

43" 4K, so this is like having 4 x 21.5" 1080p monitors arranged 2 x 2.

How do you like it for productivity?

Does the stand (by any chance) allow the bottom edge of the screen to be lowered very close to the desk?

P.S. I am currently using three monitors right now (17" x 1280 x 1024, 21.5" 1080p, 19" 1440 x 900....all TN panels) spread across my desktop.....but the one furthest to the right is angled somewhere between 30 and 45 degrees toward me, so I wonder how well I would handle the width of this 43" 4K? ( IPS should help though).

 

[Chaotic42]

So I'm seriously thinking about returning the monitor. I ordered a more gaming oriented 1440p monitor from Microcenter and I'll go pick it up when they open. I may take this beast with me to return. It's a nice, bright monitor, but the ghosting and image retention are serious. I wasn't really someone who noticed ghosting, but playing games like Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, man, the ghosting is real. This monitor would be great for productivity provided that you didn't have a white background. I could fit eight 100-column Notepad++ windows on it (you could easily do twelve if they were fairly short) with no problem. If I didn't have so many other monitors, I'd move it over to the development computer. Thing is, I have two 34" widescreens for that and they do the job quite well.

As far as moving the screen, it doesn't go up/down. Its bezel is four inches from the desk. Sitting 30 inches away, it takes up all of my central vision and then some. My side monitor is visible, but unreadable without moving my eyes as is text in the outer fifth or so on either side.

 

[AMD Hamm]

I purchased this Acer ET430K 43" UHD display and have it running for 3+weeks and love it. I was not in the market for a new display as my Samsung S27D590 is great. However, as I wandered Micro Center, I kept looking across the store at the ET430 and going around to view it closer. I compared it to all the other screens in the store (monitors and TVs) and it had the most striking display from any distance. I stood in front of it for 30-40 minutes playing the latest version of Doom (*on an the newest hard-core Alienware gaming laptop) and could not find a single flaw. Every other monitor close in quality, but smaller in size, was priced $300-$600 more. Why pay $800-$1300 for a 34" straight or curved display, many of which don't do 4K/UHD? I won't lie, it took a while to get used to this HUGE display. I had to remove my desktop hutch (ergo lost storage) to better see it overall, but in all other ways, it is fabulous. Watching 4K videos are awesome as is 4K photos and art. I mainly use my system to seriously multi-task, view and do art and videos. I don't do gaming anymore, but in my trials, I saw no ghosting. I have experienced no image retention anywhere. I am using an nVidia GeForce GTX 960 4GB on Win10 fully updated (self-built box) and have yet to experience any issues other than streaming lag a couple of times at full resolution, which is probably my internet connection, which happens sometimes in the evening.

If you are a gamer and a perfectionist where your display is concerned, then maybe this might not be for you. I can only tell you what I see and do with mine. Having been a IT engineer for decades, I can say I am ecstatic about this display. I quit cable TV years ago and have no regrets, so ergo no reason for me to buy a TV. I prefer a better quality and detailed display that has great clarity and color. If I'm working on a piece of art or design sketch I want to see it all and see it as it should be. One of my biggest peeves with TVs has always been the inconsistencies in color. I want as much accurate and true color as I can get. That's my perfection requirement. With this display I can work in multiple windows and watch videos with real estate to spare. When I quit working for the day, I throw up a cool movie and kick back full screen and it's great. Even though I have a week yet to return it, I doubt I will. Instead I will finish adjusting my desk and settings and settle into a new work mode that, thus far, I fully enjoy. I'll likely setup a second monitor for my alternate systems. Since they don't require much visual space, I can go portrait mode with the second monitor and fit both will fit on my desk side by side. My only caveat? Now I need to consider upgrading my audio setup to match my monster display!

My 2 cents for what it's worth.

Here is (roughly) what the ET430K looks like after initial setup. I've not yet resized anything except reset to display 4K/UHD. I still have hutch behind it. The Disney photo is UHD (3840x2160) but not as good as other 4Ks IMHO. I chose this to show a Disney crazy friend. A nice shot of the castle at sunset...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/W2kaQWFPgfzsvzCe2

 

[Johnny Lucky]

Acer took me by surprise. I had been researching several other 42.5 inch monitors when I stumbled across the ET430K. The Acer model has been out for quite some time but there is a distinct lack of competent technical reviews. The few reviews out there are mostly blogs with images and advertising taken from Acer's press release.

Two things stood out.

First, it appears as if the ET430K might be the only 42.5 inch monitor capable of reproducing 100% of the Adobe RGB color gamut. That should be good news for professional photographers who have a proper configuration for color accuracy. I actually contacted Dell and Lenovo about that. Both replied their 42.5 inch monitors only cover about 72% of the Adobe RGB color gamut. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony and Wasabi also only covered a portion of the color gamut.

Second I couldn't help but notice that there are a lot of comments about ghosting. Typically that is not a issue for professional photographers who work with one image at a time. I notice a user comment suggesting that ghosting can be eliminated or reduce by using Displayport instead of HDMI

Can anyone confirm that using Displayport eliminates or reduces ghosting?.

.

 

[AMD Hamm]

Currently I have two computers connected to my ET430K. A home built PC running Win10 (*see previous post) and a Mac Mini (m.2010). One is using HDMI and the other a DisplayPort. I can tell you that viewing images or videos, I see no ghosting or image retention. I am still running both thru tests and plan to add a few more devices, including a BR player, to see how it handles it. I can tell you I have left the same screens and windows up for hours, even a few days, and see no retention or other irregularities.

I found few written reviews of the ET430K online but I spoke with a few other people who purchased it and only one says they see ghosting using HDMI only when playing a hardcore online game. I actually expected mine to be more off given that my graphics card isn't top notch, especially for gaming. Since it runs 4K video, for now I am leaving the GTX960 installed. I plan to upgrade other components in the next couple months and see if that shows any differences. Afterwards I hope to test a newer graphics card. I will post any new results I experience here. Hopefully this will help some people to decide if this monitor is right for them. I think I'm really starting to get used to (read spoiled) on this huge screen.

 

[w3rd]

Me: My name is Chaotic42. I have a monitor addiction.

Monitor-aholics Anonymous: Hi Chaotic42!

So I haven't seen any reviews of this beast and when I stumbled upon it at Microcenter, I was stunned. It's a 43" IPS 10-bit monitor. Microcenter had it playing Eve, which was kind of neat. When I saw that it was $549.99, I whipped out the phone to look for reviews, but couldn't really find any. The salesman asked if I needed help and I told him I was trying to figure out what was wrong with this monitor.

He laughed and said "we have good buyers and we only have five of these in stock". I couldn't find any flaws in it at the store and now that I'm home, I'm going to put it through its paces. The only problem I see is that the pixels are really big, but my vision is something around 20/8 to 20/10, so I've yet to see a monitor where I couldn't see the pixels at a normal viewing distance.

The official specs are as follows:

• Driving System - TFT Color LCD
• Size - 43" (108cm) Diagonal
• Pixel Pitch - 0.2451mm
• Brightness - 350 cd/m² (Typical)
• Contrast - 100,000,000:1 Max (ACM)
• Viewable Angle (Typical) - 178° (H) (V) (CR >= 10)
• Response Time - 5ms (GTG, Typical)
• Panel Type - IPS
• Video - Digital Interface
• H-Frequency - 30-133KHz
• V-Frequency - 50-60Hz
• Colors - 1.07 Billion
• Dot Clock - 600 MHz
• Resolution - 3840x2160 @ 60Hz

Let me know if there's anything you want to know about it. Like I said, information on the internet seems spotty, so I don't mind answering questions.

Here's a pic of it next to two 34" 3440x1440 monitors. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Thank you.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

@Chaotic42 @AMD Hamm

Have you guys noticed any burn-in/image retention problems now that y'all have had it for awhile now?

Debating between this Acer and the LG 43UD79... it seems the LG is the only 43" 4k monitor not using the panels with burn-in issues. But the Acer is $200 cheaper...

 

[AMD Hamm]

@Chaotic42 @AMD Hamm

Have you guys noticed any burn-in/image retention problems now that y'all have had it for awhile now?

Debating between this Acer and the LG 43UD79... it seems the LG is the only 43" 4k monitor not using the panels with burn-in issues. But the Acer is $200 cheaper...

I have been cycling screens every day for over 3 weeks and still see no ghosting, no image retention, no artifacts, and no irregularities.

 

[mreams13]

http://imgur.com/a/Fg8Nf

I've had the monitor for two weeks and I haven't seen any ghosting, image retention, or artifacts. It's just a nice big monitor.

I'm connected through DisplayPort to a GTX 1080.

If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them if I can.

 

[guskline]

Chaoti42: When I arrive home tonight from a trip I will be joining the Acer ET430K "Band of Brothers (and Sisters)" as Newegg delivered my Acer last night!

 

[guskline]

Heavens to Mercatroy Chaotic42, this Acer ET 430K is ENORMOUS!

 

[guskline]

So far no burn in. This screen is a HOOT for playing games.

 

[Tweak155]

I have a 40" 4K and I feel it is a little too big. I saw the 43" for such a cheap price but I had to remind myself 40" is already too big!

The biggest appeal to me was that it is IPS... my current panel is VA and I can notice the difference, even though they're both better than TN.

 

[guskline]

My 66 year old eyes have no complaints about the size

 

[guskline]

Still rockin with this monster and very happy. My 2 son-in-laws were playing Dirt4 this weekend and were blown away by the performance and size of the monitor.

 

[4K_shmoorK]

Bought this a couple weeks ago but returned it. 8 minute burn in and a bent stand. Any amount of burn in on a monitor is totally bogus IMO

 

[guskline]

4k_shmoorK sorry to hear that. Where did you buy your monitor?

 

[Chaotic42]

Bought this a couple weeks ago but returned it. 8 minute burn in and a bent stand. Any amount of burn in on a monitor is totally bogus IMO

After several months it seems like there's less burn in, but it's still there. 4K videos do look pretty great on it though.

 

[4K_shmoorK]

4k_shmoorK sorry to hear that. Where did you buy your monitor?

Bought from microcenter so the return was painless. Instead upgraded to 7820X/X299 from my 4790K setup. Still waiting for the right deal to come along for a large format second monitor.