If you’re looking for a gaming monitor upgrade for your desktop or laptop, and you need it at the absolute cheapest price possible, then today’s a good day. Acer is selling a 34-inch ultrawide monitor with a 165hz refresh rate for just $200, and eBay will throw in an extra 9 percent off. That brings the final price down to just $181.99.
How is this price so low? There is one proviso: it’s a refurbished unit. But we think it’s still a deal worth considering, for two reasons. One, even though this is listed on eBay it’s a sale coming right from Acer’s official “recertified store.” And two, it comes with a two-year warranty for repairs or replacements. Not bad at all.
The UM.CE3AA.V01 monitor is 34 inches with ultrawide form factor, in the somewhat typical 3440×1440 resolution. (That’s basically the same as a 27-inch QHD monitor, stretched out from 16:9 to 21:9 aspect ratio.) It’s a VA panel, so the display is focused on speed and brightness rather than color accuracy. But with a 165Hz refresh rate and a .5 millisecond response time, it’ll put your gaming PC through its paces with any AAA 3D game.
The monitor is fairly barebones elsewhere with no USB connection, but it does have two DisplayPort and two HDMI ports, and it’s ready for VESA mounting. It also has the ridiculously common two 5-watt speakers, which I’m begging you not to use.
Get an order in quickly if you’re sure you want it — there’s no telling how long the stock will last on eBay. The 9 percent extra discount is applied at checkout, and it should ship for free to most of the United States.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.