Acer Predator CG437K: specifications
Screen size: 43 inches
Decision: 3840 x 2160
Refresh rate: 144 Hz
Inputs: DisplayPort, HDMI, USB-A, USB-C
Dimensions: 38.5 x 26.5 x 3.9 inches
The Acer Predator CG437K deserves much credit for innovation. This unconventional device aims to share the difference between a living room TV and a game monitor, and offers PC-level performance with a console-ready design. However, the CG437K is not as impressive as it could be, and offers dull colors and a sub-pair remote control. The overall product is a mediocre execution of a good idea.
If you want to set up a gaming PC in the living room and are distrustful of standard TVs, the CG437K is not without charm. It has the right size, it has many ports and it plays well with HDR systems. On the other hand, the screen simply does not look so good, which is tough to sell in such expensive peripherals.
The CG437K may be worth considering, simply because there are not many game monitors in this size range. But at least avoid buying it at full price, if possible. Read on for our full Acer Predator CG437K review.
Table of Contents
Acer Predator CG437K Review: Configurations
The first thing you should know about the Acer Predator CG437K is that it is not easy to know which one you are getting. There are two different models of the device, but they both have the exact same name, and even the Acer website is not that good at distinguishing the two.
We reviewed the Acer Predator CG437K Pbmiippuzx, which has a 43-inch screen, a 120 Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.0 inputs. This model costs $ 1500.
However, you can also buy the Acer Predator CG437K SBMIIPUZX, which has a 42.5-inch screen, a 144 Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 inputs. This model costs $ 1600.
The two devices are almost identical otherwise, but if you want to connect a PS5 or Xbox Series X, you will want SBMIIPUZX, since it supports HDMI 2.1. Otherwise you will be stuck on a 60 Hz output, although both systems support 120 Hz refresh rates on some games. This is an incredibly subtle and complicated difference for the everyday consumer, especially since the term “HDMI 2.1” does not come up official Acer site comparing the two models (opens in new tab)or on Pbmiippuzx’s product page (opens in new tab). It is not at all difficult to imagine a console player buying a monitor without HDMI 2.1.
Acer Predator CG437K Review: Design
The Acer Predator C437K is much larger than most gaming monitors. It almost goes without saying, but it’s worth repeating what makes it so different from most other monitors on the market. While most 4K gaming screens are somewhere in the 28-32-inch range, the C437K is a full 43 inches. This takes it from “desk” to “living room” territory. If you wanted this monitor to live on a desktop, you might want to reconsider your choice – we were physically unable to see the whole thing when we sat in front of it at a desk.
From a physical point of view, 43 inches is a respectable size for a peripheral living room, and the unit looks pretty good. With a standard black chassis, a few LED highlights and a minimalist stand that serves as game controller storage, the CG437K looks just different from a traditional TV to give a statement.
It also has far more ports than a traditional TV. Our review model came with two DisplayPorts, three HDMI 2.0 ports, four USB-A ports and one USB-C port.
The lack of USB-B and 3.5 mm audio ports is noticeable, but not the doom of the world, since the back of the device is not so easily accessible anyway.
Acer Predator CG437K Review: Monitor
For such an expensive screen, I expected the Acer Predator CG437K to have a much better screen. I tested the device with both a gaming PC and one PS5. With HDR turned off, the color was washed out and matte; with HDR turned on, the color accuracy was much better, but the screen looked way too dark otherwise.
Here’s how the Acer Predator CG437K stacks up to some other 4K gaming monitors we’ve recently tested:
| Brightness (nits) | sRGB spectrum (%) | Delta-E | |
| Acer Predator CG437K (standard) | 506 | 147 | 0.22 |
| Acer Predator CG437K (HDR) | 700 | 146 | 0.31 |
| Acer Nitro XV282K (standard) | 185 | 137 | 0.31 |
| Acer Nitro XV282K (HDR) | 248 | 136 | 0.22 |
| Asus TUF VG28UQL1A (sRGB mode) | 247 | 102 | 0.27 |
| Asus TUF VG28UQL1A (HDR) | 233 | 102 | 0.27 |
This is one of the unusual cases where the references and our qualitative observations simply do not agree at all. On paper, the Predator CG437K looks spectacular, with significantly higher brightness and color spectrum than its smaller counterparts. The only major “problem” is that the color accuracy (Delta-E; lower numbers are better) is nothing special in HDR mode, but it is not worse than the competition.
And yet, when we tried the Predator CG437K for ourselves, it looked faint and lifeless, with inaccurate, greyish colors. I conferred with two other Tom’s Guide game experts, who agreed that the default mode looked washed out on the PC, and that the HDR mode looked too dark on the PS5. In standard mode you can adjust many different settings to get better color levels, but in HDR mode you are pretty much stuck with what the screen gives you.
We are not sure if it is better to take our observations or the scales with a pinch of salt; all we can say is that after repeated tests and analyzes, they simply did not agree with each other.
Acer Predator CG437K Review: Performance
I tested the CG437K with a variety of games on both PC and PS5. The screen coped with red and purple much better than other colors, too Eternal dooms rocky hell landscape looks especially threatening. Blues and blacks, on the other hand, looked much less vivid, like the lifeless version of Cyberpunk 2077‘s Night City demonstrated. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – usually an extremely colorful game – looked just as uninspired. Nioh remastered managed a little better, however, perhaps due to the large weight of gray textures in the levels.
In its honor, the CG437K can handle high frame rates quite well. Every game I tested on the PC ran at 75 frames per second or more; each PS5 game had a steady 60 fps (at least when set to “framerate” instead of “resolution” mode). The only caveat here is that one CG437K model supports 120 Hz modes on the console; the other does not. Check the “Configurations” section and be careful when ordering.
The point is that while a handful of games looked good on the CG437K, nothing looked good – and some games looked much worse than I would have expected from such an expensive screen.
Acer Predator CG437K Review: Interface
Like other monitors from the same company, the Acer Predator GC437K has a bare-bones menu system that you can use to change inputs, adjust color options, and so on. Once you’ve figured out where everything is, the options are fairly simple, although the menus themselves are slow to load and cumbersome to navigate. You can also select various visual presets or control the volume with either the remote control or built-in buttons.
The problem here is that the menu is quite small and there is no way to make it bigger. This is not a dealbreaker for a monitor that resides on a desktop, but you will probably sit at least 10 feet away from the CG437K. To change options, even using the remote control, get up from the couch and sit directly in front of the TV. It is a strange and undesirable compliance from a more traditional screen design.
Acer Predator CG437K Review: Accessories
Since the Acer Predator CG437K is a living room accessory, it makes sense for the device to come with built-in speakers and a remote control. The only problem is that none of them are that good. The speakers are a cut above the normal screen price, in that they do not have the same metallic, muddy quality that most other screen speakers have. Compared to high-end TV speakers, however, they are nothing special, with flat sound and unbalanced bass and treble. Since the device does not have Bluetooth, it is also not easy to connect to an audio board (although you might want to just go through the PC instead).
The remote control is also less functional than I had hoped. The volume buttons are probably the most useful functions, but there is a significant input delay between pressing the button and the screen analyzes your command.
You can also change a number of menu options, but since the menu font is small, it is difficult to do so without sitting directly in front of the TV. The brightness buttons have limited utility, as you cannot use them when the TV is in standard HDR mode.
Acer Predator CG437K Review: Dom
The Acer Predator CG437K is not a terrible machine, but it has too many disadvantages to cost as much as it does. Although the device’s impressive waiting time of 1 ms is significantly less than what you would find in even a high-end TV, the practical benefits may be limited. In our testing, we have found that TVs with similar prices generally have delays of 10 ms in game mode, which is more than good enough for daily play. Advanced TVs can also have better color options, or fancy OLED screens. If nothing else, they generally have better remote controls.
If you know exactly what you’re getting into, the Predator CG437K fills at least one unusual niche in the gaming monitor world, and it works well enough for most games. Just do not dive in without at least considering a TV with the same price, for example LG C1 OLEDfirst.
