Acer Predator Z271 Monitor only showing 60 hz in display settings

TrulsKr

Hello,

I have the Acer Predator Z271, bought in April 2017. I am now using this monitor with a gaming laptop, using a hdmi 2.1 cable. The problem is that it is running at 60hz, even with this brand new good hdmi cable that should in theory support at least 120 hz for 1080p. I have gone to the display settings and looked at countless tutorials but to no avail- the maximum refresh rate shown in display settings is always 60hz. Therefore creating this post is a last resort- is there any way to resolve this issue?

Btw, the pc im running does not support display port as far as I can tell, but I figured that the monitor should be able to support a hdmi 2.1 cable since I've heard its used to run PS5s etc at 144hz.

 [Edited the thread to add issue detail]

Leostat

What laptop is it connected to? As a quick check if its an nvidia one, have a nosey in the Physx panel to see what it says the HDMI is connected to, im wondering if the HDMI is connected to the iGPU

TrulsKr

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1177902#Comment_1177902

It is connected to a lenovo ideapad gamin laptop with Nvidia geforce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop. The DMI was connected to this GPU. I tried changing a bit around and connect it to my CPU and also the option to automatically choose, but neither of these options allowed me to select a higher refresh rate.

TrulsKr

Reading the user manual I saw that 144hz is only achieved through display port. Even though HDMI 2.1 are really good, it doesnt seem to support it in this manner. Any ideas on how to get 144hz out of my laptop? The laptop only has a hdmi port for external monitors..

Leostat

So the setting cant change what its connected to just show you where its connected, if its the I3 it looks like its how the laptop is im afraid :( ( https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLaptops/comments/zqp3sk/ideapad_gaming_3i_2021_hdmi_port_connects_to_igpu/ ) drop in a screen shot of the Nvidia Phsx page and can confirm either way as reddit cant always be trusted!

144hz can be done via HDMI , it just depends on the gpu behind it :) if there isnt a displayport on the lappy im afraid you wont be able to get a high refresh rate. You can try forcing it in the intel config panel, but it may just not play as most intels are still on HDMI 1.4

TrulsKr

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1177910#Comment_1177910

I understand. heres a screenshot of the physx page:

Do you know any possible work arounds that arent complicated? It seems very strange that it is done this way, and the model is also very new? Its also intended for gaming aswell as work, so if it really is like this its very strange. Thanks for the help :D

Leostat

So that suggests that reddit is wrong and it should work! if it was running via the iGPU it shows a little side bit so now we know its not that! Sorry about that

Service guide doesnt look hopeful though

It looks like its got HDMI 1.4 which still should be able to go up to 120hz . It may be worth trying to create a custom resolution , try 1080p 70hz to see if the monitor likes it, if it doesnt, a HDMI -> DP adapter should work

Not sure why acer went for the 60hz limit on the HDMI!

TrulsKr

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1177916#Comment_1177916

Ok thanks for the help, I was also considering the DP adapter but wasnt really sure if that would fix it. So decided to give it an attempt tomorrow, and worst case I will just return it to the store. Thanks again:D very helpful

billsey

The Z271 specs say the HDMI on the monitor is 1.4, not 2.0 or 2.1. You might be able to run at 120Hz, but not 144Hz. My guess is since it only does the higher refresh rates with DP they don't support faster speeds with HDMI at all.

TrulsKr

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1177972#Comment_1177972

Ok so do you think a hdmi to dp adapter would work in my case? Because the only port I have for external monitors on my laptop is hdmi.

billsey

Yes, you should be able to use an adapter. Be sure it's for the right direction though, HDMI to DP and DP to HDMI are different. You need HDMI (on the laptop side) to DP (on the monitor side).