X35 flickering(Acer X35 monitor)

kot0005 · September 2019

Of the dozens of reviews for both X35 and PG35VQ, i am surprised none of them except PC monitors mention/Caught the issue... I am really surprised.

Boatkettlecheese · September 2019

I'm not. Quite a few of the others were just sent the monitor as "an early christmas present"

Facepalm as I read all the gsync info on the nvidia site. We test and verify gsync monitors with ultra strict conditions only a few make the certification. Gsync ultimate the best of the best no flickering, hdr, no ghosting at ultra fast responce times. -something like that.

X35 Flickers like crazy even on normal od sometimes, has bad ghosting on extreme od, though normals alright.

Feklar · September 2019

Bad ghosting on extreme od? Do you mean overshoot?

Boatkettlecheese · September 2019

Depends on the game, I dont think Ive seen overshoot whilst playing though. The main things are the lines and the flickering anyway. I still would use my 240hz zowie 2430 for any competitive based games because I preform much better with it and its night and day more smoother and responsive.

splasyd · September 2019

Hi i have the Acer xb273k monitor and i was having a similar problem with the flickering especially when web browsing and hdr enabled after messing about for ages i turned off the overclock in the monitor settings which is 144 on my monitor now the flickering has gone and i now have to have it at 120 worth a try for anyboby haveing the problem

Boatkettlecheese · September 2019

Have you read any of this thread? People have already said it happens with no overclock myself included. Overclock is not the issue.

splasyd · September 2019

Boatkettlecheese im just trying to help and i am just saying what sorted my problem no need for the attitude i have seen someboby putting they turned over drive off which is different to turning overclock off

SopaConleche · September 2019

@Acer-Manny do we have any updates on this issue? Have our reports/data/diagnosis been forwarded to the right team? Is it every unit or only some experiencing the issue? Do you know what's actually going on? When a fix is found will it be a firmware/driver type fix or will monitors need to be shipped back? If it needs to be shipped back will you send one to us first (place hold on credit card) so we're not without a monitor?

Phone support has been unhelpful. This forum is the only place where there is at least some chance of getting information - and it's not really working.

That a fix can take some time is understandable but some communication would help. Having the peace of mind that we'll be taken care of eventually will allow me to keep the monitor past its return period. But if I think I'll have to send it back without a replacement, or that it never gets fixed, this will be a lost sale for Acer. This issue and thread is likely already costing lost sales and the lack of response isn't helping. The main product page literally says Flickerless (trademarked), this is clearly a defect and if it can't be fixed we should be entitled to a full refund under warranty if a fix is not possible otherwise that's just false advertising. While I can return to the store for a little while longer not everyone here has that option as some are past their return period.

Uzap · September 2019

Anyone tried the new nvidia driver release today?

Aldur67 · September 2019

Uzap said:

Anyone tried the new nvidia driver release today?

Just tried it and the flickering is still there.

SopaConleche · September 2019

The forest image (https://i.imgur.com/JiTDI0G.jpg) still shows its lines even with the driver update for me. Not that a driver has anything to do it with it, but flicker remains on OSD if I switch to HDMI (no input) as well.

Someone I asked said they don't have the issue at all even in the forest image however there's a decent chance they just didn't look closely enough or zoom correctly, I will try to ask other people who aren't reporting problems to see if I can get enough to do the test to try and see if it is defect on units or if it's every monitor. Though honestly what I should be doing is advising people not to get this monitor rather than trying to spend my time troubleshooting Acer's products. In any case here's more data:

On forest image, 100% taking up screen (f11 on browser). I get the scanline issue with all colors at 100%. If I turn down a color one at a time I can get a constant flicker on a stable image with no movement. If I turn it down more I "fix" the issue (obviously color is out of whack by then).

For green constant flicker/fix point was around 78-80
For Red: 67-70
for Blue: 88-90

Here's a video showing the effect, 79 is "fixed", 80 is constant flicker, 81 is vertical scanlines https://www.dropbox.com/s/d7f4dx0et0wis12/20190910_122503.mp4?dl=0 During the flicker moment you can actually see the scanlines. Though in person you just see a flicker (video compression and cameras make his hard to capture correctly on video).

@Acer-Manny thoughts by the team? Is this on every monitor, some? Is it a firmware issue or is it a hardware defect? Are you able to reproduce?

IndexOverflow · September 2019

SopaConleche said:

The forest image (https://i.imgur.com/JiTDI0G.jpg) still shows its lines even with the driver update for me. Not that a driver has anything to do it with it, but flicker remains on OSD if I switch to HDMI (no input) as well.

Someone I asked said they don't have the issue at all even in the forest image however there's a decent chance they just didn't look closely enough or zoom correctly, I will try to ask other people who aren't reporting problems to see if I can get enough to do the test to try and see if it is defect on units or if it's every monitor.

@Acer-Manny thoughts by the team? Is this on every monitor, some? Is it a firmware issue or is it a hardware defect? Are you able to reproduce?

I'll gladly try to help you if you have any further suggestions. I'm one of the few who apparently don't have any flickering, I've tried moving my eyes pixel by pixel on the forest image and can't see anything wrong. I'm considering returning the monitor for another issue (fan noise), so if I find any flickering it's a done deal.

hendrix69 · September 2019

Uzap said:

Anyone tried the new nvidia driver release today?

just tried the new driver on my PG35VQ and unfortunately no change for me either, still flickering.

SopaConleche · September 2019

Pretty sad that I can't get an official confirmation of a single question from Acer directly: is it all units or some? It's looking like some just based on us having to do our own footwork, when it should be a question Acer directly answers. Is it like 5% of units and we're the unlucky ones? is it 95% of units with most returning it silently or not noticing the issue? I'm considering of getting it exchanged at a store rather than return because I WANT to like it, I want to be a customer, I want to be a fan and advocate for this product. Returning/exchanging is a huge hassle due to the size of the box and living in a NYC apartment. Getting a 2nd unit only to have the same defect (or even run of the mill stuff like stuck/dead pixels) and needing to return it a 2nd time is worrying.

I tried tweeting the issue, since that seems how to be how people get attention now. I honestly don't know how twitter works but maybe that can get us some reply. https://twitter.com/DavemanQ/status/1171786186630844417

Delta_Payne · September 2019

Sooo I sent back two Asus PG35VQ and now a Acer X35 is on the way home to me. When its delivered I report back if this unit has also the flickering issue with the picture I found. The Caseking online store had for 2 weeks nothing in stock. Now its back in stock... we'll see

Acer-Manny_Retired · September 2019

Hi SopaConleche, I have forwarded all detail information (videos, chats, configuration etc.) to the appropriate department for follow up. Unfortunately, we don't have any updates at this moment (the engineering department is still investigating all the feedback provided), once i receive a response will update this thread.
I recommend following the instructions provided by our technical support agent and send the unit for diagnosis and repair to your local Acer service center.

Acer-Manny

SopaConleche · September 2019

Hi Acer-Manny,

I called in earlier and managed to get through (likely what you were hearing about). For everyone here, the information I got is that there is a firmware update available however it's not specifically targeting this issue, and may not actually fix it. Firmware updates are not user serviceable and require shipping to the support center.

My understanding is sending it back is at my own expense ($75 estimate to ship according to UPS, I'd likely add in insurance as well). And it also leaves me with a turn around time of not having the monitor which was a huge reason I upgraded my PC as my old monitor is only 60hz. That said this monitor is really my only option for ultra wide, HDR1000, 144hz+ refresh rate. And despite me being "that" customer constantly trying to get Acer's attention, I do want to emphasize this monitor is honestly amazing. The fact that despite my frustrations at the flickering I haven't simply gotten a refund from Microcenter and bought a monitor that costs less than half the price is a testament to how good it is overall.

I may be willing to do it but I will have to give it some thought as this could just lead to a scenario where I'm sending it back twice (if the firmware doesn't fix it). I'd much rather have the confidence that I would only have to send it in once, especially if it's at my expense.

Thanks for the time.

kot0005 · September 2019

SopaConleche said:

Hi Acer-Manny,

I called in earlier and managed to get through (likely what you were hearing about). For everyone here, the information I got is that there is a firmware update available however it's not specifically targeting this issue, and may not actually fix it. Firmware updates are not user serviceable and require shipping to the support center.

My understanding is sending it back is at my own expense ($75 estimate to ship according to UPS, I'd likely add in insurance as well). And it also leaves me with a turn around time of not having the monitor which was a huge reason I upgraded my PC as my old monitor is only 60hz. That said this monitor is really my only option for ultra wide, HDR1000, 144hz+ refresh rate. And despite me being "that" customer constantly trying to get Acer's attention, I do want to emphasize this monitor is honestly amazing. The fact that despite my frustrations at the flickering I haven't simply gotten a refund from Microcenter and bought a monitor that costs less than half the price is a testament to how good it is overall.

I may be willing to do it but I will have to give it some thought as this could just lead to a scenario where I'm sending it back twice (if the firmware doesn't fix it). I'd much rather have the confidence that I would only have to send it in once, especially if it's at my expense.

Thanks for the time.

Seriously...just return it and buy it when the problem is fixed. otherwise you are encouraging these companies to sell these faulty units to other customers.

By not returning it and accepting repair on a 1mo old monitor you are making the market worse for everyone else because they will continue to do this as long as people support them.

Just wait till they release a new batch.

Feklar · September 2019

I also have a flickering issue. Am I to understand that Acer would like defective monitors that cost nearly $3k to be repackaged and sent in for inspection at our expense? Even under warranty? Tech support has no idea how to repair the issue. Repair department also has no idea what to fix. Virtually all of these units have this issue and yet you need a customers unit to diagnose? I have a better idea. How about Acer pull a few new ones from the warehouse and test them to diagnose the issue. Why should we as customers for a high end product shoulder the cost, leaving us with no monitor to use for who knows how long. This is the best Acer can do? This is unacceptable for a flagship product. I believe that if some units are sent in, they won't be repaired, instead they will be returned with the same issue if not new ones. This is very disappointing. Wish I would have realized this before I bought one or before I was out of my return window. This is a very expensive lesson but one I personally will learn from when I make my next decision to buy a monitor from a company.

kot0005 · September 2019

Feklar said:

I also have a flickering issue. Am I to understand that Acer would like defective monitors that cost nearly $3k to be repackaged and sent in for inspection at our expense? Even under warranty? Tech support has no idea how to repair the issue. Repair department also has no idea what to fix. Virtually all of these units have this issue and yet you need a customers unit to diagnose? I have a better idea. How about Acer pull a few new ones from the warehouse and test them to diagnose the issue. Why should we as customers for a high end product shoulder the cost, leaving us with no monitor to use for who knows how long. This is the best Acer can do? This is unacceptable for a flagship product. I believe that if some units are sent in, they won't be repaired, instead they will be returned with the same issue if not new ones. This is very disappointing. Wish I would have realized this before I bought one or before I was out of my return window. This is a very expensive lesson but one I personally will learn from when I make my next decision to buy a monitor from a company.

You can charge back. Contact your bank/Credit card company. Open a dispute on the transaction.