New Monitor Causing Headaches/Too Bright

Sep 6, 2020
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Hi everyone!

I recently moved from a bog-standard 24 inch LG 1080p 60fps IPS monitor which I've had for a good 5 years, to a new 27 inch 1440p 165hz Acer Monitor which is also an IPS. On paper, the transition should have been smooth and the step up significant. However, in the couple of days I've been using it, I have found it very uncomfortable as the screen is far brighter and some text, particularly on Steam seems to blur even with sharpness on plus appears more as a darker silver/grey than white in the Steam Community pages. The DPI scaling is fine but the brightness and the whites seem extreme. Strangely enough when playing games, everything is perfect - it's just the desktop and applications which is the problem.

I have gone through every single brightness and colour setting possible and even with everything dramatically reduced, the screen seems to emit and overwhelming effect where even staring at the Steam Client momentarily, it impacts my vision and soon after hurts my eyes. Just opening Google mimicked that of turning on your phone in the dark at 3am and I could barely stand browsing the net for more than a couple of minutes before having to look away. I managed to have a couple of hours of CSGO and the image was absolutely incredible though. Exiting and going back to desktop however brought back all the problems. I thought I'd simply have to adjust to it but I don't think my experience will ever improve.

I have no choice but to send the monitor back and am now extremely concerned going forward because I would like a new one but I don't want to run into the same issues. I was wondering if anyone knew why the monitor appeared like this? I obviously have sensitive eyes but I was expecting an almost like-for-like changeover with the improvements of just a higher resolution and refresh rate. I didn't expect the panel to be so bright or colours so extreme and the lack of clarity and sharpness on some text was strange even with the DPI correct and sharpness enabled.

I've hooked up my old LG for a side by side comparison and the screen just seems much more calmer on the eyes whereas the Acer had almost a glass-effect. The text on Steam is also clean and white with no sharpening and the whites don't have this blinding effect. I just don't know what's happened and if it's just an Acer thing or if newer higher spec monitors tend to be this way. Also if there's any recommendations of others with similar specs, I'd love to hear them!

Many thanks for reading!
 
Usually there's a sticker/panel on the back that lists all kinds of info, regulatory certifications and whatnot, and also has the model. Could be on the underside too or elsewhere, but usually on the back.
 
Sep 6, 2020
7
0
10
Visit site
Usually there's a sticker/panel on the back that lists all kinds of info, regulatory certifications and whatnot, and also has the model. Could be on the underside too or elsewhere, but usually on the back.
Nothing at all I'm afraid. Nothing on the Acer either and that's a brand new model from Amazon.
 
Have you tried toggling Acer Bluelight Shield on and see if it might help? I use it myself and find it to be easier on the eyes.
  1. Type Quick Access in the Windows search and press Enter.
  2. Select Acer Quick Access from the list of results.
 
Sep 6, 2020
7
0
10
Visit site
Have you tried toggling Acer Bluelight Shield on and see if it might help? I use it myself and find it to be easier on the eyes.
  1. Type Quick Access in the Windows search and press Enter.
  2. Select Acer Quick Access from the list of results.
I'm afraid so - literally fiddled with every setting imaginable and even with everything toned down, the screen still seemed to emit this overwhelming brightness. Such a shame because it was incredible with games and the specs ticked all my boxes. Not sure if you have the same monitor but is this something common with Acer models or is this what higher-end ones are like?
 

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