Acer has been hosting its own online global press conference, and it’s announced a raft of updates to its existing lineup of gaming laptops and desktops in a bid to win over the hearts (and wallets) of PC gamers from its rivals Asus and Dell.
As expected (because pretty much every laptop maker is now doing this), Acer announced that certain products in its notebook range will now come with the latest 10th Gen Intel Core processors, along with Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super and RTX 2070 Super graphics cards.
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The Acer Predator Helios 700, Predator Helios 300, Predator Triton 300 and Nitro 7 will all be getting upgrades.
New Acer Predator Helios 700
The flagship gaming laptop from Acer, the Predator Helios 700, has been upgraded with an aim to offer the kind of performance you’d usually expect from the best gaming PCs.
It now comes with a choice of an overclockable Intel Core i9-10980HK or i7-10875H and paired with either an RTX 2080 Super or RTX 2070 Super GPU.
This laptop, then, is going to be pretty powerful, and will run hot as well – especially with the overclockable CPU, so Acer claims it has overhauled the thermal solution – called Predator PowerGem – with all models using the i9 chip to help keep it cool.
It also supportsd up to 64GB of 2,933Hz RAM, and comes with Killer DoubleShot Pro connectivity (Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i wireless and E3100G Ethernet. It also has a 17.3-inch 144Hz G-Sync display as well.
The Acer Predator Helios 700 will launch in the US in August and the UK/Australia in September, starting at $2,499.99 (around £2,000, AU$3,600).
Predator Helios 300
The Acer Predator Helios 300 also now comes with 10th gen Intel Core H-series processors, and an overclockable RTX 2070 with Max-Q GPU. It also supports up to 32GB of 2,933 MHz DDR4 RAM and two PCIe NVMe SSDs in RAID 0 configuration.
The new version will go on sale in the US in July for $1,199, and in the UK at some point in June for £1,119.99 (around AU$2,200). We expect it to launch in Australia in July.
Acer Predator Triton 300
Acer’s slim and lightweight Triton 300 laptop is also getting an upgrade with 10th gen Intel Core H-series CPUs, and up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q design. It now comes with a 240Hz display and up to three M.2 SSDs.
The screen also offers 100% sRGB, making it a good call for creatives. It’s also got an impressively thin and light build (19.9 mm (0.78 inches) thin and 2.1 kg (4.63 lbs)) for a gaming laptop.
This will launch in the US in September, starting at $1,299.99 and in the UK from £1,199.99 (around AU$2,200) in June.
Other updates
The Acer Nitro 7 also gets a 10th gen Intel upgrade, and now comes with up to an RTX 2060 GPU. Acer’s “extreme performance” desktop PC, the Predator Orion 9000 gets an Intel Core i9 Extreme Edition CPU, up to dual Nvidia RTX 2080 TI GPUs in SLI, and better thermal performance thanks to new Predator FrostBlade fans, which Acer claims will provide up to 15% more airflow.
Acer also announced the Predator X25 monitor, a 24.5-inch 1080p monitor with a huge 360Hz refresh rates, and supports 99% of the sRGB color gamut.
There’s also four new Predator XB3 series monitors: the 31.5-inch Predator XB323QK NV, the 27-inch Predator XB273U GS and Predator XB273U GX, plus the 24.5-inch Predator XB253Q GZ with up to 240Hz refresh rates and up to 4K resolutions.
These monitors also come with RGB LightSense technology, which beams colored light behind the monitor – like the Ambilight feature of Philips monitors.
While a lot of the updates to Acer’s gaming range aren’t the most revolutionary changes we’ve seen, they do mean that the company’s gaming devices can go toe-to-toe with its competitors.
Acer also announced that it will continue to create products to help protect people against Covid-19. Oh, and a ‘Predator Shot’ energy drink.
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