Acer have upgraded their powerful Predator line of gaming laptops via CES 2023
Acer have announced via CES 2023, that their Predator line of gaming laptops, the most powerful ones they make are getting upgraded, with the Predator Helios 16 and Predator Helios 18 models. New names aide, they are also adding in the new Intel 13th gen CPUs and NVIDIA 40 series GPUs, plus they also sport a new look as well.
Sporting a completely new design and upgraded thermals, they both offer models that include 13th Gen Intel Core™ i9 or i7 HX processors paired with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU (MGP up to 165W) and a plethora of must-have top-of-the-line gaming features.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Acer to bring high-performing PC platforms to enthusiasts around the globe based on 13th Gen Intel Core mobile processor family,” said Steve Long, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Asia Pacific & Japan at Intel. “The blazing fast performance users could experience is remarkable when compared to industry alternatives, as our labs have shown up to 40% higher in Crossmark tests of general PC use and two times in Blender which many content creators use for work for content creators.”
Beyond the new CPU and GPU options, the laptops all support up to 32 GB DDR5-4800 MHz RAM and up to 2 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD in RAID 0 making them awe-inspiring mobile powerhouses, ideal for playing the most demanding AAA games.
The Predator Helios 16 offers a 16-inch (16:10) WQXGA (2560×1600) display at 165 Hz or 240 Hz or a Mini LED panel at 250 Hz, powered by AUO AmLED technology that supports over 1000 nits peak brightness with 1,000,000:1 high contrast ratio and 100% coverage of DCI-P3 colour gamut for rich, vivid colours.
For those who want the larger model, the Predator Helios 18 sports a breathtaking 18-inch (16:10) display with the following options: WUXGA (1920x1200) at 165 Hz, WQXGA (2560×1600) at 165 Hz or 240 Hz, or AUO’s superfast 250 Hz Mini LED display that showcases three times more ambient contrast ratio than conventional displays and supports 1000 local dimming zones to provide total freedom of use even in poor lighting conditions.
The big deal across the board though is the refined casing, cooling and more. The new Helios laptops come with Acer’s 5th generation AeroBlade 3D metal fans and vector cooling pipes, to allow for the best heat transfer possible. Housing all this powerful tech is a new design for the Helios series, featuring a simplified matte black chassis with clean edges and thinner bezels. Several ports are located on the back of the laptop with a customisable RGB light bar that runs along the top of the back vents.
The keyboard is a more refined version of what Predator users have had in the past, the keys have a travel distance of 1.8mm, along with anti-ghosting N-key rollover. The biggest difference, if you care about lit up keys, is that the per-key RGB lighting has been redesigned and now uses far less power and generates less heat, both amazing things in a laptop.
As for when you can get your hands on these new machines, well Acer Australia have advised that its Q1 release for them, which could mean today (not really) or anytime before the end of March. Prices are not yet confirmed, but the starting price in the USA are $1,699 for the Helios 16 and $1,599 for the Helios 18. Those prices covert to $2,500 AUD for the 16inch model and $2,400 for the 18inch, but you will need to add tax and all that to those.
