At its next@Acer launch event, the Taiwanese computing giant has unveiled a fresh range of Predator and Nitro gaming hardware including a new look and upgraded components for the Orion 9000.
Although this event would normally have taken place in New York with hoards of media (it’s one of the highlights of the year for us), Acer moved it to Taipei during Computex instead. That got cancelled due to the global pandemic, of course, but we still have the news via a virtual launch.
Acer also updated it’s range of consumer laptops for 2020 including the Swift 5.
Predator Orion 9000/3000
As well as new internals, the Orion 9000 (above) has a stunning new case that features plenty of glass, large fans and, of course, more lighting than a German Christmas market.
There’s edge-to-edge tempered glass and a tool-less design to simplify upgrades, as well as headphone cradle, handles and wheels.
It’ll go toe-to-toe with the Alienware Aurora R10 with its combination of powerful specs starting with up to an Intel Core i9 Extreme Edition processor. This is joined by up to dual Nvidia GeForce 2080 Ti graphics cards in SLI mode. The machine can be overclocked with a touch of a button on the front.
There’s space for up to five hard drives, including one hot swappable bay to easily get the drive in and out.
The Predator Orion 9000 will be available in Europe in October starting at €2,799.
If that’s too expensive then the Orion 3000 comes in at under a grand (US$999) and has a more compact design but still some decent power with a 10th-gen Intel Core i7 processor and GeForce RTX 20702 Super GPU, plus up to 64GB of of 2666 MHz DDR4 memory.
Predator Helios 300/7000
The popular Helios range, which offers a nice balance of value and performance, have been updated with the latest Intel processor, Nvidia graphics and upgraded displays.
They now stretch to a 240Hz for gamers who want a faster refresh rate than 144Hz – although that lower rate is still available.
At the top end, the Helios 700 will come with an overclockable Intel Core i9-10980HK and RTX 2080 Super. Meanwhile, the Helios 300 also has H series processors and up to an RTX 2070 Max-Q which is overclockable.
Both feature thermal improvements such as the 4th Generation AeroBlade 3D fan, which aims to be quieter while increasing airflow.
The 700 has Acer’s iconic sliding HyperDrift keyboard and at Core i9 uses PowerGem – “a special material with 3.83 times more vertical heat conductivity than copper.” Sliding that keyboard out automatically kicks the laptop into an overclocked mode for more power.
Acer says the Helios 300 will arrive this month in the UK starting at £1,199. The Helios 700 will be available in North America in August, starting at US$2,499 and September in Europe, starting at €2,699.
Predator Triton 300
Acer’s most portable gaming laptop has also been refreshed with the latest components and now comes with 10th-gen Intel Core H-series processors and up to GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q.
The 15.6in display now boasts a 240Hz refresh rate as well as 3ms response time, 300nit brightness and 100% sRGB.
It’s also got support for up to three M.2 SSDs (one PCIe, two combos), “providing an abundance of storage and the lightning-fast transfer rates and speed that gamers crave”. All inside a 19.9mm chassis that weighs 2.1kg.
Like the Helios 300, the Triton 300 will go on sale this month starting at £1,199. It’ll be available in Europe in July from €1,399 and September in the US at $1,299.
Nitro 7
It’s another similar story with the affordable, perhaps even budget to some, Nitro 7. This machine
Despite being available for under a grand, the Nitro 7 is still 19.9mm thick and 2.5kg so it’s still a portable gaming laptop and still has impressive power.
This comes in the form of Intel Core H-series processors and up to a GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card. That’s enough grunt to handle Full HD gaming at smooth framerates.
It will be available in North America in October, starting at US$999 and Europe in July, starting at €1,299.
Author: Chris Martin, Reviews Editor
Tech Advisor's Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.