Standing screen display size | 15.6 Inches |
---|---|
Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
Max Screen Resolution | 1920_x_1080 |
Processor | 4.5 GHz core_i7 |
RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
Memory Speed | 4.5 GHz |
Hard Drive | 256 GB SSD |
Graphics Coprocessor | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti,NVidia GTX 1660 Ti 6GB |
Chipset Brand | NVIDIA |
Card Description | Dedicated |
Graphics Card Ram Size | 6 GB |
Wireless Type | 802.11ac |
Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 4 |
Average Battery Life (in hours) | 6 Hours |
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Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop PC, 15.6" Full HD 144Hz 3ms IPS Display, Intel i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB, 16GB DDR4, 256GB NVMe SSD, Backlit Keyboard, PH315-52-78VL
Brand | acer |
Model Name | PH315-52-78VL |
Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
Color | Black |
Hard Disk Size | 256 GB |
CPU Model | Core i7 |
Ram Memory Installed Size | 16 GB |
Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
Special Feature | Backlit Keyboard |
Graphics Card Description | Dedicated |
About this item
- 9th Generation Intel Core i7 9750H 6 Core Processor (Up to 4.5GHz) with Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Graphics with 6GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM
- 15.6 inches Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED backlit IPS Display (144Hz Refresh Rate, 3ms Overdrive Response Time, 300nit Brightness and 72 percentage NTSC)
- 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots; 1 Slot Open for Easy Upgrades) and 1 Available Hard Drive Bay
- Backlit Keyboard; LAN: Killer Ethernet E2500 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN; Wireless: Killer DoubleShot Pro Wireless AC 1550 802. 11ac; 4th Gen All Metal AeroBlade 3D Fan
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This Item Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop PC, 15.6" Full HD 144Hz 3ms IPS Display, Intel i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB, 16GB DDR4, 256GB NVMe SSD, Backlit Keyboard, PH315-52-78VL | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | — | $1,068.00$1,068.00 | -13% $1,132.62$1,132.62 List: $1,299.99 | $799.99$799.99 | -8% $1,099.99$1,099.99 List: $1,199.99 | $1,079.99$1,079.99 |
Delivery | — | Get it Mar 25 - 28 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 20 | Get it Mar 20 - 22 | Get it Mar 19 - 21 | Get it as soon as Tomorrow, Mar 16 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
For gaming | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 5.0 |
Screen quality | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
Battery life | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
Value for money | — | 4.1 | 4.4 | — | 3.8 | — |
Sold By | — | Halandy Electronics | Amazon.com | Terrace Mall | Electronics Star | Best Tech Deal Corp |
display size | 15.6 inches | 15.6 inches | 15.6 inches | 15.6 inches | 17.3 inches | 15.6 inches |
hard disk size | 256 GB | 512 GB | 512 GB | 512 GB | 1 TB | 512 GB |
computer memory size | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
cpu manufacturer | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | AMD | Intel |
cpu speed | 4.5 GHz | 5 GHz | 3.5 GHz | 2.5 GHz | 4.75 GHz | 4.7 GHz |
cpu model number | Core i7-9750h | Core i7-10750H | Core i7 | 1 | Ryzen 7 7735HS | Core i7-12700H |
operating system | Windows 10 Home | Windows 10 Home | Windows 11 Home | Windows 10 | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home |
Product information
Technical Details
Brand | acer |
---|---|
Series | PH315-52-78VL |
Item model number | PH315-52-78VL |
Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
Item Weight | 5.07 pounds |
Product Dimensions | 14.23 x 10.01 x 0.9 inches |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 14.23 x 10.01 x 0.9 inches |
Color | Black |
Processor Brand | Intel |
Number of Processors | 6 |
Computer Memory Type | DDR4 SDRAM |
Flash Memory Size | 256 |
Hard Drive Interface | USB 3.1 |
Power Source | Battery Powered |
Voltage | 240 Volts |
Batteries | 1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included) |
Additional Information
ASIN | B07QXLFLXT |
---|---|
Customer Reviews |
4.5 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #31,366 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories) #5,473 in Traditional Laptop Computers |
Date First Available | May 1, 2019 |
Warranty & Support
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Product Description
Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315 52 78VL Gaming Laptop comes with these high level specs: 9th Generation Intel Core i7 9750H 6 Core Processor 2.6GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 4.5GHz, 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED backlit IPS display, 144Hz Refresh Rate, 16:9 aspect ratio, 3ms Overdrive Response Time, 300nit Brightness, 72 percent NTSC, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with 6GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM, 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots | 1 Slot Available), 1 Available Hard Drive Bay, Waves MaxxAudio sound technology, featuring MaxxBass, MaxxVolume, MaxxDialog and hyper realistic 3D Audio using Waves Nx, Acer True Harmony Technology, Two Built in Stereo Speakers, Acer Purified.Voice technology with two built in microphones, Killer Double Shot Pro Wireless AC 1550 802.11ac WiFi featuring 2x2 MU MIMO technology (Dual Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Killer Ethernet E2500 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Bluetooth 5.0, HD Webcam (1280 x 720) supporting Super High Dynamic Range (SHDR), 1 USB 3.1 Type C Gen 2 port (up to 10 Gbps), 3 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Ports (One with Power off Charging), 1 HDMI 2.0 Port with HDCP Support, 1 Mini Display Port 1.4, Backlit Keyboard, Lithium Ion Battery, Up to 6 hours Battery Life, 5.07 lbs. | 2.3 kg (system unit only) (NH.Q5MAA.001).Processor Speed : 2.60 GHz. Maximum Power Supply Wattage:180 W.
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Customer Review: I wish I didn't buy this laptop
Eyadisho
From the manufacturer
Ignite Fusion
Ready for battle and eager for a fight, the Helios 300 drops you into the game with everything you need. Only now we’ve armed it with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics, the latest 9th Gen Intel Core i7 Processor and our custom-engineered 4th Gen AeroBlade 3D Fan Technology. With the 144Hz IPS panel and 3ms Overdrive response time you can say farewell to blur and hello clear, crisp, high-octane gameplay.
-
9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H 6-Core Processor
With a killer combination of smart features, the Intel Core i7 processor is devastatingly powerful.
-
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Graphics
High-performance NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, that’s powered by NVIDIA Turing GPU architecture.
-
New 4th Gen Aeroblade 3D Fan
Keep the performance up and the heat down with the 4th Gen AeroBlade 3D Fan Technology.
The Ultimate Smooth Game Play
Enjoy an incredibly fast 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms Overdrive response time in Full HD for frames that are crisp and clear for high-octane gameplay. The ultimate gaming display for enthusiast gamers.
Take Control of the Game
PredatorSense is the ultimate tool to control and customize your gaming experience from one place. Just tap the PredatorSense key and take command over lighting, fan speed, overclocking, game profiles and more. What else could you ask for?
Killer DoubleShot Pro
With Killer DoubleShot Pro, choose which applications take up precious bandwidth. Bandwidth prioritization is user controlled in the Control Center.
VR Ready
This ultimate gaming platform is VR ready, just plug in a VR headset and step into a new world.
Immersive Audio Experience
Enhance and empower what you hear! Waves MAXXAudio technology deliver an immersive sound effect during gameplay.
Backlit Keyboard
See-through backlit concave-shaped keycaps for WASD and features two integral keys to take note of: Turbo and PredatorSense.
Predator Gaming Accessories
Predator Galea Headset
Add to Cart
| Predator Cestus RGB Mouse | Predator Aethon Keyboard | Predator Gaming Backpack
Add to Cart
| Predator Mouse Pad | |
Customer Reviews
|
3.9 out of 5 stars
49
|
4.3 out of 5 stars
231
|
4.5 out of 5 stars
56
|
4.6 out of 5 stars
1,167
|
4.7 out of 5 stars
782
|
Specification
| True Harmony Technology | Dual Omron Switch Design | Kailh Blue Switches | Soft Padded Shoulder Straps | Tightly Woven Textile |
Feature
| Adjustable Headband Design | Predator Quarter Master SW | 10 Lighting Effects | Water-repellent | Reduced Friction Surface |
Detail
| Suspended Headband Design | On-Board Memory | 109 standard keys | Padded Interior and Pockets | Non-slip Rubber Base |
Design
| Retractable Microphone | 16.8 million RGB Colors | 5 Macro Keys | Headset Strap (certain models) | Heat-bound Edges |
Spec
| Soft Cushioned Ear Pads | — | Switch Life 70 million Strokes | — | Oil, Water and Heat Resistant |
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the value and performance of the laptop. For example, they say it's amazing for the price, handles everyday computing excellently, and the CPU is extremely fast. That said, some complain about the battery life. Opinions are mixed on the appearance.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the laptop. They mention that it handles everyday computing excellently, the CPU is extremely fast, and the screen is crystal clear with a high refresh rate. They also appreciate the key-screen lag is super small, and that it just simply works.
"...Overall, great laptop and great value too...." Read more
"...perform quite well. There is an additional empty M.2 slot in there. I didn't use it, soI have no idea what will or won’t work in that slot...." Read more
"...Threw in a heavily modded Fallout New Vegas with 30+ mods and it ran beautifully. Battlefield 4 was a pretty awesome experience too...." Read more
"...performance isn't very far behind the 2060 at all, and it is far less power hungry, which equates to better temps and thus a prolonged life for the..." Read more
Customers appreciate the value of the laptop. They mention that it is amazing for the price, easy and cheap to upgrade, and the screen is so good for the money that they are willing to forgive some minor backlight.
"...Overall, great laptop and great value too...." Read more
"...Edit 11-26-19. Still the best at this price point. 1660ti is just the best for laptops balancing performance and battery.Edit: 11-23-20...." Read more
"...The screen is so good for the price that I am willing to forgive some minor backlight bleed...." Read more
"...A serious upgrade indeed, and it was worth every penny (after the 4 year warranty and taxes, it was slightly north of $1300)...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the appearance of the notebook computer. Some mention that the screen looks good, the monitor is literally amazing, and the colors are good. The design is great, but it's also a finger print magnet. The 1660TI performs incredibly well at 1080p, taking full advantage of the 144hz display, and it' s a very good size display. However, others say that the machine does get quite hot, the fans get real loud, and are ineffective for cooling.
"...See attached image. The construction is solid, and it looks great, in my opinion...sleek enough to pass as professional with just..." Read more
"...PORTS - (Left side) Kensington lock notch, fan exhaust, power adapter port, Ethernet port, and two USB 3.1 ports...." Read more
"...Nitpicks:- Outer design. I don't mind the logo, but I wish that they removed the blue streaks, which detract from a professional look...." Read more
"...the colors are a soft white and blue and the design itself is nice but not aggressive like their Helios 300 of last year, which I purchased as a..." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the battery life of the laptop. They say it is terrible, it drops from 100% to 70-80% while playing intensive games, and the GPU doesn't reach full utilization.
"...- Battery. I have gotten a rather wide variation of battery life...." Read more
"...It’s not a long battery life like some ultra-books, but the battery is enough for me to get through some classes before I have to charge which is..." Read more
"...Battery is poor so stay plugged in and you'll be fine while you game...." Read more
"...brilliant. The battery is fine for what it is...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Good things:
- Good thermal performance. Has the option to quiet the fan in an office or library setting, but has the CoolBoost feature to provide some additional RPM. Even so, I'm using a cooling pad. The CPU is 6 cores so anything that is CPU-intensive will need to have more heat dissipated than a 4 core laptop with the same chassis. They undervolted from the factory which definitely helps cool it down by a few degrees. I really appreciate how quiet it is. It will almost certainly not draw attention in a quiet room. Of course, don't take it for granted - a high ambient temperature will easily nullify all these gains.
- The boot time is consistently about 5-6 seconds. Much better than the 15 seconds my previous laptop had even after I replaced its hard drive with an SSD. You can use the PredatorSense software to disable the sound during boot time.
Worth noting:
- Keyboard keys. I would have preferred a dedicated power button off to the side instead of it being part of the keyboard. I have not accidentally pressed it while cleaning the keyboard but it is of note. As someone who uses the number pad quite frequently, the placement of the right arrow and the 0 key might take a bit of getting used to. The keys themselves have good action through and I have not had any problems with key presses. The sides are white and the WASD and arrow keys have a blue edge to them, which is much better than the red theme of the previous laptop. The backlit is fine but I do not use it at all - the white sides already help with visibility.
- Bloatware. As usual, uninstall all the garbage that comes with it. There are a few that you might not want to uninstall, especially the PredatorSense software (activated by the key next to NumLock). I also make sure to regularly clear space, especially after a Windows update. The default storage is 256 GB so it will quickly fill up.
- Battery. I have gotten a rather wide variation of battery life. It is definitely not designed to be long-lasting 8-10 hours; you will need to bring your charger for extended periods. Tips to save battery life apply to every laptop. Most important is to dim the screen as much as possible and to minimize the time of tasks that end up increasing RPM, including surfing the web (note the high CPU and RAM usage by Firefox, Chrome, etc; and no videos, streaming!). Unlike my previous laptop, you have to take the bottom lid to expose the battery so you cannot replace it with a larger one.
- External monitor. The HDMI works, but if you have a 60 Hz monitor, the laptop screen will also go down to 60 Hz if a video is playing on the monitor, such as a Twitch stream or a YouTube video. If, on the monitor screen, you go to a different tab, you get back 144 Hz on the laptop. The 144 Hz is very smooth and it adds a lot to the experience.
- Webcam. Somehow something got messed up during initial configuration, and very early on, the webcam light turned on whenever I watched a video on YouTube. Very strange, almost like the NSA was spying on me. Luckily I do not use the webcam at all and disabled it. For those that do, make sure you fidget around with the settings until it works.
- Audio. The speakers are not great, use a headset. And DO make sure to uncheck the "Enable audio enhancements," which may be on by default and produces a much worse sound than if it were disabled. Even a tone-deaf person can tell the difference. Not sure why the option even exists, to be honest.
Nitpicks:
- Outer design. I don't mind the logo, but I wish that they removed the blue streaks, which detract from a professional look. In terms of bringing this laptop to a meeting or other professional setting, it's on the edge between sleek and tacky, in my opinion. It can be mitigated by putting on some laptop stickers for those who are into that. I have noticed much criticism on the internet about the flashy looks of most gaming laptops, but frankly, I wouldn't be too self-conscious about how your laptop looks.
- There is a weird thing where the screen flashes red for a few frames before returning to normal every time it brings up the login screen. This happens both upon startup and after pressing Windows-L. I do not know what is causing this but it is slightly annoying.
- There is a moderately loud beep that sometimes happens when I plug in the charger before turning the laptop on or while it is booting, or awaking the laptop from sleep. Also slightly annoying. The loudness of the beep seems to be independent of the speaker volume.
Overall, great laptop and great value too. Don't be dissuaded by the number of cons vs. pros in my list, they are very minor compared to all the great things that this device offers.
That's coming from long time AMD guy. It
pains me to say this, but AMD just doesn't exist in the mobile market at
this time. If you need real power in a laptop, Intel and Nvidia are the
only game in town now. I've started traveling more lately so I
needed a laptop that could essentially replace my desktop(s) and this Acer
has far surpassed my expectations in that regard. See attached image.
The construction is solid, and it looks great, in my opinion...sleek
enough to pass as professional with just a hint of "gaming laptop" appeal.
The fans can get loud when you're hammering on it, that's true. There is no
free lunch, a laptop must have compromises when they are stuffed with
this kind of hardware. That said, unless you run it in Turbo (read
overclocked) mode all the time I find the fan noise more than reasonable. I
have not found a game, or CPU workload, that required me to use Turbo in
order to have a good experience. It's just stupid fast. In my opinion, you
can't find a better laptop for the money, period.
As you can tell, I love it. Now, I'll answer some of the questions I had
before buying it since there seems to be some confusion. The following
information is from my own experience, if Acer changes things up in the
future I can't help you.
The is no RGB on this (the 1660ti) version. The keyboard is blue backlit
only. For me, this is a pro as I’m tired of red, and I think RGB is a silly
overplayed gimmick. If you go to Acer directly, there are different
versions with different features.
The RAM (16gb total) is 2x8gb sticks of Kingston 2666mhz...it is in dual
channel. It scores well in the benchmarks that I have ran and from my own
experience 16gb is more than enough for 95% of people out there. It's
enough for 100% of the gamers.
The included 256gb M.2 style SSD is also from Kingston and seems to
perform quite well. There is an additional empty M.2 slot in there. I didn't use it, so
I have no idea what will or won’t work in that slot. I decided to use the open 2.5
inch HDD/SSD space for my storage needs. (Please, for all that is sacred,
don't you dare put a regular 2.5 HDD in there and hamstring this fine
machine). I opted to stay with the Kingston memory theme and stuck a 1tb
Kingston 2.5 SSD in there. So, as of this writing I have 186gb free on my
C: Drive (it's got all the normal stuff loaded up), and I'm loading my
giant Steam library and other big programs onto the 1tb D: Drive. This, in
my opinion, is the way to go.
The CPU is an Intel last gen refresh (you know 14+++++ lol). That said,
it's a good one. 6 cores, 12 threads at 45 watts it tough to
beat...actually, I don't think anyone is beating it right now. AMDs mobile
Ryzens are topping out at 4 core, 8 threads as of the time of this writing.
I'm sure higher core count CPUs make their way into the laptop market in
the next few years, but for now...this is the best game in town. Also, it's
2019, you don't want a quad core, no matter who makes it. Trust me.
The 1660ti is a beastly little thing. Nvidia's naming scheme is clearly
insane, but this guy is sweet. It's based on the new Turing
architecture and performs quite well. It will smoke a GTX1060 and spit at
the heels of a decent desktop Vega 56...and all the while using way less
power. For desktops it's a hard card to love, but in a laptop it's
brilliant.
The battery is fine for what it is. People wanting 10-hour battery life
and 144 frames per second in their games, pull yourself together people.
Sacrifices must be made for mobility. When on battery the laptop
automatically switches over to the Intel IGP and doing regular (non-taxing)
stuff will get you 4-5 hours. You can force the 1660ti to play ball
while running on the battery through the Nvidia control panel...but I hope
you don't plan on a long gaming session...maybe 1.5 hours. Pro tip: You
want to game? Find a wall outlet.
The "Killer" WIFI and internet stuff...actually works. I was getting
stupid fast wireless downloads at distances away from my router that
shocked me. I'm not even going to run an ethernet cable unless I'm playing
a FPS. Blazing fast connection and rock solid so far.
Sadly, you will have to remove Norton (duh) and Windows 10 comes with the
usual fluff that nobody wants...it is what it is. Took me about 30
minutes to remove all the silly stuff and download all the stuff I actually
needed. Keep the Predator App, I think they will be
useful (Update: It is, see below update). When I was setting up this machine, I did log it into my Microsoft
account, and it appears I have Office installed. Not sure if that's because
I have Office on another machine registered to my account...or if this
comes with Office. Your mileage may vary.
The "Turbo" button...here's the deal. It only works when plugged in and
above 40% battery. It basically raises the voltage limits of the machine,
while turning on the fans full blast. This results in the CPU auto boosting
on more cores and higher than usual. Oh, and it also overclocks the 1660ti!
Yes, yes you read that right...basically it's an "overclock button".
Normally I would laugh at such silliness, but I have to say...it works. It
sounds like a small jet, but it goes like one too. I use it for
benchmarking and playing around...but you could game with it in Turbo,
provided you have headphones. All that said, I'm getting like 62 fps in
AC Odysseus on Very High WITHOUT "Turbo". If you're familiar
with this painfully un-optimized AAA title you will understand how
impressive that is, lol. Love that game though...don't judge me.
Hope this helps someone make a big decision.
Edit: Update 7/18/19
I read a review where someone was having issues with an echo on the audio. I didn't have this problem as I have an external sound processor that I use. At any rate, I plugged in my headphones directly (1/8th jack) and sure enough...there was an echo. After a bit of investigation, it's from the "Waves MaxxAudio" App. This app can be tuned/disabled through the Predator App under the App center portion. Turn that guy off, and your echo goes away. That particular App might be useful in a gaming situation, but if your just watching videos or listening to music it falls a little short. I never thought I would say this, but let Windows control your sound and you will be fine, lol.
Edit 9-25-19. Man I love this thing. I travel (airplanes) with it weekly and thus far it has been flawless. Every evening when I get done with work I'm reminded how nice the keyboard on this thing is compared to my company issue Lenovo work laptop. No regrets, I'd still buy it at the current price...very few laptops can compete at this price range.
Edit 11-26-19. Still the best at this price point. 1660ti is just the best for laptops balancing performance and battery.
Edit: 11-23-20. So, shopping season is near and I figured I would update this for people shopping around. I purchased this in July 2019, for less than it is selling for today. Really unsure how that works as there is a new 2020 model that is marginally faster (this is the 2019 version with the 9750h). At any rate, I'm still in love with this thing, I was actually shopping for another one to buy my daughter. Since purchase, I have started running a 1440p monitor off the display port and it does just fine. I'm not getting 100fps at that resolution, but 60fps in most titles with the settings cranked is just fine for me. Also, freesync/gsync, whatever were are calling it these days is brilliant...but only works off display port, not HDMI. In summary, I would buy again at the price I paid for it the first time around ($1199.99).
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2019
That's coming from long time AMD guy. It
pains me to say this, but AMD just doesn't exist in the mobile market at
this time. If you need real power in a laptop, Intel and Nvidia are the
only game in town now. I've started traveling more lately so I
needed a laptop that could essentially replace my desktop(s) and this Acer
has far surpassed my expectations in that regard. See attached image.
The construction is solid, and it looks great, in my opinion...sleek
enough to pass as professional with just a hint of "gaming laptop" appeal.
The fans can get loud when you're hammering on it, that's true. There is no
free lunch, a laptop must have compromises when they are stuffed with
this kind of hardware. That said, unless you run it in Turbo (read
overclocked) mode all the time I find the fan noise more than reasonable. I
have not found a game, or CPU workload, that required me to use Turbo in
order to have a good experience. It's just stupid fast. In my opinion, you
can't find a better laptop for the money, period.
As you can tell, I love it. Now, I'll answer some of the questions I had
before buying it since there seems to be some confusion. The following
information is from my own experience, if Acer changes things up in the
future I can't help you.
The is no RGB on this (the 1660ti) version. The keyboard is blue backlit
only. For me, this is a pro as I’m tired of red, and I think RGB is a silly
overplayed gimmick. If you go to Acer directly, there are different
versions with different features.
The RAM (16gb total) is 2x8gb sticks of Kingston 2666mhz...it is in dual
channel. It scores well in the benchmarks that I have ran and from my own
experience 16gb is more than enough for 95% of people out there. It's
enough for 100% of the gamers.
The included 256gb M.2 style SSD is also from Kingston and seems to
perform quite well. There is an additional empty M.2 slot in there. I didn't use it, so
I have no idea what will or won’t work in that slot. I decided to use the open 2.5
inch HDD/SSD space for my storage needs. (Please, for all that is sacred,
don't you dare put a regular 2.5 HDD in there and hamstring this fine
machine). I opted to stay with the Kingston memory theme and stuck a 1tb
Kingston 2.5 SSD in there. So, as of this writing I have 186gb free on my
C: Drive (it's got all the normal stuff loaded up), and I'm loading my
giant Steam library and other big programs onto the 1tb D: Drive. This, in
my opinion, is the way to go.
The CPU is an Intel last gen refresh (you know 14+++++ lol). That said,
it's a good one. 6 cores, 12 threads at 45 watts it tough to
beat...actually, I don't think anyone is beating it right now. AMDs mobile
Ryzens are topping out at 4 core, 8 threads as of the time of this writing.
I'm sure higher core count CPUs make their way into the laptop market in
the next few years, but for now...this is the best game in town. Also, it's
2019, you don't want a quad core, no matter who makes it. Trust me.
The 1660ti is a beastly little thing. Nvidia's naming scheme is clearly
insane, but this guy is sweet. It's based on the new Turing
architecture and performs quite well. It will smoke a GTX1060 and spit at
the heels of a decent desktop Vega 56...and all the while using way less
power. For desktops it's a hard card to love, but in a laptop it's
brilliant.
The battery is fine for what it is. People wanting 10-hour battery life
and 144 frames per second in their games, pull yourself together people.
Sacrifices must be made for mobility. When on battery the laptop
automatically switches over to the Intel IGP and doing regular (non-taxing)
stuff will get you 4-5 hours. You can force the 1660ti to play ball
while running on the battery through the Nvidia control panel...but I hope
you don't plan on a long gaming session...maybe 1.5 hours. Pro tip: You
want to game? Find a wall outlet.
The "Killer" WIFI and internet stuff...actually works. I was getting
stupid fast wireless downloads at distances away from my router that
shocked me. I'm not even going to run an ethernet cable unless I'm playing
a FPS. Blazing fast connection and rock solid so far.
Sadly, you will have to remove Norton (duh) and Windows 10 comes with the
usual fluff that nobody wants...it is what it is. Took me about 30
minutes to remove all the silly stuff and download all the stuff I actually
needed. Keep the Predator App, I think they will be
useful (Update: It is, see below update). When I was setting up this machine, I did log it into my Microsoft
account, and it appears I have Office installed. Not sure if that's because
I have Office on another machine registered to my account...or if this
comes with Office. Your mileage may vary.
The "Turbo" button...here's the deal. It only works when plugged in and
above 40% battery. It basically raises the voltage limits of the machine,
while turning on the fans full blast. This results in the CPU auto boosting
on more cores and higher than usual. Oh, and it also overclocks the 1660ti!
Yes, yes you read that right...basically it's an "overclock button".
Normally I would laugh at such silliness, but I have to say...it works. It
sounds like a small jet, but it goes like one too. I use it for
benchmarking and playing around...but you could game with it in Turbo,
provided you have headphones. All that said, I'm getting like 62 fps in
AC Odysseus on Very High WITHOUT "Turbo". If you're familiar
with this painfully un-optimized AAA title you will understand how
impressive that is, lol. Love that game though...don't judge me.
Hope this helps someone make a big decision.
Edit: Update 7/18/19
I read a review where someone was having issues with an echo on the audio. I didn't have this problem as I have an external sound processor that I use. At any rate, I plugged in my headphones directly (1/8th jack) and sure enough...there was an echo. After a bit of investigation, it's from the "Waves MaxxAudio" App. This app can be tuned/disabled through the Predator App under the App center portion. Turn that guy off, and your echo goes away. That particular App might be useful in a gaming situation, but if your just watching videos or listening to music it falls a little short. I never thought I would say this, but let Windows control your sound and you will be fine, lol.
Edit 9-25-19. Man I love this thing. I travel (airplanes) with it weekly and thus far it has been flawless. Every evening when I get done with work I'm reminded how nice the keyboard on this thing is compared to my company issue Lenovo work laptop. No regrets, I'd still buy it at the current price...very few laptops can compete at this price range.
Edit 11-26-19. Still the best at this price point. 1660ti is just the best for laptops balancing performance and battery.
Edit: 11-23-20. So, shopping season is near and I figured I would update this for people shopping around. I purchased this in July 2019, for less than it is selling for today. Really unsure how that works as there is a new 2020 model that is marginally faster (this is the 2019 version with the 9750h). At any rate, I'm still in love with this thing, I was actually shopping for another one to buy my daughter. Since purchase, I have started running a 1440p monitor off the display port and it does just fine. I'm not getting 100fps at that resolution, but 60fps in most titles with the settings cranked is just fine for me. Also, freesync/gsync, whatever were are calling it these days is brilliant...but only works off display port, not HDMI. In summary, I would buy again at the price I paid for it the first time around ($1199.99).
Top reviews from other countries
If you are looking and thinking about buying it, there are some aspects that you should consider:
-The fan noise is quite high. However, if you are going to game alone in your room or studio this does not matter. It could be distracting for other people if they are working in the same workspace.
-It gets hot. You can feel in the middle of the keyboard if you are running something taxing for your laptop. In my case, this just applies to Path of Exile. League of Legends, Starcraft 2, CSGO, and Rocket League are fine. Rendering videos is fine but still takes a while.
-It has not too much space in the disk. However, just buy a SSD nvme m.2 and you will be fine. I got a Crucial P2 SSD. The installation can be done by anyone. Even if you never opened your laptop before or have no experience with that, it is really easy. Just open the laptop and plug it in without touching anything more with your screwdriver.
-The battery does not last long. My laptop is always connected so this is not a problem for me.
-I had some troubleshooting with the camera specifically while using Zoom.
Besides this. This is a monster for the price, I do not regret buying it, and I am glad & happy with my purchase.