Acer Predator Triton 500 SE, Helios 300 And Nitro 5 Gaming Laptops Are Ready To Rumble With Intel And AMD
Acer is blitzing the Consumer Electronics Show with a range of new gaming laptops rocking the latest-generation CPU hardware from both AMD and Intel, along with powerful GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs. There are three new and updated laptop lines in total: Predator Triton 500 SE (shown above), Predator Helios 300, and Nitro 5.
Starting with the Triton, this beastly system hits the ground running with a 16-inch WQXGA (2560x1600) display that is capable of hitting a blazing-fast 240Hz refresh rate for fast and smooth gaming. It can also dial up the brightness to 500 nits, and covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color space. A 3ms response time and NVIDIA G-Sync support are part of the package too. Taken together, these specs mean the Triton's panel should excel at high-speed gaming without sacrificing image quality.
Acer alludes to this in its press release, noting that the Special Edition (SE) Triton is suitable for both gaming and work. This of course extends to the internal hardware. On the inside, these laptops pack the latest 12th Gen Intel Core processors based on Alder Lake (Core i9 and i7 options) flanked by up to 32GB of LPDDR5-5200 memory and up to 2TB of PCIe SSD storage. For graphics, it rocks up to a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU.
Cooling is always a concern when it comes to gaming laptops, and to that end, Acer points to "state-of-the-art cooling technology." That claim translates to a triple fan cooling system, including a pair of 5th generation AeroBlade 3D fans with 89 metal blades each, and Vortex Flow technology to redirect airflow from those fans over critical components. Acer also said it strategically placed thermal foam inside the laptop, as well as made use of liquid metal grease on the CPU, and four heat pipes to round things out.
Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6E, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1 with support for 4K at 120Hz, and Killer E3100G 2.5Gbps LAN for wired gameplay.
Not bad at all for what's classified as a relatively thin (0.78-0.80 inches) and lightweight (5.51 pounds) gaming laptop.
The Predator Triton 500 SE will be available in March starting at $2,299.99.
Whereas the Predator Triton 500 SE is promoted as a thin and light gaming laptop; the Predator Helios 300 is "all about performance." It's slightly thicker at 1-1.05 inches, depending on the SKU, and weighs up to 6.61 pounds.
Interestingly enough, the overall configuration isn't quite as muscular (though it's still burly). For example, it comes configured with a GeForce RTX 3080 or GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU. It also sports a 15.6-inch display with a 2560x1440 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate, powered by up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor (no Core i9 option). To at least at the upper end of the config spectrum, the Triton packs a bit more punch.
There is also a larger 17.3-inch version with a few different panel options: QHD 165Hz, FHD 165Hz, and FHD 144Hz. All of these models support up to 32GB of LPDDR5 memory and sport a pair of M.2 slots that can accommodate a RAID 0 configuration.
Acer says the 15.6-inch Predator Helios 300 will ship in May starting at $1,649.99, while the 17.3-inc version will arrive in March starting at $1,749.99.
Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptops Arrives With Intel 12th Gen And AMD Ryzen 6000 CPU Options
Rounding out Acer's new gaming laptops is the Nitro 5. This one is platform agnostic, in that it can be had with either an Intel Alder Lake CPU or one of AMD's new Ryzen 6000 series processors. Buyers can also choose between 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch display size options regardless of which platform they opt for.
Those who opt for the Intel config can select up to a Core i7 processor matched with up to a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU. Interestingly, memory is limited to DDR4-3200 (up to 32GB) instead of DDR5. Other features include dual M.2 SSD slots, a SATA drive bay, Wi-Fi 6 wireless (not Wi-Fi 6E), and Windows 11 Home.
The AMD Ryzen 6000 configuration steps up to DDR5 memory (up to 32GB), while keeping the other options the same.
Acer says the 15.6-inch Nitro 5 with Intel inside will be available in March starting at $1,049.99, while the AMD version will ship in April starting at $1,099.99. As for the 17.3-inch versions, Intel configs will be available in April starting at $1,099.99, while AMD setups will ship in May starting at $1,149.99.
