Acer unveiled two new Predator Helios gaming laptops at its recent global conference next@acer held in New York. The annual event is where Acer showcases the next generation of it’s hardware and this year saw some exciting additions.
The batshit crazy Predator Helios 700 is an RTX 2080, Core i9 powered beast with a sliding keyboard and the Predator Helios 300 is an update to last years much-loved, budget-friendly option.
“Continuing to deliver best-in-class performance, gamers can look to Acer’s Predator Helios line for powerful and affordable gaming notebooks,” said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, IT Product Business, Acer Inc.
Acer Predator Helios 700 with HyperDrift Keyboard
The Predator Helios 700 is the flagship of the Helios line and its defining feature is the all-new HyperDrift Keyboard. This innovative new keyboard is part of the cooling architecture of the Helios 700 and slides forward to reveal two giant air intakes for greater cooling. A glasswork panel in between affords you a look at the Helios 700’s copper heat pipes.
The Asus Zephyrus has a permanently lower keyboard to achieve the same cooling effect but that design is quite uncomfortable to use. Acer’s solution is much more clever and ergonomic. The bottom of the keyboard also transforms into a palm rest making it easier to type in that new position.
Aside from that, the keyboard features all the goodies you’d want from a gaming machine. It has per-key RGB lighting and anti-ghosting. The MagForce WASD keys have pressure-sensitive, linear actuation switches for greater precision.
A Turbo hotkey engages overclocking with a touch while the PredatorSense(how cool is that name?) hotkey gives access to CPU and GPU temps, fan control and RGB lighting.
The Helios 700 can be configured with the new 9th Gen overclockable Intel Core i9 processor, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 2070 or 2080, 64GB DDR4 memory and Killer DoubleShot Pro with Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX 1650 and E3000. A 17-inch 144Hz IPSi with 3ms response and G-Sync will have your games running insanely smooth.
Acer Predator Helios 300 — Budget King
The budget king from last year has now been refreshed with a new design and components. The Predator Helios 300 now comes with new 9th Gen Intel Core i7 processors, NVIDIA Geforce RTX 2070 GPU with Max-Q as well as the Killer DoubleShot Pro WiFi.
The Helios 300 can pack up to 32GB of DDR4 memory and two PCIe NVMe SSD’s in RAID 0 on top of a regular storage drive. A 15.6–inch or 17.3-inch FullHD IPSi with 144 Hz display with 3ms response makes the Helios 300 a serious gaming machine.
Acer has given the Helios 300 a brand new keyboard with Predator fonts and 4-zone RGB lighting. The space bar is enlarged and the WASD, arrow and hotkeys are concave-shaped and highlighted for greater ease of use.
The Predator Helios 300 is able to contain all that power thanks to a new thermal design. Acer’s 4th Gen AeroBlade 3D fans keep everything ice cold and give a 45% overall improvement in airflow.
Price and availability
Unfortunately, prices for Australia haven’t yet been revealed but you can be sure we will update you as soon as we know more. Till then, check out the official Acer website for more information on the Predator family.
