Acer Predator Helios 500 hands on

What is the Acer Predator Helios 500?

The Helios 500 is Acer’s new flagship gaming laptop. It’s a large, desktop replacement machine with a 17.3-inch screen and a host of high-end gaming hardware options, plus it supports overclocking.

We recently had a few moments to get some first impressions of the new machine and so far it looks like being a capable option for those seeking a top-end gaming laptop.

Acer Predator Helios 500 – What’s new?

This is a brand new range for Acer but the Helios 500 is a familiar looking machine as far as 17.3-inch gaming laptops go. It’s a big ol’ beast of a system that certainly lives up to the desktop-replacement moniker.

Styling-wise, it’s definitely not subtle, thanks to plenty of angular lines, a prominent Acer Predator logo on the lid and several illiuminated zones, but the nearly all-black colour scheme keeps things looking reasonably classy.

Build quality seems good too, with much of the outside sporting a nice soft-touch finish and the whole thing feeling reassuringly hefty.

As you’d expect of a 17.3-inch machine, the keyboard includes a numpad plus you get an extra set of gaming keys in the top left. The whole thing’s also backlit and the keys have a nice defined action to them. It will be interesting to see if the UK version has a proper UK layout, rather than the US version seen here.

A large trackpad sits below and its surface feels really nice and tracking seemed responsive.

As for the screen, there are a few options, with the version we saw sporting a 1080p panel, though a 4K version is also available. This version supports 144Hz refresh rate, making it a true gaming panel and in terms of image quality it certainly seemed decent. G-Sync is also included for smooth, tear- and stutter-free gaming.

Acer Predator Helios 500 – Specs

Like most gaming laptops, the Helios 500 will be available in a number of configurations, with the top-of-the-line unit including an overclockable Core-i9 8950HK and Nvidia GTX 1070 – it’s a bit of a suprise to find the Helios 500 doesn’t offer a GTX 1080.

You can also opt for up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM, Intel Optane drives, M.2 NVMe SSDs and larger hard drives for bulk data.

Acer Predator Helios 500- Price

The Helios 500’s price will vary depending on configuration but will start from $1,999 (£1,799), which is fairly typical for a big, powerful laptop of this type.

Acer Predator Helios 500 – release date

The Helios 500 is set to be available from June 2018 onwards.

First Impressions

There’s nothing too revolutionary going on here but Acer’s new gaming laptop looks set to be a perfectly capable option at a decent price. Exactly how it stacks up against the competition is something we’ll find out in our full review later in the year.

(trustedreviews.com, https://goo.gl/YQthXQ)