Acer has refreshed its lineup of Predator Helios and Triton gaming laptops with support for powerful, new components like Intel’s 10th Gen H-series processors and Nvidia’s RTX 2070 and 2080 Super Max-Q graphics chips. There are also some updates coming to the less expensive Nitro lineup, and a very impressive gaming monitor has been announced. The products may differ, but fast refresh rates seem to be the theme tying them all together.
The Helios 700 for 2020 shown above starts at $2,399.99, but at the top end, it can be configured with the 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK processor, up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM, and Nvidia’s GeForce 2080 Super Max-Q graphics. It features Thunderbolt 3, and it has a 17.3-inch FHD (1080p) IPS display with 144Hz refresh rate and G-Sync support.
The Helios 700 will debut in the US in October, and in case you were wondering, it still has the transforming keyboard and trackpad that can slide out to reveal its glass-covered cooling system. Speaking of, Acer says its thermal technology has gotten an upgrade in this model. We haven’t had a chance to try it out, but the overall design and its extendable keyboard system looks a lot like last year’s implementation, which you can see below in the GIF.
If you’re looking for something a little more streamlined, the $1,199.99 Predator Helios 300 and $1,299.99 Triton 300 seem like capable gaming laptops. Each of these 15.6-inch gaming laptops supports up to FHD IPS displays with 240Hz refresh rate. (The Triton 300 ships only with a 240Hz screen, hence the price disparity.) Intel’s 10th Gen Core i7-10750H processor is available for both, as is the ability to load them up with 32GB of RAM. As for graphics, these top out at the RTX 2070 Max-Q. What sets them apart seems to purely be their design. The Triton 300 is about three millimeters thinner than the Helios 300, it appears to have slightly slimmer bezels around the display, and it looks a little less like a gaming laptop in terms of aesthetic.
Some of these impressive specs have made their way to the more affordable Nitro 7 gaming laptop that starts at $999.99. It features Intel’s Core i7-10750H processor, 16GB of RAM, the Nvidia GeForce 1660 Ti graphics chip. (The RTX 2060 is an optional upgrade.) This entry model has a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display, though you can pay more to bump it up to a 144Hz refresh rate display with 300 nits of brightness. What’s intriguing is that Acer also has a Nitro 5 gaming laptop coming with support for AMD’s impressive Ryzen 7 4800H processor alongside the Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti, but that doesn’t have a release date or price attached yet.
Acer is also taking the wraps off its new Predator X25 gaming monitor, a 24.5-inch 1080p IPS panel that’s capable of up to 360Hz refresh rate via HDMI 2.0b and DisplayPort 1.4. Most gaming monitors have 144Hz or 240Hz refresh rate, so what’s the need for 360Hz? Basically, it raises the ceiling even further for powerful PC systems to push up to 360fps performance in games where fast reactions can cost you a win.
What’s also great is that it has native support for Nvidia G-Sync (not to be confused with mere compatibility; this monitor has dedicated hardware for the feature), so it will work in tandem with a recent Nvidia GPU to push high frame rates without distorting the image when things get frantic. This monitor is also noteworthy for its new LightSense feature, which relies on a sensor to detect ambient lighting in your environment and adjust the monitor’s brightness settings accordingly. This model also has lights on the back of the monitor and can splash colors
Unfortunately, no price has been shared for this model. Expect it to be a little pricey, given the fast refresh rate and G-Sync feature.
