Acer Predator Helios 500: A Monster Gaming Laptop
Yesterday, at Acer’s global press conference in New York, Jason Chen, then Chairman and CEO of Acer introduced two new Predator Helios gaming laptops. These are named Helios 500 and Helios 300 Special Edition. These 17-inch gaming laptop is a powerful replacement for regular desktops. It comes with a lot of new options and has tailor-made features specifically for a gaming laptop.
Supports overclocking
The Helios 500 offers you options to choose from. You could either go for 4K or 1080p, both come with NVIDIA G-Sync. The laptop can then be configured with an Intel Core i9+ 8950HK processor. There is also GTX 1070 GPU with 8GB memory and and 16GB of memory which can upgraded up to 64GB. It comes with Intel Optane Memory Support and overclocking. Also, it has a refresh rate of 144Hz. You can order the laptop with a 512GB or a 1TB SSD and can use up to a 2TB hard drive.
Backlit RGB keyboard
There are some other really interesting features as well. Helios 500 includes a backlit RGB keyboard. The fully RGB backlit keyboard offers a pleasingly deep travel and a rather strong bounceback from the keys. This gaming laptop comes with a keyboard that can be utilised for prolonged periods of typing without any issues. It comes with four-lighting zones and an anti-ghosting technology. There are Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports and an HDMI 2.0 output. It allows you to drive up to three external monitors.
AeroBlade 3D all-metal fans
The whole system is cooled down with the help of Acer’s custom AeroBlade 3D all-metal fans and five heat pipes. The Taiwanese company says that it has developed a superior thermal architecture. This is done utilizing its proprietary AeroBlade 3D metal fans keeps the Predator Helios 500 running cool during marathon gaming sessions. The cooling system of the Helios 500 is actually very effective. The laptop runs rather cool after several minutes of gaming. This is noticed even when touching the base of the laptop.
Inspired from 700’s design
The design of the Helios 500 is slightly inspired by the Acer Predator Triton 700’s design. The Helios 500 gaming laptop comes with a stylish obsidian black chassis which is further highlighted by blue lighting and trim. You will not find chrome or gold colors on this laptop, which are offered on Helios 300. The Helios 500 is just slightly angled at the back which leads to more efficient pushing out of heat using the four exhausts.
Helios 300 special edition
Along with the Helios 500 was launched the Helios 300 Special Edition, which is just an upgraded version of the previous Helios 300. The new version supports a new white with gold trim color. The screen on the Helios 300 Special Edition has been upgraded to a Full HD 144Hz panel. This is great for a high-frame rate gameplay experience.
The Special Edition of Helios 300 is equipped with the latest Coffee Lake Intel Core i7 processor. It also comes with overclockable GeForce GTX 1060 graphics. The configurations are pretty much the same as the Helios 500 with 512GB SSD and 2TB hard disk drive. The pricing and availability for the Helios 300 Special Edition has not been announced yet.
Arriving in July
With Acer’s new Helios 500 there are definitely more pros than cons. It is definitely packed with powerful components and an IPS display with G-Sync in Full HD or 4K. The Helios 500 has high-refresh panel option and restrained design with lots of ports. But there are a few things that can put it down a bit. The Helios 500 is a bit big and hefty and also it has non-mechanical keys. We can’t really predict the performance just yet but we are sure it’s going to be pretty great as the gaming laptop is packed with some amazing power. The Predator Helio 500 is expected to ship in June and has a starting price of $2,000.
Dhruvil is a Writer & Marketeer for Nimblechapps, joined in December 2014, based out of Sydney, Australia. He has worked briefly as a Branding and Digital Marketing Manager before moving to Australia. At Nimblechapps, he worked on Social Media Marketing, Branding, Email Marketing and Blogging. Dhruvil studies Business at University of Western Sydney, and also handles Operations for the company in Australia.