Whether you’re looking for a new gaming laptop or a high-performance desktop, the Acer Predator Helios series is here to meet your needs. Its spec sheet is comprehensive, with an Intel Tiger Lake Core i9-11980HK processor, 32 GB of DDR4-3200 memory in dual-channel configuration, and 2 TB of hard drive space. Its dual graphics include an NVIDIA RTX 3080 Laptop dGPU, and Iris XeiGPU. Its battery life is very good, with a typical 15-hour life cycle.
Review
The Acer Predator Helios is a high-end gaming laptop that scores 10 percent higher than its competitors in gaming benchmark tests. It has the fastest CPU in the laptop segment: the Intel Core i9 processor. However, this processor isn’t wasted on the Helios 500, which has high Geekbench scores. In fact, it outperforms gaming laptops with a Core i7 processor when it comes to 4K video encoding.
The Acer Predator Helios 500 features an island-style keyboard and a matte finish. The display is bright enough for indoor gaming, but not enough for outdoor gaming. Even the matte finish can’t hide a lack of contrast in darker scenes. It also has good sound quality, thanks to its stereo speakers. Although it’s not a super-thin gaming laptop, its speakers produce meaty bass and crisp high-definition visuals.
The Acer Predator Helios 500 features a 17.3-inch display with a 4K UHD resolution. The display is also made of an IPS panel, which helps it produce vibrant colors and wide viewing angles. While the screen looks good, its plastic chassis isn’t as sturdy as we would like. It’s also a welcome change of color from the typical gaming laptop gray.
Price
If you’re a fan of gaming laptops, then you’re probably interested in the Acer Predator Helios 500. It comes with a 17.2-inch 4K display, tricked-out RGB lighting, and a high-end processor. The screen’s refresh rate is a staggering 360 Hz, and its response time is less than 3 milliseconds. To top it all off, you can customize the processor and graphics. Whether you prefer an AMD or Intel CPU, the Acer Predator Helios 500 is your ticket.
Despite being a gaming laptop, the Predator Helios 500 uses IPS LCD technology, which means that the screen doesn’t produce ultra-deep black levels. If you’re in a dark room, you’ll want to consider an OLED laptop instead. It will have a much better color palette and be more contrast-sensitive, too. However, it’s worth noting that the Predator Helios 500 is less expensive than some competitors.
The Acer Predator Helios 500 features a high-end processor and GPU designed for extreme gaming. The Helios 500 has a powerful Intel Core i9 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics chip, both of which are overclocked to provide the best performance. Those looking for more power will appreciate the optional Intel Optane memory, which allows for the fastest load times. The Helios 500 can also support up to 64GB of RAM.
Specs
While its predecessor, the Predator Helios 300, was already an excellent gaming notebook, Acer has upped its game by introducing the Predator Helios 500. Besides the upgraded Coffee Lake CPU, this model also sports a totally new case. We’ll be covering this laptop bit by bit, updating it with the latest findings. We’ll also be looking at the hardware inside, which will include a display panel, drives, and memory sticks.
The keyboard on the Acer Predator Helios 500 is full-sized, with a dedicated Numpad and a mass of media buttons. The keys are backlit, as is the trackpad. There’s also a lighting key for customizing the keyboard’s illumination. The keyboard’s RGB backlighting allows you to easily customize your keys with different colors. The lighting is a key feature that will help you get the right gaming experience in all kinds of conditions, so you can customize your keys to suit your preference.
Graphics-intensive games like Far Cry 5 and Wolfenstein II performed well on the Helios 500. We measured a few games on the Helios 500, and it managed to average 55 fps on our gaming tests. That’s well above average, and matches the PowerSpec GTX 1070, while it’s a bit under par against the Acer Titan, Alienware, and Aorus. The Helios 500’s graphics card also managed to rip through games with high graphics settings, including Far Cry 5 and Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Port selection
The Acer Predator Helios 500 features excellent port selection for the price of its size. It has 5 USB ports (two USB Type-C and two USB Type-A Gen 2), HDMI 2.1, mini-HDMI 1.4, an Ethernet port, and a Thunderbolt 4 port. This notebook also includes two separate audio jacks and a 720p webcam.
While most gaming laptops feature an SD card slot, the Acer Predator Helios 500 doesn’t have one. The two TB of storage is enough for most needs. In terms of performance, the Acer Predator Helios 500 beat its nearest competitor in benchmark tests. In addition to a strong processor, the Acer Predator Helios 500 also sports a high-end graphics card. The device uses an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card that has a base frequency of 1100 MHz and can be boosted to 1710 MHz.
The Acer Predator Helios 500 comes with a standard 512GB SATA drive, but you can also opt for a 1TB NVMe SSD. It also has HDD options as large as 2TB. The keyboard is equipped with a blue ring around the WASD keys and turquoise LEDs around the large touchpad. It also includes five programmable macro keys, and a P Predator key is used to customize the color of each.
Battery life
Acer has promised better battery life in the Acer Predator Helios 500, but we’ve seen mixed results in our testing. While it’s true that this gaming laptop’s battery lasts an hour and a half, we’ve found that the battery doesn’t always live up to its promise. The battery life on the AMD-powered model of the Predator Helios 500 is surprisingly short, coming in at just under one and a half hours on a single charge.
The Acer Predator Sense app allows users to control power profiles, RGB control, audio settings, and fan speeds. The application also manages updates and other software and helps users tune up their computer to their preference. It also includes a rubber stand for the two PSUs. It also provides a full-featured warranty with a two-year limited warranty. Those who are looking for an affordable gaming laptop should take a look at the Acer Predator Helios 500.
The battery in the Acer Predator HELIOS 500 PH517-51 is certified to match the specifications of the original battery. The battery has been manufactured using high-grade battery cells to ensure the highest level of quality. The replacement battery can handle multiple charge cycles, making it an excellent choice for a variety of purposes. You can expect it to last a long time with proper care. It will also be compatible with the rest of the device.
Performance
Compared to its rivals, the Acer Predator Helios 500 is the pinnacle of gaming laptops. It’s the biggest and most powerful laptop we’ve ever tested, and it’s best thought of as a desktop crammed into a laptop package. This means you’ll lose out on portability and battery life, but it’s still an excellent gaming laptop.
The Helios 500’s performance was impressive even when playing games with high graphics demands. It pumped out an average of 55 fps while playing Rise of the Tomb Raider, a graphically demanding game. That matched the PowerSpec GTX 1070 but still fell into the 59 fps category. Other gaming laptops, like the Alienware GTX 1080, produced higher scores in our tests. In addition, the Helios 500 smashed through Wolfenstein II with 116 frames per second, which is about as fast as it gets.
As for the CPU, the Acer Predator Helios 500 has an Intel Core i9-8950HK processor. This CPU scores 21283 in Geekbench 4, making it much faster than its i7 counterpart. The i9 processor also has better gaming performance than its i5 counterpart, as Geekbench 4 multi-core score is higher than the i7 processor. While both processors are powerful, the Acer Predator Helios 500 falls behind Asus ROG G703 and Gigabyte Aorus X5. But, the computer still shows off a great deal of graphic grunt, with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU putting on a real punch. The cooling system also keeps the unit cool, so you’re not worried about getting throttled during intense gaming sessions.
