Having never reviewed Acer laptops before, we were pleasantly surprised by what they have to offer in the Predator Helios 300.
Taking 300 purely on an external basis, we’re mightily impressed. Acer has given this model the full-metal treatment which not only looks superb, but feels it too. It’s great to see that even the region around the keyboard also benefits from brushed metal.
Inside, a selection of high-performance kit has been used which includes Intel’s new Core i7-8750H – a Coffee Lake-based six core processor. Fusing this CPU with the 16GB DDR4 and GTX 1060 6GB model provides us with the horsepower to achieve framerates which exceed 60fps in most games, with the detail level on maximum. The use of an IPS display throughout such gaming sessions is also encouraging to see because we typically see models around this price-bracket using TN panels which can supply poor colour reproduction and viewing angles, however, with this screen we have plenty of vibrancy and far less distortion at certain viewing angles.
There are however a few areas which we’d like to see improved on. Using a SATA-based SSD in such a calibre of laptop and with Intel 8th Gen architecture at our fingertips appears to be missed opportunity. As such we can only tap into 400MB/s transfer rates as opposed to other laptop models which use NVMe SSDs capable of up to 2000MB/s. On a mobile platform like this, greater bandwidth in this area is extremely beneficial. We’re also disappointed to see only one USB 3.1 Type-A port on this unit, in total there are four ports – two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.1 Type-C and one USB 3.1 Type-A. Again, similar to the SSD point above, USB 2.0 should be phased out on this generation of laptop. Gaining access to USB functionality which is more than 10 times quicker than USB 2.0 is advantageous.
As with other laptops, the Helios 300 arrives in a number of configurations and it’s advisable to cross-reference the exact model in store to the Acer website. The unit we’ve reviewed is the PH315-51 and has a price-tag of UK £1299 – AU $1999. This represents decent value for money considering what’s on offer.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 offers great overall performance and takes advantage of Intel’s latest 8th Gen. Processor. If you’re looking for something which offers decent 1080p performance and that’s build to last, we can definitely recommend this laptop!
Pros
+ Appealing design
+ Brushed alu lid/keyboard area
+ LED backlit keyboard
+ Great overall performance
+ Features IPS display
+ Memory/storage can be easily upgraded
Cons
- CPU temperatures get rather high
- SATA-based SSD (400MB/s)
- Only single channel 16GB DDR4
- Just one USB 3.1 type-A port
+ Appealing design
+ Brushed alu lid/keyboard area
+ LED backlit keyboard
+ Great overall performance
+ Features IPS display
+ Memory/storage can be easily upgraded
Cons
- CPU temperatures get rather high
- SATA-based SSD (400MB/s)
- Only single channel 16GB DDR4
- Just one USB 3.1 type-A port
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