Acer Debuts a 360Hz Gaming Monitor, Predator Laptop and Desktop Revisions

Acer unveiled sweeping changes to its gaming-PC and peripherals lineup today, announcing design and component refreshes for a variety of laptop, desktop, and monitor devices in its Predator and Nitro brands. The arrival of 10th Generation Intel processors is the main thread running through these PC improvements, but there are also GPU, feature, and design updates. New advanced gaming displays and even a massage chair are also on the table, so keep reading for the newest Predator and Nitro news.

The high-end Predator Helios 700 is one of the most distinctive laptops we’ve examined in recent years, thanks to its unique slide-out keyboard, and it’s getting some significant enhancements. The iconic HyperDrift keyboard is still present (it travels forward, toward the user, to improve thermal performance inside the laptop), but the focus here is on new CPU and GPU options.

Fresh 10th Generation Intel CPUs, including the more mainstream Core i7-10875H and the overclockable Core i9-10980HK, will be available in the Helios 700. (Both processors are eight-core/16-thread.) The mobile GeForce RTX Super GPUs from Nvidia are also a welcome addition: This laptop’s graphics options are the GeForce RTX 2070 Super and RTX 2080 Super.

Thermal upgrades for the Core i9 variant have also been made to improve performance, and the display is a full HD 144Hz panel. This new Helios will be available in August for $2,399.99.

The Helios 300, a more economical entry into the Predator Helios range, is also getting a facelift. It will also get 10th Generation Intel processors, but just the Core i5-10300H and Core i7-10750H. The GeForce GTX 1650 Ti (a new mainstream-level mobile GPU announced alongside the GeForce RTX Super processors a few months ago), the GTX 1660 Ti, the RTX 2060, and the RTX 2070 are among the graphics options (Max-Q).

The Helios 300 will be available in three different display variants (120Hz, 144Hz, and 240Hz), all of which are full HD displays. The Helios 300 will be available in July for $1,199.99.

Moving on to the Triton family, the Triton 300 is the less expensive brother of the Acer Predator Triton 500, which we praised in a recent review. It, too, will now support Intel’s 10th Generation processors, with the same CPU and GPU options as the new Helios 300.

There is only one display choice with this model: a full HD 240Hz panel. In those aspects, it’s similar to the Helios 300, but given its thin-and-light chassis, it’s a slightly more premium offering (just 0.78 inch thick and 4.63 pounds). It will be available starting in September for $1,299.99.

The Nitro 7 has been updated in the cheap gaming laptop category. It will have a thin and light chassis for an entry-level laptop, measuring 0.78 inch thick and weighing 5.5 pounds. It, too, will be powered by Intel’s 10th Generation silicon, however Acer will only offer one CPU option: the Core i7-10750H.

Customers can choose between two GPUs, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti and the GeForce RTX 2060, as well as two different screen refresh rates: 60Hz and 144Hz, both of which are full HD displays. The Nitro 7 will be available in October, which is a little later than the others. It will cost $999.99.

Acer Predator Orion 3000 and 9000 Collection

Moving away from laptops and toward desktops, Acer’s high-powered Predator Orion line is receiving improvements as well. The exteriors have also been changed, as seen in the photographs below, in addition to new component possibilities.

The Orion 3000 is the less expensive of the two lines, yet configurations can still include Core i7 processors and GeForce RTX 2070 Super graphics cards. It can store plenty of storage drives (up to two 3TB platter-based hard drives plus a 1TB SSD) and RAM, much like any excellent desktop (up to 64GB). It will be available in September, with prices starting at $999.99 for basic setups.

With high-tier CPU options including the Core X-Series and, or the , the Orion 9000 is the genuine enthusiast-grade tower. The , and are among the GPUs available. The Orion 9000 supports up to 128GB of RAM and up to three 3TB platter hard drives, a 512GB 2.5-inch SSD, and a 1TB M.2 SSD in terms of memory and storage.

The Orion 9000 also includes high-end cooling, including a Cooler Master liquid cooler for the CPU and three 120mm fans. In the United States, Acer has yet to announce a release date or price for the Orion 9000, while it will be available in Europe in October. The Orion 9000 was last reviewed in 2018, and it was then, as it is now, a true beast among mainstream gaming PCs.

In terms of more economical gaming desktops, the Nitro 50 is designed to accommodate a wide range of budgets. The fundamentals include Intel Core i3 to Core i7 processors, as well as GPUs ranging from the GeForce GTX 1650 to the RTX 2060 Super.

The Nitro 50 will be available in September for $799.99.

Acer Predator X25 (360Hz), XB3 Gaming Screens

Acer also demonstrated a number of new displays in addition to the full PC announcements. The Predator X25, a 24.5-inch full HD display with a stunning 360Hz peak refresh rate, is the pick of the lot. It’s made for dedicated esports fans searching for ultra-high frame rates in games that don’t require 1080p resolution.

There are little details about the X25. What we do know is that it will be an IPS panel with Nvidia G-Sync functionality. At this time, neither a release date nor a price have been set. At CES 2020, we saw the first such 360Hz/G-Sync panel, with an Asus ROG Swift variant on show.

Acer also unveiled new XB3 monitors with screen sizes ranging from 25 to 31.5 inches. Given their super-high contrast ratios, peak brightness ratings, and compatibility for DisplayHDR 400, these higher-resolution displays (1440p and 4K, respectively) are fantastic for gaming (G-Sync compatible with Adaptive Sync) but also potentially well-suited for content creation. Starting in September, the XB3 series will be available for $429.99.

Acer Predator Osim Gaming Chair

Finally, we have an announcement that is not strictly related to PC hardware, though it does qualify as a gaming accessory. Acer is releasing the in collaboration with Osim, a massage chair manufacturer (Opens in a new window). Yes, there will be many massage locations on the chair so you may unwind while playing or in between games.

The chair provides a “2D massage,” thanks to four rollers and three auto-massage modes (neck and shoulders, lumbar, and something called “energize”), as well as two manual options (rolling and tapping). A control panel incorporated into the right armrest allows you to modify various roller settings and levels. Two Bluetooth speakers are incorporated into the chair body, making it a sound system as well.

Acer has yet to announce a release date or price for this product, but we can reasonably assume it will be significantly less expensive than Acer’s previous attempt at gaming/seating technology, the Thronos Air, which we tested at CES 2020.

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