Verdict
Despite a noisy chill system and rough edges around the audio , the Predator Helios 16 is the model of a cutting - edge gaming laptop computer . £ 2800 is nobody ’s idea of affordable , extremely high - end specs intend it ’s actually good note value too .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Like theAsus ROG Strix Scar 16 , the Acer Predator Helios 16 sits firmly in the category of New laptop computer that are look to push games to their upper limit . With an Intel Core i9 - 13900HX and an NVIDIA RTX 4080 Mobile River GPU , it ’s an absolute monster .
We ’ve had a few class where a adequate gaming PC or laptop has n’t face much of a challenge when it comes to running most games maxed out . As long as the code has been properly optimised at launch – we ’re look at you , Gotham Knights and The Last of Us Part I – it ’s blend to lead at a playable frame rate .
The only question was how far you could push that upwards beyond 60fps . Now , however , that ’s changing , as more biz search the kind of observational ray of light - trace features we ’re seeing in new Unreal Engine titles and the last Cyberpunk 2077 patch . The Acer Predator Helios 16 is here to take on these challenges .
Design and Keyboard
I ’m a sports fan of the Helios 16 ’s blueprint . It ’s got enough gamer bling bling to look the part , with RGB backlighting on the keyboard as well as a nerveless illuminated lifelike streak behind the concealment . But , there ’s not so much snuff it on that it distracts you from what ’s happen on the 16 - inch display . As with most gambling laptops , it has a mostly plastic physical structure , but the lid and keyboard deck are fashioned from a black powder - coated metal . It all feel solid and rich . With a 357 x 278 mm desktop step and a 2.9 kilogram exercising weight , it ’s a hefty beast , with vents on both sides , the rear and the base to help with cooling system .
There ’s connectivity on all three edges too , with Gigabit Ethernet , USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A , micro Coyote State and phone sockets on the left , and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A port on the right wing . The rearward house the socket for the massive 330W mightiness supply – itself weighing 850 one thousand – along with two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type - deoxycytidine monophosphate port , both of which handle Thunderbolt 4 , DisplayPort and USB - PD charging . Add HDMI 2.1 , Wi - Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 to the mix , and there ’s really nothing leave out in terms of porthole and socket . It ’s a well - equip machine .
I ’m also impress by the keyboard and the touchpad . I could rumble about the number pad with its slimline winder , the shrunk - down function Key in the top bar or the size of the Shift and Ctrl keys on the left hand , but I can go with them because the keyboard has a nice , frosty activity , just enough travel and a really solid feel . What ’s more , the touchpad is a whopper , 127 mm wide by 85 mm deep , and one of the most responsive I ’ve used recently , making general Windows seafaring slowly . Sure , you ’ll still need a computer mouse for gaming , but for originative apps or productivity , it ’s excellent .
Screen
A mellow - end gaming laptop deserves an equally high - end showing , and Acer has gone big on a 16 - column inch Mini LED screen with a 240Hz max refresh and a 2560 x 1600 settlement . Subjectively , it ’s bright . Negroid are about as cryptical and dark as you ’re go to get outside of OLED screens , and coloring material are incredibly plentiful and vivacious . HDR game and video look grand . The size and resolving make for some truly immersive gambling .
The exam results support these impression . I measured smartness levels at 528.7 nit , disgraceful levels at 0.42nits and line at 1254.6:1 . The CRT screen covers 99.9 % of the sRGB gamut and 98.9 % of DCI P3 . Colour accuracy is well-nigh unflawed , with an average Delta E of 0.42 . If you want to switch from play games to edit out video or photos , this showing is n’t snuff it to defy you back .
The DTS X talker system can go aloud and does a surprisingly good impression of surround sound , with well - lay outcome that extend far beyond where you eff the speakers are . Yet there ’s something harsh and a little boxy in the delivery , especially if you whop the mass up . The audio is passable for Netflix or occasional gambling , but you ’ll need headphones for anything more serious .
Performance
If you want to get the most out of the Helios 16 , you ask to get to grips with Acer ’s Predator Sense utility . This allow you to exchange between four profiles – Quiet , Balanced , Performance and Turbo – and adjust single configurations for overclocking and fan configurations . Cleverly , there ’s a hotkey beneath the left flexible joint that either cycle through the profiles or turns Turbo on and off . You ’ll rule Balanced is perfect for everything but gaming , the noisy Performance profile will net you some extra horsepower and higher frame rates . Turbo take thing even further but ups the buff speeds to the extent that randomness - scrub headphones become a must - have . It ’s like having a leaf blower sit on your desk .
Even in Balanced mode , it ’s a fireball in productivity and originative apps . It ’s faster than the mighty Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 in Geekbench 5 and about on par in PC Mark 10 . throw to Performance musical mode and it ’s the debauched laptop that I ’ve tested in PC Mark 10 and even makes Cinebench R23 ’s render tests look easy , with a grievance of 25,922 . In Turbo mood , it ’ll hit 30,006 , place it only just behind the ROG Strix Scar 16 .
For game testing , I baffle to Performance mood with impressive results . you may bear ordinary frame rate of over 144fps at Ultra setting in the the like of Borderlands 2 and Horizon : Zero Dawn at 1080p , though these drop to 111fps and 143fps at 1440p , or 105fps and 127fps at the aboriginal 1600p resolution . Still , you’re able to whack that up again using DLSS . On Horizon , engage DLSS Balanced mode is all it takes to hit an average 149fps at 1600p .
To really labor this laptop , I tested it in Cyberpunk 2077 ’s young cutting - edge Overdrive RTX modality . The Helios 16 managed to still deliver 59.2fps average skeleton rate at 1600p with DLSS Frame Generation turned on . With the RTX tech turned off , you ’re seem at 35fps , so it ’s definitely well deserving using it .
Acer equips the Helios 16 with a 1 TB SSD , and it ’s a fast one . CrystalDiskMark quantify sequent read speeds of 6562MB / sec and write speeds of 4690MB / sec . You wo n’t get quicker without a fancy ( and expensive ) SSD RAID apparatus .
Battery Life
You might gestate that , with this spec and cover battery life , is n’t going to be a strong pointedness . However , the Helios 16 managed a believable six minute and 35 proceedings in PC Mark 10 ’s Modern Office battery benchmark . So , for browsing and a small light work , you do n’t have to remain plug away into the mains . It ’s a dissimilar affair if you start using the GPU though . I played the Dead Space remake disconnect from the mains and did n’t even make it to 50 minutes before the juice ran out .
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Should you buy it?
This is a powerful gaming laptop computer with great connectivity and an excellent CRT screen . It ’s expensive at around £ 2800 for the specification reviewed , but that ’s in reality great value for a laptop with such high - end components and no significant compromises . There are faster laptops out there , but they ’re going to cost you even more .
These specs do n’t come in cheap , and if you ’re not fussed about radical - high refresh rate or electron beam - traced visuals , you could spare a lot of cash with a modest - oddment gambling laptop . Some gamers might also want some more RGB bling bling or good sound , and it ’s very noisy in its Turbo mode .
Final Thoughts
It ’s hard to blame the Helios 16 . It has the speed and the features to go today ’s most demanding games , and it ’s not break down to struggle with tomorrow ’s .
It has a beautiful screen that will make the most of any fresh - fangled graphics technical school . If I had £ 3,000 to expend on a gaming laptop , I ’d have this one senior high up on my shortlist . It gives you everything that was great about the awesomeROG Strix Scar 16 , but at a lower price .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every gaming laptop we survey blend through a series of undifferentiated checks designed to approximate key things including build quality , performance , screen caliber and battery life history .
These include formal synthetic bench mark and scripted tests , plus a serial of real world check , such as how well it runs when run a AAA biz .
FAQs
The maximum RAM of the Predator Helio 16 is 32 GB .
Test Data
Full Specs
