Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2060, 15.6" Full HD 144Hz Display, 3ms Response Time, 16GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, RGB Backlit Keyboard, PH315-52-75DE,Black

The media could not be loaded. Version Purchased:16GB i7-9750H with GeForce RTX 2060 and 512GB NVMe SSDInitial thoughts:Packaging was quite nice and secure. Felt the laptop was very well protected.Ports:3x USB 3.1 Gen 11x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (USB-C) - Not Thunderbolt 31x Headset Port1x Gigabit Ethernet Port1x MiniDV Port1x HDMI 2.0 PortGraphics:When you first use the laptop, please be advised that games and such will likely default to the Integrated graphics card. I didn't realize this and when testing it in Modded MC RLCraft with Optifine, Max Quality, and Shaders I was only getting between 50-90FPS. Once I changed Nvidia Control Panel to make the RTX2060 the default processor, it jumped up to almost 240FPS.Memory:While I got the 16GB Model I plan on Upgrading to 32GB when Budget allows for it. (Or 64 if/when there is a firmware update, as many MFG's do down the line)[TURBO]:Preset hard-button above keyboard that changes to "Extreme" Overclocking, according to Predator Sense. Didn't notice a difference in CPU? Maybe it is a GPU boost? Either way, it definitely overclocked the twin built-in fans.LED Back-lit Keyboard:While I cannot say for older models, This keyboard is NOT JUST BLUE. In Predator Sense you can change the color of the keyboard in Zones, or apply a lighting effect. As you will see in the video review, I changed mine to purple.Battery Life:Still not adequately tested. I am still updating and installing common software that I use for Development, Work, as well as gaming, so I know it will be about a week until the system is balanced enough to get a decent reading on the battery. That, and Windows itself has already done 2 updates.Productivity:AutoDesk Revit 2018 Runs like a dream on here! Opened a decent sized project I was working on and was able to do a High-Quality Render of a cut section in about 8 Minutes, sync back to the central model in 45 seconds, and then close the model. Maneuvering in 3D with this laptop is a dream, even compared to my workstation. The High CPU Speed really helps since Revit sadly still relies on single-core high speed CPU threads. I would definitely recommend this laptop for CAD/Revit Productivity.Webcam Note:If you are not paying attention, when you first get this machine you will notice that your webcam randomly will turn on... Particularly once you plug in a set of headphones. No... you are not being spied on, this time anyway. This is due to "Waves MaxxAudio" "Waves nX" using the "Sweetspot" feature. It is trying to give you a relative audio experience based on where the computer "Sees" you siting , and can simply be turned off.Keyboard:I specifically chose this laptop over the 500 Series because of the 10-Key layout. In addition to Electrical Work in Revit, I also do programming and reporting. Having access to a 10-Key is a huge boon to me. Typing in general on this keyboard feels natural and didn't require much transitional learning from my Microsoft Surface Book Gen 1.Trackpad:Overall the trackpad is nice, but it is a trackpad. Get a mouse, and turn off touchpad functionality when the mouse is connected and save yourself a lot of heartache.Fan:For everyday use, the fan is fine. If you enable Turbo though, be sure to have a good pair of Noise Canceling Headphones and hopefully have a room/office to yourself. It is quite loud and obnoxious.Additional Notes: I have noticed that there are keyboard protectors for this laptop, and I fully plan on getting it to protect the Chiclet keyboard long term. With the upgradability that this laptop has, I see it lasting many years to come.Also... For some, I know it is called a laptop... Please don't use this on your lap. The way the airflow is designed you could seriously damage it, or yourself if you do. I have seen temperatures reach 180 degrees on this laptop already. If you want to use it in a portable fashion, get yourself a nice lap mat that encourages airflow. This is more like a mini Desktop Replacement with how powerful it is.

The media could not be loaded. I had some problems, but most came when I first got it.Cons:1. This isn't an on the go gaming device. It is not very powerful when unplugged and generally reaches xbox 360 levels of power when on battery. If you want a gaming device on the go that isn't plugged in all the time I suggest you go buy a steam deck or a Lenovo legion as they fuction the same both on and off power.2. When it arrived it wouldn't turn on. I thought it was a dud until I remembered my previous acer predator helios and as such tried multiple things until disconnecting the battery and trying again made it work as it did with my last one years ago when I got it. Probably an Acer problem that I rarely see mentioned, will contact local priest to ses if I am cursed.3. The sound drivers suck. The sound drivers are provided by Acer and sound like you are underwater. Everyone hates them and I don't know why they still have them. Luckly with a 5 minute youtube video you can set them back to windows default drives for good in only 10 - 15 minutes.4. I think when it was shipped somehow the HDMI port got destroyed as when I tried to plug in an hdmi plug I felt resistance and saw the port pins were bent. Could have been me, I didn't need it at the time anyway and was wanting to make sure everything else worked.The trade-offsThese are not cons, but not also pros1. It can get very loud, however this is because it has wind turbine fans that are pretty good at cooling when plugged in especially.2. It can get hot, however after conversing with friends who know more about tech I have found out this laptop can apparently reach near 100c and typically not take permanent heat damage. Modern gaming laptops are just built different.3. Brightness is not during the day or when facing sunlight, but thats a gaming laptop screen and screens in general for you.Pros:1. I have yet to play something I can't run on nearly the highest setting. Whole 240fps will be a rarity as most old games don't reach that or new games you will want to look good and therefore not reach that, it will usually reach a sold 60 on most games when on ultra. (Raytracing is rarely worth it, don't waste frames on it).2. The screen looks better than the family tv and the keyboard can be set to all kinds of lights and is nice and meaty. Great for giant orge hands.3. It has a lot of ports for extra displays and devices, which not a lot of modern day laptops have. I can technically have 3 external displays going on this thing at a time. On top of this it has expandable storage making mine alone hold a total of 4tb of storage. The mad man who put 64gb of ram also helps because google chrome loves to eat it.4. I like how they made the new acer predator laptops look more professional and less "pro-gamer esports".Overall, a great purchase that you will get a ton of mileage out as a gamer as long as you don't mind it getting loud sometimes (headphones suggested anyways though it has a good sound system), it raising room temperature by a few degrees, and the machine gods possibly cursing your laptop to have to be troubleshot on arrival.

This is my my first experience PC gaming, and I must admit, I'm quite happy with this bad boy! I can run most of my games on ultra with no problem. The predator sense menu is nice and easy to operate, telling me the temp of the CPU, GPU and System. Also controlling the RGB Keyboard is cool. The Fan control is nice, and just remember, if you use the turbo mode on this, it will make the fans spin fast, but also heat up the CPU because of the Overclocking. So if you need to cool your device, just manually turn up the fan speed. But yeah, I honestly don't have any complaints about this beast ass laptop. I hope whoever decides to buy one enjoys theres as much as I've enjoyed mine.

my alienware kicked the bucket and i needed something quick to game and work on so i ordered the 2060 version, it is really really nice, i love it, it came undervolted already so i didnt have to change that but it does run a bit hot when gaming hard at about 89c but i bought a 25 dollar cooling fan pad and with that it stays down to 76c-85c depending on how hard i am on it so its perfectly fine, it plays my oculus rift for hours without even a sweat at 75c without a cooling pad like its nothing, fortnite on high settings is smooth as silk so just get this one if youre looking for a bad ass small lappy that can handle gaming, editing, whatever, very happy.