By all accounts, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is a cheap gaming laptop. In addition, there are a few flaws in the gadget that are both too noticeable and significant to overlook. As well as some subtle corners that have been cut. But sacrifices and reductions are common with low-cost gaming laptops, as is to be expected. After all, if you want the finest, you have to pay for it.
Having said that, users are pleasantly surprised by the model’s performance given its cost. This is a capable computer for a cheap gaming laptop. The most difficult games may be played in medium and high settings. It boasts a 144Hz refresh rate, which is uncommon for gaming laptops of its sort. Additionally, it offers a vivid, 1080p display with a wide range of colours.
Undoubtedly, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is worth buying and adding to your shortlist if you want a lot of power. Also want to play the greatest PC games available, and have a considerable amount of change in your bank account.
What you will see here?
Design
The design of the Acer Predator Helios 300 is excellent. It’s not particularly remarkable or noteworthy, but it’s also not awful.
Including its metal chassis inside a gun-metal finish, black hue with red accents, geometric cuts, and tapered edges, this gaming laptop does attempt to adhere to the gamer style. The top cover is decorated with silver Predator writing and a logo. The bottom plastics cover includes two easily accessible chambers for the RAM and hard drive, both of which may be upgraded.
You also like how many ports this laptop has accessible. In addition to having two USB 2.0 ports as well as a headphone jack, it also has USB 3.0, USB 3.1, HDMI, Ethernet, as well as an SD card reader. In the event that you wish to use it for things like amateur photography.
The laptop is mid-sized, remarkably light for its size, and neither too big nor too little. The appearance of this gaming laptop may be an indicator of how it will perform overall. It isn’t perfect and has a few shortcomings, but it excels in enough other aspects that you won’t have many complaints.
Specifications
There are several setups for the Predator Helios 300. The 15-inch and 17-inch models have previously been stated. But you may also choose from a few CPU, RAM, GPU, and storage configurations. T here is flexibility if you wish to spend more or less.
The PH317-55 model includes an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU featuring 4GB of dedicated memory, an 11th-gen Intel i5-11400H CPU, 8GB of RAM and a sizable 2TB of storage. All of these features are standard.
That places the laptop squarely in the mid-range of gaming laptops. While you can get models with considerably higher specifications elsewhere as well as in the Helios 300 series, you will of course have to spend more for them. This combination is capable of handling many video editing and gaming requirements more than adequately.
Keyboard and Touchpad
This gaming laptop has a keyboard that users truly enjoy. It is not just technically sound, with a nice bounce, appropriate travel, and a matte feel to prevent finger slippage, but it is also quick and precise. The keyboard doesn’t have any remarkable characteristics that stick out or offer it a gaming advantage, just like the design.
To be sure, the WASD keys are underlined. The Function shortcut keys control things like looking the touchpad on and off, selecting different display choices, and changing volume. It is nonetheless as efficient as a keyboard should be.
The bottom keys were taller than the other keys, which is the sole complaint. Because the “Down” arrow key is taller than the bottom often forget to press the “Up” arrow key while utilising the arrow keys for gaming.
Using the touchpad is a little bit different. This touchpad is undoubtedly not suitable for gaming, like the majority of gaming laptop touchpads. But it is enough responsive for office duties. If you want speed and responsiveness, as with the majority of gaming laptops, you’ll need a mouse. The touchpad may feel slightly tight when you depress it. In addition, we have seen problems with it being unresponsive or inconsistent when a mouse is added. When you restart the laptop, this problem often goes away.
Key features
The 17-inch display, as well as the GPU power, are the main reasons to buy this laptop. If they are priorities for you, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is on your shortlist. Its pricing is acceptable given all it offers. The 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and 144Hz refresh rate of the screen make it ideal for gaming.
You receive two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, each USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, another USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port for Thunderbolt 4 support, yet another HDMI 2.0 port, and an Ethernet port for a dependable internet connection. There are also plenty of ports for connecting your second monitor, external storage, and other devices. The fingerprint sensor is joined by a 720p camera incorporated into the top display bezel. However, it does not allow facial recognition for faster Windows login.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 deserves your consideration because it has the greatest RTX 30 series cards available on the market today, but many other gaming laptops also have the same series of GPUs.
Performance
Simply put: impressive. Even the most demanding games of a present run smoothly on the Acer Predator Helios 300 thanks to the components that are jam-packed within. Okay, an RTX 3080 or RTX 3090 will raise frame rates even further. The RTX 3050 Ti keeps costs down while still performing admirably in most high-end games, especially at 1080p. Complex picture or video editing tasks won’t be an issue for you here.
As you might anticipate from a laptop designed for gaming, battery life is really poor. However, that was with the screen at full level and the volume set low; lowering the display and connecting in headphones might give you a bit more time. The battery lasted over four hours. You won’t get much more than that if you’re gaming or editing videos, and you could have trouble getting much more than an hour.
Battery life
This laptop has a respectable battery life for a gadget of its kind. Again, it’s nothing remarkable, but the Predator was able to watch the entirety of the Guardians of the Galaxy film at 50% brightness and continued for another 48 minutes or so before shutting down.
This is a respectable figure when compared to other gaming laptops. Naturally, it falls well short of what you might anticipate from such an Ultrabook or other really portable laptop. Don’t leave the home without that cord if you’re taking this laptop because it isn’t its intended function.
Build and Handling
You may take this large, clunky gaming laptop into a coffee shop, but it will draw some attention because it is obvious that it is a gaming laptop. Both the rainbow lighting on the keyboard and the massive, lighted blue Predator logo on the laptop lid are a part of it, and they can all be adjusted as needed.
The substantial air grilles that keep the laptop’s interior components cool as well as its overall size and mass cannot be altered. It’s important to note that this laptop will become rather noisy and warm when under heavy stress, but not any louder or warmer than other similar gaming computers with the same configuration.
A word about the stereo speakers as well: they’re by no way best-in-class, but they do a surprisingly great job when it comes to films, music, games, and everything else that comes with audio. They give a nice level of responsiveness and a quality feel.
Is Acer Predator Helios 300 good for gaming?
The 2021 Predator Helios 300 is and will continue to be, a fantastic 1080p gaming platform. However, it is also expensive when compared to the RTX 3060 basic model.
Is Nitro 5 superior to Helios 300?
With 300 nits, 93 per cent sRGB colour, and 64 per cent
Is ASUS better than Acer?
However, it appears that Acer outbids ASUS on pricing for their entry-level versions. In the end, Acer appears to have a little advantage in terms of price to performance when you compare the two manufacturers as a whole and the rest of their laptop lines.
Conclusion
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is a capable gaming laptop that falls within the price range. Yes, there are a few clear indications that Acer may have cut costs, such as the lacklustre speakers and the dual-fan cooling system, which is ineffective at reducing heat unless it is set to its maximum setting. Even though there are obvious shortcomings, getting some nice headphones and placing a desk fan next to the laptop can make up for them.
The essential point to keep in mind would be that this gaming laptop offers decent performance for the money, providing enough power to play even the most demanding games at high settings. The laptop’s gorgeous display is further enhanced by its 144Hz refresh rate, which is only found in more expensive models, and superb colour reproduction.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 isn’t the finest, but it’s just slightly worse than the best. You won’t find a better offer if you have a tight budget.
