Acer’s Predator laptops add 14th-gen Core, 4TB SSDs, and a new Neo

Acer’s Predator gaming laptop lineup for CES 2024 boasts five new laptops, with sharp distinctions between premium, midrange, and budget models based upon the GPU and screen refresh rate. GPU options now push up into the GeForce RTX 4090 range, with 250Hz display options among its Predator Helios lineup.

Acer’s additions also include a new 18-inch Predator Helios Neo option. All are built around Intel’s new mobile version of the 14th-gen Raptor Lake Refresh processors. Though they’re gaming laptops, they’ll also include Microsoft’s new Copilot key. Here’s a brief summary of what’s new, broken down by price range.

Premium: 18-inch Predator Helios 18 ($1,999 and up, shipping March 2024), 16-inch Predator Helios 16 ($1,899 and up, shipping January 2024). What’s new: The Helios 18 drops the RTX 4070/4060 GPU for an RTX 4080/4090; the Helios 16 drops the RTX 4060 for the RTX 4070/4080. SSD options increase to 4TB, versus 2TB; Wi-Fi 7 and Killer 3100G have been added.

Midrange: 18-inch Predator Helios Neo 18 ($1,549, shipping March) and 16-inch Predator Helios Neo 16 ($1,499.99, shipping March). They’re both exclusive to Best Buy. What’s new: The 18-inch model, shown in the image at the top of this page, is entirely new. Otherwise, the two laptops have been upgraded with an RTX 4050 option, a 240Hz display option, and DDR5 5600 memory. Wi-Fi is now Wi-Fi 6e, with Killer3100G Ethernet.

Budget: Acer Nitro 17 ($1,249.99, shipping in January). What’s new: Upgrades include the new Core i7-14700HX processor.

[embedded content]

The full specs

Our review of the 2022 Predator Helios 300 sums up the appeal of Acer’s gaming laptops: strong game performance at a reasonable price. Acer has never charged an arm and a leg for its gaming laptops, but some of PCWorld’s reviews have criticized them as being a little deficient on build quality.

We’re not sure whether Acer’s 2024 models will prompt the same response, but we already know that they’ll be affordable gaming options.

Both of the new Predator Helios laptops offer the Core i9-14900HX, though the smaller Predator adds the Core i7-14700HX as well, situated behind 2560×1600 250Hz displays in both laptops. The displays in both laptops use Mini LED backlights, which create areas of the panel that turn on and off as needed. This can create a perfect dark or perfect black effect in areas where the Mini LEDs are off, though there will be a “halo” effect on parts of the panel where the Mini LED backlight is on. It’s generally considered to be a compromise between a traditionally-lit LCD panel, where there will always be a bit of backlight bleed, and an OLED, which turns off pixels on a per-pixel basis but hasn’t traditionally offered high refresh rates.

Likewise, the Predator Helios 16 offers up to an RTX 4080 GPU option, while the 4090 appears in the larger model. Memory options tout 32GB of DDR5 memory in both laptops, while storage is increased to 4TB, though that’s done with a pair of two SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration.

Wi-Fi 7 is included, too. Inside both laptops are 90Wh batteries.

The Predator Helios laptops feature Acer’s 5th-generation AeroBlade 3D fan technology, that, with liquid metal grease, is used to transfer heat away from the components. Other features include vector heat pipes, per-key RGB lighting, and MagKey 3.0 with swappable mechanical keyboard switches. It all adds up, though, in terms of weight: The 17-inch model weighs a whopping 7.17 pounds, while the smaller option comes in at a more modest 5.95 pounds. Both are slightly more than an inch thick.

The new Predator Helios Neo 18 features a 2560×1600 240Hz display, with processor options inside both the Neo 18 and Neo 16 ranging from the Core i5-14450HX on up to the Core i9-14900HX. Memory options up to 32GB of DDR5 are available, with up to 2TB of SSD storage in RAID 0. GPUs up to the RTX 4070 are available in both.

Acer’s cooling solutions carry over from the more expensive Predator Helios models, as do the batteries. Here, the Neo lineup uses Wi-Fi 6e wireless. All told, the Neo 18 weighs in at 7.5 pounds, while the Neo 16 comes in at 6.17 pounds.

Meanwhile, the Acer Nitro is Acer’s budget offering, and it’s built around a 17-inch 1440p display with a 165Hz refresh rate. Inside is either a Core i7-14700HX, Core i7-14650HX, or a Core i5-14450HX processor. Users can opt for up to 32GB of DDR5 memory, 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage, and up to an RTX 4060, all in a 14-inch thick chassis that weighs 7.05 pounds.