Acer Reveals New Ryzen Desktops, Predator Gaming Laptops

Acer teased new Aspire GX desktops featuring AMD's Ryzen 7 1700X processor and revealed the Predator Helios 300 and Predator Triton 700 gaming laptops at an event in New York today.

The company offered the least information about the new Aspire GX desktops. We received a few pictures of one product, were told that the "performance oriented" desktops are supposed to be "capable of handling graphic-intensive tasks for smooth everyday entertainment and gaming," and got a May 2017 release window. Besides those tidbits--and mention of the Ryzen 7 1700X--Acer didn't offer any details about the Aspire GX.

It was a little more forthcoming about the Predator Helios 300 and Predator Triton 700. We still don't have full specs, nor do we know in what configurations these laptops will be available, but we at least have some more details about what Acer built into its newest gaming laptops.

The Predator Helios 300 features an Intel 7th Generation (Kaby Lake) Core i5 or i7 processor, GTX 1060 or 1050 Ti graphics, and up to 16GB of DDR4 memory on-board. (This can be expanded to 32GB after purchase.) Certain models also include a 128, 256, or 512GB and up to 1TB HDD. Acer said in a press release that an access compartment in the bottom of the notebook "makes it easy to upgrade memory or storage."

The Predator Helios 300 will feature either 15.6" or 17.3" Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS display. It's cooled by the dual-fan AeroBlade 3D Fan system and comes with PredatorSense, which allows you to access real-time system information and manage overclocking, pre-installed. It also includes a USB 3.1 Type-C port, a USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, and an HDMI 2.0 connection, along with 2x2 802.11ac wireless and a Gigabit Ethernet port.

Acer also announced the Predator Triton 700, which boasts a Kaby Lake CPU, Nvidia 10-series GPU, and up to 32GB of DDR4-2400 memory. The company didn't specify what processor or graphics card will be used in the laptop--we suspect this is because numerous options will be available, but with a dearth of information in the company's announcement, press release, and website, it's hard to be sure.

Many of the Predator Helios 300's features (PredatorSense, a 15.6" Full HD IPS display, AeroBlade 3D Fan cooling) make a return on the Predator Triton 700. Acer also added a mechanical keyboard, Thunderbolt support, and Nvidia's G-Sync to its higher end offering. The Predator Triton 700 includes two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, an HDMI 2.0 port, and a DisplayPort connector. It also uses Killer DoubleShot Pro to automatically pick the best networking option between wired (via the Gigabit Ethernet port) and wireless (handled by the DoubleShot Pro) for high priority traffic.

Predator Helios 300 laptops with a 15.6" display will start at $1,299 and laptops with a 17.3" display will start at $1,399. Both will head to North America in July. The Predator Triton 700 will start at $2,999 when it debuts in North America in August.