Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD Review
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is a high-performance gaming laptop designed to deliver immersive gaming experiences. This laptop is equipped with powerful hardware and features, making it a great choice for serious gamers who demand the best performance.
Design and Build Quality
The design and build quality of the Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD are impressive and well-crafted to cater to the needs of gamers. The laptop is constructed with a sturdy metal chassis that is built to last. The sleek black design with red accents and predator logo on the back of the display gives it a stylish appearance.
The laptop’s hinge mechanism is solid and provides excellent support for the display. It can be opened and closed smoothly without any wobbling or shaking. The laptop’s weight is around 4.8kg, which is relatively heavy but is understandable considering its size and powerful hardware.
The keyboard and touchpad are ergonomically designed and have a comfortable and responsive feel. The keys are backlit with RGB lighting, which allows gamers to customize the colors and lighting effects according to their preference. The touchpad is large and has a smooth surface that provides accurate tracking and gesture control.
The design and build quality of the Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD are impressive and are built to last. The laptop’s sturdy construction and well-crafted design make it a perfect choice for gamers who want a reliable and stylish laptop.
Display and Audio
The display and audio of the Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD are impressive and deliver an immersive gaming experience.
Display
The laptop features a 17.3-inch Full HD IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The display is bright, vivid, and has excellent color accuracy, which is perfect for gaming, streaming, and content creation. The 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time ensure smooth gameplay with no ghosting or motion blur. The display also has NVIDIA G-Sync technology, which synchronizes the refresh rate of the display with the GPU’s output, resulting in a tear-free and smooth gaming experience.
Audio
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD has a robust audio system that delivers clear and powerful sound. The laptop has two speakers, a subwoofer, and Acer TrueHarmony and Waves MaxxAudio technology. The audio quality is well-balanced, with clear treble, deep bass, and immersive surround sound that provides an excellent gaming experience. The laptop also has a built-in microphone that provides clear voice recording and communication during gameplay.
The display and audio of the Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD are exceptional and deliver an immersive and engaging gaming experience. The display’s high refresh rate and excellent color accuracy, coupled with the laptop’s robust audio system, make it a perfect choice for gamers who demand the best audio-visual experience.
Performance and Hardware
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is equipped with powerful hardware that delivers exceptional performance for gaming and other demanding tasks.
Processor
The laptop is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 2700 eight-core processor with a base clock speed of 3.2 GHz and a maximum turbo frequency of 4.1 GHz. The processor is built on a 12nm manufacturing process and has 16 threads, which makes it perfect for multi-tasking and handling heavy workloads.
Graphics
The laptop features an AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 GPU with 8GB of dedicated GDDR5 VRAM. The graphics card provides excellent performance for gaming and other graphics-intensive applications. It can handle most modern games at high graphics settings with ease.
Memory and Storage
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD comes with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, which can be upgraded up to 64GB for more demanding applications. The laptop has two M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD slots, one of which comes pre-installed with a 256GB SSD. Additionally, it also has a 1TB HDD for extra storage.
Connectivity
The laptop has a comprehensive range of connectivity options, including Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, HDMI, DisplayPort, and audio jacks.
In summary, the Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is equipped with powerful hardware that delivers exceptional performance for gaming and other demanding tasks. The laptop’s eight-core processor, powerful graphics card, ample memory, and storage, and comprehensive range of connectivity options make it a perfect choice for gamers and professionals who require a high-performance laptop.
Cooling System and Battery Life
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is equipped with an advanced cooling system that efficiently dissipates heat generated by the powerful hardware.
Cooling System
The laptop features Acer’s patented AeroBlade 3D fan technology, which has thin metal blades that increase airflow and reduce noise. The laptop also has four copper heat pipes and two AeroBlade fans that work in tandem to keep the laptop cool during intensive gaming sessions. Additionally, the laptop has a CoolBoost technology that allows users to manually increase the fan speed for even better cooling performance.
Battery Life
The laptop’s battery life is average, with a 74Wh battery that provides around 3-4 hours of battery life under normal usage. However, during gaming, the battery life is significantly reduced due to the high power requirements of the hardware.
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is equipped with an advanced cooling system that efficiently dissipates heat generated by the powerful hardware. The laptop’s AeroBlade 3D fan technology, copper heat pipes, and CoolBoost technology work together to keep the laptop cool during intensive gaming sessions. However, the laptop’s battery life is average, and users should keep the laptop plugged in during extended gaming sessions for the best performance.
Gaming and VR Capabilities
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is a high-performance gaming laptop that delivers excellent gaming and VR capabilities.
Gaming Performance
The laptop’s powerful hardware, including the AMD Ryzen 7 2700 processor and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 GPU, provide excellent gaming performance. The laptop can handle most modern games at high graphics settings with ease. Additionally, the 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time of the display, along with the NVIDIA G-Sync technology, deliver smooth and tear-free gaming experience.
VR Capabilities
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is also capable of handling virtual reality (VR) applications. The laptop’s powerful hardware can handle most VR games and applications with ease. Additionally, the laptop has a VR-ready HDMI port that provides a smooth and stable connection to VR headsets.
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is a high-performance gaming laptop that delivers excellent gaming and VR capabilities. The laptop’s powerful hardware and advanced display technology provide a smooth and immersive gaming experience, while its VR-ready capabilities make it a perfect choice for gamers who want to experience the next level of gaming.
Connectivity and Ports
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD offers a comprehensive range of connectivity options and ports.
Connectivity
The laptop supports Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity. It also has an RJ-45 LAN port for wired Ethernet connectivity. The Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity options provide high-speed internet connectivity, making it perfect for online gaming and streaming.
Ports
The laptop has a wide range of ports for connecting various peripherals and devices. It has three USB 3.1 Type-A ports, two USB 3.1 Type-C ports (Thunderbolt 3), an HDMI port, a DisplayPort, and an audio jack. Additionally, the laptop also has an SD card reader that supports SD, SDXC, and SDHC cards.
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD offers a comprehensive range of connectivity options and ports. The laptop’s Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 5.0 support provide high-speed wireless connectivity, while the range of USB and Thunderbolt ports make it easy to connect various peripherals and devices. The laptop’s SD card reader adds to its versatility, making it a perfect choice for content creators and professionals who require a wide range of connectivity options.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD features a full-sized backlit keyboard and a precision touchpad that provide an excellent typing and navigation experience.
Keyboard
The laptop’s keyboard is spacious and has a full-sized numeric keypad, making it ideal for gamers and professionals who require a lot of data input. The keys have a tactile feel and offer good feedback, making typing comfortable and accurate. The keyboard is also backlit with customizable RGB lighting, allowing users to customize the lighting effects to suit their preferences.
Touchpad
The laptop’s touchpad is responsive and precise, providing accurate cursor control and multi-touch gestures. The touchpad supports Windows Precision drivers, allowing users to customize the gestures and settings to their preferences. The laptop also has a dedicated button above the touchpad that allows users to disable the touchpad when using an external mouse.
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD features a full-sized backlit keyboard and a precision touchpad that provide an excellent typing and navigation experience. The keyboard’s spacious layout and tactile keys make it ideal for gamers and professionals who require a lot of data input, while the touchpad’s responsiveness and precision make it easy to navigate the operating system and applications. Overall, the keyboard and touchpad on the Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD are excellent and make for a great user experience.
Software and User Interface
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD runs on Windows 10 Home operating system and comes with pre-installed software that enhances the user experience.
Software
The laptop comes with a range of pre-installed software, including Acer PredatorSense software that allows users to monitor and adjust the laptop’s fan speed, lighting, and overclocking settings. The laptop also has Killer Control Center software that optimizes internet connectivity for gaming and streaming.
User Interface
The laptop’s user interface is clean and intuitive, with a simple layout that makes it easy to navigate. The operating system’s interface is customizable, allowing users to personalize the desktop and taskbar to their preferences. The laptop also has a dedicated Turbo button that allows users to quickly boost the performance of the laptop for intensive tasks.
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD runs on the Windows 10 Home operating system and comes with pre-installed software that enhances the user experience. The laptop’s user interface is clean and intuitive, and the operating system’s customizable interface allows users to personalize the desktop and taskbar to their preferences. Additionally, the laptop’s dedicated Turbo button and pre-installed software, including Acer PredatorSense and Killer Control Center, make it easy to monitor and adjust the laptop’s performance and connectivity settings.
Price and Value for Money
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is a high-end gaming laptop that comes with top-of-the-line hardware and features, making it one of the most powerful laptops in its category. With a price range of around $2,000 to $2,500, the laptop is relatively expensive compared to other gaming laptops in the market. However, its high-end hardware and features make it a great value for money option for gamers and professionals who require a powerful laptop for intensive tasks.
The laptop’s AMD Ryzen 7 2700 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD storage combination provide excellent performance for gaming and intensive tasks. The laptop’s 17.3-inch Full HD IPS display, high-quality audio, and advanced cooling system also make it a great option for gamers who require a high-quality audio-visual experience.
In summary, the Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is an expensive gaming laptop that offers excellent value for money. Its high-end hardware and features make it one of the most powerful laptops in its category, and its advanced cooling system, audio-visual experience, and customizable RGB lighting add to its overall appeal. Overall, if you are looking for a powerful gaming laptop with top-of-the-line features and are willing to invest in it, the Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is an excellent option.
Conclusion
The Acer Predator Helios 500 17 AMD is a high-end gaming laptop that offers top-of-the-line hardware and features. Its AMD Ryzen 7 2700 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD storage combination provide excellent performance for gaming and intensive tasks. The laptop’s 17.3-inch Full HD IPS display, high-quality audio, and advanced cooling system also make it a great option for gamers who require a high-quality audio-visual experience.
