Speaking of gaming rigs, and especially gaming laptops, the main thing you must understand is that they don’t come cheap. The price of high-end components skyrocketed, especially graphic cards, hence this laptop will put a big dent in your bank account, as it retails for more than $1500.

However, it must be noted that the Predator Helios boasts impressive hardware under the hood, things like a 10th gen Intel 6-Core i7-10750H CPU, a GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GPU, 16GB of RAM/512 GB SSD, and even a gaming-centric FHD IPS 144Hz display.

What does it mean? Well, to put it simply, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is not only an excellent gaming rig, but it can also be used for productive (as in money making) purposes, like video editing and graphic design, which makes it the best of both worlds.

So, you can spend a ton of money on this toy under the pretense that, at some point, you’ll start making money with it. This is a cool argument to use if it is your parents sponsoring your shopping endeavors.

Before proceeding with the review, always remember to take proper care of your gaming laptop if you want to prolong its life, and to do so, we would recommend you to read this article carefully.

What it is

Acer managed to insert firmly into the “best bang for the buck” market niche due to its reasonably priced products. The Predator Helios is a true-blue gaming laptop, which offers an interesting mélange of muscle, storage potential and screen speed for all your gaming needs.

It’s also true that buying a high end gaming laptop is more expensive this year than it was in 2020, and that’s due to cryptocurrency miners who are buying GPUs like there’s no tomorrow, hence the relatively steep price of this Acer machine, which costs $200 more compared to last year’s model.

The main difference between the Predator Helios 300 of last year and the current one is the Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 30 Series “Ampere” graphics. Truth be told, this GPU is much better as it dramatically improves gaming performance, and that’s why this laptop won a lot of awards this year.

Serious Gaming Laptop

The Acer Predator Helios 300 looks and feels like a gaming beast, due to its all-black chassis, aggressive rear-cooling vents and, most importantly, its red/turquoise (is that a color?) backlit Predator logo staring at you on the lid.

However, the design of the Predator is rather mainstream than radical, at least compared to Alienware stuff, which means it could be safely taken at work without raising eyebrows. Basically, the Acer is designed for a more mature vibe in order to appeal to a mass audience, and that’s a big plus in our book.

The Predator Helios 300 is average in size for a 15.6 gaming laptop, as it measures 0.9’’ by 14.3’’ by 10’’ (HWD), and weighs 4.85 pounds, which is respectable yet acceptable for its screen real estate. Always remember kids: heavy is good, heavy is reliable; and by the way, the Alienware R4 weighs more, 5.3 pounds respectively.

In terms of build quality, the Helios 300 boasts a partial aluminum design, but we would’ve loved a full-aluminum style, just like similarly priced rivals. Aluminum is great for dissipating heat, and also lasts forever compared to plastic, but that’s how life is.

To be more precise, the Helios 300 uses aluminum for the palm rest, the lid and keyboard deck, which means it’s not impressive in terms of build quality, but it’s decent. The chassis has good torsional rigidity, with minimal flex (the same goes for the lid), and speaking of the lid, you can open it with one hand.

Display

Display quality is a deal-breaker in a gaming/productivity laptop, but the Helios 300 really shines in terms of image quality. Everything looks great on the high-refresh-rate 144 Hz FPS screen, and the laptop can easily reach triple digit frame rates in Esport games.

The FPS panel has wide viewing angles, ample brightness, an anti-glare coating and it’s rated at covering 100 percent of the RGB color space, for vibrant visuals and silky smooth pictures.

Keyboard

Since the word of the day is colorful diversity, the same goes for the true RGB keyboard, with 4-zone RGB. You can use Acer’s PredatorSense application to control the RGB thing for each zone, and there’s even a dedicated physical button on the number pad that starts the app.

It’s true that you don’t have per-key backlighting customization, which is available on more costly gaming rigs, but the endless colors on four zones should be more than enough for the average gamer. The app also allows you to save profiles.

The keyboard is gaming-focused, with a long enough throw, and a thicker border on the arrow key clusters as well as on the WASD, which makes them appear brighter. However, the typing experience is not the best out there, or, to put it differently, it’s not great, not terrible.

Touchpad

Acer chose a smooth surface buttonless touchpad for the Helios 300, which makes it very easy to use and very precise due to its stiff physical key action that obliterates accidental presses. If you want to use an external mouse, like real gamers do, you can disable the touchpad easily by pressing Fn + F7.

Connectivity

The 10th gen Comet Lake CPU does not support Thunderbolt 4, yet the laptop offers a more than adequate port selection, including 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports@5 Gbps on the left side, a Killer E2600 2.5Gbps Ethernet jack, and an audio combo jack.

You also get a Killer AX1650i wireless card, which supports Killer DoubleShot Pro, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5. Basically, the laptop can prioritize game traffic over Ethernet, while the Wi-Fi can be used for anything else.

The right edge harbors USB Type-A and Type-C ports of the 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) variety, and you can charge devices on these babies even when the laptop is shut down. Acer also provided HDMI 2.0b and mini DisplayPort 1.4 video outputs, which is nice.

Performance

Gaming performance is on par with what’s expected from what’s under the hood, but the Helios 300 features built-in GPU overclocking via a Turbo button, even if the laptop gets noticeably louder in Turbo mode.

Speaking of which, the Turbo augmentation will provide an 8 to 10 percent jump in performance, and that’s not bad. The battery will last 7 and a half hours, which makes the laptop more than practical for traveling.

Miscellaneous stuff

There are no biometric features in the Helios 300, the likes of face recognition or fingerprint reader. The 720p webcam is of average quality and lacks a privacy shutter, but you can always use a piece of duct tape if you want to prevent Mark Zuckerberg from spying you while watching Anime.

Joke aside, this is not a business laptop, hence it’s kind of normal for Acer to not obsess over security features, in order to keep the price down. As in, we don’t hold the lack of security features against them.

On the bright side, the laptop has good-sounding speakers, and the two heavy-duty fans we told you about do a great job with keeping the laptop cool during extended gaming sessions. The best thing about the cooling design is that it keeps the noise down, as Acer did a bang-up job with minimizing motor and fan whine noises.

You can also control fan behavior from the PredatorSense app, which is kind of cool. Another thing worth mentioning is that end users can easily upgrade the Helios 300, as the laptop provides quick access to its 2x M.2 SSD slots (one occupied from the factory) and the 2.5-inch drive bay.

The RAM is also easy to upgrade, as the system accepts up to 2x 32 GB modules (it comes loaded with 2×8 GB from the factory). This trick is impossible in soldered RAM laptop models.

Bottom line

The 2021 version of the venerable Acer Predator Helios 300 offers solid performance and a smooth 144 Hz display, good port selection and a cool overclocking button, which makes it stand out against its similarly priced rivals. If you can get over the partial metal design and the lack of security features, you’ll end up with a great deal.

Even if it may be hard to believe given its size, this is basically a desktop replacement that can be carried anywhere, i.e. if you can live with the price tag, which is ample, you’ll end up with a fantastic laptop powered by Intel’s latest mobile CPUs.

Speaking of which, this particular model comes with an 11th gen CORE i7 1165G7 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, 1 TB SSD (!), Alexa built-in if you care about that, and a fantastic 11 hours battery, not to mention a gorgeous 16’’ WQXGA (2560×1600) display.

The cherry on the cake is this: despite its stellar specs and huge 16:10 display (okay, we are exaggerating a little bit for dramatic effect), this laptop weighs less than a 13’’. The only thing that we can complain about is the design, which is a little boring for a laptop from the future, but we’re only cherry-picking.

What is it

The LG Gram is built to maximize screen real estate without sacrificing weight in the process. To give you an idea, this laptop has the same screen size and resolution as a MacBook Pro 16’’, but due to its state-of-the-art magnesium alloy chassis, it weighs an incredible 1.16 kg or 2.6 lb, which is way lighter than the MacBook.

To be more precise, it’s 1.6 lb lighter and this is nothing short of amazing. The 16Z90P is also the latest iteration of the LG Gram, which makes for LG’s ultra-thin and light laptop range. There are also 14’’ and 17’’ variants as well, but the 16’’ hits the sweet spot in our book.

Moreover, the LG Gram 16 (2021) is an Intel Evo-certified laptop, which means it’s the next step in laptop design.

Specs

• CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-1165G7 (4-core, 12MB Intel Smart Cache, up to 4.7GHz with Turbo Boost)
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
• RAM: 16GB LPDDR4X (4,266MHz)
• Screen: 16-inch WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) IPS LCD
• Storage: 1TB SSD (PCIe, NVMe, M.2)
• Ports: 2x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, 2 x USB-A 3.2, 1x HDMI, 1 x microSD card reader, combi audio jack
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
• Camera: 720p webcam
• Weight: 2.62 pounds (1.18kg)
• Size: 14.01 x 9.58 x 0.66-inches (355.9 x 243.4 x 16.8 mm; W x D x H)

Short Overview

At first sight, and especially after you pick it up for the first time, you’ll be flabbergasted with how light this laptop is. Until you physically hold it, you won’t really comprehend how incredibly light this machine is in real life. The 16’’ screen offers more than enough workspace without becoming too big, and since we’re talking Intel Evo, the Gram works smooth in everyday tasks.

Everything loads instantly, and even Windows 10 boots very fast. Due to its built-in fingerprint sensor, you can log in just by pressing the power button, and we must say that as far as productivity goes, this is a very accomplished laptop, i.e. it’s perfect for productivity-oriented people, or even for students shopping for something cool for school.

The laptop has no less than four Thunderbolt ports, which translates into future-proof cutting-edge support for high-end peripherals and storage. There are plenty other ports though, including full-size HDMI and USB for older devices, which is very nice on LG’s part.

Battery life is another strong point of this laptop, as 11 hours of autonomy is kind of hot for a 16’’ Windows 10 running machine. Speaking of battery life, don’t forget to read our article about how to care for your laptop’s battery.

As we already told you, we only complain about the dull design of this laptop from the future, and the preinstalled bloatware/software, which often spams pop-up messages trying to persuade you into buying nonsense subscriptions.

Design

As the Gram name suggests, this LG laptop’s main selling point is its incredible 2.6 pounds of weight, which makes it arguably the lightest 16’’ machine on the market. As we already told you, the LG Gram is almost half the weight of the Apple MacBook Pro (16’’ 2019 model).

The laptop can be effortlessly carried around in one hand due to its ultra-low weight, and if you carry it in a backpack or a bag, you will forget it’s there. The LG Gram is proof of concept that you don’t have to settle for a 13’’ laptop if you want something feather-light, and that screen size doesn’t matter in terms of overall weight.

The caveat to all these impressive features is the price, but if you can live with that, it doesn’t get any better than the LG Gram. Another thing to contemplate is that despite its lightness, this laptop is far from delicate. The Gram boasts a full metal chassis with impressive torsional rigidity, and passes the MIL-STD-810G military standard for durability.

So, don’t let its lightness full you: this baby is hard as a rock, as it’s built from the same material used by the aircraft industry. You can make spaceships from magnesium alloy, which means the LG Gram can survive drops and knocks, as well as dust, vibrations and high/low temps without breaking a sweat.

The laptop measures 14.01 x 9.58 x 0.66-inches (355.9 x 243.4 x 16.8 mm), i.e. it’s far from being compact, but will fit any bag without issue.

Connectivity is top-notch, including 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB C ports, 2x USB 3.2 and a microSD.

Display

The 16’’ display is also a big selling point for the LG Gram, due to its high resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio and thin bezels. Image quality is awesome, and the 2,56t0 x 1,600 WQXGA resolution panel supports 99% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which makes it ideal for video editing.

Speaking of which, the laptop meets and exceeds the industry standard used by video editors, which means color reproduction is highly accurate, not only bright and vibrant.

Keyboard

The keyboard is more than adequate for avid typists, i.e. it’s comfortable, ideal in size and has almost perfect key travel; obviously, the keys are backlit, but you can’t change the light color.

Performance

The laptop boasts Intel Evo certification, and performs nicely in daily tasks, such as web browsing, document creation and so on. The 16:10 ratio screen is perfect for portrait documents, even if it’s kind of reflective due to its glossy finish.

Keep in mind that the LG Gram is not designed to be a gaming laptop or a workhorse, but for general use, it’s just awesome. For example, you can perform video editing in 4K resolution with ease, as well as photo editing, which makes this laptop a worthwhile investment for both work and school.

Final word

If you can live with the price tag, this laptop is the best ultra-lightweight machine on the market, easy to carry around, highly portable and packs a lot of heat under the hood so to speak. However, the LG is not suited for gaming, as its integrated graphics cannot deal with modern titles.

As usual with gaming laptops, the TUF FX505GT can be used as a workhorse in various scenarios, not only gaming. Considering the hardware inside, this TUF beast would do a great job on video editing tasks, i.e. the last-gen Intel I7 CPU and the nVidia GTX 1650 4GB GPU would not disappoint the pickiest editor.

Moreover, the Asus TUF FX505GT is a great choice for graphic designers looking for a “value for money” oriented rig, so there you have it: this gaming laptop is the definition of jack of all trades, master of none. As in, it does a great job in gaming, video editing, graphic design, what have you, but it’s not “the best in the world”, and that’s pretty obvious considering the price tag.

As long as you don’t expect miracles from this machine, you’ll not be disappointed. However, if you want to squeeze the last ounce of performance from your laptop and enhance its life-span, don’t forget to buy a high-performance cooling pad.

Specs

• CPU: 9th Generation Intel Hexa-Core i7-9750H (Base 2.60 GHz, Up to 4.50 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 12 MB Intel Smart Cache, 12 Threads)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 with 4GB GDDR4
• Display: 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) LED IPS 144 Hz, 5ms response time
• RAM/Storage: 8GB RAM I 512GB SSD
• Connectivity: 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 1 USB 2.0 1 HDMI 1 RJ-45 LAN (10/100/1000) 1 Headphone/microphone combo jack
• Other: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit), 720p HD webcam, Gigabit Wave 2 Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) with Bluetooth 5.0, RGB backlit keyboard rated for 20-million keystroke durability, DTS Headphone: X technology delivers high-fidelity 7.1-channel virtual surround-sound audio, up to 8 hours battery life

By the way, while we’re at it, don’t forget to check out this article about the main features and specifications to look after before buying a new laptop.

What it is

As we already told you in the preamble, the Asus TUF FX505GT is an interesting mélange of performance and features, all packed inside a nice chassis at a relatively affordable price. If you’re looking for the best bang for the buck, this gaming laptop should definitely rank high on your shopping list.

However, it must be noted that Asus had to cut a few corners with this laptop, in order to keep performance high. What they did was to basically sacrifice build quality and portability, so be advised: this is not a “premium” laptop, but a workhorse, and you may notice some squeaks when pressing hard on the chassis.

Build quality

We’ll give this laptop a passing note, let’s say a C+ in terms of build quality. The thing is, Asus did an “all plastic” job with the Asus TUF FX505GT, as in everything is plastic except from the aluminum lid. However, the laptop is relatively robust and feels solid compared to cheaper alternatives. But, we must tell you that if pushed hard, the keyboard has a noticeable flex.

Yet, for a cheap gaming laptop, everything looks and feels rather nice. Design-wise, the TUF looks pretty much middle of the road for a gaming laptop; truth be told, the Asus looks relatively somber for a gaming laptop, which means you can take it with you anywhere, without vexing your boomer boss, and that’s a plus in our book.

To be more specific, the laptop has cut corners and a relatively aggressive trapezoid cut lid, but that’s about all there is to it in terms of “gaming design”.

Processing power

Considering what’s under the hood, i.e. the laptop being powered by a 9th gen Intel Core i7-9750H CPU, which can be found in more expensive gaming laptops, everything is on the up and up in terms of performance. This is a 6-core (hexa core) processor, with 12 threads and 12 MB of cache, a base frequency of 2.6 Ghz up to 4.5 Ghz in turbo mode.

Before you ask, that’s very good, and if you want to learn more about this CPU, just check out how it does against a Ryzen 7 3750 in this benchmark. If you are not impressed, stop reading and go make me a sandwich. Joke aside, the Intel does better than the AMD in terms of performance output, but it eats more juice.

System memory

The 8 GB of DDR4-2666MHz RAM are pretty good for an everyday gaming laptop, though 16 GB would be much better. Don’t worry, as upgrades are possible without voiding warranty, but you’ll have to cough up some dough in the process.

You can put up to 32 GB of RAM in this laptop, but 16 GB provide the best gaming experience for the price.

Storage

This part is not particularly important in a gaming laptop, the storage thing respectively, as different people have different needs, and you can always buy an external drive there’s not enough space. However, Asus did a good job in this regard, as the laptop arrives with a generous M.2 512-gigabyte PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive, and that means you can upgrade storage space via the 2.5″ slot, i.e. you can put an extra SSD inside.

Graphics

For the price, Asus did a great job with putting a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (4 GB) inside, which is miles ahead compared to what its competitors offer at a similar price point. If you want to know what this GPU is capable of, just check out this benchmark and stand in awe.

To be more specific in terms of GPU performance, here are the frame rates that can be expected from this baby, on FHD resolution and ultra-high settings: GTA 5 : 60+ fps, CS:GO: 60+ fps, Minecraft: 60+ fps, Fortnite: 60+ fps, i.e. these games will run smoothly out-of-the-box.

If you follow our advice and upgrade the machine with extra RAM (16 GB instead of 8 GB stock), you’ll be able to play Forza Horizon 4@40 fps, Far Cry 5@ 50 fps, or Call of Duty WWII@ 40 fps.

Display

Here’s where this laptop really shines: the 15.6″ 120Hz IPS FHD slim bezel display. We dare you to find another gaming laptop in this price category to offer 120Hz. Gaming is an immersive experience on this excellent display, with less blur, less latency, and increased sharpness, which make this laptop to be a tier above its direct competitors.

Connectivity

The Asus TUF FX505GT is relatively weird in terms of connectivity options, as in, for whatever reason, Asus decided to not offer a USB Type C slot, and instead relying on ancient USB 2.0. This is most probably cost-cutting at its best, but come on…

All the ports are located on the left side of the laptop, and we must emphasize the fact that the laptop comes with a beefy (as in high-speed) Gigabit Ethernet LAN card, as well as 802.11ac wireless and Bluetooth 4.2., which is pretty standard.

Battery life/Portability

As expected, gaming laptops are not the best choice if you’re looking for an “every day carry” machine. This machine is not designed for daily commuting or long trips, as it weighs almost 5 pounds and it’s relatively thick. Battery life is not impressive, as expected, as the laptop comes with a puny 3-cell, 48Whr Li-Polymer battery pack which is mediocre at best in terms of autonomy.

Bottom line

For the price, this laptop is tough to bit and an easy sell for us. If you’re looking for a solid gaming/video editing laptop, the TUF FX505GT is easy to recommend, especially if you’re on a tight budget. If you can live with its downsides, i.e. poor battery life, reduced portability and all-plastic construction, not to mention the lack of USB Type C ports, just go for it.

In terms of gaming/productivity, you will enjoy the strong CPU-SSD-GPU combo, plus the fantastic display quality, and if you go for the RAM upgrade, this laptop is unbeatable at its current price.

Acer is one of the main players in the “best bang for the buck” category, and they excel in offering amazing value for money gaming laptops, specially designed for nerds who spend most of their lives shooting stuff.

Since the Nitro 5 retails for way less than one thousand bucks, it would make for an excellent addition to your gaming paraphernalia due to its solid hardware platform and gaming-centric design, which will definitely win the hearts and minds of keyboard warriors under a certain age.

Seriously speaking, this gaming laptop means business both inside and out, as it’s powered by a 10th generation Intel Core I5 10300H, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU.

As usual, when it comes to high-powered laptops, the Nitro 5 can be used successfully not only for gaming. Considering the hardware inside, this machine will also do a great job with video editing tasks, as well as making for a solid tool for graphic designers looking for a “value for money” oriented rig, so there you have it: the Nitro 5 will do great in both gaming, video editing, graphic design, what have you.

There’s one caveat though: as long as you don’t expect miracles from this Asus ROG lookalike, you’ll not be disappointed, i.e. this is an I5 powered laptop after all, also known as aurea mediocritas.

Finally, if you want to squeeze the last ounce of performance from your gaming rig and enhance its lifespan, don’t forget to buy a high-performance cooling pad.

Specs

• CPU: 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10300H Processor (Up to 4.5GHz)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Graphics with 4 GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM
• Display: 15″ Full HD Widescreen IPS LED-backlit 144Hz Refresh Display
• RAM/Storage: 8GB DDR4 2933MHz Memory | 256GB NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots – 1 Slot Open for Easy Upgrades) & 1 – Available Hard Drive Bay
• Connectivity: LAN: Killer Ethernet E2600 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN | Wireless: Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802.11ax

While we’re at it, check out this article about the main features and specifications to look after before buying a new laptop.

What it is

To define it succinctly, the Acer Nitro 5 is a competent rig aimed at budget gamers, making for Acer’s latest stab at the budget laptop gaming scene. The current price of the Nitro 5 revolves around $700, give or take, in this particular spec option.

Even if it is a relatively cheap gaming laptop, it can be used for playing the more demanding games, which means the Nitro 5 delivers more for less (money), making for a solid gaming rig with decently powerful specifications, an average full HD display, a comfy keyboard, and, most importantly, it features Acer CoolBoost Technology with Twin Fans and Quad Exhaust Ports Design which keeps it cool under heavy loads.

Design

To make a long story short, the Nitro 5 design is not great, not terrible, to quote from the classics. To be more precise, there’s a lot to be desired with the Nitro 5 in terms of look and feel, but it’s not all bad. For example, some folks will appreciate the laptop’s subdued gamer look, courtesy of its blood-red trimmings on the top rear bar, trackpad and keyboard backlight.

The display hinges are well built and solid, and there are more than enough ports to accommodate your gaming gear. The red keyboard is very comfortable, and that’s a big plus in our book, while the user-controllable cooling system is a boon.

But, the overall design/build quality of the Nitro 5 is nothing to write home about really. The design borrows heavily from Asus ROG machines, and there are many cutbacks, in order to keep the price down. For example, the screen lid is all plastic (cheap plastic actually), the area around the keyboard track and the top cover will draw fingerprints like crazy, and the display has enormous bezels around it.

The worst of all is the trackpad, which is ridiculous. Finally, the laptop measures 0.94 by 14.3 by 10 inches, and weighs 5.5 pounds, which is average for a 15.6 incher.

Keyboard

The keyboard scores a major win for the Nitro 5, being comfortable and reliable, responsive and fast, with zero lag, or missed/accidental presses. Needless to say, this keyboard will please both hardcore gamers and avid typists, thus making for a nice surprise in the laptop’s price bracket.

Trackpad

As we already told you, this laptop is all about hits and misses, and the trackpad is a definite miss, by a mile actually. We don’t understand why they bothered at all with putting a substandard trackpad on this laptop, as it’s literally useless, very stiff and with a lot of travel, not to mention poorly designed.

Be advised: you will not be able to use this laptop without a proper mouse.

Display & general performance

We gave good news in this department: the display is a full HD IPS variant with 144 Hz refresh rate, which makes it excellent for gaming, especially FPS stuff. The screen features a non-reflective matte finish, which is a nice touch from Acer, and the hinges allow it to move 150 degrees, with everything feeling solid and sans wobble.

The IPS panel is fairly sharp, with decent viewing angles. The 144 Hz refresh rate also makes moving around Windows super-smooth, and the display has a listed 3 ms refresh rate, which is kind of good. Finally, the display is Freesync compatible, which means it supports variable refresh rate.

Here’s a quick word for professionals looking for a laptop gaming with video editing on the side: just 59 percent of sRGB color space is covered, which means this is not droid you are looking for in terms of critical colorwork. However, even if the display is far from impressive in terms of color reproduction and color uniformity, it’s more than adequate for general use.

Performance-wise, the laptop does well, but not stellar (this is not an I7), and the SSD provides fast loading speeds. To give you a hint, you can play Assassins Creed Valhalla on mid-to-high settings with 40 to 60 fps, provided you upgrade the RAM amount to 16 GB.

Battery life

Truth be told, battery life is bad, but that’s to be expected from a gaming laptop with a high-performance GPU and dual cooling. These things put a lot of pressure on battery, and even if you can use software to adjust fan speeds for both CPU and GPU, you won’t get more than 2 and a half-hour of uptime on battery power.

Yet, this is to be expected from a cheap gaming laptop, so overall, this is a feature, not a bug .

Bottom line

All things considered, the Acer Nitro 5 offers impressive value for money: the hardware inside if pretty good for both gaming and productivity tasks (making money that is), the keyboard is very good, the screen is more than acceptable, and you can get true 60fps gaming if you dial back the image settings a little bit.

If you’re a “financially challenged gamer”, the Acer Nitro 5 can be your panacea.

A Discrete, More Basic Mouse that Has a Lot to Offer

Acer Predator Cestus 315 is an affordable, well-built gaming mouse, devoted to mainstream gamers and devoid of unnecessary features, such as shinny RGB lighting. This is a more basic mouse, with a solid 6500 DPI sensor, eight programmable buttons, and accurate and reliable performance that makes it suitable for users that are looking for a solid gaming mouse for their casual gaming adventures.

Specifications

Form factor: Right-handed
Connectivity: Wired
Sensor: Pixar 3325 Optical Sensor
Switches: Razer Optical (2nd-gen)
Buttons: 8 programmable buttons
DPI: 6,500
Weight: 135 grams
Dimensions: Length 136 mm, Height 40 mm, Width 72 mm, Grip Width 69 mm
RGB lighting: Customizable Chroma RGB lighting

Features

A gaming mouse doesn’t have to be packed with a ton of features to be good, and Acer Predator Cestus 315 is the proof of that. This mouse offers just the right amount of everything needed for a good user experience and performance, and presents a solid option for gamers that are not willing to spend a fortune on their gaming gear, yet want to experience more-than-decent gaming.

Simply, this mouse has a lot to offer: it comes with a very accurate Pixart 3325 Optical 6500 DPI sensor and eight programmable buttons, which isn’t much; however, they all come with a Burst Fire mode enabled, which will certainly be appreciated by a large number of FPS fans.

Also, this mouse has a four-level DPI shift button that allows for a quick DPI change and ease of adaptation to the current requirements, whether that is gaming, office work, or entertainment. Moreover, its button switches provide 10-million-clicks durability, while the mouse itself offers 20G acceleration and low 1ms latency, which is more than reasonable for this mouse’s price range.

Usage

When talking about the usage, it should be stated that the Acer Predator Cestus 315 doesn’t provide the premium performance of the best gaming mice, but it will give you a decent performance that should please the majority of mainstream users.

This mouse is comfortable to use and suitable even for people with large hands. It is responsive and it offers easy gliding, without snagging, while it also has solid accuracy and ease of use, empowered by its plug-and-play functionality. However, its DPI button location isn’t the perfect one and you will have troubles reaching it, while the double-tap button at the lower left side of the mouse, next to your thumb (trigger button), can give you additional problems and can be unintentionally activated, due to its excessive sensibility, which is generally a characteristic of Predator Cestus 315 buttons.

In the FPS encounters, this mouse offers smooth gameplay, devoid of latency, tracking, and aiming issues, while offering much-needed precision and generally pleasing performance for its price range.

Design

Acer Predator Cestus 315 has a large, narrow ergonomic body that allows for comfortable, strain-free use and makes it suitable for people with large or medium hands. This mouse is made of matt plastic, with textured sides that provide a better grip and additional stability, while its lightweight design (135g) makes it acceptable even for traveling.

The mouse itself is equipped with eight programmable buttons that include traditional left and right buttons, as well as a nice rolling scroll wheel on top. Also, there are two DPI buttons located in the left corner of the mouse, as well as forward/reverse buttons (they become weapons buttons when gaming) and a not-that-great-located quick trigger button, also on the left side of the mouse.

As already mentioned, the buttons themselves are pretty sensitive and are rated at 10 million clicks, which isn’t impressive; however, considering the price, it is more than acceptable.

When talking about RGB lighting, its existence is limited to the logo located at the top of the mouse, which changes color following the DPI mode selected, and offers a cool and bright light that presents a nice addition to the otherwise pretty discrete design.

Acer Predator Cestus 315 cable is braided and of good quality; therefore, forget about tangling and expect decent longevity from it.

Good

Although this is a budget-friendly mouse, with certain limitations, its list of positives isn’t at all short. There are very good Pixart 3325 Optical 6500 DPI sensors, eight programmable buttons, with Burst Fire mode and a dedicated trigger button.

The build quality of the mouse is more than decent, and it offers no creaking or loose parts, while its design makes it comfortable to use and suitable even for large hand users.

Acer Predator Cestus 315 comes with plug-and-play functionality, and pretty decent button placement, although not perfect, mostly because of the tricky location of the trigger button.

Moreover, its performance is more than satisfying and offers good accuracy and responsiveness that should satisfy most FPS players.

Bad

Thankfully, the Acer Predator Cestus 315 list of cons is a rather short one and, in the first place, it involves a lack of companion software that would allow its easy customization, and you are forced to spend a lot of time finding a complementary one that will allow for such changes.

Another thing that isn’t that great about this device is its performance, which, although good, isn’t a match for many mice in its class that simply outperform it. On top of that, there is also a problematic trigger button placement, as well as generally oversensitive buttons that may cause unwanted action, and make you anxious during intense gaming moments.

In other words, Acer Predator Cestus 315 is a pretty good gaming mouse; however, it’s not perfect, which is expected considering its price, and it’s something you have to live with if a budget-friendly price is one of your key requirements.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Acer Predator Cestus 315 is a good mouse that brings a decent value for the price, yet it isn’t great and comes with a couple of downsides that may present a real inconvenience for many users. In the first place, that involves its lack of adequate customization software, as well as the fact that for you can get a whole bunch of better-performing gaming mice its price.

Therefore, if you are after a good, but not great mouse that will bring you a lot of fun and some handy features, such as a trigger button, this mouse should be your choice. However, if you are looking to get the most for your money, some other budget-friendly mice might be a better option.

Image Source: Dell

The Alienware 17 is too big of a rig for them, the Alienware 15 provides a smaller alternative without having to compromise on gaming experience or any other features.

Alienware 15 Design

This gaming laptop boasts a 25 percent reduction in thickness from previous models and a wider design as a result.

It’s made of anodized aluminum and magnesium alloy, topped off with steel reinforcements. It’s got a hinge-forward that is said to improve thermal management and contribute to the Alienware 15’s thinness. But, while it does look much sleeker than previous models, it is still the heaviest gaming laptop in its class weighing 7.1 pounds at measurements of 15.2 x 10.6 x 0.9.

However, despite that, this gaming laptop is incredibly attractive and eye-catching. The outside of the laptop is gray anodized aluminum while the inside is black plastic. It features the iconic Alienware logo: the glowing alien head both on the center of the lid and above the keyboard. Customizable LED strips attract the eye to these glowing features.

This laptop is also packed with ports. On the left side, it’s got two USB 3.0 ports, separate jacks for headset, microphone and power and a Noble Lock slot. To the right of the laptop, it has a USB Type-C port, another USB 3.0 port, a 3-in-1 card reader and a Gigabit Ethernet port. It also has ports at the back, including an HDMI port and a designated port for Alienware’s special graphics amplifier.

Alienware 15 Display

The display is a 15-inch, 1920 x 1080 matte display with anti-glare. It comes in both an FHD option and a UHD but the FHD option provides some pretty lackluster quality. It supports Nvidia’s G-Sync technology, for automatically reducing screen tearing and has 222 nits of brightness. It has an unimpressive 60 percent sRGB gamut which is well below the average for gaming laptops of the same kind.

The display has been said by some to lack vividness in gameplay and movie playback.

Alienware 15 Gaming and Graphics Features

In terms of gaming and graphics quality, the Alienware 15 holds its ground as one of the best gaming laptops. The 2015 model, the Alienware R2, ran on a Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M GPU with 3GB of VRAM which provided steady, playable 30 frames per second on ultra, 42 fps on high and 49 fps on medium settings. The 2016 version, however, runs on a new Nvidia GTX 1060 card which provides significant increases in overall and gaming performance.

When performing less challenging tasks such as watching videos or surfing the web, the Alienware 15 will switch to an Intel HD Graphics 530 GPU in an effort to save energy and reduce the heat of the laptop. The great thing about the Alienware 15 is that it is also VR ready and gameplay runs smoothly.

The graphics amplifier, in which Alienware is currently the only brand selling such a thing right now, provides gamers with the option of upgradable graphics, add dual-wide graphics and 4 additional USB 3.0 ports. This makes the Alienware laptop future-proof for upcoming improvements in CPU graphics as time goes on.

Alienware 15 Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on this gaming laptop is large, black and has a soft-touch finish with 2.2 millimeters of key travel and 65 grams of force required to press. It is a new TactX model with an N-key rollover that enables over 108-key commands. It provides a fairly fast wpm rate and good accuracy, with a bright backlight that enables you to see the keys in dimly lit rooms.

The touchpad is equally as impressive. It is a large, 3.8 x 2.1-inch touchpad with a silky surface that provides rapid and accurate responses to all actions such as two-finger scrolling, three-finger swiping and four-finger tapping.

Alienware 15 Audio

The audio quality on this laptop is good, providing loud, clear and crisp sound during gameplay. This is a testimony to its upgraded design that provides a larger and more effective speaker box, as it is claimed on Dell Alienware 15 specifications and features tab on their website.

Alienware 15 Battery Life

The Alienware 15’s battery life is impressive not just in relation to previous models but also in relation to other gaming laptops that Alienware is in competition with. It boasts an incredible 11 hours of battery life but has been tested to last a solid 7 hours and 13 minutes of continuous web surfing on Wi-Fi.

The bottom line is that the Alienware 15 is a stand-out gaming laptop for its sleek, attractive, eye-catching design that can be customized to the gamer’s personality and preferences. With its 15-inch screen, it is great for those who want to travel around with it and think the Alienware 17-inch screen is a tad too big.

This laptop provides solid, immersive gaming experience with crisp sound and smooth gameplay while also being future ready with the additional graphics amplifier.

It is a great middle-of-the-line gaming laptop that is on par with, and even beats, most of the competition in the gaming laptop market.

The R3 came out in 2016 and was a completely revamped version from the previous two: the Alienware 17 R1 and R2. Since then, Alienware also came out with the R4 in late 2016. They also have a smaller, 15-inch version of the Alienware gaming laptop (Alienware 15). The R3 was upgraded from the previous two models with a new CPU processor: the 6th generation Intel Core i7 and a new graphics processor: the Nvidia 980M Graphics and the base model for this laptop comes with 8GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD.

Alienware 17 Design

As mentioned, the Alienware 17 design was revamped. It still maintains the spaceship-inspired design which the brand is known for as their signature design, but they made some changes to the chassis. The revamped version is made of anodized aluminum and magnesium alloy which is reinforced with steel and it is thinner than some other gaming laptops on the market and thinner than their previous models.

This is due to the redesign of the chassis and also the “hinge-forward design” that they’ve incorporated into the laptop. Instead of the internal cooling system being underneath the keyboard itself, the heatsinks have been moved to the back of the laptop, behind the hinge. Not to mention, the top half of the laptop is made with only a single piece of metal and a thin optical stack which has resulted in a flatter and sharper design.

Alienware 17 Display

The display on the Alienware 17 is a 17.3-inch anti-glare, 4K UHD screen that provides sharp, precise and vibrant color payoff. The brightness and color gamut of this gaming laptop is the best of its class, sitting at 318 nits of brightness and 173.5 percent sRGB range. Its color accuracy is very strong, however, is not the best out of its competitors. It’s ultra-high definition, the 4K display makes for a perfect movie and gaming experience.

Alienware 17 Gaming and Graphics Features

In terms of gaming and graphics, the Alienware 17 by itself doesn’t stand much of a chance against its main competitors. In the 3DMark’s Fire Strike Ultra graphics test it reached a result of 2,270 which was slightly below that of some of the other popular gaming laptops on the market and it could only handle 37.17 fps during a game test of Metro: Last Light.

However, Alienware has a cutting-edge advantage in this area. Along with the Alienware 17 gaming laptop, they have a special graphics amp which almost any type of desktop GPU can be added. It is connected to the laptop through a special port in the back. With this amp, graphics results rise to 3,865 which is up to 60 percent better than the competing gaming laptops. Fps in Metro: Last Night also rises up to 62fps, exceeding that of the competition also.

The greatest thing about the graphics amp is that Alienware is currently the only brand currently offering this with their gaming laptops. This graphics amp also enables you to upgrade your graphics in the future for when new GPUs come out. This means that the Alienware 17 is future-proof for any updates in graphic quality in the future.

Alienware 17 Keyboard and Touchpad

They keyboard is comfortable, with a very deep 2.6mm of travel and an actuation weight of 65 grams. The new Alienware 17 has a rapid-response feature registers more than 108 key commands per minute and features fully customizable colored backlighting. The one downside to the keyboard, though, is that it is noticeably slower to type and less accurate.

The 3.8 x 2.8-inch touchpad is a stand-out feature on this gaming laptop for its colored light that appears whenever you touch it. It’s very responsive, smooth to the touch, accurate and fast. It also features two separate dedicated mouse buttons for left and right.

Alienware 17 Audio

In terms of audio quality, it’s very arcade-like. It’s not optimum for immersing in cinematic sound and in some situations, it can make sounds muffled or have a lack of bass. It is best to connect to external speakers to enhance the quality of the sound.

Alienware 17 Battery Life

The Alienware 17 has a larger 99WHr battery that can last just over 6 hours while on continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi at 100 nits of brightness. This is much better than the average in the gaming laptop market which is about 4 hours of battery life. It exceeds many of its competitors in this area such as the Eon17-SLX and GT72 Dragon Edition which run on just under 3 hours of battery life.

Overall, the Alienware 17 is the latest, most attractive gaming laptop in the market right now. Its performance is on par with many of the top competitors in the gaming laptop market and it has an edge with its revolutionary graphics amp that not only gives the gaming laptop the ability to upgrade graphics quality in the future but also boosts gaming and graphics performance way above the specifications of other top gaming laptops.

However, despite its slimmer, flatter and sharper design, it, unfortunately, is not a very portable laptop unless you are willing to sacrifice gaming quality when out and about because the graphics amp provides the Alienware laptop to perform at the top-quality performance. Audio could also be improved, but the best option to improve it right now is to attach external speakers to the laptop.