Acer has brought about a generational update to their Predator Helios 300, with an updated processor and graphics card. This is our review of the Acer Predator Helios 300.
Design and Build
If you have read our previous review, then in terms of design and build there is not much that has changed here. There is a very subtle difference around the trackpad, almost everything else is the same.
This isn’t a bad thing, because the previous generation of Predator Helios 300 was a really well built and good looking laptop.
The chamfered edges around pretty much everything, even the trackpad gives a very nice premium feel. The laptop feels just as sturdy as before.
The design and dimensions might be a bit dated at this point, but it’s a tried and tested formula and it works. It’s light enough and solid enough to give you all the confidence that this laptop will last you a while.
The blue design elements still remain, except for the trackpad, and gives you the same gamer-esque feel here. Minimal bezels on the sides of the monitor but still quite sizable on the top and bottom, here is probably where Acer could do a bit of tweaking.
As before you also get the pads at the bottom to lift the laptop up, along with the caution signs everywhere warning you that this system is muy caliente (a.k.a hot).
Performance
The Helios 300 is not as thin and light as it was when it first came out. Not that it’s become fatter, but more that thin and lights have become thinner and lighter. Still keeping the same design while upgrading internals can ensure that performance is the main focus.
Here are the specific specs of the unit we got:
- Intel Core i7-10750H – 2.6 Ghz Hexa-Core
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 (with 6GB GDDR6 RAM)
- 20GB DDR4 RAM
- 2x 250GB NVMe
These specs are what you would expect as a natural upgrade, we see it as the most logical generational step from the previous Helios 300 we tested.
Other than the RAM being a strange 20GB, the rest of it makes sense.
If you have read our previous review you would also notice that the storage was 256 NVMe + 1TB SSD, what we didn’t realise was that the 1TB was a SSD that can be added later.
The same goes here, while the review unit didn’t come with an extra SSD pre-installed, Acer provides you with the cables and screws needed to add your own SSD. Personally this is great and adds an extra level of upgradability.
The fans on regular, battery optimised, office use are extremely quiet, making me feel like they weren’t running at all. But when you plug-in this puppy in and hit that turbo button, you awaken the wrath of Poseidon hitting you with a consistent barrage of monosyllabic waves. It gets pretty loud and you would be better off getting a pair of noise cancelling headphones to drown it out.
Here are the benchmark results:
The laptop handled everything we threw at it like a champ, shure eventually it hits thermal throttling, but it is genuinely a great gaming laptop.
You can also see the benchmark results here:
3D Mark: https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/53087959
PC Mark: https://www.3dmark.com/pcm10/53089313
VR Mark: https://www.3dmark.com/vrm/53089535
Screen & Battery
In the Acer Predator Helios 300, you get a brilliant 1080p 144Hz monitor. With good colours and games looking crisp, this monitor is perfect for gaming and all daily tasks. Sure it’s not the best for media consumption but you wouldn’t expect that.
The Helios 300 lasted me about 3 hours on regular usage, with the backlights turned off and brightness at around 80%, while watching a live stream. It is good for the kind of laptop it is, but this does mean that you will need to carry the charger around for any work lasting more than 2 hours, and that charger is huge. So if you combine the laptop and it’s power brick, it loses a bit of the portability aspect.
Keyboard and Mouse
The keyboard on the Acer Predator Helios 300 is quite good. The key travel is quite nice, but for me the keys somehow felt very soft, and not in a good way. As usual I wrote this review entirely on the Helios 300, and I had many more errors than I am used to. It’s a matter of getting used to the keyboard, but I felt like I had to press harder on the keys and just overall didn’t enjoy the keyboard as much as I should.
For a gaming laptop, the moment you start gaming all of that melts away. Casual gaming you won’t be disappointed at all.
The trackpad is also quite good, the tracking is brilliant and accurate. I actually found this to be better than many of the laptops I test. The clicking however is still an issue, sometimes the click causes the mouse to jump. Maybe I’m just used to the Apple Trackpad and honestly it’s very hard to beat.
If you want to game professionally or type articles regularly, get an external keyboard and mouse.
Ports and What’s in the box
The port selection on the Acer Predator Helios 300 is just like in the last gen.
You get the following:
Left Side:
- Gigabit Ethernet
- 2x USB 3.0 TypeA
- Headphone Jack
Right Side:
- miniDisplay
- HDMI
- 1x USB 3.0 with passive power TypeA
- 2x USB-C
Back:
- Power connection
The port selection is, like the last time around, adequate. Enough legacy ports (TypeA) with enough mix of new. Still miss the recessed USB port like the last time, but I wasn’t expecting them to bring it back. Not a bad package at all.
The fact that you can add another HDD is just icing on the Acer Predator cake.
Webcam and Speakers
The Webcam on the Helios 300 is adequate. Useful for video calls and live streaming in a pinch, but you will definitely want a dedicated cam if your use is beyond this.
The speakers on the Predator Helios 300 have always been good. They are considerably loud, especially for bottom firing speakers. While the sound stays quite fixed on the higher spectrum, it does have some decent bass and even better mids. Again a great speaker in a pinch or in daily needs. But for movies or gameplay you would want a dedicated pair of headphones. THe latter because of the noise of the fans.
The speakers get very loud, but it’s best used under 90% volume. Anything above makes it sound like the cones are made of aluminium.
Other Points
The Acer Predator line up has found their groove and are sticking to their guns. There is nothing earth shattering here, but maybe that’s a good thing. Improving a tried and tested formula is what this particular iteration of the Helios 300 is about.
A worthy upgrade to the Acer Predator Helios 300. If you are in the market for a new thin and light gaming laptop, this is a good one to consider.
