For the last few years, the Acer Predator Helios 300s have been some of the best-value mid-tier gaming laptops on the market. They offered solid performance and the right features in an affordable package, but their dated design was in dire need of a refresh.

Here enters the mid-2019 update of the Acer Predator Helios 300 lineup: more compact and sturdier, with updated hardware and redesigned internals, an RGB backlit keyboard, a 144Hz IPS 3ms matte screen and increased battery life, among others. Moreover, all these are still bundled in one of the most aggressively priced offers in its class.

The Acer Helios 300 comes in both 15 and a 17-inch versions, and we’ve spent time with both. We’ve covered the larger model in another article, as in this review we’re focusing our attention on the 15-inch Predator Helios PH315-52 model. Our review configuration comes with an Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB GPU (a 80W overclocked implementation), as the better value variant in the entire stack.

We’ve gathered our impressions down below, with the strong points and the quirks. Make sure to go through our findings if you’re interested in getting this notebook, and get in touch in the comments section if you have any questions or anything to add to the article.

Update: We’ve updated our initial article from 2019 in March 2020 with long-term impressions. There’s no dedicated part with just these impressions, I just went and updated each of the sections accordingly. We’ve also updated our benchmarks, gaming, thermals, noise and battery life tests based on the current, mature BIOS and software package.

Update2: Our detailed review of the 2020 Predator Helios 300 PH315-53 is available over here.

The specs sheet as reviewed – Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-52

Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-52 gaming laptop Screen 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 px resolution, IPS, 144 HZ, matte, AU Optronics AUO82ED panel Processor Intel Coffee Lake Core i7-9750H, six-core (i7-8750H on this sample) Video Intel HD 630 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB 80W OC (GeForce 445.75) Memory 32 GB DDR4 RAM 2666 MHz (2x 16 GB DIMMs) Storage 2x 512 GB SSD in Raid0(M.2 80 mm NVMe – WD SN720 SDAPNTW-512G) + 2 TB SSHD (2.5″ bay – WD20SPZX-21UA7T0) Connectivity Killer 1550i AC WiFi with Bluetooth 5.0, Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet LAN Ports 3x USB-A 3.1, 1x USB-C gen 2 (?), HDMI 2.0, miniDP, LAN, headphone/mic, Kensington Lock Battery 58 Wh, 180 W power adapter Size 362 mm or 14.25” (w) x 254 mm or 10” (d) x 22.9 mm or .9” (h) Weight 2.41 kg (5.3 lb), .55 kg (1.21 lbs) power brick, EU version Extras RGB backlit keyboard – 4 zones, NumPad, 2x stereo speakers, HD webcam

Our initial article was based on an early review sample provided by Acer, with an 8th gen Intel Core i7 processor, but retail models will be available with the 9th gen Intel Core i7-9750H (which we’ve covered in this article). However, since the 9750H is pretty much a higher clocked 8750H, you shouldn’t expect any significant differences between our review unit and the retail models. That aside, we’ve updated our findings several months later, with finalized and mature drivers.

It’s also worth adding that Acer offers the Predator Helios 300 PH315-52 in a bunch of different configurations. They include various amounts of RAM, types of storage and either Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, RTX 2060 or RTX 2070 Max-Q graphics. The best value is in the GTX 1660Ti base-model and in the RTX 2060 variant, the one we’re reviewing here.

Design and exterior

The 2019 Predator Helios is a complete redesign of the previous generation with whom it keeps little in common, aside from some signature Predator aesthetic lines and branding elements.

For starters, this is much more compact, with thinner bezels all around the screen. Acer didn’t go all-in on the ultra-compact form-factor, but at 366 x 255 mm, this Predator is actually a little smaller than the main competitors like the Asus ROG Scar III, Lenovo Legion Y740 or the MSI GE63 Raider. It’s still a fairly hefty computer, though, weighing around 2.3 kg (5.3 lbs) on the higher-specced configurations. Our test model gets triple storage, so it’s the heaviest possible variant.

However, that weight is backed up by the increase in build quality. The main-deck feels sturdy and barely bulges when pressed harder, so you’re not actually going to notice any give in the arm-rest or keyboard deck with daily use. The screen, on the other hand, still flexes a fair bit. Thus, although there’s no impact on the actual panel when pressing on the lid, I’d suggest placing this laptop inside a protective sleeve when carrying it around, just to prevent any unwanted surprises.

Thick pieces of metal are used for the lid cover, interior and sides, while the underbelly and bezels are made from hard plastic. The two materials join well together, but the design still leaves some sharp corners and gaps on the front, and even a fairly sharp front-lip. In all fairness, that is beveled and shouldn’t bite into your wrists with daily use. That right corner, on the other hand, it often ended pressing just on my veins when typing. In conclusion, I wish Acer would have somehow rounded up those front corners, as they do on the Triton 500.

As far as aesthetics go, the updated Helios 300 is cleaner and friendlier than it used to be. Acer went with a Black and Blue theme, and the interior is completely dark and simple (once you peel off the stickers on the arm-rest). Moreover, the status LEDs have also been pushed to the sides. The lid still retains a panel-lit Predator logo which cannot be switched off, as well as two dark-blue design accents that are not lit. That’s why this laptop might still struggle to get accepted in some of the stricter work/school environments, but you can use a decal to cover-up that glowing logo.

This 2019 variant of the Acer Helios 300 is otherwise a fairly practical computer. The aluminum surfaces are softly coated and don’t show fingerprints and smudges as easily as the simpler interior of the Nitro 7. That aside, large and grippy rubber feet keep the laptop excellently anchored on a desk, while the hinges are firm and smooth at the same time. They allow to easily lift up the screen with a single hand, push it to up to about 165 degrees on the back, and keep it firmly in place when moving the laptop around.

The speakers are still placed on the underbelly and bounce sound off the desk, However, Acer implemented a slightly inclined edge on this model in order to increase the gap to the surface beneath, as well as make them a little more difficult to cover while having the computer on the lap.

Plenty of space is allocated to the cooling as well, with admission grills on the bottom and sides, and large output cuts on the back. In fact, the entire thermal module has been redesigned, and we’ll talk about its performance in a further section.

As far as the IO goes, you’ll find most of the required ports lined on both sides. The video output options are on the right, though, so cables will get in your way if you plan to hook up an external monitor. The power plug is also rather inconveniently placed in the middle of the left side, due to the fact that the entire back is reserved for thermals. Moreover, the updated Helios lacks an SD card-reader, as well as Thunderbolt 3 support, which some of you might want in a mid-tier performance laptop. It does get a USB-C port with DP and data, but USB-C charging is not supported.

All in all, Acer overhauled the 2019 Predator Helios 300 into a notebook that can proudly stand next to any of the existing competitors. It’s built really well and is practical, but Acer kept their fairly aggressive branding elements, and those could push away some of the potential buyers.

Keyboard and trackpad

The updated Acer Helios 300 gets a brand new keyboard, which is, in fact, the same as on the 2019 Nitro series, but with 4-zone RGB backlighting.

The layout is standard, with the main deck of 15 x 15 mm keys, properly sized directional keys, and a smaller NumPad at the right. The Power button is still part of the keyboard, in the top-right corner, but Acer disables it by default in Windows, so pressing it accidentally won’t put the computer to sleep.

The keycaps are flat and smooth and feel nice to the touch. The keys travel a fair bit into the frame, but they actuate very quickly and that makes them very unforgiving. As a result, this is either a very quick, but inaccurate, typed, or you’d have to slow down in order to somewhat improve my accuracy. That’s why this is not my favorite typer, and I’m also not a big fan of the left-shifted typing position either, being accustomed to centered keyboards.

In all fairness, that’s nitpicking on my part, as this is a pretty good implementation and I’d expect most of you to get along with it just fine, especially if you’re coming from an older laptop. This is also a quiet typer, and gamers should also know that it supports Acer’s nKRO technology. That’s, in fact, a fancy name for 26-key rollover, that will allow you to quickly hit the required key combinations in games.

As far as the illumination goes, Acer went with 4-zone controlled RGB LEDs with 4 intensity levels, and you can set a few effects in the Lighting subsection of the Predator Sense app. They get bright, and the white/clear borders of the keycaps help the light shine through.

The LEDs are not directly placed beneath each keycap, though, and as a result, light creeps from beneath some the keys. However, my biggest gripes with this backlit keyboard are with the fact that you can’t activate the backlighting by swiping your hands over the touchpad, you actually have to press a key to do it, and the fact that there are no CapsLock or NumLock indicators. Acer does implement a CapsLock graphical toggle in Windows, but I don’t think that’s good enough. As far as the illumination goes, by default, it turns off after 30 seconds, and there’s an option in Predator Sense that you can check if you don’t want it to turn off at all.

The clickpad hasn’t changed much over the generations. It’s an averagely sized plastic surface with Synaptics hardware on our implementation, and Precision drivers. It handles everyday use smoothly and reliably, just make sure you install the correct drivers from Acer’s Support site, as by default the experience might lack somewhat in precision.

The physical clicks are stiff and quiet, but that might vary between implementations, as the 17-inch Helios that we’ve tested felt completely different, with smoother and clunkier clicks. On that one, however, the surface rattled with taps, while it does not on this 15-inch model. That suggests a fair bit of inconsistency between different models, and I’m not sure which is the one you should expect on the final retails units.

These aside, I’ll also add that there’s no finger-sensor on the 2019 Predator Helios lineup, or other sorts of biometrics.

Screen

For the screen, Acer went with a matte 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display with 144Hz refresh rate. They opted for the popular AU Optronics B156HAN08.2 panel used on many other mid-tier gaming notebooks, including the Acer Predator Triton 500 or the Asus GL504 SCAR editions.

This is a pretty good panel for daily use, and an exceptionally good option for gaming, due to the short response times and high refresh-rate. GSync is not supported here, but is not needed on a 144 Hz panel and RTX 2060 configuration anyway. On the other hand, the color coverage, contrast, and peak-brightness of this panel are only above average, yet still pretty good for the price-segment where the Helios 300 competes. Nonetheless, you should mostly keep this notebook indoors and you might want to hook-up an external screen for color-accurate work.

Here’s what we got on this implementation, according to our Sypder4 sensor:

Panel Hardware ID: AU Optronics AUO82ED (B156HAN08.2);

Coverage: 95.2% sRGB, 69.4% AdobeRGB, 74.8 DCI-P3;

Measured gamma: 2.3;

Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 291 cd/m2 on power;

Contrast at max brightness: 772:1;

White point: 7700 K;

Black on max brightness: 0.38 cd/m2;

PWM: No;

Response time: 3 ms advertised, ~11 ms BTW.

The panel is well-calibrated out the box, but you can address the skewed White Point and gray-level imbalances with this calibrated color profile.

We haven’t noticed any obvious light-bleeding on our sample, whose panel illumination was also more uniform than on other implementations. The sensor did record significant color-uniformity imbalances, though, a known quirk of this AU Optronics panel. That’s not something you could easily see with the naked eye, but is one more reason why you’d want to use a better display for color-accurate work.

Hardware and performance

Our test model is a highly-specced configuration of the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-52. It comes with the Intel Core i7-8750H processor, 32 GB of DDR4 memory, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 80W graphics chip, two M.2 PCIe SSDs in Raid0 and an extra HDD for mass-storage.

You should know that our review unit is an early model from Acer, but we’ve updated our findings as per March 2020 with mature BIOS and drivers from Nvidia (version 445.75). Thus, our unit performs in line with what you should expect from the retail models. Those ship with the Intel Core i7-9750H processor, and you can read what to expect from it in this article, as we’ll most likely not going to get a 9750H unit for an update. The 8th and 9th gen i7s are similar in most ways, with a slight clock increase for the latter, but overall the 9750H variants should perform within 5% of our review unit in demanding loads and games.

As far as the components go, the CPU and GPU are soldered onto the motherboard, but the RAM, storage and the WiFi module are accessible. To get to them you’ll have to remove the back panel, hold in place by a handful of Philips screws, which is a fairly simple task. That will give unobstructed access to all those components, as well as the cooling solution, battery, and speakers.

The Predator Helios 300 is primarily marketed as a gaming and performance notebook, and we’ll get to that in a second. It can also handle everyday use just fine, while running coolly, quietly and fairly efficient, due to having Optimus onboard. Optimus switches off the dedicated GPU when not needed, in order to increase battery life.

Here’s what to expect with Netflix, Youtube, and Browsing while running on battery.

On to more demanding tasks, we’ll start by testing the CPU’s performance in 100% loads. We do that by running Cinebench R15 for 10+ times in a loop, with 2-3 seconds delay between each run, with the laptop on the Maximum Performance available power profile. Most implementations of the i7-8750H CPU return high-scores for the first Cinebench runs, and then settle a little lower as the CPU heats-up and can no longer maintain its maximum Turbo speeds for more than a few seconds.

In this case, Acer offers three power profiles in the Predator Sense app:

Normal – stock CPU and GPU settings

Fast – stock CPU and slightly overclocked GPU (+100 MHz Core, +40 MHz Memory)

Extreme – increased CPU power allocation and overclocked GPU (+160 MHz Core, +80 MHz Memory)

Acer undervolts the CPU by-default on this laptop at -125 mV on all modes. That aside, Fast and Extreme are only available with the laptop plugged-in.

Back to our Cinebench loop test, we ran in the Normal mode first, and that results in the CPU settling for the default 45W TDP, with scores of around 1100 points, temperatures of around 75-78 C and the fans spinning at around 39-40 dB at head level. Power Limit throttling kicks in, but the default undervolting helps push the scores fairly high for a base profile.

On the Extreme mode, our unit settled for speeds of 3.7-3.9 GHz, a TDP of 56 W, temperatures of around 85-87 degrees Celsius, fans at around 43-44 dB, as well as scores of around +/-1200 points, pretty much the best you can expect from this sort of platform.

Then we looked to improve this behavior by further undervolting the CPU to -150 mV and switching the Fans to the Turbo Mode (with CoolBoost on). In this case, the CPU constantly runs at 3.8-3.9 GHz, temperatures of 80-82 degrees Celsius (due to the faster spinning fans), a TDP of 56 W and Cinebench scores of 1200+ points. It does get significantly louder with the fans on Turbo, at up to 49-50 dB at head-level, while on Auto the fans only ramp up to about 42-43 dB. Given the tiny performance gain, there’s just no need to switch out of the Auto fans with this sort of CPU loads.

Our sample performed decently on battery as well. Only the Normal profile is available in this case, with the CPU limited to 25 W, which translates in clock speeds of 2.8+ GHz, scores of 780+ points and temperatures under 65 degrees Celsius, with the fans on Auto. You’ll find details on all these scenarios in the following logs.

Next, we ran some of our combined CPU+GPU stress tests on this notebook. 3DMark stress runs the same test for 20 times in a loop and looks for performance variation and degradation over time, and this unit passed it with flying colors. Luxmark 3.1, on the other hand, fully loads both the CPU and GPU at the same time. The GPU constantly runs at 80W on this sample, while the CPU stabilized itself at around 53W, which is above average for this sort of implementation.

Next, we’ve included a set of benchmarks, for those of you interested in numbers. We ran them on the stock Extreme profile with out-of-the-box settings (which imply a -125 mV undervolted CPU, and overcloked GPU) and the fans on Auto. Here’s what we got:

3DMark 11: 17980 (Graphics – 21224, Physics – 12643);

17980 (Graphics – 21224, Physics – 12643); 3DMark 13 – Fire Strike: 14420 (Graphics – 16359, Physics – 14588);

14420 (Graphics – 16359, Physics – 14588); 3DMark 13 – Time Spy: 6283 (Graphics – 6240, CPU – 6540);

6283 (Graphics – 6240, CPU – 6540); 3DMark 13 – Port Royal: 3558;

3558; Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 3825;

3825; Handbrake 1.3.1 (4K to 1080p encode): 33.02 average fps;

33.02 average fps; PassMark: Rating: 5583, CPU mark: 20835, 3D Graphics Mark: N/A;

Rating: 5583, CPU mark: 20835, 3D Graphics Mark: N/A; PCMark 10: 5771 (Essentials – 9620 , Productivity – 7443 , Digital Content Creation – 6598);

5771 (Essentials – 9620 , Productivity – 7443 , Digital Content Creation – 6598); GeekBench 5.0.1 64-bit: Single-Core: 1109, Multi-core: 6051;

Single-Core: 1109, Multi-core: 6051; GeekBench 4 64-bit: Single-Core: 5126, Multi-core: 23504;

Single-Core: 5126, Multi-core: 23504; CineBench R15 (best run): CPU 1208 cb, CPU Single Core 172 cb;

CPU 1208 cb, CPU Single Core 172 cb; CineBench R20 (best run): CPU 2591 CB, 404 cb;

CPU 2591 CB, 404 cb; x264 HD Benchmark 4.0 32-bit: Pass 1 – 204.38 fps, Pass 2 – 74.64 fps.

Pass 1 – 204.38 fps, Pass 2 – 74.64 fps. x265 HD Benchmark 64-bit: 50.62 s.

We decided not to pursue the Tweaked profile anymore, with the further undervolted CPU and Max fans, due to its increased noise and limited potential gains. This might make sense if you’re looking into further overlooking the GPU, but don’t expect much, it’s already overclocked towards its potential on the Extreme profile. However, we’ll explore how the faster spinning fans impact gaming performance and temperatures in the following section.

Before we get to that, we also ran some Workstation related loads, on the default Extreme profile with fans on Auto:

Blender 2.82 – BMW Car scene- CPU Compute: 5m 18s (Turbo);

5m 18s (Turbo); Blender 2.82 – BMW Car scene- GPU Compute: 1m 19s (CUDA), 26s (OPTIX);

1m 19s (CUDA), 26s (OPTIX); Blender 2.82 – Classroom scene – CPU Compute: 16m 14s (Turbo);

16m 14s (Turbo); Blender 2.82 – Classroom scene – GPU Compute: 5m 19s (CUDA), 2m 52s (OPTIX);

5m 19s (CUDA), 2m 52s (OPTIX); Luxmark 3.1 – Luxball HDR – OpenCL CPUs + GPUs score: 25192;

OK, let’s look at some gaming results. We ran a couple of games representative for DX11, DX12 and Vulkan architectures, on the Extreme power profile with the fans on Auto and on Turbo. Here’s what we got:

FHD Extreme, Auto fans FHD Extreme, Turbo fans Battlefield V (DX 12, Ultra Preset, Ray-Tracing OFF) 86-96 fps 88-96 fps Battlefield V (DX 12, Ultra Preset, Ray-Tracing ON, DLSS Off) 44-54 fps – fps Far Cry 5 (DX 11, Ultra Preset, SMAA) 89 fps 93 fps Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (DX 11, Ultra Preset) 153 fps 154 fps Red Dead Redemption 2 (DX 12, Ultra Optimized, TAA) 68 fps 68 fps Rise of Tomb Raider (DX 12, Very High Preset, FXAA) 83 fps 87 fps Shadow of Tomb Raider (DX 12, Highest Preset, TAA) 78 fps 80 fps Strange Brigade (Vulkan, Ultra Preset) 112 fps 113 fps The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (DX 11, Ultra Preset, Hairworks On 4) 66-92 fps 66-94 fps

The Witcher 3 – recorded with Fraps/in-game FPS counter in campaign mode;

Far Cry 5, Middle Earth, Strange Brigade, Red Dead Redemption 2, Tomb Raider games – recorded with the included Benchmark utilities;

Red Dead Redemption 2 Optimized profile based on these settings.

The HWinfo logs below show the CPU and GPU speeds and temperatures in FarCry 5, Battlefield V and Witcher 3 on the Extreme profile, with the fans on Auto. That keeps them running at about 3500-4000 rpm (60-70% of max capacity) and about 44-45 dB at head level on our review unit.

Then, these pictures show what happens on the Tweaked profile, with the Extreme CPU profile and the fans switched on Turbo mode.

I’m seeing some temperature drops, of around 2-5 degrees for the CPU and 4-7 degrees for the GPU, as well as slightly higher clocks for both these components, but with little effect over the real-life gaming results. Those lower inner temperatures do results in lower chassis temperatures as well, so gaming could be more comfortable in this situation, as long as you can handle that insane amount of fan noise.

Raising the laptop from the desk or using some sort of cooling pad can also help with temperatures, while still keeping the fans on Auto. Here’s what we got on our laptop when raised up by about two inches.

Finally, here’s what happens when unplugging the laptop: the GPU drops to about 30W, which bottlenecks the performance in the more demanding titles. As a result, gaming on battery is only possible with older titles and reduced graphics settings.

Based on our findings, Acer did a good job here with the power and fan profiles. We initially ran into some issues when we reviewed the laptop in 2019, but in the meantime, they managed to tweak these out and you’ll hardly need to take the laptop out of Extreme/Auto fans with most loads. Switching to the Turbo fan profile does help lower temperatures, but with a significant increase in noise levels, so it’s only an option if you plan to hook up headphones and don’t mind if the noise would bother the other people working/living with you.

The software does not allow you to create a fan curve, but you can manually set the speed of each fan if you want to. However, I feel there’s very little to gain by going with these manual adjustments.

Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and others

The 2019 Acer Predator Helios 300 gets a redesigned thermal implementation. Acer ditched the asymmetric design of the past generation and went with a more standard solution, with a set of the AeroBlade fans flanking the components and a multitude of heatpipes spread over the CPU/GPU and VRAM. It’s interesting that the design includes two different types of fans, with different blade designs.

Based on our findings so far, this is an excellent upgrade, considering the thermal performance of the older Helios 300 modes. And let’s not forget there’s also higher power hardware and a more compact chassis on this new generation.

The fans get very loud (54-55 dB at head level) on the Max settings, with Cool Boost on, but allow the hardware components to run well. Moreover, a fair bit of the heat is transferred out to the metallic shell, with the area at the top of the keyboard feeling hot. Despite the fact that we only measured temperatures in the mid-40s, the metal’s thermal conductivity makes the surface uncomfortable to touch. On the other hand, the WASD and Arrow keys stay at around 35-37 degrees Celsius, which is fine for gaming.

The fans are still both active with daily use on the Auto fan profile, at around 2000-2500 rpm and 35-37 dB at head level. You can manually switch them off if you want a perfectly quiet laptop, but that will significantly impact temperatures.

*Daily Use – streaming Netflix on EDGE for 30 minutes, fans on Auto (35-37 dB)

*Load Default – playing Far Cry 5 for 30 minutes, Extreme Profile, fans on Auto (44-45 dB)

*Load Tweaked – playing Far Cry 5 for 30 minutes, Tweaked profile (Extreme + fans on Max + CoolBoost (54-55 dB))

For connectivity, there’s a Killer 1550i 2×2 Wireless AC implementation inside this laptop, with Bluetooth 5.0, as well as Gigabit Lan through a Killer E2500module. We’ve mostly used our sample on wireless, and it performed flawlessly both near the router and at 30+ feet away, with obstacles in between.

As far as the speakers go, there’s a set of them firing through cuts on the lateral sides of the underbelly, and they’re about average. We measured maximum volumes of about 78-80 dB at head-level, without any distortions. However, the sound is still a bit aggressive at maximum volumes, lacking in the lows, which are noticeable from around 100 Hz. Peaking inside the laptop, I have to say I was expecting larger chambers given the way they sound, but they’re actually small and look similar to the ones on the lower-end Nitro models.

There’s also a 720p webcam on the Nitro 7, placed at the top of the screen and flanked by microphones. It’s grainy and rather washed out, but actually a bit better than what most other OEMs put on their mid-tier laptops these days.

Battery life

There’s only a 58 Wh battery inside this Helios 300, which is small for a 2019 full-size 15-inch notebook. Paired with the powerful hardware, the 144 Hz screen and Optimus, this notebook only offers average to short battery life by today’s standards, of roughly 3 to 5 hours of daily use and a little longer for video streaming.

Here’s what we got in terms of battery life on this sample with mature drivers and the screen set at 60% brightness (~120 nits), using a Spyder4 sensor:

15 W (~3h 45 min h of use) – text editing in Google Drive, Better Battery Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;

– text editing in Google Drive, Better Battery Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON; 11 W (~5+ h of use) – 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Better Battery Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;

– 1080p fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Better Battery Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON; 11.5 W (~5+ h of use) – Netflix fullscreen in Edge, Better Battery Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;

– Netflix fullscreen in Edge, Better Battery Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON; 20 W (~3- h of use) – browsing in Edge, Better Performance Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON;

– browsing in Edge, Better Performance Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON; 49 W (~1 h 10 min of use) – Gaming – Witcher 3, Max Performance Mode, screen at 60%, Wi-Fi ON, no fps limit.

Moreover, I’ll also add that Acer bundles this laptop with a compact 180 W power-brick, adequately sized for the hardware inside. The battery fills up in about 2 hours, and longer when playing games or running the demanding loads. The laptop charges via the proprietary barrel plug charger, and not through USB-C.

Price and availability

The Acer Predator Helios 300 is already available in stores in most regions.

The mid-range configuration, somewhat similar to the one tested here, includes the Intel Core i7-9750H processor, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, 16 GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, with an MSRP of $1299 in the US and around 1400 EUR in Europe, at the time of this update.

Lower tier variants with Nvidia GTX 1660Ti graphics are listed from $1200 in the US and 1300 EUR in Europe, with 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD, while a higher-tier RTX 2070 Max-Q variant should also be available in the near future.

Expect discounts in the months to come, especially from online retailers like BestBuy or Amazon (this was an excellent deal for Amazon Prime Day and will most likely come back again at some point), so follow this link for more details, updated configurations and prices at the time you’re reading the article.

Final thoughts on the Acer Predator Helios 300 2019

Acer did an excellent job with this redesigned Predator Helios 300, pretty much creating a new laptop from scratch, with a smaller form-factor, latest-generation hardware and most of the modern features potential buyers expect in a gaming computer in 2019/2020. Among those, there’s the RGB keyboard, plenty of ports, a good-quality 144 Hz 3 ms matte screen and a thermal module that can squeeze the advertised performance out of the hardware components inside.

In fact, this can be one of the better performing compact RTX 2060 notebooks on the market, due to the well-balanced profiles that allow to easily overclock the GPU. Still, this is is only an 80W RTX 2060 implementation, and 90W models available in higher-tier laptops can do better in games and demanding graphics loads.

Potential buyers would have to accept the fairly aggressive Predator design elements and branding elements, the lack of Thunderbolt 3 or card-reader, as well as the fact that this only gets a 58 Wh battery. This is nonetheless an upgrade over the 48 Wh battery in the previous generation, but still smaller than you’ll get with some of the competitors.

Speaking of the competition, there are a bunch of other mid-sized 15-inch gaming laptops you should have on your list, like the Asus ROG Scar II GL504 and the newer Scar III models, the MSI GL53 or the GE63 and GE65 Raider, the Aorus 15 or the HP Omen 15, each with their pros and cons. My attention would especially turn towards the Lenovo Legion Y740 and the Acer Predator Triton 500, though.

The latter is smaller and lighter, gets a larger 82 Wh battery and sells for a $200 premium, as one of the most affordable thin-and-light gaming notebooks on the market. It’s not as sturdily built, though, and still gets loud with demanding PC games. Similarly, the Legion suffers from the same main issue as the Helios 300: short battery life, but it performs well and runs both quieter than the Predator, gets a cleaner design and Thunderbolt 3, as well as Dual GSync/Optimus modes. On top of that, the Legion RTX models can get cheaper than the Predators with occasional discounts.

In conclusion, the 2019 Predator Helios 300 is a much-awaited update of one of the most popular mid-tier gaming devices of the last years. The previous generation has always had a price advantage on its side, though, and if that applies to the updated generation, I would expect these mid-2019 models to become just as popular, if not more.

That wraps up our review of the Acer Predator Helios PH315-52. However, the comments section down below is open for your questions, suggestions, and feedback, so don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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