The Acer Predator Helios 300 features a 12th Gen CPU and RTX 3070Ti GPU combination making this laptop the best mid-range 1080p Gaming Laptop in 2022!
A few days back at CES 2022, Acer launched a series of new laptops. since Hybrid laptops are open of the core themes of the event this year so we have seen a lot of thin and lightweight laptops in 2022 that feature top-of-the-line hardware with exceptional build quality and the latest technologies built-in.
The laptops range from Content Creation models to Gaming Models from brands like Gigabyte, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Razer, Dell, and MSI.
Are you seeking a powerful laptop for your ultimate gaming experience? Well then, Acer has an offer for you. The latest Acer Predator Helios 300 2022 model delivers excellent performance at a very affordable price range.
There are many other variants in the Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming series and priced according to their internal components. So today we are going to review the Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop.
Acer Predator Helios 300 – Specs
Here are the detailed specifications of Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming.
| Model ID | PH317-56 |
| CPU | Intel Alder Lake 12th Gen Core i7- 12700H |
| GPU | Intel Iris Xe and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070Ti 8GB |
| RAM | 32GB DDR5, 4800 MHz frequency, |
| Storage | 2x 1TB SSD SAMSUNG PM9A12x M.2 NVMe slots |
| Display | 17.3 or 15-inch option, IPS or QHD option, BOE NE173QHM-NY6 panel, 1920x1080p Full HD resolution, 3ms response time, Matte Display |
| Port | 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen2 for charging 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen2 1x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 with video and charging 1x HDMI2.1, miniDP, LAN 1x Universal Headphone Jack 1x Kensington Lock |
| Connectivity | Intel Killer WiFi 6E AX1675i, Bluetooth 5.2, Gigabite E2600 Ethernet LAN |
| Battery | 90Wh life, 330W power demand for the adapter, USB-C charging up to 100W |
| Weight | Laptop weight 3.13KG/ 6.9 lbs Power brick weight 1.15KG/ 3 lbs |
Predator Helios 300 – Price
The 2022 model of Acer Predator Helios 300 is priced at approximately $1800/EUR2000. It is available worldwide in all major online and offline retailers. But the price of this laptop may vary from one country to another country.
Acer Predator Helios 300 – Design And Build Quality
Acer has managed to improve their new Predator series Helios 300 model chassis design both aesthetically and ergonomically. The new design features a stealth gaming-like approach with massive radiators at the back.
The new chassis design now comes in a minimalistic rectangular shape with angular cuts around all the corners. The all-over body is constructed with metal except for the underside and trackpad area of this laptop. The 2022 Helios 300 is slightly bulkier than the previous model but it’s easy to carry around because of its weight.
Along with a cool and stylish light bar under the palm rest, the Acer Predator Helios 300 looks very nice and fresh with the new dark blue color. But sadly, there are no card reader and biometric features in this all-new Helios 300 Gaming Laptop. The illuminated Predator logo is placed right in the middle lid on the top of the laptop. A small and similar non-illuminated predator logo is placed on the bezel right beneath the display panel.
The Laptop features a perfectly portable size that can fit into your laptop backpacks. The metal construction feels really solid and it can be easily carried around without a hitch.
Acer Helios 300 – Display
The new Acer 2022 Predator series is offering you 2-panel variations in their all-new Helios 300 laptop line, they are
- 17-inch FHD with 100% sRGB color panel
- 15-inch QHD with 100% DCI-P3 color panel
Both Gaming panel variants can deliver 165Hz refresh rate frequency with a fast 3ms response time. We have done some caliberation testing with both the panel units here are the results.
- Type – 8bit SDR
- Color Coverage Quantity – 99% sRGB, 79.6% AdobeRGB, 84% DCI-P3
- Gamma Amount – 2.20
- Max brightness at the center of the display – 364.12 cd/m2 on power
- Min brightness at the center of the display – 19.87 cd/m2 on power
- Contrast when brightness at peak point – 1367:1
- Max white point measured – 6300 K
- Max Black point when brightness at peak point – 0.26 cd/m2
- PWM – No
Both panels deliver excellent performance, but the FHD variant which is made by AU Optronics is well suited for budget-minded gamers who want the best Midrange gaming laptop without spending a lot on the display. The Panel also delivers 85% DCI-P3 color with 350 nits of brightness while the contrast is set on a 1350:1 ratio.
The display is mainly optimized for Gaming with a high refresh rate and low response time. Although the display is not calibrated fully for content creation you can use this laptop to do photos and video editing.
Predator Helios 300 – Keyboard and Trackpad
Keyboard
The new Predator laptop from Acer features a full-sized Gaming keyboard with Per-Key RGB Backlighting. Acer is always known to feature a low-profile keyboard without much key travel.
Also, the typing experience with low profile keyboard is very well and impressive. The RGB lighting can be manually customized with Acer’s very own Gaming Software.
Trackpad
Acer has constructed a little wider trackpad in their new 2022 model. The surface is made of plastic and the touchpad features left and right mouse buttons underneath the pad. The single panel touchpad is prone to make more mistakes when pressed incorrectly.
But that’s not an issue because it will only take a few hours of usage to get used to it. The trackpad responds well to all the gestures like pinch to zoom and drag and other windows features. It feels smooth while operating and delivers a good experience for average daily usage.
Acer Predator Series – Ports and Connectivity
The all-new Acer Predator Helios laptop features the same ports with rearranged positions. The rear side of the laptop contains one thunderbolt 4 port that can be used for an external display or for connecting super-fast external storage, one charging port, one mini Display Port and an HDMI 2.1 port.
On the left, the laptop has one USB-A port, a 3.5mm universal audio jack, a Kensington Lock, and an RJ45 LAN Port. On the right side, there are two only two USB-A ports.
For the wireless side of things, the Helios 300 2022 Laptop features Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E for stable internet connectivity and Bluetooth 5.2 for seamless audio playback and file transfers.
Acer Predator Laptop – Audio, Battery, and Webcam
Audio
The audio of this laptop is taken care of by two 2 Watt speakers which are decent for both Gaming and listening to music. Although it is always recommended to use headphones or Bluetooth speakers.
The laptop features DTS X Ultra Software installed so that you choose different presets for movies, games, music, and even specific game genres. Although I was a bit disappointed with the sound of the speakers.
Battery
Acer has upgraded its battery module in the 2022 Helios 300 variant from 58Wh to 90Wh. The battery delivers some decent performance over the last year and does not get hot even at a high load. We have done some testing by setting the screen with 120 nits of brightness and here are the results
- Max usage of 5~6hrs while working on Gdrive, Silent mode
- Max usage of 5hrs while Youtube videos are at 1080p, Silent mode
- Max usage of 6hrs while Netflix running on 1080p, silent mode
- Max usage of 5hrs while browsing the Internet, Balanced mode
Webcam
The 720p webcam on the Acer Predator 2022 is good enough for video calling and conference meetings. We did expect a 1080p webcam but the provided webcam is good enough for conference calls, zoom meetings, etc. Please note that the webcam is not IR so you might not be able to use Windows Face unlock feature with this laptop.
Helios 300 Gaming Laptop – Performance and Benchmarks
The updated version of the Helios 300 module of 2022 comes with Latest Gen Intel Alder Lake Core i7-12700H and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070Ti. The combination of these two components delivers impressive performance and Gaming benchmarks. The laptop also comes with 32GB DDR5 RAM and a 2TB SSD.
We have tested out the laptop and here goes the Acer Predator 300 Gaming Laptop Performance.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Core i7-12700H Performance
| 3DMark 13 Fire Strike | 26515 |
| 3DMark 13 Time Spy | 11790 points |
| Uniengine Superposition 1080 Extreme | 7390 points |
| Handbrake 1.3.3 4k to 1080p encode | 65fps average |
| PCMark 10 Productivity | 92990 points |
| GeekBench 5.4.3 64bit Multicore | 13799 |
| Cinebench R23 Single core | 1711 CB |
| X265HD Benchmark 64bit | 24.50 s |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070Ti 8GB Benchmark with RTX and DLSS ON Extreme Mode
| Battlefield V | 153fps |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 62fps |
| Doom Eternal | 251fps |
| Far Cry 6 | 105fps |
| Metro Exodus | 84fps |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 115fps |
| Shadow of Tomb Raider | 127fps |
| Witcher 3 Wild Hunt | 142fps |
Acer Predator Laptop – Cooling
The all-new Acer Predator Gaming Laptop features a dual fan setup with a proper array of heat pipes. On our testing, we have found that the top of the laptop and the power buttons areas get a little bit warm to our liking.
The laptop features added heat pipes on both the CPU and GPU while having better fans and also including a liquid metal thermal compound on the CPU. Acer did a great job by putting a thermal shield over the RAM as well.
Although it is important to mention that the GPU never crossed 82 degrees which is very much safe for an RTX Laptop Graphics card. The WASD keys area and the palm rest area also get slightly warm after an extended period of use but it is not uncomfortable. The noise levels remain at 52dB on extreme loads.
Acer New 2022 Laptop – FAQ
What are the free software that comes with Predator Helios 300?
The all-new Acer Predator Helios 300 comes with a pre-installed Windows 11. Apart from that, you are getting a free copy of the Microsoft Office 360 with 2 years subscription package. The Microsoft Office package depends from region to region. Apart from that Acer will have its pre-installed Gaming Software known as Predator Sense. You can use that software to customize your RGB lighting as well as monitor the other important metrics of the system.
How much warranty does the Acer Helios 2022 model have?
The new 2022 Acer Helios 300 carries a 2 years extended warranty.
Can I upgrade my New Helios 300 Gaming Laptop?
Yes, you can upgrade both the RAM and the SSD of this Gaming laptop. It supports up to 64GB of RAM with a maximum speed of 4800MHz frequency. For the storage, you will have one extra m.2 Slot available to upgrade your storage capacity. You can also upgrade your storage by using an external SSD.
Also, don’t forget to purchase the necessary Gaming accessories!
Acer Predator Helios 300 – Verdict
Pros
- New updated Design
- Solid build quality
- Fast and quite tying experience with keyboard
- Per-key RGB Keyboard with a handful of customizations
- Outstanding performance and gaming benchmarks
- Impressive thermal design
- Upgradable options
Cons
- Poor audio quality from the speakers creates noise distortions
- Fans are noisy under heavy load
- Steep pricing compared to similar level models last year.
That’s all folks!
Alapan, Editor at Xombied and Techuda, is a biomechanical Engineer education-wise. But he wanted to go ahead with his life and pursue his career as both Gaming and Tech Reviewer. He is occasionally invited to host, plan and execute Gaming events with multiple brands. Apart from gaming, he loves playing guitar and singing along to the music.