acer predator | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:28:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png acer predator | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Acer Predator Orion X hands-on! https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/dominic-moass/acer-predator-orion-x-hands-on/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/dominic-moass/acer-predator-orion-x-hands-on/#respond Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:00:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=639218 We take a look at Acer's new small form-factor gaming PC, packing an i9 and RTX 4080

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Today we are taking a first look at a very interesting small-form factor gaming PC that stills packs a mighty punch. We're talking about the Predator Orion X, Acer’s new mini-ITX gaming PC that’s just about to hit the market. Available in the UK with an i9-13900KS, RTX 4080 and 32GB of DDR5 memory, it's time to take a closer look…

While we go over the key specs and features in the video, it is worth making clear that is a showcase video and not a full review. Our sample differs slightly to the one that will be available at retail in the UK, so for now the video above is a first look showcase, though we do aim to revisit the Orion X in the New Year with a full review, including all the usual details benchmarks that you'd expect.

Specifications:

  • Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 408 16 GB GDDR6X
  • RAM: 32 GB DDR5 (5600 MHz)
  • Processor:  Intel® Core™ i9-13900KS Unlocked Processor
  • Motherboard: Z790
  • Connectivity
    • WiFi: AX WiFi 6E
    • Ethernet: 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port
    • Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0
  • Ports
    • USB Type-C x 2
    • USB 3.2 x 4
    • USB 2.0 x 2
    • HDMI 2.1 x 1
    • DisplayPort x 3
    • 3.5 mm jack
  • Cooling: Liquid cooling (240 mm) FrostBlade 2.0 fans
  • Colour: Black
  • Weight: 10.3 kg
  • Dimensions: 257.5 x 179 x 336 mm (H x W x D)
  • Manufacturer’s guarantee: 1 year
  • Box contents:
    • Acer Predator Orion X POX-950 Gaming PC (DG.E3SEK.002)
    • AC power cable
    • Setup guide

You can pre-order from Curry's for £3799 HERE. Any PC or laptop from Acer's Nitro or Predator ranges come with 3 months of PC Game Pass included, while anyone who pre-orders the Orion X before the end of the year will also receive a £100 Curry's voucher. Learn more HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: The Acer Predator Orion X is a very compact and attractive system – we hope to get a retail model in for a full review soon.

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Intel Arc Revisit: 2023 driver update (Acer Predator BiFrost A770) https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/dominic-moass/intel-arc-revisit-2023-driver-update-with-acer-predator-bifrost-a770/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/dominic-moass/intel-arc-revisit-2023-driver-update-with-acer-predator-bifrost-a770/#respond Fri, 17 Mar 2023 11:00:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=595955 We see how far Intel Arc has come since its launch back in October

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You may have read my launch-day reviews of Intel's Arc A750 and A770 graphics cards, where I praised the potential of Intel's hardware, but also noted a number of significant issues on the driver side. Well, Intel has been hard at work and is claiming some serious improvements with its newest drivers, so it is time to put that to the test today, where we'll also be analysing Acer's Predator BiFrost A770 custom card.

Watch video via Vimeo (below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
00:59 Test setup
02:55 Performance testing
07:34 12-game Average results
09:48 A look at the Acer Predator BiFrost A770
12:08 Thermals and acoustics
13:42 Power and FPS vs LE
14:28 Closing Thoughts

In order to analyse the difference made by Intel's newest drivers, we tested both the A750 and A770 using the 3491 driver from back in October, as well as with the 4123 driver released in February. This gives us two data points per Arc GPU, so we can see exactly how things have changed in the last few months. Testing 12 games in total, we also include comparisons against the RX 6600 XT and RTX 3060.

Later in this article, we take a closer look at the Acer Predator BiFrost A770 custom card and compare its performance, thermals and more against Intel's own Limited Edition model.

 

We've taken a look at the Xe HPG architecture in the past, but to remind ourselves of what we are looking at today, above we can see a comparison of the core spec of the A750 and A770. Both SKUs are built on Intel's ACM-G10 silicon, but the A750 is shaved down slightly. The full die offers 32 Xe cores for the A770 however, where each core offers 16 vector engines, with each vector engine housing 8 FP32 ALUs, for a grand total of 4096.

Each Xe core is accompanied by a Ray Tracing Unit, while we also find 224 TMUs and 112 ROPs. A 256-bit memory interface is used for both A750 and A770, but 16Gbps GDDR6 memory is used for the A750, giving total memory bandwidth of 512 GB/s. Intel also rates the A770 for 2100MHz graphics clock, and 225W total board power.

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Acer Predator Helios 300 Review – 144Hz IPS Laptop https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/edward-chester/acer-predator-helios-300-laptop-review-i7-8750h-gtx-1060/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/edward-chester/acer-predator-helios-300-laptop-review-i7-8750h-gtx-1060/#respond Thu, 31 Jan 2019 12:03:46 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=400730 It's a £1250 laptop from Acer - with a killer 144Hz IPS display. Is it a good buy?

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The Acer Helios 300 is a gaming laptop that boasts two headline features: a 144Hz IPS LCD display and a relatively modest price tag. That screen means you get the best of both worlds with the good overall image quality of an IPS display but with the fast gaming performance of a 144Hz refresh rate. Meanwhile, a price of £1250 is certainly not bargain basement but so far as gaming laptops go it's reasonably affordable.

Elsewhere you get a fairly typical chunky 15.6in laptop design with the addition of black brushed aluminium topping the lid and keyboard surround, along with a few touches of red to highlight its gaming credentials.

Also present is a backlit keyboard and plenty of connectivity while inside you’ll find an 8th-generation Intel Core processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics, 16GB of DDR4 and both an M.2 SSD and 2.5in hard drive. That's the range topping configuration while you can also get lower-specced versions that include older generation CPUs, smaller storage drives and GTX 1050 Ti graphics.

The Acer Helios 300 is not going to be breaking any speed records but with that screen and that price it should be an ideal mid-range option.

Specification:

  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • CPU: Intel core i7 8750H (2.2Ghz – 4.1GHz)
  • Display: 15.6” 144Hz IPS LCD, 1920×1080, 16:9
  • Memory Supplied: 2 x 8GB
  • Memory Type: DDR4
  • Memory Speed: 2,667
  • Max Memory Support: 32GB
  • Graphics Chipset: nVidia GeForce GTX 1060
  • Graphics Memory: 6GB GDDR5
  • Storage: Toshiba SG5 256GB SATA M.2 SSD, WD WD10SPZX 1TB 2.5in HDD
  • Keyboard Type: Chiclet
  • USB Ports: 1 x USB A 3.0, 1 X USB Type-C 3.1, 2 x USB A 2.0
  • HDMI Port(s): 1
  • Microphone/headphone Jack(s): 1 combi port
  • Card Reader: SD (XC/HC)
  • Audio: Stereo
  • Wireless LAN – Intel 2×2 802.11ac
  • Bluetooth: V4.2
  • Webcam: Full HD type (30fps@1080p)
  • Dimensions: 432.3mm x 289.9mm
  • Weight: 2.6kg without power cable, 3.32kg with power cable
  • Warranty: 1yr RTB

Total cost £1,249 inc vat.

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Acer joins the fray with its Helios 500 laptop https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/notebook/dominic-moass/acer-joins-the-fray-with-its-helios-500-laptop/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/notebook/dominic-moass/acer-joins-the-fray-with-its-helios-500-laptop/#respond Wed, 23 May 2018 17:21:52 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=374064 There's been a slew of new laptops released recently from the likes of MSI, Razer and Gigabyte, and Acer has decided to join in the fun with its new Predator Helios 500, just announced in New York. The headline feature of the new Helios 500 is the adoption of Intel's latest i9 mobile processors, with …

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There's been a slew of new laptops released recently from the likes of MSI, Razer and Gigabyte, and Acer has decided to join in the fun with its new Predator Helios 500, just announced in New York.

The headline feature of the new Helios 500 is the adoption of Intel's latest i9 mobile processors, with the top spec model including the overclockable i9-8950HK. Graphical grunt comes from a full-fat GTX 1070 chip – not the Max-Q variant – while there will also be 16GB of DDR4 memory (upgradable up to 64GB) and up to 1TB of NVMe storage in RAID 0.

As for the display, there will be two options available – 1080p or 4K IPS panels, with the former sporting a 144Hz refresh rate. Both options are 17.3in in size and support G-Sync, meaning you will get a tear-free gaming experience regardless of the frame rate being churned out. From previous experience, our early recommendation would be to go for the 1080p panel as a GTX 1070 can drive that resolution far easier than a 4K panel.

Rather than cramming all of this hardware into the slimmest possible chassis, the Helios 500 instead is a bit chunkier at 38.7mm thick, with a focus on good thermal performance. It uses two of Acer's AeroBlade 3D metal fans, while no less than five heatpipes – quite remarkable for a laptop – are used to dissipate the heat from the internal components.

Elsewhere, there is of course an RGB keyboard, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, Killer Doubleshot Pro networking and support for up to three external monitors.

Just like the Orion 5000 desktops, availability in the UK is slated for July, with prices starting at £1799 for the baseline spec.

KitGuru says: Acer's Helios 300 is the company's best selling gaming laptop, so it was only a matter of time before we saw a successor. What do you guys think about the decision to use a thicker chassis in the hopes of keeping temperatures low – is that a smart decision, or would you prefer something portable?

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Acer unveils new range of Predator Orion 5000 gaming desktops https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/dominic-moass/acer-unveils-new-range-of-predator-orion-5000-gaming-desktops/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/dominic-moass/acer-unveils-new-range-of-predator-orion-5000-gaming-desktops/#respond Wed, 23 May 2018 17:13:54 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=374061 At the ‘Next@Acer' event in New York, the first thing to catch our eye was the new range of Orion 5000 desktops. These are from Acer's Predator range, so they are designed with gaming in mind – and it shows. While it is important to note that is is a new range – so the Orion …

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At the ‘Next@Acer' event in New York, the first thing to catch our eye was the new range of Orion 5000 desktops. These are from Acer's Predator range, so they are designed with gaming in mind – and it shows.

While it is important to note that is is a new range – so the Orion 5000 will come in multiple configurations – the desktops will sport up to an i7-8700K, while you will be able to get up to two GTX 1080 Tis should you wish. While that top of the line spec will obviously mean dealing with the foibles of SLI, it essentially gives you the best gaming performance that is currently available.

While the spec may be impressive, it is perhaps not as jaw-dropping design of the Orion 5000. Featuring a very angular, aggressive case design with a mesh front and RGB fans, the Orion 5000 is going to turn heads wherever it goes. It's safe to say if you take one of these rigs to a LAN, you are going to get a lot of attention.

Acer has also made a feature of the fact that the Orion 5000 desktops will be easy to upgrade – something that is not always the case with other pre-built desktops from the likes of Alienware, for instance. From our hands-on time with a sample desktop in New York, users will have easy access to the graphics PCIe slots, DDR4 memory and even the processor itself. It looks like an entirely conventional desktop with nothing proprietary – as far as we could tell.

If you want to buy an Orion 5000 desktop, the range will be available in the UK from July, with prices starting at £1499 – but don't expect to get two GTX 1080 Tis for that!

KitGuru says: It is certainly an immense rig – in every sense of the word. Would any of you consider buying a Predator pre-built system?

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Acer’s 4K/144Hz monitor has been pushed back to 2018 https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/matthew-wilson/acers-4k144hz-monitor-has-been-pushed-back-to-2018/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/matthew-wilson/acers-4k144hz-monitor-has-been-pushed-back-to-2018/#comments Fri, 04 Aug 2017 13:00:20 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=342752 Back in January, we received news that the world’s first two 4K/144Hz monitors would be hitting the market this year, one from Acer and one from ASUS. At the time, a Q2 2017 release was expected for both but quietly missed. Now, Acer has confirmed that its monitor won’t hit retail this year at all, …

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Back in January, we received news that the world’s first two 4K/144Hz monitors would be hitting the market this year, one from Acer and one from ASUS. At the time, a Q2 2017 release was expected for both but quietly missed. Now, Acer has confirmed that its monitor won’t hit retail this year at all, pushing things back to 2018.

In terms of specifications, the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ and the Acer Predator X27 are going to be very similar. Both sport Quantum Dot panels, 4K resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, HDR and a new version of G-Sync that works with HDR. For one reason or another though, it looks like Acer’s display will take longer than expected, with the Acer America twitter account stating “The Predator X27 is currently expected to release in 2018 Q1”.

The reason behind the delay is unknown publicly but it could be something as simple as manufacturers being unable to make enough panels in time. If that does end up being the case, then Asus may also find itself in a similar position with the PG27UQ.

We have got in touch with an Asus rep to see if there is any updated information regarding the PG27UQ’s release. We will update when we hear back.

Update: Our Asus contact has got back to us. At this time, the UK office is still expecting the ROG Swift PG27UQ to arrive before the end of this year and has yet to be told otherwise. 

KitGuru Says: I was really looking forward to seeing the Acer X27 in action at some point this year. Unfortunately, it looks like we won’t be able to get our hands on one until early next year instead. Still, the ASUS one may still come out this year, hopefully we can get an update on the status of that monitor soon. Are any of you looking to buy a new monitor this year? Were you waiting for 4K/144Hz to hit the market?

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Up close and personal with Acer’s new Predator 21X laptop, curved monitors and more https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/dominic-moass/acer-predator-event/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/dominic-moass/acer-predator-event/#respond Wed, 21 Jun 2017 13:48:12 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=338562 Dom takes a trip to check out Acer's ultra-wide behemoth.

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Today I was lucky enough to take a trip to Thorpe Park, a theme park set in the outskirts of London. I was there for an Acer event highlighting some of the company's most exciting new launches, including the Predator 21X, a huge 21-inch UltraWide gaming laptop with dual graphics cards! 

There were a lot of products on show, so I will start the with Predator range – Acer's high-end gaming-focused products.

Here we got a look at the new Helios 3000, an entry-to-mid-level gaming laptop. While the exact spec depends on the specific model, consumers can expect the latest 7th-Gen Intel processors – including the overclockable i7-7802HQ I am told – as well as overclocked GTX 1060 graphics. With a price set at £1099.99 this seems like a pretty good bang-for-buck option.

The star of the show was undoubtedly the Predator 21X, though, a huge curved UltraWide gaming laptop complete with not one, but two GTX 1080s in SLI. The keyboard is also fully mechanical with Cherry MX Brown switches, while the 2560×1080 display also includes eye-tracking technology which was shown working with Rise of the Tomb Raider. Prepare to dig very deep, though, as this beast of a laptop will set you back £9000. You can check out our Facebook Live video showing the laptop in action, HERE.

The last item in the Predator range was the Z271T monitor. This is a 27-inch, curved 1080p display with a 144Hz refresh-rate and 4ms response time. While Acer didn't specify the panel technology, we can assume it will be IPS/VA due to the slower response time. The Z271T also sports eye-tracking technology baked-in, while Nvidia graphics card owners will also be glad to know it supports G-Sync. This one will set you back £799.99.

Acer doesn't just make gaming products, though, as I also got a look at some of its thin-and-light laptops. From left to right we have the Swift 7, 5, 3 and 1 – each of which aims to offer decent performance and strong battery life across a range of price-points. For example, the Swift 7 is the flagship UltraBook and sports an all-aluminium body plus MU-MIMO WiFi tech. The Swift 1, though, is a lower-end laptop so it is not quite as thin as the 9.98mm Swift 7, but it still features a FHD IPS display plus reported 10-hour battery life. The Swift 1 will cost £349.99 while the Swift 7 is from £999.99.

Lastly, I also got to play with the Switch 5 (left) and Switch 3. These are Acer's 2-in-1 laptop/tablets, and the Switch 5 (£899.99) is the more high-end with a liquid cooling loop no less, plus Core i3/i5/i7 processors (model depending). The Switch 3, however, uses lower-power Celeron and Pentium processors, but that does mean it is passively cooled. It will also cost £479.99 so is a fair bit cheaper.

KitGuru says: It was great to hang out with Acer today and look at their new products. The Predator series is probably the most interesting – who can argue with a 21-inch UltraWide gaming laptop after all – but UltraBook users will also be interested by the Swift series.

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Acer’s new gaming laptop tackles the ‘thin and light’ market https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/matthew-wilson/acers-new-gaming-laptop-tackles-the-thin-and-light-market/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/matthew-wilson/acers-new-gaming-laptop-tackles-the-thin-and-light-market/#comments Fri, 28 Apr 2017 19:19:30 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=332130 Last year, Acer began pushing its Predator gaming brand into the laptop space. It made quite the first impression too, with a massive 21:9 ultra-wide display and desktop-grade GPU horsepower under the hood. This year though, Acer is cooling off a bit by building something a little more traditional. The new Acer Predator Triton 700 …

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Last year, Acer began pushing its Predator gaming brand into the laptop space. It made quite the first impression too, with a massive 21:9 ultra-wide display and desktop-grade GPU horsepower under the hood. This year though, Acer is cooling off a bit by building something a little more traditional. The new Acer Predator Triton 700 trades in some power for portability, though it will still be a capable gaming system.

The Triton 700 is an ultra thin gaming laptop, measuring in at just 18mm thick. It comes with a 15.6-inch full HD IPS display, an NVMe SSD and varying GTX 10-series GPUs under the hood. I imagine there will be a GTX 1060, GTX 1070 and GTX 1080 model available eventually, all of which should be capable of running modern games at 1080p.

On the CPU side of things, these laptops pack an Intel Kaby Lake processor, again, the exact CPU will vary depending on which model you go for.

Either way, the one big challenge with thin/light gaming laptops is that there isn't a whole lot of space for cooling. To get around this, Acer is using dual AeroBlade 3D fans, which it claims provide the most advanced thermal performance around.

In an effort to remain a ‘no compromise' system, the Triton 700 also includes a low-profile mechanical keyboard, so even the typing experience should be well ahead of what many other laptops currently offer.

The Acer Predator Triton 700 will be available later this year, though pricing will vary depending on the hardware spec you opt for. We are hearing that there will be at least one model going for $3000.

KitGuru Says: As cool as it was to see a 21:9 ultra-wide laptop last year, it was a bit too bulky to be practical for most people. The Triton 700 on the other hand is a big improvement in that area by the looks of things. It will certainly be interesting to get some hands on time with it when review units start going out.

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Two 4K/144Hz monitors coming Q2 2017, first will cost $2000 https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/matthew-wilson/two-4k144hz-monitors-coming-q2-2017-first-will-cost-2000/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/matthew-wilson/two-4k144hz-monitors-coming-q2-2017-first-will-cost-2000/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2017 17:15:20 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=316972 CES was full of surprises this year and while we didn't end up getting a GTX 1080Ti announcement, we did get to see the first two 4K/144Hz gaming monitors hitting the market in 2017. During the first half of the year, not only will Asus be coming out with the ROG Swift PG27UQ, but Acer …

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CES was full of surprises this year and while we didn't end up getting a GTX 1080Ti announcement, we did get to see the first two 4K/144Hz gaming monitors hitting the market in 2017. During the first half of the year, not only will Asus be coming out with the ROG Swift PG27UQ, but Acer will be following it up with a Predator XB272-HDR, both monitors will support the new G-Sync HDR module while offering the highest refresh rate 4K display so far.

xasus-jpg-pagespeed-ic-qnmsdfsiv5

The Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ makes use of a Quantum Dot panel, so you can expect high colour accuracy. However, thanks to the addition of HDR, the colour gamut will actually be 25% wider than a lot of other monitors currently on the market, most of which use the sRGB colour format. This monitor in particular uses the DCI-P3 colour gamut for smooth gradients and high accuracy. This particular monitor will set you back by quite a bit though.

There has been some conflicting reports surrounding the cost of this monitor with some claiming $2000 and others claiming $1199. From what I have been told by our contacts, $2000 is the correct ballpark for this monitor, so we can estimate that this will work out around £1800/£1900 here in the UK. That is an estimate though, things could change in the months leading up to this hitting the market.

acer-predator-nvidia-g-sync-hdr-mass-effect-andromeda-1140x641

The Acer Predator XB272-HDR will also use a Quantum Dot panel and sport HDR, alongside Nvidia's new G-Sync HDR technology. On paper, based on the specifications we know so far, Acer's monitor is more or less identical to the Asus model, which indicates that this is the new standard Nvidia is aiming for with future G-Sync HDR monitors.

We don't have exact release dates for either of these monitors just yet, nor do we have a price point for Acer's model but we would expect it to be in a similar ball park to the $2000 Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ.

KitGuru Says: Both of these monitors sound incredible on paper but that price point does sting a bit. It could be a while before we see high refresh rate Ultra-HD displays drop below the £1000 mark. How much would you guys be willing to spend on a 4K/144Hz monitor?

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Acer’s latest Predator monitor offers up QHD/165Hz at reasonable price https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/matthew-wilson/acers-latest-predator-monitor-offers-up-qhd165hz-at-reasonable-price/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/matthew-wilson/acers-latest-predator-monitor-offers-up-qhd165hz-at-reasonable-price/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2016 17:56:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=309462 It looks like Acer is looking to bolster competition in the monitor market this year, as the company just unveiled a new Predator gaming monitor, sporting a 1440p resolution and 165Hz refresh rate all for less than $500. It sounds impressive, though this did mean cutbacks in some other areas. For starters, this is a …

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It looks like Acer is looking to bolster competition in the monitor market this year, as the company just unveiled a new Predator gaming monitor, sporting a 1440p resolution and 165Hz refresh rate all for less than $500. It sounds impressive, though this did mean cutbacks in some other areas.

For starters, this is a 24-inch monitor, which is rare for 1440p, with most QHD offerings coming with 27-inch panels. Also, the 165Hz refresh rate is not native, it is achieved through overclocking in the OSD (On Screen Display), the native refresh rate for this monitor is actually 144Hz.

predator-xb241h_sku_main

With that aside, this monitor does sport a TN panel with 1ms grey-to-grey response time, making it excellent for competitive gamers. It also offers support for 100 percent coverage of the sRGB colour gamut, so colours may not quite match an IPS display, but they'll still be pretty good. Of course, G-Sync is also supported, which has become normal for high-end monitors these days.

The Acer Predator XB241YU also has a ‘ZeroFrame' design, which makes it a good candidate for a multi-monitor setup. Acer's ‘ZeroFrame' naming has been called into question though, as there is still some bezel left on the edge of the display.

You can find all of the tech specs for this monitor, HERE. It should be available in the US soon starting at $499. A UK release date has yet to be confirmed.

KitGuru Says: Those are some pretty great specs on paper considering the price. Are any of you guys currently looking to pick up a high refresh rate 1440p monitor? Or are you sticking to anothe resolution for the time being?

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Acer launches new Predator gaming range in London https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/andrzej/acer-launches-new-predator-gaming-range-in-london/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/andrzej/acer-launches-new-predator-gaming-range-in-london/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:36:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=272796 Traditionally, Acer's reputation was built on cramming as many cool-sounding technologies as possible into a simple chassis with a low price. The global downturn in 2008 caused a rethink at this $11 billion corporation and, since then, there has been a much greater focus on design aesthetics. Last night's launch of the new Predator range …

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Traditionally, Acer's reputation was built on cramming as many cool-sounding technologies as possible into a simple chassis with a low price. The global downturn in 2008 caused a rethink at this $11 billion corporation and, since then, there has been a much greater focus on design aesthetics. Last night's launch of the new Predator range of gaming systems showed a clear direction for future models. KitGuru was on hand in a noisy warehouse to get the lowdown from Acer expert Simon Gaines.

Building your own gaming rig let's you fine tune everything, let's you get get the perfect combination of design, power and price. Local system integrators take a lot of the effort out of the process by creating multiple ranges with choice components. But what about your average family?

The number of high street computer specialists has dwindled in recent years, which makes PC World and John Lewis the more likely option. In this environment, Acer is a key player and the launch of its new Predator series shows a willingness to create a gaming brand that transcends formats.

On show in London were desktop, laptop and tablet models, but we also overheard talk about a full range of Predator branded peripherals and even a gaming phone. It looks like the Predator brand will start to take precedent in Acer's gaming marketing going forward.

The Invictus Plaza location that Acer chose for the event had been converted into a club, with pulsing red lights and dry ice everywhere,  which is great for creating a mood, but makes capturing images a little trickier. Hopefully these will give you an idea of just how visually appealing the new products are. We can confirm that they also feel solid to the touch.

Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.

Acer-Predator-Launch-London-KitGuru-Poster Acer-Predator-Launch-London-KitGuru-Gaming-Laptop-Aditional-Cooling Acer-Predator-Launch-London-KitGuru-Gaming-Laptop Acer-Predator-Launch-London-KitGuru-Gaming-Tablet Acer-Predator-Launch-London-KitGuru-Gaming-New-Design Acer-Predator-Launch-London-KitGuru-Gaming-Tablet-Attractive Acer-Predator-Launch-London-KitGuru-Gaming-Laptop-Slots Acer-Predator-Launch-London-KitGuru-Gaming-Tablet-Turbo Acer-Predator-Launch-London-KitGuru-Gaming-Laptop-Closing

KitGuru says: Acer has some G3 models showing online, with prices starting from £650, but from last night's event it seems clear that it is much more interested in selling specifications like the G6-710 which has a Core i7 6700K and GTX980 graphics for £1,499. Once the rest of the line up has launched, it seems likely that Acer will pick up a decent number of sales from mainstream customers who want a high spec system and are prepared to pay a little extra for brand familiarity. 

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Acer Predator XB280HK 4K display with Nvidia G-Sync https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/orestis-bastounis/acer-predator-xb280hk-4k-display-with-nvidia-g-sync/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/orestis-bastounis/acer-predator-xb280hk-4k-display-with-nvidia-g-sync/#respond Wed, 09 Sep 2015 08:02:16 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265652 The Predator sounds a dream display for gaming. It’s a 28-inch 4K monitor that supports Nvidia’s G-Sync technology. It has a high quality TN panel and although it only goes up to 60 Hz rather than 144Hz like many other G-Sync displays, it’s still enough for the intended effect of tear-free gaming up to 60fps. …

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The Predator sounds a dream display for gaming. It’s a 28-inch 4K monitor that supports Nvidia’s G-Sync technology. It has a high quality TN panel and although it only goes up to 60 Hz rather than 144Hz like many other G-Sync displays, it’s still enough for the intended effect of tear-free gaming up to 60fps. With such a good specification and a price tag that’s competitive with other high-end gaming monitors, should the Predator XB280HK be your next display purchase?

There have been some exciting advances in display technology over the last few years, particularly for gamers. Displays that offer resolutions of 4K (and higher) are now priced within reach of the average consumer, and if you have a PC that’s powerful enough to handle the extreme demands of 3D gaming at this resolution, there’s no denying how unbelievably good games will look.
screen 1

Alternatively, some manufacturers are now selling ultra-wide displays in a 21:9 screen format, often with curved panels. These can work very well with games and movies, giving you a greater view of the virtual world, and are good fun to play on.

There’s also adaptive-sync technology (Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync) which drastically improves the way animation is shown on the screen, by eliminating the tearing and micro stutter you get with traditional displays. This occurs when the graphics card outputs frames that are out of sync with the monitor’s refresh rate, which causes odd lines to sometimes appear on the screen.

With an adaptive-sync monitor, the display and graphics card are always outputting and displaying frames in perfect synchronisation, at least, as long as the frame rate is within the maximum bounds of the adaptive-sync frequency the display can handle.

No display offers all these features yet, but Acer’s 28-inch Predator XB280HK can tick two of those boxes at least. It has a 4K native screen resolution and supports 60Hz G-Sync in all resolutions, enabling a complete elimination of tearing and micro stutter, at least up to 60fps in games, and when using an Nvidia graphics card.

It uses a TN panel, as with the overwhelming majority of current G-Sync displays. We expect to see more IPS G-Sync and FreeSync monitors towards the end of the year, including updated models from Acer themselves, which were demonstrated at Computex, but as of writing, it’s the only 4K G-Sync display we know of, as competing displays can only go up to 1440p.

The IPS vs TN argument can get complicated, since although IPS screens are usually brighter and present far better viewing angles than TN technology can, TN displays have a much better response time, which is better suited for gaming. And modern TN screens now have improved picture quality and viewing angles, so those aforementioned issues are less of a problem.

Acer XB280HK Predator specification:

  • Screen size: 28-inch
  • Native resolution: 3840×2160
  • Refresh rate: 60Hz
  • Panel type: TN
  • Display inputs: 1x DisplayPort 1.2
  • USB hub: 4x USB 3
  • Tilt: Yes
  • Raise: Yes
  • Swivel: Yes
  • Other: Nvidia G-Sync
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Consignment stock – ticking time bomb for Acer/HP? https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/jules/consignment-stock-ticking-time-bomb-for-acerhp/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/jules/consignment-stock-ticking-time-bomb-for-acerhp/#comments Sat, 13 Aug 2011 13:00:32 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=55924 As the world comes to terms with the channel choke saga, additional far-reaching effects are also coming to light. The potential time bomb here concerns the way that larger stores do business. KitGuru heads to the shop floor to try and understand the cash flow battle between DSG and multi-nationals like Acer and HP. First …

The post Consignment stock – ticking time bomb for Acer/HP? first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
As the world comes to terms with the channel choke saga, additional far-reaching effects are also coming to light. The potential time bomb here concerns the way that larger stores do business. KitGuru heads to the shop floor to try and understand the cash flow battle between DSG and multi-nationals like Acer and HP.

First up, a little clarification. When we refer to HP and Acer, the buck does not stop with those two badges. These mountains of (largely) low-end PCs come with a number of names on the front.

Acer also includes Gateway and Packard Bell – so expect bargains everywhere on these 3 brands. Right now, we can see that even with the previous generation Core i5 Intel processors, prices have tumbled in many cases by around £200.

HP also includes Compaq – and the £200 off Compaq laptops you see on UK TV right now is a direct result of the channel choking on chips (remember that with these bargains, you will have to live with a CPU from a bygone era).

The underlying problem is that HP and Acer have been taking far too long to sell through on Intel processors. That results in dated stock, which the tech-savvy audience is not so keen to purchase.

If you're not sure about the age of the CPU, here is a comparison of the past and present logos.

Chips with the logo on the left arrived Summer 2009. On the right, 2011. The new ones are much, much better.

That brings us to consignment stock. What does this mean and why could it be so dangerous for HP and Acer?

For most stores, you need to buy in products in order to stack the shelves. However, the major retailers like DSG will work on consignment stock. Massive amounts of product are dropped into warehouses and stores, all of which still belongs to the manufacturer until it is purchased by the customer, i.e. you.

Once you buy that Acer or HP system, that unit goes onto the purchase order for that month. With a company like DSG, massive and with cash flow issues of its own, the payment terms could easily be 120 days.

With the most recent reports that half of HP and Acer's stock is now over 6 months old, you can see the problem – right?

HP PC is built, packed and shipped from China around last Christmas. The cost to Hewlett Packard was £350 and DSG optimistically puts it on sale at £599.

This poor HP PC arrives in PC World stores just as the worst drop in consumer desktop spending ever hits town. Comparing Q1 2010 with Q1 2011, research experts like IDC have reported a drop of almost 44% in the sale of certain Tower PCs. Not good news.

Imagine how jealous your mates will be when you tell them that you've landed an Acer Predator, complete with i7-930, for just £1,399 - if you have time on your hands, you could head to PC World and try to see how many of the old Intel badges you recognise!

So that PC lands in PC World Birmingham at the start of January, filled with last year's technology, and it begins to gather dust. Remember, DSG has NOT bought the PC if it is on consignment. It's just sitting there, ageing.

Going into Q2, stimulation is needed, so HP agrees to reduce the price. Remember, they still have not been paid and the PC was made 4 months ago.

It carries on sitting there from April and May, to June and July. It now becomes part of a ‘Back To School' discount programme and more money comes off the price.

As the leaves turn brown, conkers fall to the ground, the nights get shorter and everyone is feeling a little bit more wary of the world economy.  HP tries a last ditch effort and gives yet another discount to DSG.

Finally, the PC is reluctantly purchased with a £250 off sticker.

Being the smart retail animals they are, DSG also gets the customer to buy the ‘mobile kit', which includes high margin bag, memory stick and anti-virus.

The sale of this ancient HP desktop PC goes onto the sell-out report for August, which creates a September invoice from HP, which – guess what – DSG has no intention of paying for 120 days (HP has, after all, agreed to those terms in writing).

This might be an extreme example, but it gives you an idea of why you are seeing such huge bargains in the sale of low end systems right now.

HP ships a PC in December 2010, with a cost price of £350. By the time all of the discounts have been factored in, HP will almost certainly have sold this particular system at ‘below cost'. Not only that, the payment for the machine might not land in HP's bank account until January 2011.

Is there a real world consequence to this kind of trading pattern?  Not certain ourselves, we did a quick screen grab on Yahoo's Finance pages.

If you were a skier, then HP's share price graph may well represent the black run. Downhill, with plenty of bumps.

KitGuru says: While the value of a share might go up and down, we can tell you for nothing that old PCs on the shelf only go one direction. Local, specialist builders who blend the latest components – to an exact customer order – and then ship as soon as it has completed testing, will almost certainly enjoy a renaissance over the next 6 months. You really would not want to be at the bargain end of the PC league table right now.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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