It was a long time ago when gaming laptops weren’t enough powerful to compete with gaming PCs but the times have changed and now, they are going head-to-head with each other. The gaming laptops are perhaps better because they are portable and lightweight but which gaming laptop should you go for? Well, don’t worry because we got you as we bring you Acer Predator Helios 500 for review.

Acer Predator Helios 500

Acer Predator Helios 500 is a massively powerful gaming laptop that packs an 11th Gen Intel core i9-11980HK high-performance processor which is paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 and together they provide you with an ultimate performance that is way better as compared to most of the PCs.

In this article, we will review all the features, specifications, pros, and cons of Acer Predator Helios 500.

Specifications of Acer Predator Helios 500

We will now discuss the specifications of Acer Predator Helios 500

General Specifications

• Brand: Acer
• Series: Predator Helios 500
• Weight: 3.9 kg or 8.59 pounds
• Color: Black

CPU Specifications

• Processor: 11th Gen Intel core i9-11980HK
• Processor Speed: Up to 5.0GHz (Single Core)
• No of Cores and Threads: 8 Cores, 16 Threads

Display & Graphics

• Screen size and resolution: 17.3” 4K (3840 x 2160)
• Backlight Technology: LED
• Screen: LCD with ComfyView & IPS Technology
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
• GPU VRAM: 16GB DDR6

Storage & RAM

• SSD: Yes, 2 x 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
• HDD: Yes, 1 x 1TB
• RAM: 64GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM

Connectivity

• HDMI: Yes, 1 x HDMI
• DisplayPort: Yes, 1 x Mini DisplayPort
• USB: 3 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
• USB-C details: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps), DisplayPort over USB-C, Thunderbolt 4, USB charging 5 V; 3 A
• Wi-Fi standard: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
• Ethernet: 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
• Bluetooth: Yes, Bluetooth 5.2

Battery

• Battery Backup: Up to 4 hours (depending on usage)
• Battery type: 4-Cell Lithium Ion (Li-Ion)

Features of Acer Predator Helios 500

Acer Predator Helios 500 comes packed with the following gaming-centric features.

Processor
It features an 11th Gen Intel core i9- 11980HK processor which is unlocked to overclocking for maximum processors (HK processors are unlocked for overclocking) and it can go up to 5.0GHz single-core frequency. There are 8 cores and 16 threads for optimal performance.

Graphics Card
Acer Predator Helios 500 comes with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 which is considered one of the best graphics cards in today’s world. The GPU features 16GB of DDR6 VRAM which is more than enough for the games that demand high graphical power.

Display
It features a stunning Mini-Led display of 17.3” with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 aka 4K and a 120Hz refresh rate. Now you may be wondering what is 4K Mini-Led display right? Well, it is similar to a QLED display but with smaller backlights which are just about the size of a pixel and this provides you with deeper blacks, brighter whites, and a slight improvement in contrast ratio.

RGB Lighting

Acer Predator Helios features a wide variety of customization when it comes to RGB lighting. It comes with an RGB backlit mechanical keyboard and you can set the keyboard according to your preference whether it is self-customized or it is one of those 17 built-in base patterns. There are LED strips on the back and all four edges as you can see in the picture below.

Acer takes RGB lighting to a whole new level by adding the following features

1. Audio Sync: it lets you choose one of the four patterns so that you can see the lights dance to your music’s beat. It works with movies and games too but the music feels even better with it.
2. Screen Sync: it is a strange phenomenon in that it lets your screen match its colors according to the colors on the keyboard creating a mimic-like effect that gradually makes viewing more immersive.
3. Per-Key RGB: it is there to let you fully customize every key on your keyboard or you can select from 17 built-in patterns.

The PredatorSense
PredatorSense is a customization utility from Acer that lets you choose from four performance modes i.e., Quiet, Default, Extreme, Turbo, and all these modes are meant for performance settings. It also lets you monitor your system’s performance, help you overclock, customize RGB lighting, and much more. This is an amazing software that lets you take control of your laptop.

Connectivity with the World
Acer Predator Helios 500 lets you connect to the world with its Intel Killer E3100G Ethernet Controller and Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i. When using these, your latency (ping) remains stable and it can be highly beneficial during competitive gaming.

Audio
Acer Predator Helios 500 is equipped with some crazy audio features that let you enjoy your movies, music, or gaming. There is :X Ultra works with any headphones or speakers by turning them into a 360o surround system and it provides real-world 3-D sound for your ears.

You can also custom tune your audio according to your choice and it won’t let you down because of its multi-band protection which is there to make sure that you hear the sound exactly as it is supposed to be heard.

Cooling System
Acer Predator Helios 500 features the coolest cooling system in the world thanks to its 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D Fan Technology that is responsible for the powerful airflow to the strategical important components of the system. Acer claims that they’ve applied thermal foams to all the critical places to increase cooling while decreasing heat on the device’s skin.

Pros of Acer Predator Helios 500

• Beauty and the beast
• Can easily replace your desktop for gaming
• Excellent thermals
• Stunning 4K mini-LED display, bright colors, and excellent contrast ratio
• Extremely suitable for overclocking
• Wide range of customization options
• Amazing and responsive keyboard
• Good webcam

Cons of Acer Predator Helios 500

• Expensive
• Pretty heavy
• Average battery life on gaming
• 120Hz refresh rate

Final Verdict

Acer Predator Helios 500 is an absolute monster when it comes to gaming as it will make sure that you never touch your PC again for gaming (just kidding) but this is one hell of a powerful gaming laptop with an amazing set of features that we’ve discussed above.

The price tag of $4449.99 is way too expensive and it is quite heavy but still, it is better when it comes to portability when it comes to PC. The battery life is just average and sometimes below average but the major drawback we’ve seen is the 120Hz refresh rate which is kind of low.

There are a few differences but apart from that, this gaming laptop will never disappoint you in terms of performance and it will remain cool even on high performance.