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amazon Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S reviews
The Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S offers better value for money features than the competition and is still a great big screen, the mid-range gaming system
In 2021, you’ll spend more money on a gaming laptop than you would in 2020. The Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S in this review, has been around $200 more than the model last year. For the extra money, it upgrades to Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 30 Series “Ampere” graphics, but it’s a worthwhile change as it dramatically enhances gaming performance.
Everything we liked in last year’s Predator Helios 300 is reproduced here, as is our recommendation to stick to this base model: Its feature set makes more sense at this price and RTX Its 3060 should perform roughly on par with the more expensive Acer Predator Helios 300 (model PH317-54-70Z5) with its RTX 3070 Max-Q GPU.
However, if you prefer something more portable with a slim profile, the MSI Stealth 15M (A11UEK-009) is the top pick, but this year’s Predator Helios 300 has once again won the Editors of the Year award for mid-range 15.6-inch gaming laptops.
Specifications
Laptop class: Gaming
Processor: Intel Core i7-11800H
RAM (as rated): 16GB
Boot drive type and size: 512GB SSD
Display: 15.6″ FHD (1080p), IPS
Screen refresh rate: 144Hz
Graphics processor: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
Graphics Memory: 16GB
Dimensions: 14.31 x 10.04 x 0.9 inches
Weight: 5.06 pounds
Gaming Laptops From Any Angle
The Acer PH315-54-760S can’t be confused with anything but the regular gaming Predator Helios 300, which features an all-black chassis, angled lid corners, signature rear cooling vents, and a blue jade Predator logo with parallel lines on the cap. The only place you see the word Predator is below the screen, with a more confident vibe and a leap toward a broader appeal.
Measuring 0.9 x 14.3 x 10 inches (HWD) and weighing 5.3 pounds, the Predator Helios 300 is a mid-sized gaming laptop. Comparison: The HP Omen 15 is thinner (0.89 x 14.1 x 9.4 inches), as is the MSI Stealth 15M (0.6 x 14.1 x 9.7 inches).
As for build quality, the Helios 300 is part aluminum – the lid, palm rest, and keyboard deck – and certainly, at this price point, it struggles to impress as similarly priced competitors tend to use more metallic finishes; The Gigabyte Aero 15 and Razer Blade 15 Base Model are good all-metal options available.
A Smooth Predator At 144Hz
The 144Hz high refresh rate display on our review unit has smooth visuals for most types of games, especially e-sports. The Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53-71QX from last year, has the same full HD display but maxes out at a 240Hz refresh rate.
However, both monitors offer ample brightness, wide viewing angles, anti-glare surfaces, and 100% coverage of the rated sRGB color space for vivid images.
Like its predecessor, the PH315-54-760S features a colorful four-zone RGB keyboard. Acer’s PredatorSense app allows true RGB control (meaning you can specify red, green, and blue values) for each zone. Applications can be launched via a dedicated button on the numeric keypad.
While the keyboard lacks the per-key backlight customization of the more expensive Omen 15 and Alienware m15, its four zones and endless colors should satisfy most gamers’ needs. Even better, the app lets you save individual profiles.
The typing experience is satisfactory, and for gaming, the keys have an intuitive feel so your fingers feel sticky. The thicker border on the arrow key clusters advertises WASD making them appear brighter, and highlighting this laptop’s gaming appeal. Below the keyboard is a buttonless trackpad that fits the 15.6-inch screen perfectly.
The port selection is excellent, even without Thunderbolt 4. On the left, there’s a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a Killer E2600 2.5Gbps Ethernet jack, and an audio combo jack. Connect wirelessly via Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 (using the Killer AX1650i wireless card).
On the right side, there are USB Type-A and Type-C ports, which support device charging when the laptop is off. There are also HDMI 2.0b and mini-DisplayPort 1.4 video outputs.
Performance – Refreshing with Ampere
The Acer Predator Helios 300 in this review (model PH315-54-760S) is a mid-range configuration with a GeForce RTX 3060 6GB. It is paired with Intel’s octa-core Core i7-11800H processor, 16GB memory, and 512GB solid-state drive running Windows 10 Home operating system. This is a more powerful spec sheet, compared to the similarly priced MSI Pulse GL66, but with a more powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 (16GB) graphics card.
However, neither the performance of the Pulse GL66 nor the Helios 300 is equal to the Asus ROG Strix G15, with its AMD Ryzen R9-5900HX processor, 1TB NVMe SSD, GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card. However, you will have to pay more a bit for the added performance boost and premium configuration.
16GB of RAM feels good enough for anyone just buying this laptop for gaming, but if you’re into creatives then this memory becomes a good choice for anyone who needs the device to work remotely.
In fact, since that 16GB of RAM makes it good for multitasking, it’s one of the few gaming laptops that can handle live streaming while gaming with ease, so here’s also an option worth considering if you are a content creator.
A Smooth Sailing Player
As noted above, powering the gaming engine of the Helios 300 is an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB of VRAM. So what does that mean? Well, with such a graphics engine, you can explore the vast English countryside at over 58fps in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla at Ultra settings, 1080p.
On Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ultra, 1080p), the Acer Predator Helios 300 averaged 57 fps, well above the mainstream gaming laptop average (49 fps). More surprisingly, it managed to beat the MSI Pulse GL66 (51 fps) and the Asus TUF Dash F15’s RTX 3070 (51 fps).
In Far Cry New Dawn (Ultra, 1080p), the Helios 300 once again surpassed the category average (74 fps) with 79 fps, once again beating the MSI Pulse GL66 (77 fps) and TUF Dash F15 (71 fps).
Battery Life – Nothing Out of the ordinary
With a battery life of three hours and twenty-four minutes (Acer claims more), the Acer Predator Helios 300 somewhat beats the 3:21 category average for a gaming laptop. On the other hand, very powerful gaming laptops tend to offer around 2.5 hours of battery life, so it could be much worse. It won’t last a cross-country flight, but as long as you’re within three hours of a power outlet, it’s hard to imagine the 300-nit Helios serving its purpose.
A Competent Mid-Range Gaming Opponent
The Acer Predator Helios 300 (2021) gives gamers powerful performance combined with a colorful display and comfortable keyboard. The Acer PH315-54-760S model we reviewed is relatively priced considering its GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, but competition is stiff – for the same or slightly more rice, Alienware m15, Gigabyte Aero 15 XC, and HP Omen 15 offer eight-core processors, better GPUs, and more advanced features.
The bottom line of the Helios 300 is its price, and as the base model, it’s still capable of 1080p gaming thanks to the GeForce RTX 3060 – just like the more expensive models with the RTX 3070 GPU. The partially metal design stands out, Good port selection and convenient one-button overclocking help it stand out from the competition.
Should you buy it? Yes, a good choice. The Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S once again received the Editors’ Choice award for its mid-range 15.6-inch gaming laptop.
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