Acer hedges its hardware bets, puts vPro and ECC memory in new high-end gaming laptop
Based on its specs, Acer’s new gaming laptop, the Predator Helios 18P, sounds like a business workstation. The system, announced at IFA in Berlin, has options for high-end processors with Intel vPro and ECC RAM to prevent data corruption.
But in person, it sure looks like a gaming laptop, with its Predator branding, liberal use of RGB lighting, and aggressive angles. But with vPro for managing PC fleets and ECC memory to ensure data integrity, there’s definitely some incongruity there. The RTX 5090, however, at least makes sense in both gaming and workstation use cases.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Acer Predator Helios 18P AI |
Acer Nitro V 16 |
Acer Nitro V 16S |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CPU |
Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX with vPro |
Up to Intel Core 9 270H |
Up to Intel Core 9 270H |
|
GPU |
Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU |
Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU |
Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU |
|
Memory |
Up to 192GB ECC |
Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU |
Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU |
|
Storage |
Up to 6TB PCIe Gen 5 SSD |
UP to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD |
UP to 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD |
|
Display |
18-inch, 3840 x 2400, Mini LED, 120 Hz |
16-inch, 1920 x 1200 or 2560 x 1600, 180 Hz |
16-inch, 1920 x 1200 or 2560 x 1600, 180 Hz |
|
Connectivity |
Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Killer Ethernet E5000B |
Intel Killer DoubleShot Pro, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2,Intel Killer Ethernet E2600 |
Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6, Intel Killer Ethernet E2600, Bluetooth 5.2 |
|
Starting Price |
Not yet announced in the US, €4,499 in the EU |
$999.99 |
$1,099.99 |
|
Availability |
Not yet announced |
October |
November |
The system also boasts up to 6TB of PCIe Gen 5 SSD storage, two Thunderbolt 5 ports over USB Type-C, three USB Type-A ports, and an SD card reader.
The 18-inch, Mini-LED display has a 3840 x 2400 resolution (a 16:10 aspect ratio) and can run up to 120 Hz.
The Acer Predator Helios 18P AI is coming to the United States, Acer claims, but it doesn’t have a price or release date. In Europe, the system will start at €4,499 (about $5,265.49 as of this writing).
Acer Nitro gets a refresh
Acer is also using IFA to update its budget and mid-range Acer Nitro line. The Nitro V 16 and Nitro V 16S. These are similar to the systems of the same names launched earlier this year, but Acer is adding Intel processor options up to an Intel Core 9 270H and is boosting GPUs up to an RTX 5070.
Booth have 16-inch displays, with 1920 x 1200 and 2560 x 1600 options at 180 Hz.
The Acer Nitro V 16 will start at $999.99 in October, while the Nitro V 16S will launch in November beginning at $1,099.99.
