Acer Predator Triton 500 SE review: A gaming laptop that’s safe for work

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The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is a gaming laptop computer that doesn’t simply need to be a gaming laptop computer.

Instead, it falls right into a burgeoning class of extra work-friendly gaming rigs, becoming a member of the likes of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G15, Gigabyte Aero 17, and Dell XPS 17 9710 in firming down its wild aspect. There are not any racing stripes or flashy LED patterns right here, and the 2560 x 1600 decision display screen has a taller 16:10 facet ratio to assist with common previous workplace work.

Yet the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is able to social gathering when wanted, with an Intel Core i7-11800H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q GPU, and a 165Hz refresh charge show for tremendous {smooth} gaming (and, to be trustworthy, net searching). While some video games don’t play good with a 16:10 facet ratio, and the show might be extra vibrant, total this can be a stable worth for a laptop computer that’s equally snug at work or play.

This assessment is a part of our ongoing roundup of the best gaming laptops. Go there for info on competing merchandise and the way we examined them.

Tech Specs:

Our Acer Predator Triton 500 SE assessment unit costs $1750 and contains the next tech specs:

• Intel Core i7-11800H
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q with 6 GB GDDR6 VRAM
• 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 decision IPS show, 165 Hz refresh charge, 500 nits brightness
• 16GB DDR4 RAM (3200 MHz)
• 512GB PCIe Gen4x4 SSD
• Wi-Fi 6
• 720p webcam
• Left aspect: Gigabit ethernet, USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, USB-C (with Thunderbolt 4), headphone jack
• Right aspect: SD card reader, USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, USB-C (with Thunderbolt 4), HDMI 2.1
• Weight: 5.29 kilos (energy brick weighs 1.9 kilos)
• Dimensions: 14.11 x 10.33 x 0.78 inches

Jared Newman / IDG

In the United States, Best Buy is the unique retailer for the Predator Triton 500 SE. A $2,000 variant contains Geforce RTX 3070 graphics and 1TB of storage, whereas a $2,700 model presents GeForce RTX 3080 graphics, 1TB of storage, and 32GB of RAM.

The different specs and ports maintain agency no matter configuration, however remember storage is expandable through an empty M.2 SSD slot. The solely catch is that it sits beneath the mainboard after you’ve opened the laptop computer with hex screws, so it’s not a simple improve.

Jared Newman / IDG

Design and show

At least from afar, the Predator Triton 500 SE’s silver aluminum end and boxy enclosure doesn’t scream “gaming laptop,” however it may well’t resist its share of prospers. Acer’s Predator brand graces the lid and the bezel beneath the show, whereas a “Turbo” button sits in the midst of the laptop computer’s trapezoidal speaker grille, revving up its three inner cooling followers when pressed. Meanwhile, exhaust vents line the laptop computer’s complete again edge, serving to these followers alternate air.

It’s additionally only a hefty laptop computer total, weighing 5.29 kilos and measuring 0.78 inches thick. Still, the slender show bezels and 16:10 facet ratio make the Predator Triton 500 SE appear extra compact than its 16-inch display screen dimension suggests. The width of the show is sort of roughly the identical as a typical 15.6-inch widescreen laptop computer; the additional display screen actual property is sort of all vertical.

Jared Newman / IDG

The show’s 165Hz refresh charge additionally a deal with to the educated eye, because it makes every thing look smoother, from mouse actions to net web page scrolling to fast-paced gaming. The 500 nit matte panel helps the display screen keep legible in vivid daylight, and the decision of 2560 x 1600 is sharp sufficient to make particular person pixels invisible with out the overkill of 4K.

That stated, it’s not essentially the most vibrant show—it doesn’t help excessive dynamic vary or 100 p.c of DCI-P3 coloration area like another premium gaming laptops—and it had an excessively greenish hue out of the field. Mucking round with Intel’s Graphics Command Center software helps, however that actually shouldn’t be crucial.

Keyboard and trackpad

While keyboards and trackpads typically get quick shrift on gaming laptops, Acer made them respectable on the Predator Triton 500 SE. The keys are snappy with out feeling overly stiff, and the laptop computer’s sturdy base helps forestall any emotions of mushiness as you sort. Tapping the Predator key additionally brings up the Acer’s PredatorSense software program, the place you may change the colours and patterns on the keyboard’s three backlighting zones.

Jared Newman / IDG

The trackpad doesn’t disappoint both, with a {smooth} glass floor that by no means succumbs to friction. That feeling of smoothness is bolstered by the excessive refresh charge show, which eliminates the refined cursor jitter you discover on normal 60 Hz panels. The clicking mechanism is considerably stiff, nevertheless, particularly as you progress your approach up the touchpad.

Webcam, audio, and safety

Like most Windows laptops, the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE has a 720p webcam, which is sufficient for videoconferencing however on the grainy aspect for aspiring Twitch streamers. That stated, it does help excessive dynamic vary, which helps enhance the image in subpar lighting circumstances. The laptop computer’s microphone produced clear, unmuffled audio, however quantity was on the quiet aspect on default settings. (Boosting the mic in Windows’ Sounds menu helped.)

For safety, the Predator Triton 500 SE has a fingerprint reader constructed into its touchpad, but it surely doesn’t help face recognition through Windows Hello. It additionally skips out on together with any type of privateness shutter or kill change for the webcam, which is a letdown on a laptop computer of this value.

Speaker high quality might be higher as effectively, even by laptop computer requirements. Despite the presence of upward-firing audio system operating the size of the keyboard, audio lacks character and presents middling most quantity ranges.

Performance

Though it actually has the majority of a gaming laptop computer, the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE does a nice job balancing each productiveness and gaming duties. It stays quiet whereas searching the online and enhancing paperwork—you’ll must pay attention intently to listen to any fan noise—and doesn’t get uncomfortably heat in your lap.

The Predator Triton 500 SE additionally turned in stable benchmark scores, and had no points maintaining with 1440p, 60 frames-per-second gaming—the gold normal—at excessive graphics settings within the video games I examined.

Onto the benchmarks:

On the work aspect, the Predator Triton 500 SE’s PCMark 10 rating of 6,966 topped a number of different laptops we’ve examined not too long ago, together with the Dell XPS 17 with the identical Intel Core i7-11800H CPU. That processor is clearly overkill for primary workplace duties, however the Triton’s rating in PCMark’s Digital Content Creation subtest (9,366) was additionally forward of its friends.

Jared Newman / IDG

Handbrake is a extra intensive take a look at, illustrating how the processor holds up whereas encoding a big video file. The Predator Triton 500 SE stood out right here as effectively, holding its personal in opposition to the AMD Ryzen processors whose extra cores are inclined to make fast work of this take a look at. It encoded our take a look at file in a bit over 20 minutes, maybe attributable to a mixture of its bigger 16:10 footprint and its triple-fan cooling system to maintain the CPU from throttling down.

Jared Newman / IDG

Cinebench, in the meantime, performs a fast stress take a look at of CPU efficiency. While the Triton didn’t fare fairly in addition to Dell’s XPS 17 on this take a look at—at the least in multi-threaded efficiency—it total proved to be fairly nimble.

Jared Newman / IDG

Gaming efficiency is equally admirable, with the Predator Triton 500 SE faring higher than a number of different laptops with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPUs.

Looking at 3DMark’s Fire Strike DirectX 11 benchmark, the Predator Triton 500 SE outperformed each the Dell XPS 17 and the less-luxurious Triton 300 SE, each with comparable GeForce RTX 3060 graphics playing cards.

Jared Newman / IDG

Similar outcomes emerged from 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark, which exams DirectX 12 efficiency at a 1440p rendering decision.

Jared Newman / IDG

The Predator Triton 500 SE did lose out to its cheaper 300 SE sibling in Rise of the Tomb Raider’s benchmark instrument, however not by a lot.

Jared Newman / IDG

Anecdotally, I by no means needed to compromise on decision or graphics high quality whereas enjoying No Man’s Sky, Nioh, Descenders, or Apex Legends, even on the system’s default settings (which is what we take a look at at). In Apex, Steam’s framerate meter tended to drift round 85 frames per second, ticking up by about 10 frames per second once I activated the laptop computer’s Turbo fan mode. (I’d recommend enjoying with headphones if you happen to do that.)

Battery life was admirable as effectively, due to the large honking 100 watt-hour battery that Acer stuffed inside. A runtime of 8 hours and 39 minutes in our looping video playback take a look at is stable for a gaming laptop computer, however it is best to nonetheless anticipate to wish a charger earlier than the workday is completed, even earlier than you get to play any video games.

Jared Newman / IDG

For every thing that’s on provide, the Predator Triton 500 SE is each a exceptional worth and spectacular balancing act. Gaming laptops with excessive refresh charges have a tendency to not are available 16:10 facet ratios, and the one notable exception—Dell’s XPS 17 9710—has each a typical 60Hz show refresh charge and the next value ($2,099, when equally outfitted) in addition.

While the Triton is on no account cheap at $1,750, it’s an inexpensive ask for its mixture of transportable gaming and productiveness on an ultra-smooth display screen. Best of all, you won’t even be embarrassed to be noticed with it.