Acer Predator Triton 500 SE review: RTX 3080 Ti graphics for less

Price When Reviewed

$2,999.99

Best Prices Today: Acer Predator Triton 500 SE

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The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is a skinny machine with a lean value, which makes it stand out among the many sea of gaming laptops. Our take a look at mannequin packs an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU and a 12th-gen Core i9 CPU together with a beneficiant 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD for the affordable sum of $2,999.99. Laptops with such a pairing are normally nearer to $4,000 with many exceeding that mark. The Triton contains a RTX 3080 Ti with a decrease TGP than some higher-priced laptops with the identical GPU, nevertheless it nonetheless delivers a wonderful bang for the buck if not one of the best body charges you’ll see from a 3080 Ti laptop computer. When searching for a gaming laptop computer, consumers should look past a element’s mannequin identify and quantity and dig into the specs to get the complete image.

Like the previous model we reviewed, it contains a roomy 16-inch show with a tall, 16:10 facet ratio and a crisp 2560 x 1600 decision. The 16:10 show gives extra room vertically than a wider 16:9 display and makes the system extra helpful as a common use laptop computer than purely a gaming rig. Despite its added versatility, it’s an much more succesful gaming laptop computer than its predecessor as a result of Acer has made the show even sooner by pushing the refresh price to a blazing 240Hz. The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE not solely gives nice worth for avid gamers, nevertheless it additionally makes a compelling case for common use buyers in search of a do-it-all laptop computer for work that may pull double obligation for gaming when the workday is finished.

Acer Predator Triton 500 SE specs

Our Acer Predator Triton 500 SE take a look at system prices $2,999.99 and options the next specs:

• CPU: 14-core Intel Core i9-12900H
• Memory: 32GB DDR5 4800
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti @ 115 Watt TGP
• Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
• Display: 16.0 inch,16:10, 2560 x 1600 decision with 240Hz refresh price
• Webcam: 1080p
• Ports: Left facet: Gigabit ethernet, USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, USB-C (with Thunderbolt 4), headphone jack. Right facet: SD card reader, USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, USB-C (with Thunderbolt 4), HDMI 2.1
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader
• Battery capability: 99.9 Watt-hours
• Dimensions: 14.1 x 10.3 x 0.78 inches
• Measured weight: 5.07 kilos (laptop computer), 1.66 kilos (AC adapter)

Acer gives a mixture of 11th- and 12th-gen Intel Core processors with the Predator Triton 500 SE line together with GPUs starting from the RTX 3060 to the RTX 3080 Ti. All fashions characteristic the identical 16-inch show with a 16:10 facet ratio and 2560 x 1600 decision, however some have a refresh price of 165Hz whereas others are sooner at 240Hz. Both Windows 10 and 11 are supplied. Our mannequin options the latter. The line begins at $1,750 for a system with RTX 3060 graphics and an 11th-gen Core i7 CPU powering a 165Hz panel. Our $3,000 assessment system sits close to the highest of the road. The solely mannequin that’s pricier is a $3,500 mannequin that doubles the SSD to 2TB.

Bright, quick show

The Predator Triton 500 SE might have an aggressive monitor — one which mixes the identify of an animal that preys on others with a Greek god of the ocean — nevertheless it doesn’t have the look of many gaming laptops. It options an understated, darkish grey aluminum enclosure that may not look misplaced in an workplace. There’s a small Acer Predator brand on the highest of the lid and one other on the underside bezel beneath the show. The logos are neither outsized nor do they glow or pulse with LED lighting. There’s additionally a Turbo button above the keyboard tucked within the speaker grille that’s simply neglected; it overclocks the CPU and GPU and revs up the cooling followers.

The largest clue that this can be a gaming laptop computer are the massive vents on the laptop computer’s again edge and the smaller vents that occupy the again third of every facet edge. The exhaust vents run the size of the again edge and have some strips of fabric to guard the vents and add a splash of favor. These strips characteristic sharp corners, which make the laptop computer a bit uncomfortable to hold round. Softer vent covers subsequent time, please, Acer.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Part of the discomfort in toting the Predator Triton 500 SE round is the truth that it’s a hefty laptop computer, as gaming laptops are typically. It’s not cumbersome at lower than an inch thick, nevertheless it weighs simply over 5 kilos. By comparability, the HP Spectre x360 16 is one other laptop computer with a 16-inch, 16:10 show and is greater than a half-pound lighter at 4.45 kilos. Still, it’s a lot lighter than a 17.3-inch mannequin just like the MSI GE76 Raider that ideas the scales at 6.4 kilos.

A 16-inch show with a 16:10 facet ratio sits within the candy spot between 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch fashions with wider 16:9 ratios. The laptop computer’s measurement and weight are nearer to the previous whereas the show feels as roomy because the latter. Not all video games will match the 16:10 facet ratio and can depart you with black bars on the highest and backside of the show. You possible received’t discover after a short time and the additional advantage of the taller show could be felt throughout common Windows use. You can see extra traces on the display of an online web page or Word doc, which suggests much less scrolling. 

IDG / Matthew Elliott

In addition to its beneficiant dimensions, the show can be quick and brilliant. It contains a blazing 240Hz refresh price and is rated for 500 nits of brightness. To match the show’s refresh price to the body charges in video games to keep away from display tearing, the show options Nvidia’s G-Sync. Colors seemed correct and vivid in video games and through common Windows use. The matte end on the show additionally does an admirable job in combating glare and reflections. All in all, the 16-inch, 16:10 show gives ample room to multitask in Windows and is large enough for gaming with out being compelled to hold round a giant and hulking 17.3-inch laptop computer.

A 1080p webcam sits above the show that produces crisp, well-balanced video that’s clearly superior to a 720p digicam. It lacks a bodily privateness cowl, however a small LED glows inexperienced to warn you that the digicam is on.

Comfortable keyboard and helpful ports

We will get to the loaded element lineup within the subsequent part and the Predator Triton 500 SE’s efficiency, however first let’s cowl the way it retains its high-powered components cool. The laptop computer employs three cooling followers, which you’ll management with the preinstalled PredatorSense app. You may also kick them into excessive gear by urgent the aforementioned Turbo button above the keyboard. Under the laptop computer’s default settings, the followers rev up solely underneath heavy hundreds — whereas gaming and working our graphic benchmarks. Thankfully, you may interact in critical multitasking in Windows and stream HD video with out getting blasted by fan noise. 

The laptop computer’s audio system fireplace upward from above the keyboard, however will wrestle to be heard over the followers when gaming. Given the beneficiant dimensions of the laptop computer, we had increased hopes for its audio output. The sound suffices for watching YouTube and Netflix however lacks the bass response wanted for music playback. And avid gamers will need to use headphones for improved sound and to drown out the fan noise that’s regularly current when gaming.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The keyboard is superb. The keys really feel springy and agency. Acer didn’t try to squeeze in a devoted quantity pad, and the Predator Triton 500 SE is healthier for it. The keys are properly spaced and nothing feels cramped. You even get 4 full-sized arrow keys. The right-most column of keys gives helpful quantity and media-playback controls plus the PredatorSense key for managing the cooling system, overclocking, and the keyboard’s three-zone RGB backlighting. 

The touchpad contains a glass floor for clean mousing, nevertheless it gives a agency click on that may give your finger a exercise. As a lot as I preferred gliding throughout its clean floor, I shortly grew uninterested in the agency clicks and ended up plugging in a mouse. One different be aware in regards to the touchpad: it contains a fingerprint reader for simple, safe logins.

There’s a USB Type-A port on both facet of the laptop computer, which is able to make each right- and left-handed mousers blissful to have the ability to join their mouse to their most popular facet. There’s additionally a USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 port on both facet of the show for larger switch speeds and flexibility. The headphone jack sits on the left facet whilst you get an HDMI 2.1 port on the appropriate. There’s additionally a full-sized SD card reader on the appropriate facet.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

IDG / Matthew Elliott

For networking, there’s a Gigabit Ethernet jack and the system additionally helps Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 — all the newest and speediest requirements.

Performance

Now we get to the great things. Beneath the unassuming exterior of our Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is a assassin’s row of high-end components highlighted by RTX 3080 Ti graphics and a 12th-gen Intel Core i9-12900H processor. This new Core i9 chip options 14 cores (six efficiency cores and eight effectivity core) and 20 threads and may attain a frequency as excessive as 5GHz. The laptop computer additionally delivers a boatload of RAM at 32GB and a spacious 1TB SSD. 

The RTX 3080 Ti is presently the highest canine amongst Nvidia’s RTX 30 collection for laptops, however the Triton’s 3080 Ti isn’t the highest-powered 3080 Ti. It has a TDP of 115 watts, which is significantly decrease than different 3080 Ti-based laptops. The Razer Blade 17 contains a 165-watt 3080 Ti and the MSI GE76 Raider has a 175-watt 3080 Ti. Rounding out the charts are two RTX 3080 laptops — the Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 and the Razer Blade 14 — and the RTX 3070-based Adata XPG 15 KC.

Our first benchmark is PCMark 10, which measures efficiency on on a regular basis computing work together with workplace productiveness duties, internet searching, and video chats. The Predator Triton 500 SE did fairly properly on PCMark 10. We’ve not seen many laptops publish a rating north of 7,000 on this take a look at, nevertheless it was simply outpaced by two different 12th-gen Intel-based laptops, the MSI GE76 Raider with the same 12th-gen Core i9 chip and the Razer Blade 17 with a 12th-gen Core i7 chip that additionally options 14 cores.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Our HandBrake benchmark exams how a laptop computer can deal with crushing CPU hundreds over a prolonged interval—on this case, transcoding a 30GB MKV file to a format appropriate for Android tablets. The Predator Triton 500 SE and MSI GE76 Raider led the best way, indicating their capacity to deal with media modifying along with 3D video games.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Next up is Cinebench, one other CPU-intensive take a look at however one which renders a posh 2D scene over a brief time period. The Triton once more turned in a robust displaying and once more completed second however this time behind the Razer Blade 17 on each the multi-thread and single-thread exams.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

IDG / Matthew Elliott

The Predator Triton 500 SE had its first hit upon 3DMark’s Time Spy and Port Royal exams, the place the system fell behind the RTX 3080-based Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 whereas the opposite two 3080 Ti laptops led the best way. What’s attention-grabbing is that the Zephyrus’ GPU has a TPD of 140 watts, increased than that of the Triton’s 115-watt 3080 Ti. A better TDP doesn’t at all times equate to increased efficiency, however on this case it seems that it helped the Zephyrus prime the Triton.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

IDG / Matthew Elliott

For real-world sport testing, we used Rise of the Tomb Raider at 1920×1080 decision on the Very High high quality preset, the newer Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1920×1080 decision on the Highest high quality preset, and Metro Exodus at 1920×1080 on the Extreme high quality preset. On each Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Triton turned in very playable framerates that have been greater than double the minimal 60 fps wanted for clean gameplay. On the extra demanding Metro Exodus, nonetheless, the laptop computer managed solely 45 fps.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

IDG / Matthew Elliott

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Battery life

To take a look at a laptop computer’s battery life, we loop a 4K video utilizing Windows 11’s Movies & TV app with the machine set to Airplane mode and earbuds plugged in. We set the display brightness at a comparatively brilliant 250 to 260 nits, which is an efficient brightness for watching a film in an workplace with the lights on. With its massive, high-resolution show, the Predator Triton 500 SE lasted a decent six and a half hours.

IDG / Matthew Elliott

Conclusion

It’s true that the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is a step behind competing gaming laptops with higher-wattage RTX 3080 Ti GPUs, specifically the MSI GE76 Raider and Razer Blade 17. These competing fashions, nonetheless, price $1,000 or greater than the Predator Triton 500 SE, making it a terrific worth at its value of $3,000. The Triton extends its worth and flexibility through the use of a 16-inch, 16:10 show. The MSI and Razer fashions characteristic bigger, 17.3-inch shows that make them extra more likely to keep anchored to a desk than as an on a regular basis laptop computer. While the Triton is definitely not probably the most compact laptop computer, it stays pretty transportable whereas offering ample display actual property that received’t cramp your fashion or multitasking methods. It’s overqualified to be a productiveness laptop computer that moonlights as a gaming system, however a robust argument could be made that it delivers nice worth as a gaming laptop computer that will also be used in school or within the workplace.