Laptop Review Acer Predator Helios type 500 (GTX 1070, i9-8950HK)

A few months ago, we reviewed the Acer Predator Helios 500, the latest 17-inch gaming laptop from a Taiwanese manufacturer, Acer. Laptops have good results, but also show room for improvement in some areas, such as display. For this reason, today's review features the Acer Predator Helios 500 next time, but as a more expensive version. The graphics are still processed by Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070, but the processors in today's test devices are now Intel Core i9-8950HK instead of Core i7-8750H. Furthermore, the screen now has a 4K resolution (3840x2160) instead of Full HD (1920x1080). The top model of the Acer Predator Helios 500 gaming laptop is currently available at a price of around 3000 Euros.

As mentioned before, we have reviewed the Acer Predator Helios 500 in detail, so please see the first review of this Acer laptop for information about design, connectivity, and input devices.

Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-93LS (Predator Helios Series)

ProcessorIntel Core i9-8950HK
Graphics adapterNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Laptop) - 8192 MB, Core: 1480 - 1695 MHz, Memory: 2002 MHz, GP104, 388.92, Optimus
Memory32768 MB
, DDR4-2666, 2 of 4 slots occupied, maximum 128 GB
Display17.3 inch 16:9, 3840 x 2160 pixel 255 PPI, B173ZAN01.0, IPS LED, G-Sync, glossy: no
MainboardIntel Cannon Lake HM370
StorageLiteon CA1-8D512, 512 GB
, m.2 2280 PCIE 512 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD (WDC WD10SPZX-21Z10T0), 432 GB free
Weight4 kg ( = 141.1 oz / 8.82 pounds), Power Supply: 1.115 kg ( = 39.33 oz / 2.46 pounds)
Price3000 Euro

Laptop Review Acer Predator Helios type 500 (GTX 1070, i9-8950HK)

Size Comparison

MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan Asus G703 Acer Predator Helios 500 PH517-51-93LS Acer Predator 17 G9-793-70PJ HP Omen X 17-ap0xx Acer Predator Helios 300 PH317-52-51M6 Razer Blade Pro RZ09-0220

Display Acer Predator Helios type 500

The Acer Predator Helios 500 is offered with two display options. The lower-priced option - a 17.3-inch IPS screen with a Full HD resolution (1920x1080) and a refresh rate of 144 Hz - was the one already tested in our first test device. In contrast, today's test device has the 4K IPS display (3840x2160) at the same size of 17.3 inches. Both display options feature a matte surface and Nvidia G-Sync.

The LCD panel is manufactured by AUO (model number B173ZAN01.0). Overall, the quality of the display is quite high. At an average of 350 cd/m², the display brightness is adequately high, while the color space coverage is even better with 100% sRGB and 88% AdobeRGB. Few displays manage such high values. Merely the contrast could be a bit higher - at barely 800:1 it is only just acceptable.

Out-of-the-box, the panel has been calibrated politely, getting closer to the target value. There are some minor color irregularities, but they are barely visible when playing games. Grayscale representation can be increased by calibration, but color deviation actually increases, leaving not much potential for improvement.

Display Response Times

ℹDisplay response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

Response Time Black to White

The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.

In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 37 % of all devices are better.

This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (25.8 ms).

Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey

The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.

In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.9 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 27 % of all devices are better.

This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (41.3 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹTo dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8838 (minimum: 43 - maximum: 142900) Hz was measured.

Performance Acer Predator Helios type 500 (GTX 1070, i9-8950HK)

After our first detailed review of an entry-level variant of the Acer Predator Helios 500, today's test device can be found at the other end of the price spectrum. At a price range from 1800 to 3000 Euros, the Acer Predator laptop Helios 500 is certainly not a low-priced device.

In addition to the display, there are several other features distinguishing the six different Predator configurations. For instance, customers can choose between an Intel Core i7-8750H, an Intel Core i9-8950HK, and an AMD Ryzen 7 2700 as the main processor. The graphics chip is tied to the CPU choice, as the Intel configurations come exclusively with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070, whereas the AMD model is equipped with an AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56. The storage solution always includes a 1 TB hard drive, supported by an SSD with a capacity of either 256 or 512 GB. RAM options include 16 or 32 GB of RAM with four RAM slots for a maximum of 128 GB of DDR4-2666 memory (two of the four slots are occupied out-of-the-box).

Processor Acer Predator Helios type 500

Intel Core i9-8950HK is the most powerful cellular processor of the "Coffee Lake" generation. It is equipped with six x86 cores with a 2.9-4.8 GHz clock rate. TDP is usually 45 watts, but this value cannot be saved when shooting Turbo clock speed. Comparisons with different CPUs can be found in our CPU benchmark list.

Acer brings out the high performance of the Core i9-8950HK, but the CPU can't achieve maximum multi-core performance - even in overclock mode with the fan running permanently. Overclock, the processor has a maximum score of 1160 points in the Cinebench R15 multi-core test. The thicker MSI GT75 8RG-090 Titan laptop has a 20% higher multi-core performance with the same CPU.

At least Acer Predator Helios 500 is able to maintain its CPU performance constantly. Under sustained load, Helios 500 reaches around 1130 points on the Cinebench loop with only a few minor fluctuations. However, CPU performance decreases significantly in battery mode.

System Performance

As expected with components that are so powerful, the Acer Predator Helios 500 has excellent system performance. The Predator Helios 500 with Core i7-8750H actually does a little better in benchmarks, but this can be considered as coming from a higher screen resolution than today's test devices.

Storage Devices

In spite of the Predator Helios 500's high price, Acer cut the budget on storage. While our test device has an NVMe SSD with a capacity of 512 GB in addition to the 1 TB HDD, the flash storage by LiteOn is an NVMe SSD of the slower kind. This should not be very noticeable in everyday use, but it is a bit disappointing, considering this laptop's price range.

Emissions & Energy

Noise Emissions

The Acer Predator Helios 500 is not silent in idle mode, with the fan running most of the time, but it is still relatively quiet. However, the fan is not the only noise source, as the laptop also includes a mechanical hard drive which is also active from time to time. Under load, the fan is clearly audible at a maxium of over 40 dB(A). At least the noise frequency is not very high, so the fan noise remains at a tolerable level.

The overclocking of both main components also causes significantly more fan noise. At maximum overclock level for CPU and GPU, we measured 48.4 dB(A) under load, which rose to 51 dB(A) with the CoolerBoost setting (maximum fan speed).

Gaming Performance

The Acer Predator Helios 500 was designed for gaming and that fact is noticeable in the results of the gaming tests. The Acer laptop is able to display even the most recent games in Ultra HD / 4K resolution (3840x2160) on highest details.

Temperature

Because of its powerful components, the Acer Predator Helios 500 case never stays completely cool, even in inactive mode. However, the cooling system is also very strong and the casing is rather broad, so the outside temperature does not rise much in the voltage test or under continuous load with the Witcher 3 game. We measure 48.9 ° C at the hotspot in the upper left corner. the case during the Witcher 3 test, so the 50 ° C mark was never crossed.

During a stress test with Prime95 and FurMark, GPU and CPU are simultaneously put into 100% load for one hour. The cooling system is handled well with this extraordinary pressure. This processor is able to work at 70 watts permanently. The clock rate of the six cores fluctuates between 2.9 and 4 GHz at the start of the test, and between 2.9 and 3.6 GHz later on. The temperature rises slowly throughout the test, with the processor temperature reaching 94 ° C after half an hour. They remain at this level for the rest of the stress test. The graphics chip temperature shows the same behavior, initially rising slowly, then stabilizing at a lower temperature of 71 ° C. The GPU is able to maintain a clock speed of 1.6 GHz throughout the entire test.

Power consumption

At 20 watts, our first Acer Predator Helios 500 test device already has very high power consumption in idle mode, but the current high-end configuration is able to achieve this value: Minimum power consumption in standby mode is 24 watts, on average at 33 , 1 watt. A higher screen resolution is seen here.

Power consumption reaches a maximum of 236.5 watts, which increases to 245 watts during overclocking. This does not cause problems for the electricity supply, though, because it can provide up to 330 watts to a laptop.

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Laptop Review Acer Predator Helios type 500 (GTX 1070, i9-8950HK)

Ditulis pada: September 07, 2018