Finding the perfect gaming laptop is not an easy challenge. There are so many different models on the market, with different features, that it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. And with these laptops not being particularly cheap the stakes are pretty high from the get-go.
It's with that in mind that today we'd like to talk to you guys about a gaming laptop that's been climbing the charts and presents itself as an interesting value proposition: the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S. An amazing gaming laptop that's managed to accrue very interesting reviews whilst competing with a very competitive price.
We've previously talked about how to upgrade the RAM on the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S, but today it's time for us to look at the laptop in and of itself and determine if this is the laptop for you. Let's get on with it!
Who is this laptop for?Design, Display, Keyboard
As always, we're going to start off this review with an assessment of the design. On that front we can't say that Acer innovated much. It's fairly similar to all the Acer predator models in that it features a black chassis with a robust design and an RGB keyboard. It's also far from the thinest or the lightest of the heard, measuring at 0.9 inches thick and weighing more than 5 pounds.
The display itself is good with its standard 15.6-inch size and Full HD resolution. Color reproduction is good and thanks to the fact that it's an IPS display instead of a TN display, we've got generous viewing angles -180 ยบ- . There's also the fact that it features a 144 Hz refresh rate. A feature that's been adopted by most gaming laptops as of late and one that we truly appreciate when gaming.
A standard laptop will generally boast about half that refresh rate, meaning you get stuck with blurry graphics as soon as things start to get a little "hectic" within the game.
Finally, beyond the key components, another critical item for gaming laptops is the keyboard and that's one aspect that Acer has completely nailed. Specifically, we've got an RGB keyboard that's lit in different colors to help our peripheral vision when gaming, as well as a more accentuated WASD and direction keys for easy access. Not to mention the fact that the ergonomics on this keyboard are pretty solid as a whole and you've got yourself a comfortable keyboard for long typing sessions.
Let's talk about performance
While the display, design and keyboard are all important parts of a gaming laptop, it's the performance that which is going to make or break a laptop such as this one. On that front we can confidently say that Acer has done a stupendous job.
Recapping the main components we've got an 11th generation Core i7 CPU with 8 cores and 16 threads clocking at a maximum 4.8 GHz, 16 GB of DDR4 RAM - which you can upgrade to 32 GB - and 512 GB of NVMe SSD storage that also leaves room for you to upgrade with an additional NVME stick or 3.5-inch SSD unit.
With this set of key specs working together you can be completely certain that Acer has delivered a laptop that's capable of managing just about anything you throw at it. Be it AAA gaming, working as a programmer with numerous virtual machines, coding the front-end of a website, editing presentations, streaming video in high definition or even doing some professional-grade video and picture editing, this laptop has you covered.
What's more, with a very developed cooling system and allowing the user to access the PredatorSense software you can easily make adjustments as you see fit to overclock the system or turn on the fans as well as modify the colors in the keyboard.
Overall, gaming aside, this is an excellent laptop with a stellar performance and would be perfect for anyone looking to get their hands on an excellent desktop replacement.
What are customers saying?
Let's talk about what customers are saying about the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S gaming laptop. The overall feedback has been pretty positive, with folks loving its performance and considering it one of the best mid-tier gaming laptops out there. And hey, who doesn't love a good value for their money, right?
Gamers have been impressed with the integrated graphics card, the RTX 3060, which allows them to play older AAA titles on ultra settings and newer ones on high or medium settings. No need for intense overclocking most of the time! The 1920x1080 screen has been receiving some love too, delivering great visuals for games like Diablo IV Beta and the Resident Evil 4 remake.
But this laptop isn't just for gaming. Students have found it to be a multitasking champ, running programs like Office 365 without breaking a sweat. Zoom calls and proctored exams are a breeze with the built-in webcam and microphone. It's even been used for video editing, with customers praising its fast rendering capabilities.
Here's the cool part: you can upgrade this bad boy to your heart's content. Customers have been raving about the expandability options, upgrading the RAM and adding extra SSD drives. Talk about future-proofing! It's also worth mentioning that the laptop starts up super fast, and the display is clear and crisp.
Now, we gotta keep it real. A few customers did mention a couple of concerns. Some experienced overheating issues, with the fan system not kicking in unless manually set to max. And a couple of folks found the buttons to be a bit flimsy.
Overall, though, customers are loving the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S for its performance, gaming capabilities, crisp display, and upgrade potential. Just keep an eye on the overheating and battery life situations, and you'll have yourself a powerful gaming companion that won't break the bank. Game on!
What about the battery life? And the gaming capabilities?
This will come as no surprise for anyone who has spent a minimum amount of time researching gaming laptops but the vast majority of them don't offer much in the way of battery life. Generally speaking they tend to offer anywhere between 2-4 hours. An exception to this is the recently reviewed Asus TUF Dash F15 TUF516PE-AB73, this model boasts over 8-hours of battery life whilst also managing to not weigh a ton in the process.
However, unfortunately for us, the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S can't match Asus's numbers and battery life is once again limited to the 2-4 hour range, as many customers can attest to. Decent but hardly what we would call "good".
As far as gaming is concerned this machine is a beast. But then again, it wouldn't be much of a gaming laptop if it wasn't. Specifically, with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 with 6 GB of dedicated VRAM, this machine is capable of averaging frame rates above the 50fps on most AAA games at high and ultra-high settings.
Generally, this is the part where we would start listing games and their corresponding frame rates but considering that this GPU can manage well with just about every game in the market we would be here for a while.
Also, it's worth pointing out that this GPU also allows for the PH315-54-760S to connect to a maximum of two 4K monitors or one 8 K monitor. Again, display quality is good overall with its 15.6-inch Full HD IPS panel but it's not going to beat the quality of a good 4K or even a good 2K monitor such as the LG 34WN80C-B.
Connectivity Features
Moving onto the connectivity segment of this review. We mentioned earlier the fact that this laptop packs Killer WiFi and Killer Internet, which means that it's equipped to be connected to both Ethernet (wired internet) and WiFi simultaneously to never loose its connection.
Beyond that, the PH315-54-760S features the standard set of connectivity features we've come to expect on a laptop of this caliber. Specifically, that means there USB Type-C ports, 3 USB Type-A ports, a mini DisplayPort, as well as your standard audio jack.
Obviously, in a laptop that gives such importance to internet connectivity we've got the latest WiFi 6 standard as well as the latest Bluetooth connectivity.
Bottom Line: Is the Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-54-760S worth it?
Short answer, yes.
Long answer, without a doubt, this laptop is one of the best machines on the market for anyone looking to do some medium to heavy-duty work. It's got a great design, an excellent performance and all the features you could possibly need.
That being said, if you're only looking for a laptop to do some light gaming on the side then you might want to consider looking at some of the other options that are out there. This laptop is more geared towards people who want to do some serious multitasking and gaming.
Overall, a great option that's well worth its competitive price.