Acer has had a busy day in New York as the company revealed its PC and laptop lineup for 2016. Since there are quite a number of machines on display, we’ll be focusing on the Predator line for this post and in the next, we’ll be taking a look at the Chromebooks and Ultrabooks.
So first off, Acer has updated its Predator G1 gaming desktop to be a monster of a machine. Powered by a 6th-Gen Intel Core processor, capable of sporting an NVIDIA GeForcce GTX Titan X graphics card and being able to support up to 64GB of RAM, Acer has proudly boasted that the G1 is able to support VR right out of the box while being smaller than the company’s previous Predator G6 desktops.
To prove the point that the G1 is small, Acer has also creator a custom luggage bag for the desktop. This bag is available for the first 1,000 owners of the G1 through a special promotion, although Malaysia won’t be getting this bag as the promo won’t be available here. The G1 is expected to be available in the US and Europe in June with a pricetag beginning at USD 2,300 and EUR 1,199. China will receive the G1 a month later and will have a starting price of RMB 10,999.
The Predator line also features gaming notebooks and the Predator 17X was at New York as well. As the name implies, the Predator 17X features a 17″ display that comes in HD IPS or 4K UHD IPS options. For graphics, the notebook comes with a desktop-sized NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, giving the Predator 17X desktop-class graphics performance.
Of course, desktop-level performance on a notebook means that it requires some significant cooling systems. The 17X doesn’t disappoint in that sector as the notebook comes with a three-fan setup. In addition to the usual two fans, a third fan was placed in front of the laptop to pulll in air from the side of the machine. Said air is then blasted directly over the components, preventing them from overheating under heavy load. Much like the G1 desktop, the 17X notebook is also VR-ready as it is the only gaming laptop available right now that is able to support four VR standards (Oculus Rift, Vive, OSVR and StarVR).
China will be the first country to receive the Predator 17X as Acer will make it available in the mainland in May. The US and Europe will receive the Predator 17X a month later in June. The Predator 17X will have a starting price of USD 2,799, EUR 2,499 and RMB 39,999.