Acer Predator Helios 18 review

Forgive me if you're getting a sense of déjà vu, as this 18-inch laptop has almost exactly the same specs as the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 and others reviewed earlier this year. It's cheaper than the Asus laptop though, yet comes in heavier and ever so slightly wider and thicker. 

It also has one of the loudest cooling systems I've ever come across. It's a cliche in gaming PC reviews to say that a machine sounds like a jet taking off, and as I've been not too far away from a few Eurofighters, an F-35C (loudest thing ever when hovering) and a Gripen this summer I can say it does not sound like that. It sounds like what it is, a pair of massive fans doing their best to keep some hot chips under control in a tight space.

While it's possible to keep the laptop quiet by putting it in silent mode—which does what you'd expect—in balanced mode and above (turbo mode requires a 40% battery charge even when you've got the laptop plugged in, which is odd) we heard it spin up the fans even while installing games through Steam, sitting idle with Notepad open, and in sleep mode with the lid shut. 

Leaving it in sleep mode overnight completely emptied the battery, so perhaps it wasn't as asleep as it was pretending to be. If laptops could sweat this one would be positively dripping, though all that cooling does have the effect of keeping the CPU and GPU temperatures mostly in the 70s or 80s (°C, though the Intel Core i9 can hit 100°C), but you're not going to want it on your lap when it's working hard as it gets very hot underneath. 

CPU: Intel Core i9-14900HX
GPU: Nvidia RTX 4090 (175 W)
Memory: 32 GB DDR5
Screen size: 18-inch IPS
Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Refresh rate: 250 Hz
Storage: 2 TB SSD, microSD
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
Dimensions: 29 x 404 x 312mm (1.14 x 16 x 12.2 inch)
Weight: 3.25 kg (7.17 lb)
Price: $3,100 | £3,600

The payback for all this heat generation and noise is some very