Jul 16, 2016 06:53 PM
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The Acer Predator 17($2,600) is a monster gaming laptop with a high asking price, but it offers something very worthwhile in return for your investment. It has some cool proprietary software and flashy lights, but ultimately, you'll want it because it's a rock-solid machine that plays almost any game with exceptional fidelity. While the screen could be sharper, the Predator 17 does everything in its The Predator 17 leans so heavily on a black-and-red color scheme and an aggressive, angular design, you could be forgiven for mistaking it for a villain in an'80s movie. The chassis is made of plastic with a matte finish all around in order to give the device a soft touch. I expected a high-end laptop made of plastic to feel cheap, but the matte gives the plastic a pleasantly smooth, resistant texture all around. I'm not sure whether the Predator 17 could survive a drop, but it's likely to withstand everyday usepower to earn its keep - aBeyond that, the design is not what I'd call pretty, but it's striking. The red highlights are on the jagged vents on the back of the machine; the dual LED strips on the cover; the W, A, S and D keys; and the two front speakers. A huge Predator logo adorns the lid, while the rest of the machine splits the color scheme between steely blacks and grays. It's not subtle, and I would feel out of place doing anything except playing violent games on it. On the other hand, if you prefer something dramatic to something elegant(which is a legitimate preference), the Predator 17 definitely fits the bill.nd command your attention.The screen's specs are not just numbers, either. When I watched Mad Max: Fury Road on Blu-ray, I was absolutely blown away with how deep and rich the colors looked, from the eerily blue-red sky to the harsh yellow sand and the muted greens of Imperator Furiosa's clothing. The contrast between the harsh Australian desert and the darkened shadows of Immortan Joe's stronghold was palpable. Better still were four easily accessible screen modes for productivity, photos, movies aThe audio on the Predator 17 is absolutely superb. The Predator 17 features four speakers, as well as two subwoofers on the underside of the device. I expected that the Predator 17 wouldn't sound like much unless I plugged in my headphones, but I was very wrong. Not only could I hear every enemy footstep in Titanfall and every explosion in Fury Road, but I could even turn the volume all the way up without much distortion. At one point, I accidentally locked myself out of the testing lab, but could still hear dialogue and sound effects quite clearly through the closed steel-and-glass door.nd games.Although the Predator 17's weight might make it uncomfortable to hold in your lap for long, it won't scorch you. When you're watching videos and surfing the Web, the machine hovers between 80 and 83 degrees Fahrenheit, while the underside holds steady at around 82 degrees, well below the 95-degree threshold of discomfort. During heated(pun intended) gaming sessions, the chassis can get hotter, but users can sit with it safely while working or streaming content.
The laptop also has dual fans at the rear, which fire up almost instantly when the system is running games, but stay pretty quiet otherwise. Acer is quick to draw attention to its DustDefender technology, which reverses the fans once every 3 hours to clear out accumulated dust. Supposedly, this keeps the fan much cleaner over time, although it would take a few months to evaluate how well it works. The fans are loud, but the speakers are louder, so it balances out.
