Acer has brought internal refreshes and
sprinkled-in some extra tweaks and new features to two of its models. The
Predator Triton 500 retains its sleek slim exterior from last year, as well as
low weight at 2.1kg. However, sweetening the deal further, there is now per-key
RGB illumination, in place of last year’s zoned system. Also, Wi-Fi 6 is a new
addition, thanks to the Killer AX1650i card. And, like so many others, Acer has
also jumped on the 300Hz panel trend, including this as a new IPS option, on
top of the existing 144Hz one.
The big change, however, are the 10th Gen
chips, as well as GPU options, up to the RTX 2080 Super Max-Q - there are
plenty of combinations to choose from. To handle the extra thermal load, Acer
has tweaked cooling with its Vortex Flow design, three fans and 4th generation
AeroBlade tech, with a promise of 33% better thermals. The new Triton 500 will
be available in May, starting at US$ 2,199.99.
At the other end of the gaming laptop
spectrum, we have the venerable Acer Nitro 5, which still remains one of the
best and most popular value options. Externally, not much has changed on the
2020 revision. Also, unlike the Triton 500, the Acer 5 is not getting the new
RTX Super cards, but it makes little difference since both new GPUs are outside
of the Nitro 5’s price range. Instead, you get a choice between the GTX 1650,
1650 Ti and RTX 2060.
Cooling has been tweaked slightly this
generation, though, and promises a new dual-fan system that will deliver 25%
better cooling than the 2019 setup. Another thing that has changed is the
display selection, which has historically been one of the weak points of the
Nitro 5. There are two new choices – 120Hz and 144Hz 1080p IPS panels. These
claim 3ms response times and at least 300 nits of brightness. Hopefully a
better color gamut than the current generation as well.
The 2020 Nitro 5 also gets Wi-Fi 6 and has
two m.2 PCIe slots, as well as a 1TB 2.5-inch drive for storage and up to 32GB
of non-soldered RAM. Not a bad deal at all for the US$ 749.99 price tag. The new
Acer Nitro 5 will be available in May.
