Acer predator triton 300 review in Spanish (full analysis)

One of the notebooks that Acer has prepared for this end of the year is the Acer Predator Triton 300, a gaming team that bets on hardware consisting of the Intel Core i7-9750H processor, Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card and 16 GB of RAM memory.. The equipment is not exactly one of the most compact and lightest, but it supports dual NVMe slot and 2.5 ”SSD drives.

The design is Predator of pure strain, with aluminum finishes , very robust and a very good 4-zone RGB keyboard and touchpad. As for its screen, we have a 15.6-inch IPS working at 144 Hz and 3 ms of response, very indicated for this GPU for its performance in Full HD.

Before beginning this review, we thank Acer for their trust in us by temporarily transferring this laptop to us for review.

Acer Predator Triton 300 technical features

Unboxing

The Acer Predator Triton 300 has arrived in a thick cardboard box with nothing else on its outer face than the Predator logo and the model reference on the side. Inside this box we will find two others, the first containing the laptop and the second the charger. Both are protected with two polyethylene foam molds.

We access the small box that the laptop brings, one built in hard cardboard and much more aesthetic than the main one. The team comes packed in a completely solo black duffel bag.

In bundle it is in this case quite concise:

• Acer Predator Triton 300 Notebook 135W External Power Supply Power Cord Support Manual

Exterior design

Acer does not mince words in its range of gaming notebooks, and this Acer Predator Triton 300 stands out above all in its excellent construction and the feeling of hardness that inspires the user when they touch it. We have a 15.6-inch screen that makes good use of space, giving us measures of 363 mm wide, 259 mm deep and almost 23 m thick, so we are not looking at a Max-Q design precisely. Its weight is also high, with 2.5 kg without a 2.5-inch mechanical unit.

This is mainly because the manufacturer has used aluminum for the finishes on the cover, keyboard base and back cover, so we are only going to see plastic in the frame that surrounds the screen. It is also a fairly thick casing that provides a lot of rigidity to the screen and to other elements such as the keyboard, which does not sink at all. Color is also the hallmark of the series, a bluish gray with a very nice slightly satin finish. In general we see in this case a very good job.

The lid in this case has the Predator logo in the central part and blue LED lighting is included in it. As for the Acer Predator Triton 300 screen frames, we have a fairly large upper one, with 15 mm thickness, 10 mm sides and the lower 30 mm, not giving exactly the best percentage in useful area with 77%. At the top we have the integrated WebCam and the array of microphones, and the hinge system is a traditional one with one on each side, being quite thick and of quality.

In this case, all the available space has been used to place a keyboard with numpad and row of F keys, of course. In this case it has RGB backlight but it will be managed through 4 zones. For its part, the touchpad is installed rather to the left to improve user interaction in games by having accessible WASD and touchpad with one hand.

Finally the bottom does not keep too many secrets, it is simply an aluminum case that is responsible for covering the entire PCB area with enough openings for cooling. When dismantling it, all ports will also be exposed, since it also covers the sides.

Ports and connections

We go to the sides of the Acer Predator Triton 300 to see what we have in terms of connectivity and ports for peripherals. We take advantage to see a very sober front area without steps, although two bevels have been used at the ends to give more detail to the aesthetics. The back is fully open, with a grille on the right through which air enters, and the finned heatsink on the left where it will be expelled.

Placing ourselves first in the left area we find the following ports:

• Kensington slot RJ-45 port for wired LAN Mini DisplayPortHDMI 2.01x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C2x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A

We see quite good connectivity, varied and with two video outputs for 4K monitors. In this case the DisplayPort port has been taken out of the USB-C, so it will work at 5 Gbps instead of 10, so we do not have any USB connection at 10 Gbps.

And in the right area we find the following:

• Power Jack USB 2.0 3.5mm Combo Jack for Mic In / Audio Out

Here we have the rest of connectivity, in this case with USB 2.0 instead of having opted for one of higher speed. We believe that the HM370 chipset could be seen to be more useful in this regard.

144 Hz IPS gaming display

We can say without a doubt that this is the general trend for this year, gaming laptops with an IPS screen at high refresh rates. The VA and TN for this type of equipment are further away if we see how technology has evolved.

So in this Acer Predator Triton 300 it has a screen with IPS technology that offers a native Full HD resolution (1920x1080p). Its refresh rate is 144 Hz and they have a response speed of 3 ms, although it does not implement Nvidia G-Sync or FreeSync technology, which would have been a nice touch.

The manufacturer does not provide much more information about this panel, only that it has the brand's own technology called ComfyView. In any case, it is a panel quite similar to those already seen in other competing gaming equipment. With our colorimeter we will know more about this panel.

Calibration and performance

We have carried out some calibration tests for this IPS panel of the Acer Predator Triton 300 with our X-Rite Colormunki Display colorimeter, and the HCFR and DisplayCAL 3 programs, both of which are free and available to any user with a colorimeter. With these tools we will analyze the color graphics of the screen in the DCI-P3 and sRGB spaces, and we will compare the colors that the monitor delivers with respect to the reference palette of both color spaces.

The tests have been carried out with the brightness at 100% at all times and the factory settings of the screen with 144 Hz and the standard color settings that in this case we will not be able to change from the Nvidia panel.

Flickering tests, ghosting and other gaming factors

To delve a little more into the performance of the screen we have used the tests available in testufo, specifically the ghosting and flickering tests to verify the correct operation of the screen.

This time it seems that we have found a slight ghosting in this panel for the transition from black to lighter pixels. It is not too wide a trail but it is slightly noticeable.

Subsequently we have contrasted these captures with those that we now make in Metro Exodus, and in this we have detected absolutely nothing in practice. We see that for example the figures are correctly defined, and the replication shadow effect that appears in the tree hours is not ghosting but the effect of the game itself in the transition and the camera.

On the other hand we are completely free of flickering after having verified it with the corresponding test on this page. As for bleeding, we have noticed a slight point in the upper frame, left part, although it is very slight and we will only notice it with our eyes and not in the camera. Finally, the glow IPS seems to be sufficiently controlled in the panel, giving us a fairly uniform image in this grayscale, to which the human being is especially sensitive to changes in tone.

Contrast and brightness

Measurements	Contrast	Gamma value	Color temperature	Black level
@ 100% gloss	1097: 1	2.30	7471K	0.2815 cd / m 2

We have quite similar values ​​in general to what other IPS panels of these characteristics and resolution offer, with a contrast exceeding the minimums and reaching almost 1100: 1. The gamma value is slightly elevated above the ideal, which would be 2.2, which will be reflected in the graphs of the following sections. Likewise, the color temperature is a bit far from 6500K, which is somewhat characteristic in the manufacturer, since in other computers and monitors we have seen this trend towards bluish tones of the Predator series.

The brightness is close to 300 nits, in fact this figure is almost reached in the lower area of ​​the panel, while the upper part will be the furthest, although always exceeding 250 nits. It is a generally uniform panel, so we will not have problems in color quality.

SRGB color space

For the sRGB space we will have a coverage of 89.9%, which is not bad at all to be oriented to gaming. In fact we can see a triangle of coverage practically identical to that offered by the panels of other teams such as the MSI or the Asus Zephyrus that also mount this type of IPS.

The average Delta E stands at 3.23, being relatively high although within the allowable, which would be 5. With a calibration it would be enough to adjust these values ​​below 2 or even unity. In the color charts we see a clear predominance of the blue color in the spectrum, and what we were talking about the Gamma value, which rises a lot from 60% white.

DCI-P3 color space

Regarding this more demanding space, we have coverage of 68.8% and a Delta E similar to the previous case with 3.69. Once again it is similar to other models that we have tested, and the truth is that a Pantone certification would come in handy to have a slightly better factory calibration. However, they are acceptable values ​​for this panel since it is not intended for design.

Sound system and WebCam

After seeing the benefits of the screen in detail, we will also give a review of other multimedia elements such as the sound of this Acer Predator Triton 300 always important for gaming.

The integrated system consists of two 3W rectangular speakers located at the bottom of the set, one on each side. These offer us a good volume of sound, although with little presence of bass, so a gamer user should opt for using headphones for better immersion.

In fact Acer has integrated its Waves NX 3D Audio technology into its dedicated headphone DAC. With this we can configure a high quality surround sound output in 3D if we have headphones to match.

Regarding the WebCam, a standard has been installed that offers a resolution of photos and video in HD at 1280x720p recording at 30 FPS. In this case it is not a novelty, nor is its double microphone matrix for conversations in chats and games. All this will be located in the upper frame of the screen.

Touchpad and keyboard

The keyboard of this Acer Predator Triton 300 has enchanted us when it comes to writing and gaming sensations. In the model we analyzed we have a configuration without letter Ñ as it is not yet available in our country. With the measurements of this equipment, it has also been possible to integrate the numeric keyboard on the right side, and also with some separation from the character mapping. At the top and alone we have a button to activate the turbo ventilation mode, as well as a button integrated in the numpad to open the PredatorSense software.

The keys work through a chiclet-type membrane system with a somewhat greater travel than other gaming keyboards, being approximately 2 mm, so we have the keys slightly higher. Thanks to this it makes it quite comfortable to write without making mistakes. The membrane offers a very cushioned touch and direct but soft actuation and the truth is that it is a delight, at least for my personal taste .

Nor can it lack a complete RGB backlight that in this case can be managed in 4 groups of keys, not being possible to address it key by key. It is not therefore the maximum versatility, but the result is still very good and striking. In addition, the keys are backlit, so the entire side edge will light up and improve the experience of use.

The touchpad for its part is a full configuration touch panel with integrated buttons. The navigation surface is quite wide, 105mm wide and 80mm high, finished with rounded edges and polished bezels on the aluminum. Personally I prefer independent buttons for gaming, but this touchpad feels especially well installed, without slack and with a very smooth and direct click, so I liked it a lot.

PredatorSense software

Let's now look at the software that is included in this Acer Predator Triton 300. PredatorSense is the program that is responsible for monitoring and managing the hardware and lighting of the equipment.

It consists of 7 sections, although the most interesting are the first 5. The starting section is a Dashboard in which we can see the system temperatures, being able to select the CPU overclocking mode or a lighting profile that we have configured. The next section is in charge of lighting the keyboard, being able to customize the 4 available areas, although not the logo of the cover.

The third section is an extension of the overclocking mode, which in this unit the truth is that it has not worked too well. It does not display the frequency in real time, and the selection has no effect on the CPU. One that is important is that of fan control, where we can select one of the existing profiles or create a personalized one. Finally we have another Dashboard that also monitors the hardware. The last two sections give us direct access to games or applications that we have installed.

For the "turbo" button on the keyboard to work we will need this software installed on the computer. The possibility of synchronizing the equipment with the PredatorSense application for Smartphone is also included.

Network connectivity to match

One of the advantages of presenting the products after the first half of the year is that the vast majority of manufacturers have already placed Wi-Fi 6 cards in them, and it is exactly what has been done in the Acer Predator Triton 300.

Starting precisely with it, we have a Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 card, which is the gaming version of the Intel AX200 integrated into many current motherboards. As for bandwidth, it gives us exactly the same, 2.4 Gbps for 5GHz and 733 Mbps for 2.4 GHz. With the detail that it has a program for the management of coverage and channels. In addition, this card is installed on an M.2 2230 slot, so it will be interchangeable with another.

Regarding wired network connectivity, the firm Killer has also been used, with an E2500 chip that offers us a link at 10/100/1000 Mbps. So in this case the Wi-Fi network will be faster than the wired one.

Internal hardware

In this case we have a gaming laptop with a price much more adjusted than the rest of the Predator family, and mainly due to incorporating the new Nvidia GTX 1650, a card that as we will see later works very well for Full HD resolution.

In the Acer Predator Triton 300 model that we analyzed (PT-315) we find the Intel Core i7-9750H processor. A CPU that works at a base frequency of 2.6 GHz and 4.5 GHz in turbo boost mode. This is a 9th generation Coffee Lake CPU that features 6 cores and 12 processing threads under a TDP of just 45W along with a 12MB L3 cache. In this case the maximum frequency at which it has performed is 3.8 GHz under stress and with the PredatorSense maximum overclocking mode activated due to the cooling, which falls a bit short.

We continue with the graphics card, which in this case is the Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q, a new version for laptops of the most discreet Turing of all that comes to replace the GTX 1050 Ti. This chipset has 1024 CUDA Cores working at a frequency between 1395 MHz as a base and 1560 MHz at maximum performance. Its graphics memory is made up of 4 GB GDDR5 Micron working at 8 Gbps on a 128 bit 128 GB / s bus. All this gives us a performance of 32 ROPs and 64 TMUs with a TDP of only 50W maximum.

As a platform we have a motherboard with the Intel HM370 chipset as expected, which is used in all cases for 9th generation Intel processors. Along with this, there are two SO-DIMM slots that in this case only one of them will be occupied with a 16 GB DDR4 2666 MHz module from Kingston and with Micron chips. The maximum capacity is 32 GB if we buy a separate module, but it is a small disadvantage not to be able to use Dual Channel as standard, which would give us an extra performance in games. And the truth is that in this sense, a 2 × 8 GB configuration would be better, due to the graphic hardware we have.

Finally the storage configuration of the Acer Predator Triton 300 consists of a M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 Western Digital PCSN720 SSD with 512 GB of storage. We are happy to see a high-performance unit like this one, since it will be close to 3500 MB / s in sequential reading and above 2000 MB / s in writing with its TLC memory chips. Along with this slot we have another M.2 of also PCIe x4 that will also allow us to mount configurations in RAID 0 with a second SSD. Being a relatively thick laptop, we have space available for a 2.5 ” mechanical or solid drive under SATA interface.

Rather normal refrigeration system

The cooling system chosen for this Acer Predator Triton 300 is a little bit right if we want to get the maximum power from the hardware, specifically from the CPU. We are in this case with a double fan configuration grouped and located only on one side of the equipment, so we only have two outlets for hot air. In this case we would have preferred one on each side and 4 exits, since there is space for it.

To capture the heat from the chips, two copper cold plates have been used together with 3 copper heatpipes also installed in series on the two chips. This means that the heat generated by the CPU (chip furthest to the right) will travel through the tube and pass through the GPU (chip furthest to the left), concentrating quite a bit of heat in the area. Finally a long block of very dense fins collects all the heat to evacuate it through air to the outside.

The system works well enough when we activate the turbo mode of the fans, which will raise the RPM to 6000 on both turbines. But in normal mod we will not be able to avoid having some throttling in the CPU, lowering the frequency to 2.5-3.0 GHz.

Battery and autonomy

And we finish this analysis of characteristics with the battery and autonomy of the Acer Predator Triton 300. On this occasion, a Lithium-Polymer has been installed that offers us a power of 57.28 Wh and a capacity of 3, 720 mAh. For external power we have in this case an adapter that offers 135W of power, more than enough for the CPU + GPU set because in this case it is a 1650.

With a balanced energy profile and doing typical test tasks such as browsing, viewing multimedia content on the Internet and editing in Word we have reached approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes with a full charge cycle, the screen at a brightness of 50 % and the keyboard with lighting on. It is not bad for a gaming team, so it will allow us to use it to study in class as well as to play.

Test of performance

We leave the description behind to go to the practical part, where we will see the performance that this Acer Predator Triton 300 offers us in benchmarks and games.

All the tests that we have submitted this laptop have been carried out with the equipment plugged into the current and the power profile at maximum performance. In case of the cooling system we have kept it in automatic configuration.

SSD performance

Let's start with the benchmark of the Western Digital SSD, for this we have used CristalDiskMark in its version 6.0.2.

This unit will offer us a fantastic performance as we have advanced in the hardware section, in fact we are exceeding 2500 MB / s in sequential writing and almost reaching 3500 MB / s in reading. This will translate into better loading times in games and higher startup speed in programs.

CPU and GPU benchmarks

Let's see below the synthetic test block. For this we have used the following programs:

• Cinebench R15Cinebench R20PCMark 8VRMark3DMark Time Spy, Fire Strike and Fire Strike Ultra

Having a mid-range graphics card, we have somewhat more discreet results than the powerful graphics models, but it is still quite good performance for current generation games.

Regarding the CPU scores, they are relatively low, since it should be around 1200 points in Cinebench R15 and above 2500 points in R20. This is because the operating frequencies are not reached their maximum, possibly due to their BIOS settings and partly also to the temperatures, although with fans in turbo mode we have obtained exactly the same results.

Gaming performance

To establish a real performance of this Acer Predator Triton 300, we have tested a total of 7 titles with fairly existing graphics, which are the following, and with the following configuration:

• Shadow of the Tomb Rider, Alto, TAA + Anisotropico x4, DirectX 12 Far Cry 5, Alto, TAA, DirectX 12 DOOM, Ultra, TAA, Open GL Final Fantasy XV, standard, TAA, DirectX 11 Deus EX Mankind Divided, Alto, Anisotropic x4, DirectX 12 Metro Exodus, High, Anisotropic x16, DirectX 12 Control, High, rendered at 1080p without DLSS or Ray Tracing, DirectX 12

Temperatures

The stress process to which the Acer Predator Triton 300 has been subjected has lasted around 60 minutes, in order to have a reliable average temperature. This process has been carried out with Furmark, Prime95 in large mode and the capture of temperatures with HWiNFO.

Acer Predator Triton 300	Repose	Max. performance	Max performance + turbo mode fans
CPU	43ºC	92ºC	84ºC
GPU	37ºC	69 ºC	61ºC

In this case we wanted to differentiate between the temperatures obtained with the cooling system in automatic mode and the turbo profile at maximum performance. In the first case we will get throttling in certain cores even at a frequency below 3.5 GHz, while in the other case it is enough to alleviate this effect, at least in this unit. Consequently, we will get a fairly noisy system, with fans reaching 6000 RPM, this being the reason to differentiate between both modes.

Final words and conclusion about Acer Predator Triton 300

We now come to the end of another analysis in which we have an Acer Predator Triton 300 that has left us with very good feelings, since for just over 1000 euros we have quite interesting hardware and a very good quality design, in aluminum and that we gives a feeling of fairly high hardness.

It is not a Max-Q design nor is it the most compact on the market, but this gives us enough space to install mechanical storage units. Yes we would have liked a different cooling, with the two separate fans and 4 ducts to make the most of the space, since it is not as efficient as we would like.

In this way we get to the performance, which has been very good in games with the GTX 1650, having for example values ​​higher than 50 FPS in games like DOOM, Tomb Raider or Final Fantasy in high quality, which is very good. Also the loading times are excellent with the Western Digital SSD, although a configuration of 16 GB of RAM in Dual Channel we believe that it would have been a great option here.

In addition, these 6C / 12T will be a good ally for large processing loads as well as games, being one of the most adjusted gaming laptops in price with this i7-9750H. While it is true that the factory settings do not allow the maximum CPU capacity to be reached, falling slightly below direct rivals.

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Regarding the screen we have a 144 Hz and 3 ms panel that has performed very well and with excellent gaming features, although we have seen a very slight ghosting only in the test of testufo. A panel that is certainly used by other manufacturers in their laptops and which is very very similar to these, with a non-optimal calibration, although sufficient for gaming.

Both keyboard and touchpad we liked a lot. In the first case we have quite wide keys with a great membrane touch and very comfortable to write and play, with configurable RGB lighting in 4 zones. In the second, a very well installed and wide touchpad, and that despite not having independent buttons offers good click and no slack.

These are the most notable points of the Acer Predator Triton 300, which will be available in the market for a price of about 1, 300 euros, we imagine that not long in our country. For now it is only available outside our borders and with a keyboard without "ñ", but it is a good option if we want a laptop with good autonomy and without giving up powerful hardware.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ GOOD GAMING PERFORMANCE +50 FPS IN HIGH	- SOMETHING SHORT COOLING
+ 144 HZ IPS SCREEN	- CPU WITH PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT MARGIN
+ ENOUGH RESISTANT ALUMINUM CONSTRUCTION	- IMPROVABLE SCREEN CALIBRATION
+ CHOSEN SSD AND POSSIBILITY TO EXPAND IN 2.5 ”AND RAID 0
+ EXCELLENT KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPAD
+ GOOD AUTONOMY

The Professional Review team awards him the gold medal:

Acer Predator Triton 300

DESIGN - 86%

CONSTRUCTION - 90%

REFRIGERATION - 82%

PERFORMANCE - 79%

DISPLAY - 86%

85%