This gaming laptop from Acer is the most powerful I've ever used

Excess - it’s a concept, an idea, and now thanks to Acer, something embodied physically, in the form of a laptop.

The Acer Predator Helios 16 AI is a beast; there are very few other adjectives which so adequately capture its essence. You want lots of RAM? It has all you can eat, up to 64GB. Need the best graphical prowess? The 5090 with 24GB of dedicated VRAM inside has you covered, and an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU to handle intensive tasks.

If the typical task of designing a laptop is to decide a price point, then assemble a specification sheet as a careful exercise, Acer’s playbook here has simply been to throw convention out the window.

This is the most laptop you can buy today, for nearly any price. But what is it like to use?

Read on for our full review.

Acer Predator Helios 16 AI review: Key specifications

Design, build and display

Design, Build, Display

Conventional laptop design has come on a lot in the past few years. Thanks to the likes of ARM chips, we’ve seen options that are thinner than ever before, but the Predator line does not subscribe to thinness; rather the opposite.

The Predator is big, very much so, and heavy. It has big fans for pushing away heat, and a mechanical keyboard, all things that reduce thinness rather than increase it. In short, it’s a laptop which almost becomes a contradiction of the term itself; you can feasibly use it on your lap, but you won’t want to for extended periods.

That isn’t to say that it isn't well built, it is. Everything is machined from metal, feels sturdy and like it is a definite statement of intent. More solid than everything else surrounding it, even.

The keyboard, despite being mechanical, isn’t anything special. There’s reasonable travel, and it is pleasant enough to type on, but it doesn’t make any impression in particular. Perfectly average, never touching on excellent. It lights up, as is to be expected of a machine with ‘gaming’ written into its DNA, and the lighting can be customised to your tastes.

This is very much a device with a ‘gamer’ aesthetic, and if that isn’t for you, you’ll need to look elsewhere. It isn’t exactly the most office-appropriate.

As for the display, it is an example of where more is very much better. OLED tech, a 16:10 aspect ratio, 2.5K resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate make nearly any task a pleasure. Like to game? Your games will never look better. Cyberpunk 2077 dazzled, the HDR really bringing out the best in darker scenes. It is bright too, even if not quite enough to combat the brightest sunlight. The 2.5K resolution ensures everything is pin-sharp, and the 240Hz refresh rate keeps the action smooth. That last part means that if you enjoy competitive shooters, you’ll be able to keep up more easily with the action than if you had a 120Hz panel, for example.

Of course, gaming isn’t the same as colour work, but with a reported 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut, it should be enough for some workflows, but as ever, be aware of your needs.

Design score: 3/5

Features

AI is here, and here to stay, it seems, and with the Predator, Acer has baked it right in. ProCam can recognise gameplay highlights and record those moments, ‘Purifiedview 2.0’ promises visual enhancements, and ‘PurifiedVoice 2.0’ claims the same for voice recording.

If you are a pro-gamer, some of the above might prove to be of use; in my experience, they proved to be a little niche and patchy in performance.

Perhaps more interestingly for many, there’s Thunderbolt 5 and WiFi 7 support. Though the latter is a little niche at the moment, it offers a bit of future-proofing for the Predator that will see it remain useful, particularly for large downloads.

And the former means that working with large files using compatible portable SSDs will be a cinch, a real boon too for videographers when working with multiple terabytes of data.

Thankfully, I/O is also fairly generous, there’s HDMI, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C ports and an RJ-45 ethernet port, meaning reliance on dongles will be relatively limited.

Lastly, it comes with Windows 11 Home preinstalled, which may be an issue for power users wishing to use virtual machines.

Features score: 4/5

Benchmark scores

We test every one of our laptops using the same benchmarking software suite to give you a thorough overview of its suitability for creatives of all disciplines and levels. This includes:

• Geekbench: Tests the CPU for single-core and multi-core power, and the GPU for the system's potential for gaming, image processing, or video editing. Geekbench AI tests the CPU and GPU on a variety of AI-powered and AI-boosted tasks.
• Cinebench: Tests the CPU and GPU's ability to run 3D software such as Cinema 4D and Redshift.
• UL Procyon: Uses UL Solutions' Procyon software suite to test the system's ability for AI image generation in Stable Diffusion, its Microsoft Office performance and its battery life in a looping video test.
• Topaz Video AI: We use Topaz Video AI to test the system's ability to upscale video and convert video to slow-motion.
• PugetBench for Creators: We use the PugetBench for Creators benchmarking suite to test the system's ability to run several key tasks in Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro, as well as its performance when encoding/transcoding video.
• ON1 Resize AI: Tests the system's ability to resize 5 photos to 200% in a batch process. We take the total time taken to resize the images and divide by 5.

Performance

As might be expected from a device with top-of-the-line components, the Predator isn’t here just to compete, but to win. And with an Intel Core 9 Ultra, 64GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 paired with 24GB of VRAM, it certainly has the chops to do so.

Running synthetic benchmarks proved to be an interesting experience. Due to driver issues which could not be resolved by the time of writing, it was not possible to test graphical prowess in Cinebench 2024. In Geekbench 6, it achieved a GPU score around 25% higher than a device running a 4090.

The top-tier graphic performance is borne out in gaming, where running the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark, it achieved an average FPS of 185.84 at high settings, meaning it has more than enough oomph to easily play the top games of today at maximum quality.

Testing the processor proved to be more straightforward, with a Geekbench CPU Quantised score of 8921, it finds itself near the top of the rankings. This was true across the likes of DirectML, and in standard multi and single-core scores from the normal benchmark. The Intel Core 9 Ultra might be power-hungry, but that juice is put to use.

With 64GB of RAM, nearly every conceivable use case outside of more intensive and specific applications is covered. If you need more, you’ll certainly need a more specialised machine.

Lastly, as is to be expected from a device with such a large power brick, battery life was not even remotely a consideration in design. If you have work of any calibre to complete, being plugged in is an absolute prerequisite.

For most, for power users and likely for creatives too, the Predator absolutely has what it takes to keep up with your needs.

Performance score: 5/5

Price

Power doesn’t come cheap, with the Acer Predator Helios 16 AI prices starting at £3,799.99. That gets you a top-of-the-line configuration; however, it is the only build option.

Who is it for?

The Predator is aimed at one very specific group - those who need the absolute ‘most’ from a laptop, and for whom budget is also not an issue.. Whether that’s in gaming or for creative work, if you balk at the idea of compromise then this is the laptop for you, unless battery life is something you prioritise.

Buy it if...

• You want the best gaming performance
• You want to become a pro-gamer
• You have demanding creative needs and also like to game

Don't buy it if...

• You don’t like ‘gamer’ styling
• You need even decent battery life
• You need something portable

Also consider

Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M4 Pro, 2024)

The MacBook 16 has several advantages over the Predator. A nicer design, better speakers and far improved battery life among them. Even the absolute top of the line configuration runs for slightly less money, and there’s multiple ways to customise to your particular needs. If you are a creative, you might also just prefer MacOS. Its major weakness? Gaming, MacOS just doesn’t have nearly as much availability as a Windows.

MSI Stealth 18 HX AI

The MSI costs less than the Predator, has a larger screen boasting Mini-LED tech and has a resolution of 4K. The tradeoff? It won’t be quite as capable for competitive multiplayer shooting games, and the 5080 isn’t quite as powerful as the 5090, but at this point it is splitting hairs. Once again, the question is whether you are willing to compromise, with the Stealth presenting only a mild slip.

Asus ProArt PX13

Maybe you need power and mobility; should that be the case, then maybe the Asus ProArt PX13 is the machine for you. At 13 inches, it may be small, but that also means it is easy to lug around. It’s also possessed of a GeForce RTX 4070, so it can game and make short work of many creative tasks. It can bend too, boasting a tent mode, and with prices on sale starting at £1,899.99, it is at least worth a look.

Full verdict

Excess is a concept, and the Acer Predator Helios 16 AI is the embodiment of that concept. Everything about it is a statement of intent, the product of a company saying this is the best we can do.

It might not sport the most attractive looks, it might be a bit brash in its styling and boast a keyboard that’s just ok, but those aren’t a part of the vision here. Excess isn’t about beauty, it’s about too much. And there’s so much power under the hood there’s really nothing that it isn’t possible to achieve with the Predator, from a work perspective, except travel. It cannot last any length of time away from the charger, however this class of laptop almost never can.

If you have a generous budget, and should you be a keen gamer, there’s few choices which will scream conspicuous consumption more than this. For creatives, a MacBook will offer power and portability at a lower price, and for gamers, for a little compromise it’s possible to make big savings. But this machine isn’t about compromise, it’s the antithesis of it, and if that appeals to you, then this machine will represent perfection.