Tencent Digital (Compilation: Guti) Since the virtual reality device manufacturers announced their hardware requirements for PCs, the majority of PC manufacturers have started a new round of arms race. Everyone wants to share a piece of virtual reality. AMD Radeon RX 480 is positioned by AMD as the most cost-effective VR standard graphics card, and NVIDIA has also launched its own corresponding product. In fact, many PC manufacturers have introduced some products that are specifically designed for VR systems.
However, most of the products are desktops. After all, VR has high hardware requirements, so only desktops can meet the requirements. However, there are also products such as the Acer Predator 17X that specifically target VR game titles. The Predator 17X is equipped with an Intel Core i7-6820HD quad-core processor and an NVIDIA GTX 980 graphics card. The version we reviewed was equipped with a mix of 32GB RAM and 512GB SSD and 1TB mechanical hard drive.
Compared to Acer's other Predator 17, the Predator 17X only had one more letter, but because it was equipped with a good graphics card, Acer modified the appearance of the mold. The overall size was larger and it looked thicker. The Predator 17X costs $2,800 (about RMB18,570), which is $300 more than the Predator 17.
Handsome appearance
Predator 17X looks very handsome, black body red embellishment, once debuted in 2015 IFA. However, the Predator 17X is a typical game-based style, matte black plastic and red lines look very tough. However, most of the material of the Predator 17X body is plastic, not metal.
The Predator 17X weighs 4.5 kg and is a monster class. However, sometimes the Predator 17X is a bit fragile, and it is worried that the plastic shell can take up the internal tough configuration. However, in fact, the Predator 17X has excellent workmanship in addition to its angular design.
The Predator 17X is not equipped with an optical drive, but for now the optical drive is not a necessary configuration for the game. At the same time Predator 17X uses a non-removable battery design, but the internal results are relatively easy to let us personally upgrade, whether it is hard disk or RAM can be easily replaced.
Rich interface
Taking into account the size of the Predator 17X, the performance on the connectivity is very satisfying.
On the left side of the Predator 17X are two USB 3.0 ports, a headphone, a microphone jack, and an SD card reader. On the right side there are two USB 3.0 ports, a full-size HDMI port, DisplayPort, Ethernet port, and Thunderbolt 3 port. The rich interface allows many players to use it without restrictions.
In wireless connection, Predator 17X supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.
Keyboard and touchpad
Using the Predator 17X keyboard, whether it is games or work, is a pleasure. The keyboard of the Predator 17X is very large, so it is full of space, and it is a full-size keyboard. The space between each key is very abundant. Although the Predator 17X is not equipped with a mechanical keyboard, it is relatively close to the mechanical keyboard regardless of feel or key process.
Acer hasn't equipped the Predator 17X with some personalised design. For example, there are five macro buttons on the left to set specific behaviors. There are also special buttons to switch three different macro key combinations. At the same time Predator 17X also has a trackpad lock button, which is very useful for players who use the mouse, can prevent misuse.
The Predator 17X keyboard is equipped with RGB backlighting, but it looks cool, but it's functionally single. The keyboard backlight has only one brightness and no other special effects. At the same time players can only customize the backlight of some areas, including the power button at the same time, the backlight brightness can not be adjusted.
The Predator 17X touchpad has enough space to meet daily needs. At the same time, the left and right buttons are also provided at the bottom of the touchpad, and the sense of power feedback is also good. One of my favorite designs of the Predator 17X is that the edge of the trackpad is equipped with an LED backlight so that I can instantly identify the position in the dark.
Excellent screen effect
The Predator 17X offers two different screen configurations, 1080p and 4K Ultra HD. We evaluated the 1080P version. This resolution does not put too much burden on the hardware. At the same time, Predator 17X also supports G-Sync technology, which can ensure the smooth and smooth operation of the game.
The Predator 17X has an excellent screen with a 500:1 contrast ratio, AdobeRGB color gamut of 71%, a color error of 1.9, a gamma curve of 2.1, and a maximum brightness of 313 lux, all of which maintain a good standard.
From the aspect of look and feel, the screen of Predator 17X is clear and full of vitality, and the color contrast is obvious. The whole effect looks very vivid and it is a very good gaming notebook screen.
General speaker effect
To be honest, the sound of the Predator 17X made me disappointed. To know that the Predator 17X is so big, it should be able to reserve enough room for the speaker. Although the bass effect of the Predator 17X is quite obvious, it is not thick enough and it is worse than our expectation.
Configuration
The Predator 17X we evaluated is equipped with an Intel Core i7-6820HK processor, which is an upgraded version of the i7-6700HQ. It was upgraded from 2.6GHz to 2.7GHz, and the maximum Turbo Boost was upgraded from 3.5GHz to 3.6GHz and equipped with 32GB of RAM. The specific running scores are shown in the figure.
Storage read speed
The Predator 17X is equipped with a 512GB solid state drive and a 1TB mechanical hard drive, and the read speed is very good.
Graphics performance
The most important configuration of the Predator 17X is the NVIDIA GTX 980 graphics card, which is essentially the most distinguishing feature of the notebook and the desktop.
Virtual reality support
Although Acer did not introduce much about virtual reality on the official website, the Predator 17X was indeed positioned as a virtual reality mobile solution. To know the game that supports virtual reality configuration changes is also the biggest highlight of Predator 17X.
We used Predator 17X to test TechPOP's display content and found that the overall impact was not too great, and the setup was simple. It took less than 10 minutes to use the HTC Vive.
We tested three hours in a row, including Fruit Ninja VR, Fantastic Contraption, and Trials on Tatooine. Overall, the Predator 17X is very fluid and stable. Putting it simply, the Predator 17X meets the requirements of virtual reality and there are no problems with games for hours.
Mute
The Predator 17X played 36.7 decibels at rest, while the full-loaded sound was 42.1 decibels, which is basically an average.
to sum up
The Predator 17X is one of the best games in our review and has many advantages. Such as excellent design, suitable for daily use, portability is still OK, and can run VR games smoothly.
So if you want to buy a game that is well-configured and the price is not too exaggerated, then the Acer Predator 17X and the predecessor Predator 17 seem more worthwhile.
Source: digitaltrends
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