Acer Predator Helios 500 2021 Review in Spanish (complete analysis)

The new generation of Acer Predator Helios 500 2021 is reserved for the most demanding players and the most enthusiastic users.Just out of the oven, we have this incredible version that is as striking as it is huge with its 17 inches and its chassis full of lighting press lighting

Under the hood we have everything that is expected of a flagship, Intel I9-11980HK, GPU NVIDIA RTX 3080, 32 GB of RAM, SSD PCIE 4.0 RAID and an impressive double fan cooling system that works great with its huge thickness.And, as if that were not enough, one of the best gaming screens on the portable market is implemented, with Mini LED 4K @120 Hz HDR 1000 technology.Wanting to see it in action?

Before continuing, we thank Acer your trust for lending us this laptop for analysis.

Acer Predator Helios 500 2021 Technical characteristics

Unboxing

The Acer Predator Helios 500 2021.This box is built in rigid cardboard and black color, although on the main faces we have color graphics showing the equipment, because it did not deserve less.Of course, on the main box we will have another that helps protect the equipment during transportation.

So we will open this box to meet the equipment, in turn inside a hard and placed cardboard box between 4 polyethylene foam molds.Next to it, we have more receptacles to store the accessories, and beware because under the laptop box there is another in the background with the second charger.

The Bundle will finally contain the following elements:

A great detail the fact of including these keys to improve gaming experience in the laptop, providing an adaptability in the route and drive.The equipment will have two food inputs for its two external feeders, raising its total power until no less than 660W.This and transporting an ITX PC will be more or less equivalent.

Enthusiast and purely gaming level design

Unlike the Predator Triton saga that has become more discreet and elegant, it seems that the Acer Predator Helios 50 2021 has done the opposite.We are even more aggressive by adding lighting attachments throughout the chassis.Of course, it continues to adopt the guidelines of the previous generation as far as color, lid and logo refers, as a sign of identity.

We are going to study the design first and then the details, and what stands out most in it will be its brutal thickness of 42 mm with the closed lid and about 33 mm of its base when it is open.Far from pursuing the greatest thinness as in most teams, Acer has decided to do just the opposite of giving us an extra in cooling and interior space.The reason is clear: to ensure performance the closest to a desktop, and we will see that nothing remains far away.

Regarding the rest of the measures, they will be similar to those of other 17 -inch laptops, with a width of 400 mm and a depth somewhat extended to 320 mm due to the rear extension.It is a tactic of high performance laptops to improve its aesthetics once open, and it is also the best way to enable a space for fans and air expulsion.Here it has been taken to the extreme, with two huge rounded grilles on each side that show the densely furred blocks with a chrome detail.In the central zone two Jack type power shots have been placed.

Undoubtedly, this rear part reminds us a lot of that of a bugatti chiron, not only for the diffusers, but because of the lighting strip that covers the entire upper edge.This detail is perfectly complemented by the predator logo placed on the center of the screen cover, which this time will be RGB instead of having a solid color.The Mini LED 4K panel will be installed on a high quality and finished aluminum housing, with almost 10 mm thick to ensure maximum stiffness when opening and closing.We have proven that there is indeed no torsion opening from the corners and their resistance seems secured.

La zona de pantalla se quedará salida respecto a la parte trasera del Acer Predator Helios 500 2021, anclándose con dos grandes bisagras en cada extremo que permiten una apertura máxima de unos 130^o.They have a fairly soft and friction route, with the right hardness to maintain the position we decide.And on these anchors we have a outgoing zone of the same thickness where the LEDs indicators of hard, ignition and load activity have been placed.

We continue with the side areas, where we find the ports and huge ventilation grilles, even larger than the rear ones.With fans at maximum performance we have proven the high volume of air that comes out of the 4 openings, especially for these two.And the truth is that they do not leave too much space for ports, because in the front zone we will have more RGB lighting strips of the Pulsar Lighting system covering virtually the entire area from the grilles.

With the RGB strip of the front, the lighting system created by Acer is completed, covering much of the available length.These RGB areas allow complete management from the Predator Sense software, and not only with predefined effects, as they are synchronized with keyboard lighting.Audio synchronization with four patterns and even synchronization with the colors shown on the screen with a new system called Mimic has been added.It does not escape the detail of seeing that this area remains semi -open thanks to a ventilation rack that covers the entire space.

We go to the bottom of the Acer Predator Helios 500 2021, which leaves amplitude almost for anything.The manufacturer has chosen to open only the circular shots of the two fans to concentrate the air flow more.A little below we have more openings in the form of gills to give out to the audio system, which as we see will feature subwoofer to enhance the serious ones a bit.The area is completed with the corresponding non -slip rubber legs that considerably rise the rear of the laptop to ensure air entry.

In this way we arrive at the interior area of the equipment after opening its extensive screen, which will be installed on rigid plastic frames.They will enter the Acer Slimbezel allocation, with 7 mm measures for sides, 11 mm for the upper edge and 41 mm for the huge lower edge.It seems that mini LED technology requires a little more space for hardware, although it enters within the proportions of this huge team.The webcam remains installed on the upper edge next to the microphones.

As for the keyboard area, there will be plenty.The slight sinking of the area makes all the keys remain at the level of the aluminum housing, while the steering keys have an outstanding place for their best use in games.Contrary to what we expected from such a robust laptop, we noticed some sinking in the central area of the keyboard.Central anchors would have been the solution, since being a very wide area this possibility was predictable.

An aspect that does not like too much is how sunk the mouse trackpad is in this model, leaving an uncomfortable edge of almost 2 mm when we reach the end of the touch area.Even with the blue lighting frame placed around it could have risen to the surface.In the case of a touchpad gaming, the buttons have been placed independently, with higher quality switches, a somewhat wider and quite tender tour.

Ports and network connectivity

We still do not end with the external analysis, because we still have to see the connectivity of the Acer Predator Helios 50 2021 that does not disappoint.Obviously the load ports that are located in the back, the rest of the connections are located on both sides.

In the right area we find:

And on the left part:

In this way we will have a total of 3 USB ports working at 10 Gbps and another 2 Thunderbolt 4 to 40 Gbps.These two interfaces implement Power Delibery up to 100W of portable load and displayport 1.4 For multiple monitor output at 4k @60 Hz.They are added an extra mini dp interface and the HDMI 2.1 Direct from the dedicated GPU to support 8K screens.

As for network connectivity, we have the powerful 2.5 Gbps and Wlan Killer Ax1650i Wi-Fi 6.This is the gaming variants so to speak of Intel cards, as they have Killer Control Center that allows loading of bandwidth, bandwidth and much more from Windows.Bandwidth will be that of all laptop 6 cards, with 2.4 Gbps for 5 GHz, and 574 Mbps for 2.4 GHz, in 2 × 2 connections.It has only lacked to round the package in the new Killer Ax1675 that already supports Wi-Fi 6E, although we have no complaints about it.

Additionally, a 5G modem can be added to the equipment to improve its connectivity and mobility by adopting LTE.In this analysis model we do not have it.In this case we have TMP 2.0 implemented to offer maximum compatibility with Windows 11.

Gaming screen and design with mini LED technology

The Acer Predator Helios 500 2021 raises the level of its 17 -inch screen so much that is placed as one of the best panel laptops on the market.It has not conformed to the new 360 Hz FHD or 165 Hz QHD panels, it has gone one step further by opting for mini LED technology under a 4K resolution (3840x2160p).

MINI LED is a technology that improves IPS -based panels with a new much more powerful backlight system.In this case it has 512 dynamic local attenuation zones that drastically improve the contrast to approach what an OLED panel offers.In addition, we have VESSA DisplayHDR 1000 certification and a 100% color coverage in DCI-P3, suitable for design tasks at a professional level.

But let's not forget that it is portable designed for gaming, and it is demonstrated by a 120 Hz soda frequency and a minimum response speed of 3 ms.They are impressive figures for such a panel, let's not forget 4K, taking advantage of the ability of the HDMI interface 2.1 As for bandwidth.We assume that it incorporates Adaptive Sync technology by not appreciating tearing on the screen, but we will not have a G-SYC option in the NVIDIA control panel.

You see the characteristics of this panel, it is quite predictable to say that the image quality is impressive, and the sharpness and desktop amplitude that we reach is wonderful. De igual forma, la calidad de imagen se mantiene intacta en ángulos de 178^o tanto en la vertical como la horizontal, solamente perdiendo un poco de brillo como es normal.A worthy desktop professional monitor screen, but this time integrated nothing less than in a laptop.

Ghosting and other artifacts

To detect the presence of ghosting and blur, we have performed the corresponding UFO test available at the Testufo site, making in motion.

On this occasion the screen has an Overdrive option from Predator Sense that we have obviously tested in the test.The first image corresponds to this activated mode, and which is appreciated a light white trail after the UFO, although it is very not very appreciable.

The second image corresponds to normal mode, appreciating a wake, this time black, although also quite mild.If what we are looking for is the improvement image quality, this mode will be the most recommended, while if we bet on the best response in games the OD mode will be the recommended.

In none of the cases we have obtained Bleeding in the corners nor does there seem relevant glow IPS.We certainly have a panel of high quality and typical of a range of range such as this laptop.

Calibration del panel

We have performed the calibration tests for the IPS panel of the Acer Predator Helios 500 2021 with our X-Rite Colormunki Display colorimeter, and the free displaycal 3 and HCFR programs.With these tools we have analyzed the color graphs of the screen in the DCI-P3 and SRGB spaces.

Brightness and Contrast

It is true that we are not reached 1000 Nits, but it is still a high figure for a typical mode without reproducing HDR10 content.MINI LED technology shows a lot in the contrast, when it is raised to almost 3300: 1 to move in figures of a type VA panel.The depth of blacks is not too far from an OLED, delivering 0.2 nits.

SRGB space

In this space we are obtaining a delta and average of 3.36, and although it is good, we expected a better factory calibration.We can miss a Pantone or Calman validation in a unit of this category, to finish rounding its benefits, although we will see what margin of improvement it has a manual calibration.Color coverage is impressive, easily exceeding 100% in this space by giving a total volume of 136%.

In the results shown by HCFF we observed a radical change in the gamma and luminance of the panel in the dark and dark tones.This more radical transition than in a normal LCD panel is due to the local attenuation system, which acts in that jump between black and white tones to amplify the contrast.It is not as progressive as in an OLED panel, but well that it serves to deliver contrasts superior to a VA panel.

DCI-P3 space

For this space, the calibration improves a little until the delta and medium.HCFF graphs again show the changes explained above.

Calibration

We are certainly missing an application or complement to Predator Sense that is responsible for customizing the screen and including different custom image modes for games and other scenarios.Although the profile is good, your R-G-B can still be improved if there was a tool like the one you use for example MSI.

For the rest, the improvement we get with a colorimeter calibration is almost perfect, although it would really only be necessary if the screen will be used for professional graphic design.

DTS sound system: x ultra and cam 1080p

The Acer Predator Helios 500 2021 equals this time a sound system provided with subwoofer speakers at the bottom that generate a good audio quality at the output. Además, implementa tecnología DTS:X Ultra, al cual permite generar de forma virtual sonido envolvente de 360^o.

Envelope or not, the system offers us a very high audio quality, being above many of its rivals thanks to the great maximum volume that it reaches and the large number of nuances that it is capable of delivering.The woofer obtains a slight enhancement in the power of serious that we will enjoy especially in movies and games, but it is not madly.

To this is added a greater separation of the speakers due to the fact of being a large laptop, and a better resonance due to its thickness.In short, one of the best integrated systems that we can find in a portable team, doing a good update work Acer to keep the high level.

With the CODEC Realtek installed we will obtain an impeccable quality in the Jack outlet of 3.5 mm lateral, which is reserved for gaming or speakers headphones.Thanks to the DTS: X pre -installed application we can modify the audio profile of both internal and external speakers.

We go to see the webcam sensor installed in the Acer Predator Helios 500 2021 that fortunately will be one capable of taking photos and record at 1920x1080p @ 30 fps.We can see in the capture that obtains an excellent image quality suitable even to broadcast our face live while we play.This sensor is the one that new generation laptops should adopt in a generic way, and finally get rid of 720p CAM.The microphone matrix meets expectations with a clear distant field recording, although for broadcasts, better use a desktop microphone.A single paste that we put to the whole is that it does not support facial recognition, something quite recommended at this point, especially with the imminent update to Windows 11.

Gaming keyboard with configurable wasd and redesigned touchpad

We arrive at an important section in this analysis, because we will know in more detail the peripheral configuration of this Acer Predator Helios 50 2021.It is deeply updated to give us the best possible benefits for gaming, although it maintains a membrane key system except in the WASD package.

The unit we analyze has an ANSI distribution of our country, but there will be a Spanish version when it appears in our market.Since there is enough space, we will have full keyboard with numpad, and also allowing good separation between keys and the different regions.Synonymous with this will be a fair -kept on the rest of the rest to improve its usability and separated F keys also.

The island type distribution has very silky keycap keys and good 15 mm 15 mm grip.In this case, the design with back and edge backlight and edge has been maintained.The majority of keys, or say those of general use, have a membrane system, with an approximate 3 mm route that is higher than for example the ASUS or Steel Series keys.This makes the sensations in Scriptures excellent, with a soft tour, little sound and with very little action of action.A enjoy while we have dedicated ourselves to writing this review with him.

This keyboard has an RGB Per-Key lighting system, so we can customize the lighting of each key individually.This system can be synchronized with the lighting of the laptop's edges, as well as what is shown on the screen thanks to the Mimic function.This effect is quite original especially for games, because lighting will respond to the colors of the screen to generate greater immersion.

But much less is all that can offer us, because the WASD package is a bit different when having MagTek Mechanical Swicks of linear analog linear drive.This means that we can gradually increase the pressure on the key and that it works like a joystick.The range of travel from the initial activation to 0.8 mm will reach to 3.1 mm.We can customize the activation point of them desire predator between a range of 1 to 3 mm depending on our preferences.

For these keys, as well as for those of management we have concave keycaps included in the Bundle that will offer us better touch and experience for games.They will be extremely simple to exchange by having a magnetic coupling.For the rest, we will have fast access key to the brand software, as well as manual turbo mode button for the cooling system.

Next to this large keyboard we find a new touchpad with 108 mm wide by 64 mm deep, more or less the standard measures.The two big differences of him will be to have the separate buttons and be remarkably more sunk than normal.We have a blue lighting frame around Tackpad, giving originality and accessibility to play at night.

Having the separate buttons is an advantage for use in games and in the face of their durability.They offer a good tour and very tender touch, no doubt better than that of an integrated button.But, on the other hand, the greatest sinking of the trackpad and edge that is generated around it is a bit annoying for its use.The ideal would have been to keep it at the same height as the aluminum chassis, and it is the only paste that I can put it personal.As always, he supports Windows's own gestures, although he does not incorporate fingerprint sensor.

Predator Sense 2 Software.0

The next stop is carried out in the management software of this Acer Predator Helios 500 2021, which will already be a factory pre -installed.This application is based on the guidelines of the versions available in other models, although its options adapt to this unit.

They will be a total of 7 sections, although the first 5 will be the most important or most relevant.From the Dashboard in the first section we can see the temperatures of the main hardware, and directly access the available lighting or ventilation profiles.This will be combined with the mode of operation and profile of fans of the third and fourth section.

In the second we find everything related to the lighting system, the most novel and detailed section of the application that will be indispensable for it.For the keyboard we will have a dynamic mode with multiple predefined animations with some customizable parameters such as color or speed, and a fixed mode to customize the color key.In the following tab, we are allowed to customize the front and lateral lighting of the Acer Predator Helios 500 2021, only one color for each area or synchronization mode for the complete system.

We have the interactive modes for audio and screen that we have already commented before in the following tab, but we can modify color or effects of them.Logo and rear bar lighting will be managed independently, in dynamic or again static mode to choose a specific color.Finally, the tactile panel section only allows to activate or deactivate the blue light.

Internal and hardware characteristics

The time comes to know the internal hardware that equips this Acer Predator Helios 500 2021, because it will simply be the best available for a laptop, at least in regard to Intel and Nvidia.On this occasion the team brings an easily removable second housing that gives us access to hardware that can be expanded or changed.We will only remove this housing, because the main one is integrated throughout the base, lighting and part of the hardware, so it is quite complex.

So we start with the processor, finding no less than an Intel Core I9-11980HK based on the new Tiger Lake-H architecture of 10 Nm Superfin of the Blue Brand.This beast that replaces 10980HK has 8 cores and 16 unlocked wires, working at a maximum frequency of 5 GHz in Turbo Boost Max 3 mode.0.The TDP of this version increases to 65W, although it allows a 45W descent in savings mode.

The cache configuration increases considerably in this generation to 24 MB L3, and 10 MB in L2 in blocks of 1.25 MB for each nucleus.Similarly, the L1 cache is divided into blocks of 8 × 48 kb l1d and 8 × 32 kb l1i.Recall that this architecture integrates a 11th gene UHD GPU with 32 shadows and a maximum frequency of 1450 MHz that we will use in battery mode.Likewise, the 20 PCIe lanes of this CPU will be 4.0, supporting SSD NVME GEN4X4.

The second main chip we find will be a NVIDIA RTX 3080 GPU, more specifically the 16 GB specification of GDDR6 memory.The most powerful available when there is also another 8 GB.Much beware of this version, because it has set its TGP in no less than 165W, being the maximum predetermined by Nvidia for this chip.

Inside we have 48 multiprocessors that will add 6144 CUDA CORE, 192 3rd generation tensor and 48 RT Core of 2nd generation.This makes Rops' figure at 96 and TMUS at 192.Its 8 Nm Samsung chipset with ampere architecture is able to work at a base frequency of 1350 MHz and Boost of 1710 MHz.Its 16 GB of VRM will be configured on a 256 -bit bus operating at 14 GBPs effective and with the activated resizable function.

We continue with the RAM capacity, which rises to 32 GB thanks to two 16 GB DDR4 modules with a 3200 MHz frequency taking advantage of the Dual Channel.And the impressive storage settings leaves us two Samsung PM9A1 NVME PCIE 4 units.0 configured in RAID 0 to make a total of 2 TB of space, and a third HDD unit of 2 TB for files.In this way the performance and writing performance of the system will exceed 13.000 Mb/s and 10.000 Mb/s respectively, brutal figures.

Dissipator design

The person in charge of dealing with the high temperatures generated.The system has two huge fans of the same name provided with 89 0.08 mm thick blades that will generate a high air flow.This flow is vortex receives an optimization through Powergem technology that manages the RPM of the system automatically.

To capture the heat of the chips we have a series of great amplitude copper heatpipes, which will be divided to both sides to cool CPU and GPU.In both cases some good copper plates have been installed to perform this task, surely using gray thermal paste to make contact with the die.Nothing is mentioned about liquid metal paste, which would have rounded the performance of this great system.

The left block is responsible for cooling the GPU and its respective GDDR6 memory chips, while the right is responsible for VRM and CPU.At the ends there are a total of 4 large aluminum and copper blocks that we can see from the outside to expel the heat to the outside.Storage units also have a small dissipation element to control their temperatures.

Autonomy

Autonomy will be one of the weak points of the Acer Predator Helios 500 2021, as we have a battery of only 74Wh of maximum power.We believe that insufficient for a laptop of such magnitude, although its capacity is 4810 mAh.Where we will undoubtedly be left over in external food with 2 330W adapters to use their two rear inputs.

With an energy savings profile, doing basic navigation and unloading tasks with active and bright lighting at 30% we have obtained about 2 hours and 15 minutes of autonomy.Turning off the lighting, let's increase life, but in no case we can extract more than 4 hours at least with this hardware configuration that we analyze.

Test of performance

We go to see this Acer Predator Helios 500 2021 with the performance tests that we usually perform.These have been carried out with the equipment plugged into the current and the energy profile predefined by Acer.The cooling system has been kept in extreme configuration to extract the best performance.

SSD performance

We start with the benchmark of the RAID 0 configuration of the NVME units, for this we have used CrystaldiskMark 8.

Just as we announced these two pcie 4 units.0 as a whole they are reaching more than 13.000 MB/S in sequential reading, which would make about 6500 MB/s of performance for each individual unit.In writing the RAID 0 also behaves spectacularly giving more than 10.000 MB/S.The loading capacity of games or applications acquires a new dimension thanks to these units.

Benchmarks

Let's look at how this GPU and CPU Topes of the range behaves performing the following synthetic tests:

The abnormally low PCMark 8 score is curious, but we will simply obviate it and we will stay with the PCMark 10 much more realistic to what this laptop can really do.For the rest, we have Top figures for both the CPU in the Cinebench tests and at the GPU with the 3DMark tests.As expected, the 11980HK pays a little more than the 11900h version of stock, although the difference is low and the high temperatures.

PERFORMANCE IN GAMES

We go to see the performance of the Acer Predator Helios 500 2021 performing tests with the dedicated GPU.We have used 6 titles in normal mode and another 6 with Ray Tracing activated:

Temperatures

The stress process to which the Acer Predator Helios 50 2021 has lasted around 60 minutes.It has been carried out with Prime95 and Furmark, and the capture of temperatures with Hwinfo.

The 11980HK temperatures are quite high constantly, and it is something that could be apparent in other equipment with these 10 Nm CPUs.The dissipation system is impressive, you just have to see the good temperatures of the GPU with its 165 W of TGP. Pero estas CPU de Intel parece que ignoran cualquier disipador que se le ponga para colocarse en una frecuencia tal que alcance los 100^oC.Only in a timely manner we will obtain Throttling in one or two nuclei, which means that the operation of this CPU is already planned with these temperatures.

As for the outer surface of the equipment, we have good temperatures in the keyboard area constantly, without bothering the user while playing.The front grid seems to also do its small dissipation work, although that more vivid color corresponds to lighting.An element that if it is heated is enough is the maximum shine screen, especially the lower frame zone where its hardware will be contained.

Final words and conclusion about the Acer Predator Helios 500 2021

We conclude one of the most satisfactory reviews in what we have been, because not every day you have access to a laptop with the best of the best in hardware.I9-11980HK, RTX 3080 and if that were not enough, a RAID 0 configuration with SSD NVME GEN4X4.It can be said that this is only equal, it is not overcome unless you get better optimization.

And as for its tuning, it will also be difficult to overcome, because we have a very good cooling system, clearly benefited by the thickness of the equipment. Aun con las excelentes temperaturas de la GPU, el 11980HK sigue a su estilo con 100^oC casi constantes con cualquier disipador que se le ponga.For its large size, it has not turned out to be much louder than the average, so this will not be a weak point.

Speaking of weak points, we can only cite autonomy, although we have Top Hardware, this laptop deserved a 100 -Wh battery, because we get just over 2 h doing low demand tasks.The large size of the equipment, and especially the two food sources do not play in favor of mobility as it is obvious, although for that we already have the Triton family and others.With so much space, Acer has recreated as never implemented with a complete environmental RGB system in the chassis, which combined with the keyboard will delight users.

We recommend reading about our guide to the best laptops in the market

This team is made to play, to give us a performance as close as possible to a desktop PC, and what if you get it.So we must demand more elements such as keyboard, touchpad or sound, and the balance is extremely positive, especially on that keyboard with customizable mechanical wasd.Integrated speakers also pay very well even in serious, while the only tauchpad paste is its edge when it is involved in.

And the final brooch is put by an impressive mini 4K LED screen at 120 Hz, which will have very little portable.To the great performance in games that has demonstrated, it is even better image quality, HDR 1000 and more than 3000: 1 of contrast.Although its stock calibration is not perfect, it has shown that with a colorimeter it can be perfect for designers.

So the Acer Predator Helios 500 2021 will be available for a price from 2499 euros, which is not crazy for everything we have seen.In fact, it is much cheaper than rivals such as the Rog Zephyrus 17s of Asus or the MSI Raider with Hardware Top.With less mobility in this case, but with impeccable performance as a range of range should be required.

The Review Professional Team gives you the platinum medal:

Acer Predator Helios 500 2021

DISEÑO - 95%

CONSTRUCCIÓN - 95%

REFRIGERACIÓN - 93%

RENDIMIENTO - 98%

PANTALLA - 100%

CALIBRACIÓN - 88%

PRECIO - 93%

95%

The Acer Predator Helios 500 is presented as one of the most powerful and complete gaming laptops on the market, with a well -cooled topware, a 4K 120Hz mini led screen and endless extras.