This week, Acer is introducing a slew of new product lines, with an all-new desktop, the Predator Orion X, leading the way. Coming in with an ultra-compact form-factor, this desktop weighs less than 20 pounds and still packs an impressively powerful punch. Ready to learn how much power is in this small package? Keep reading to find out all we know.
High-end gaming desktops don’t have to be massive
The latest Acer Predator Orion X features a DIY-friendly build which is actually something that we don’t get all too often these days. It’s powered by a liquid-cooled i9-13900KS processor and the RTX 4090 graphics card. The i9 CPU packs 24 cores and 32 threads of power with the ability to reach up to a 150W TDP. We went hands-on with the i9-13900K and found it to be a stellar processor for gaming. Then, you have the 24GB GDDR6X memory-filled RTX 4090, which is the most powerful graphics card to date.
Typically, a desktop with these specs would be pretty large. Fairly large, even. Well, Acer has custom-engineered the Predator Orion X to be on the smaller side of things and features a “space capsule-inspired chassis” that clocks in at 9kg, which is around 19.8 pounds. This is quite small all things considered, and it’s all achieved with a “zone” layout that has three special areas. Zone 1 was specifically designed for better access to the CPU, power supply, and NVMe M.2 storage. Zone 2, on the other hand, is where you’ll find the graphics card and the 2.5-inch SSD/HDD slots. Zone 3 is where the 240mm liquid cooler is to keep everything neat and tidy.
For the rest of the specs, you’ll find up to 32GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, two M.2 SSDs at up to 1TB each, and a hot-swappable M.2 NVMe SSD drive bay for added capacity should you need it. The motherboard has Wi-Fi 6E and Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C/A, and more.
This is far from the only thing that Acer is announcing here. On top of the new green-focused Aspire Vero 15 that we went hands-on with yesterday, we’re also getting two new displays for your gaming setup. Starting out, we have the Nitro XZ452CU V monitor. This massive 32:9 display has a resolution of 5120×1440 which is essentially two typical 1440p displays next to each other in one single screen. It has a 165Hz refresh rate and has FreeSync Premium Pro in tow for a tear-free experience. However, there’s also a USB-C port on the back which handles charging, data, and display passthrough from the monitor to your computer. Wondering what else it has? Well, KVM switching and Ethernet to keep your computer connected with just one cable.
Now, there’s also the Predator X34 V monitor which has a 3440×1440 21:9 resolution, but pack an OLED display. While the screen only hits TrueBlack 400, the 175Hz refresh rate and FreeSync Premium makes this a solid choice for your gaming setup if you want inky blacks and deep colors when gaming.
For pricing, the Orion X desktop will start at $2,999.99, and is slated to be available in September. Then, the Nitro 44.5-inch display will cost $999.99, while the Predator X34 V will set you back $1,299.99. Both displays will be available sometime in Q4 of this year.
gadgetnewsonline’ Take
The fact that Acer somehow figured out how to stuff an RTX 4090 with the i9-13900KS into the same small form factor PC case is beyond me. There’s a lot of custom engineering that went into this, and I love that we’re seeing this innovation in desktops again. AMD and NVIDIA can keep making massive graphics cards all they want, but the community and board partners will continue to find ways to put them in small packages.
Then, we have the monitors. The Nitro is pretty nice, and honestly something I’d consider putting on my desk thanks to its dual QHD resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and USB-C input. However, the Predator is one that I don’t really see making a big splash. The measly 400-nit brightness for HDR is pretty dim in comparison to other newer OLED displays, and the 165Hz refresh rate at 3440×1440 is also not that great, especially for $1,300.
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