Not so long ago, the 17.3-inchers were the biggest laptops for gaming (with a few exceptions like the Acer Predator 21X). Now, wealthy gamers and power users can buy big 18" devices with top-tier hardware. The Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) is a notebook that is offered with high-end hardware. This includes the Intel Core i9-14900HX (which is the only CPU option) and the 175W GeForce RTX 4080 (Laptop) or RTX 4090 (Laptop). All that is complemented by a 1600p IPS screen that could be a Mini LED variant with 250Hz refresh rate and HDR support or a standard 240Hz panel. Acer mentions that this machine is meant for enthusiasts, performance seekers, and competitive gamers. That is possible thanks to the great hardware and the big cooling solution. The huge thermal system has two AeroBlade 3D fans and vector heat pipes with wider contact surfaces for better heat transfer. You can control most functions of the laptop through the PredatorSense app. There, you can switch between the power presets, and you can choose an operation mode for the graphics card like Optimus or dGPU-only. Yep, expectedly, the laptop has all the needed goodies for a top-of-the-line gaming machine such as a MUX switch, Nvidia Advanced Optimus, and G-Sync. You can also rely on a full-sized keyboard, a huge touchpad, and a very good port selection. The upgradability is also spot-on and you get Wi-Fi 7 for connectivity. You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-predator-helios-18-ph18-72/ Specs, Drivers, What's in the box Drivers All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://www.acer.com/us-en/support/product-support/Predator_PH18-72/downloads?suggest=PH18-72;0 What's in the box? Inside the package, you'll find a huge 330W barrel plug adapter and the laptop itself hidden in a smaller box for extra protection. Some devices are also bundled with two sets of Predator MagKey 3.0 WASD keycaps (that's a region-dependent extra). Design and construction When the lid is closed and all the RGBs are turned off, the Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) doesn't look like a typical gaming laptop. The lid and the top of the base are made of aluminum while the panel bezels and the bottom are plastic. The laptop isn't light and thin which is normal given the form factor and the hardware under the hood. The weight is 3.25 kilos and the profile thickness - 26.9 - 28.9 mm. It's not your typical daily driver that fits with ease in most backpacks. This is a true desktop replacement that perhaps will "sit" on a desk most of the time. The heavy lid can be opened with a single hand and the unit feels a bit flexible when we try to twist it but nothing too serious. Still, the base is sturdy. The bezel beneath the display is a bit thicker than the other three which are thin. The top one houses a 1080p 60FPS Web camera with Temporal Noise Reduction. The unit also features tech such as far-field pickup and dynamic noise reduction through neural network. Below the panel, you can see a long ventilation grill and the "Mode" key on the left. This one can be used for cycling between the power modes or you can turn on or off the "Turbo" mode (which will also ramp up the fans to their maximum RPM speed). The keyboard has big keycaps with a pleasantly long travel and super clicky feedback. Since the base is big, there is enough space for a proper NumberPad (with a dedicated PredatorSense key) and big Arrow keys. The touchpad is huge and it has a Corning Gorilla Glass surface. It's smooth, you can glide your fingers with ease, and the accuracy is great. The only downside here is that the "clicks" are a bit noisy than usual. The 4-zone RGB backlight of the keyboard can be controlled via the PredatorSense app. You can select different effects for the board zones or choose different colors for each of the WASD keys. By the way, these four keys with mechanical switches are swappable and their feedback during gaming feels great (we played a bit of Dead Island 2 and Call Of Duty: Warzone). Even the logo on the right palm rest area is customizable. But that's not all. You may tune the color lighting of the Predator logo on the lid and the so-called "Infinity Mirror" which is the illuminated rear cover on top of the back exhausts. On the bottom plate, we can spot six ventilation grills that are different in size. The big rubber feet provide a very good grip. The hot air has been pushed through for vents - two on the sides and two on the back. The ones on the rear have the typical Acer "Thermal Deco" plastic covers that can be removed. Ports On the left, there is a 2.5Gbps LAN, a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port, a MicroSD card reader, and an Audio combo jack. The rear houses a power plug, an HDMI 2.1 connector, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports with DisplayPort and charging capabilities (100W). On the right, you can rely on a Kensington lock slot and two USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 2) ports (the latter supports the power-off charging function). Display quality, Health impact (PWM), Sound Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) is equipped with a Mini LED, LTPS (Low Temperature PolySilicon LCD), WQXGA (Wide Quad Extended Graphics Array panel, model number AUO B180QAN01.2 (AUO45A8). It comes with a 250Hz refresh rate and G-Sync support. Its diagonal is 18" (45.7 cm), and the resolution - 2560 x 1600p. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:10, the pixel density – 168 ppi, and their pitch – 0.15 x 0.15 mm. The screen can be considered Retina when viewed from at least 52 cm (from this distance, the average human eye can’t see the individual pixels). Viewing angles are good. We offer images at different angles to evaluate the quality. Also, a video with locked focus and exposure. The maximum measured brightness is 480 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 472 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of just 3% (HDR Off). The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 7030K. When HDR is enabled, the maximum brightness is over 1000 cd/m2 and depends on the picture content. The illustration below shows how matters are for operational brightness levels. Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work (a maximum tolerance of 2.0). The contrast ratio is very high, similar to OLED displays. The measured ANSI contrast is 16000:1. To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy. Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people on HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook. Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day. The yellow dotted line shows Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72)'s color gamut coverage. Its display covers 100% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976, and 100% of DCI-P3, ensuring a super vibrant and attractive picture. We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. Below you can compare the scores of the Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right) compared to the DCI-P3 color space. The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light. The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale, and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions. Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering) Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the display is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM. Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72)'s backlight has significant pulsations. Their frequency is high, but the filling coefficient is very low. The last segment of the chart below is from another display, which has a similar maximum brightness but does not use PWM. This display might not be very comfortable for the more sensitive users. The next graph shows the results with HDR mode enabled, based on a measurement of a white window opened in a browser for at least 5 seconds. Health Impact: Blue light emissions Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light. Health Impact: Gloss-level measurement Glossy-coated displays are sometimes inconvenient in high ambient light conditions. We show the level of reflection on the screen for the respective laptop when the display is turned off and the measurement angle is 60° (in this case, the result is 65.6 GU). Sound Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72)'s DTS X: Ultra Audio speakers produce a sound of very good quality. Its low, mid, and high tones are clear of deviations. Buy our profiles Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) configuration with 18.0" AUO B180QAN01.2 (AUO45A8) (2560x1600) Mini LED IPS. *Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at bg.laptopmedia@gmail.com. Read more about the profiles HERE. Performance: CPU, GPU, Gaming Tests All benchmarks and tests were conducted with the “Turbo” and "NVIDIA GPU-only" modes activated in the PredatorSense app. Also, the “Best Performance” mode is applied in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu. CPU options The Intel Core i9-14900HX is the only CPU variant. GPU options You get nothing but high-end GPU options with 175W TGPs - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (Laptop) or GeForce RTX 4090 (Laptop). Gaming tests Assassin's Creed Valhalla Full HD, Low (Check settings) Full HD, Medium (Check settings) Full HD, High (Check settings) Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) Average FPS 249 fps 227 fps 195 fps 173 fps Borderlands 3 Full HD, V.Low (Check settings) Full HD, Medium (Check settings) Full HD, High (Check settings) Full HD, Badass (Check settings) Average FPS 259 fps 230 fps 199 fps 171 fps Gears 5 Full HD, Low (Check settings) Full HD, Medium (Check settings) Full HD, High (Check settings) Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) Average FPS 312 fps 247 fps 230 fps 207 fps The 175W GeForce RTX 4090 crushes every game even on Ultra details. [eBook Guide + Tools] How to MAX OUT your Laptop Temperatures and comfort, Battery Life, Performance presets comparison Max CPU load In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering. Average P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power Intel Core i9-14900HX (55W Base Power) 0:02 - 0:10 sec 0:15 - 0:30 sec 10:00 - 15:00 min Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) "Turbo" preset 3.56 GHz @ 3.07 GHz @ 80°C @ 157W 3.55 GHz @ 3.00 GHz @ 90°C @ 157W 3.32 GHz @ 2.81 GHz @ 86°C @ 136W Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) "Performance" preset 3.22 GHz @ 3.04 GHz @ 76°C @ 157W 3.17 GHz @ 3.02 GHz @ 88°C @ 157W 2.59 GHz @ 2.47 GHz @ 81°C @ 95W The Core i9-14900HX is a 24-core CPU monstrosity with 32 threads. That's why the manufacturer has equipped this laptop with capable cooling. That's why the CPU can maintain high P and E core clocks even in longer loads when the “Turbo” mode is activated. The temperatures are on the high side. Choosing the "Performance" preset leads to more than adequate frequencies in short and medium loads. In the long run, you can expect 2.59 GHz for the P cores and 2.47 GHz for the E cores when the Team Blue chip is fully stressed which is a decent result. Real-life gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min) GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min) Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) "Turbo" preset 1988 MHz @ 76°C @ 172W 1972 MHz @ 80°C @ 172W Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) "Performance" preset 1628 MHz @ 77°C @ 139W 1600 MHz @ 81°C @ 140W Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 8 (16″ Intel) 1835 MHz @ 76°C @ 174W 1832 MHz @ 78°C @ 174W ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733 (2023) 1871 MHz @ 70°C @ 172W 1881 MHz @ 74°C @ 172W MSI Vector GP78 HX (13V) "Extreme Performance" preset 1955 MHz @ 71°C @ 168W 1950 MHz @ 73°C @ 168W MSI Vector GP78 HX (13V) "Balanced" preset 1719 MHz @ 70°C @ 155W 1705 MHz @ 74°C @ 154W The optional GeForce RTX 4090 can sustain a 1972MHz core frequency and a 172W TGP after half an hour of gaming. That's the highest clock we've seen from an RTX 4090 - good job Acer! Gaming comfort The keyboard doesn't feel scorching hot to the touch even when the system is pushed to its limits. As always, you have four power presets for controlling the device's performance. You can manually bump fans to their max speed of ~5800 RPM. Even in "Turbo mode", the two fans aren't spinning if the CPU temperature is below 56°C. Above this value (again, in idle), the fans don't spin too aggressively (~2100 RPM). When the CPU is doing the heavy lifting, the fans are loud because they are automatically set to their maximum RPM. We observed ~3500 RPM in "Performance" and ~2800 RPM in "Balanced" modes. These two presets offer acceptable noise levels and performance for all kinds of tasks. Unfortunately, if you need the full power of the device, your ears have to be prepared for the "full noise". Still, the fans of the MSI Vector GP78 HX (13V) produce even more noise (with the “Extreme Performance” profile activated) than the Acer laptop in front of us. Let's check some GPU stats during gaming. The "Turbo" preset offers ~175W TGP. The "Performance" mode is the sweet spot between noise and snappines (140W TGP and ~ 3900 RPM). The power limit of the GPU is decreased to around 105W in the "Balanced" and ~75W in the "Quiet" preset. We also tried some GPU undervolting with the "Performance" preset applied. We set the core clock to 1725MHz and the voltage to 0.700V which is the lowest possible value in MSI Afterburner. We gained a few FPS and also the power consumption and the fan RPM are a bit lower as well. Battery Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. This notebook's 90Wh battery lasts for 4 hours and 46 minutes of Web browsing or 4 hours and 33 minutes of video playback. To achieve that, you have to apply the “Balanced” preset in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu and select the “Balanced” and "Optimus" modes in the Acer PredatorSense app. Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance If you want to open this huge powerful device, you have to unscrew 14 Torx-head screws. Then, lift the backside by carefully raising it while holding tightly the two plastic exhausts. Don't apply too much force because you can break the plate close to the Ethernet connector. Just use a thin plastic tool to pop the left, the bottom, and the areas around the LAN port. The battery isn't secured to the chassis with screws because there is a dedicated socket for it on the inside of the bottom panel that keeps the unit in place. The battery is a 90Wh model. To remove it, unplug the connector from the motherboard and lift it away from the base. The capacity is enough for 4 hours and 46 minutes of Web browsing or 4 hours and 33 minutes of video playback. You get two SODIMMs that fit up to 32GB of DDR5-5600MHz memory in dual-channel mode. There is a dedicated thermal pad for each RAM module. In terms of storage, you can rely on two M.2 slots for 2280 Gen 4 SSDs. Our machine has a duo of 1TB NVMe drives that operate in RAID 0. The benchmark results are very good! In addition, the preinstalled RAM and SSD modules are wrapped in copper foil. The sizable cooling has two Aeroblade 3D fans. It also sports a pair of heat pipes shared between the CPU and the GPU. We can see an additional pipe for the processor and two more solely dedicated to the graphics card. The system is also complemented by four heat sinks and two huge metal plates. Acer has preapplied liquid metal on the CPU chip. The cooling system here boasts rectangular vector heat pipes with wider contact surfaces for improved heat transfer. Storage performance Our laptop has two 1TB SAMSUNG PM9A1a that work in RAID 0 mode. The benchmark results are very good! The NVMe thermals under full load are normal - 64°C / 55°C. Verdict The Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) is a universal powerful machine. It can be a desktop replacement thanks to the exceptional hardware. With the 32-threaded Intel Core i9-14900HX, the laptop is suitable for CPU-intensive tasks such as 3D Rendering because the processor can maintain high clocks and power limits. The mobile GeForce RTX 4090 is able to show a 1972 MHz frequency after 30 minutes of gameplay - that's a tremendously good result for such a thirsty chip that dissipates tons of heat! This Acer machine can be considered (almost) as a workstation since the cooling is capable and the overall performance is great. The optional 16:10 IPS Mini LED display (AUO B180QAN01.2 (AUO45A8)) is trying to compete with the OLED panels, at least when it comes to contrast (which here is 16000:1). The 1600p 250Hz unit could be a wet dream for both gamers and content creators for the reason that it fully covers the sRGB and DCP-P3 gamuts. The color accuracy becomes very good with an average dE score of 1.4 when our "Design and Gaming" profile is applied. That's a noticeable improvement compared to the default 4.1 result. The PWM usage is the only thing that can spoil the party. For daily usage, we can recommend the combo of the "Performance" preset and the "Optimus" mode. The noise levels and the overall device's power are good and the machine switches dynamically between the iGPU and the dGPU depending on the load. All that is handled by the NVIDIA Advanced Optimus tech. The iGPU will be active for better battery life when the adapter isn't plugged in and the integrated graphics will be bypassed to increase the game performance when you want to have fun with your favorite titles. You can undervolt and overclock the GPU (like we did) to lower the power consumption and increase the performance. This reminds us that the device lacks CPU undervolt function which can be found in some Lenovo Legion or HP Omen devices. Such an extra can be handy for power users who want to lower the noise in "Turbo" mode by decreasing the CPU voltage. The build quality seems good - the aluminum top of the base is solid and the same applies to the plastic bottom plate that is surprisingly rigid. Accessing the internals for upgrading or cleaning the fans is super easy - just raise the back of the device while holding the two exhausts and half of the bottom plate is already popped. You get two SODIMMs and two Gen 4 M.2 slots. RAID 0 is also supported for blazing-fast read and write speeds. The machine offers tons of illumination customization for the RGB fans out there. This reminds us that the full-sized keyboard with swappable WASD keys is comfortable for typing and gaming. The touchpad is one of the biggest we've seen and it has a smooth glass surface. The PredatorSense app is full of useful features such as different power presets, GPU modes, RGB control, display overdrive, etc. The Acer Predator Helios 18 (PH18-72) is loaded with high-end hardware that is complemented by a capable cooling solution, color-accurate display, great port selection, and comfortable input devices. You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-predator-helios-18-ph18-72/
Is this any better than the 4080 i13? Is the cooling system better? Can you undervolt this version?