How to open Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-72) – disassembly and upgrade options

Undo the 10 Torx-head screws securing the bottom panel.
Lift the rear side by carefully raising it while holding firmly the two plastic exhausts on the back. You can lift the two areas one by one, but don’t push too hard.
Ensure the panel is fully popped to the level of the LAN port.
Use a thin plastic tool to pry the rest of the sides and the front to remove the bottom panel.

More info: Here’s how the bottom panel looks on the inside.

Note: On the inside of the bottom plate, there are two metal plates with thermal pads for the SSDs.

Battery Removal

Pull out the battery connector from the motherboard.
Undo the 2 Phillips-head screws securing the battery.
Lift the battery to remove it from the device.

Note: The device uses a 90Wh battery, providing approximately 5 hours of video playback.

Memory Upgrade

Locate the memory section protected by a metal plate secured to the mainboard with a single Phillips-head screw.
Use a lever tool to pop the cap off the metal plate.
On the inside of the shroud, you will find two thermal pads for the RAM sticks, with another pair of pads below the modules.
According to Acer, the two SODIMMs can handle up to 64GB of DDR5-5600MHz memory in dual-channel mode.

Note: The CPU can support up to 192GB, so the laptop likely wouldn’t have issues running more than the official manufacturer’s specified limit.

You can buy compatible RAM modules here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

Storage Upgrade

Locate the two M.2 slots for 2280 Gen 4 SSDs.
Remove any preinstalled SSDs and the thermal pads below them.
Install the new SSDs in the slots.
RAID 0 is supported for the storage configuration.

Hint: Don’t forget to check out our Top M.2 SSDs Performance Rankings for insights on the best storage options available.

You can buy compatible SSDs here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

Cooling System Overview

The cooling system includes two fans: a plastic one on the right for the CPU and a metal Aeroblade 3D fan on the left for the GPU.
Liquid metal has been applied to the CPU die for enhanced cooling performance.
Rectangular vector heat pipes with wider contact surfaces improve heat transfer.
Two heat pipes are shared between the processor and the graphics card, with one additional pipe for the CPU and two more for the GPU.
The system features four heat sinks and two large metal plates: the larger one on the left for the GPU, its memory, and VRMs, and the lower heat pipe for cooling the chipset.

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-72) in-depth review

In terms of specs and design, the Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-72) is almost the same as the 18-inch PHN18-71 sibling. You get identical CPU and GPU options fitted in a smaller chassis. This includes 14th gen Intel Raptor Lake HX processors and GeForce RTX 4000 graphics cards. The top-end configuration is with Core i9-14900HX and the 140W RTX 4070 - just like the laptop we bought. Display-wise, you can choose among four IPS panels - two 1200p units with 165Hz or 180Hz refresh rates or a 165Hz / 240Hz 1600p variant. Our notebook is equipped with the latter. Nvidia Advanced Optimus and a MUX s[...]

Read the full review

Pros

2x SODIMMs + 2x M.2 Gen 4 slots
Big thermal pads for all memory and SSD slots
100% sRGB and 98% DCI-P3 coverage + accurate colors with our "Design and Gaming" profile (CMN162F)
240Hz 1600p IPS display with snappy pixel response times of 8 ms (CMN162F)
PWM-free + high max brightness of 526 nits and wide viewing angles (CMN162F)
MUX switch + NVIDIA Advanced Optimus
Modern selection with two Thunderbolt 4 connectors + two Type-A Gen 2 ports
Comfortable input devices
Rigid chassis with a metal lid
High GPU clocks during max load (~3.20 GHz for the P cores) + around 140W GPU for the RTX 4070
The fans aren't extremely noisy in "Turbo" mode
The bottom plate can be easily opened
Great overall performance
Comfortable input devices
The PredatorSense app offers many useful extras
The "Performance" mode has a lot of potential - 2.8GHz P-core clock and ~120W GPU TGP