Acer Predator notebook (G9-791) first impressions – Acer is jumping on the high-end gaming bandwagon with this beastly offering

LaptopMedia.com Highlights Acer Predator notebook (G9-791) first impressions - Acer is jumping on the high-end gaming bandwagon with this beastly offering

From: Rossen Pandev 30 September 2015 / 10:20 0

A lot has been heard about Acer’s new Predator lineup and we are finally at the point when we are going to clear all the confusion. We just got our hands on the new gaming notebook – Predator G9-791 and it looks gorgeous. The beastly specs are also here to prove that the Predator is just as intimidating on the inside as it is on the outside. The machine will be shipping in two variants – 15-inch and 17-inch models and the one we got right now is the 17.3-inch configuration.

You can check the current price of Acer Predator 17 here:
http://amzn.to/21rbrAo

Design

The design language of the notebook is new to the company, but it matches the Predator lineup quite well. Almost all of the notebook is covered in matte, soft-touch plastic that attracts smudges and fingerprints but aren’t as visible. Kind of reminds us of the ASUS ROG G751’s selection of materials and the same goes for the main exhaust vents at the back.

Edges are sharp with aggressive accents paired with red LED backlight of the logo and stripes. This time, they resemble the Alienware notebooks, but mostly due to the flat sides that became the core design signature of Dell’s gaming lineup. Anyway, Acer has pulled off an amazing looking chassis that also feels pretty sturdy. During the teardown (which we will talk about in a dedicated article), we noticed that the bottom panel of the notebook is rigid and can’t be bent easily. It won’t come as a surprise if Acer used the same nano imprint lithography process for the making of the case.

Nevertheless, the best part of the notebook is in the interior. We are quite hyped about the keyboard’s performance as it offers long key travel, well-separated buttons, programmable macro keys, bright enough LED backlight with customizable colors, good touchpad with responsive mouse buttons. Our only complaint is the small size of the macro keys, but we will address this issue if we can categorize it as an “issue”, in our in-depth review.

Photo gallery

More information about the system is yet to come as we conduct our thorough tests on the cooling system, battery life, performance etc. Stay tuned for our full review of the Predator G9-791.

Hardware

Spec-wise, the notebook got one of the latest Intel CPUs – Core i7-6700HQ paired with 64GB DDR4 2133 RAM and top shelf NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (4GB GDDR5) GPU. For storage, Acer has provided one M.2 SATA 2280 SSD and another M.2 22110 SSD slot. There’s also one 2TB HDD on the side. Keep in mind that these are the specs of the unit we have and they may vary depending on your region and configuration.

Otherwise, the other specs are pretty straightforward – 17.3-inch Full HD (1920×1080) IPS panel with G-Sync and various nifty ports around the chassis. You can find one Type-C USB, two USB 3.0, one HDMI, one DisplayPort, and one LAN port on the right. Yes, we were pretty surprised about the DisplayPort part as well. The left side accommodates two USB 3.0 ports, two 3.5 mm jacks for external microphone and headphones, SD card reader and the DC charging port. Next to the ports you can see the swappable optical drive.

How it looks on the inside

It’s fairly easy to perform an upgrade on the machine because the usual hardware is hidden behind a small service cover. Two bolts keep the lid closed and opening it will reveal the 2.5-inch HDD/SSD, two RAM slots (which are occupied), and two M.2 SSD slots – one 2280 standard and the other is 22110. Stay tuned for our in-depth “Inside” article, in which you’ll find detailed photos and disassembly steps.

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Specs sheet

The specs sheet provided below is for this model only and may vary depending on your region or configuration.

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CPU	Intel Core i7-6700HQ (4-core, 2.60-3.50 GHz, 6MB cache)
RAM	64GB (4x 16384MB) – DDR4, 2133MHz
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (4GB GDDR5)
HDD/SSD	500GB M.2 SATA SSD + 2TB HDD
Display	17.3-inch Full HD (1920×1080) IPS, matte + G-Sync (optional)
Optical Drive	Yes
Connectivity	LAN 10/100/1000 Mbps, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Other features	4x USB 3.0 1x USB 3.1 Type-C LED keyboard backlight with different zones HDMI DisplayPort RJ-45 SD card reader 3.5 mm jacks for microphone and headphones 6 programmable macro keys 4x built-in loudspeakers + subwoofer
Battery	88.8Wh / 6000 mAh