predator 21x lcd panel ips tn quotation

Acer amazed the world last September when it announced a laptop with a 21” curved display, a quad-core Intel Core i7 “Kaby Lake” CPU with an unlocked multiplier, two graphics processors, a mechanical keyboard, and other features of a desktop PC. Then the company surprised once again, when it disclosed pricing of the Predator 21X in early January: at $8999, the machine is one of the most expensive gaming notebooks ever. By now, the PC is available, but this Predator will be a rare beast because only 300 will be made.

The final version of the Predator 21 X notebook got Intel’s quad-core Core i7-7820HK CPU with an unlocked multiplier and overclocking capabilities, two GeForce GTX 1080 GPUs with 16 GB of GDDR5 memor, as well as 64 GB of DDR4 RAM — specifications that even few gaming desktops can match. The storage sub-system of the Predator 21 X also resembles that of an SFF or AIO desktop: the machine can fit in four M.2 SSDs (NVMe or SATA) and one 2.5” hard drive. Acer ships the system with two 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSDs working in RAID 0 as well as one 1 TB 7200 RPM HGST HDD, but the system is upgradeable and owners can install almost whatever they want eventually.

They key selling point of the Predator 21 X is its curved 21” IPS display panel with a 2560×1080 resolution, a 120 Hz refresh rate, and NVIDIA’s G-Sync dynamic refresh rate technology. After trying out the Predator 21 X at Computex, I cannot say that curvature on a monitor of this size is any more immersive to me, but it may work in a very dark room. In addition to curvature, the notebook also has Tobii infrared eye-tracking sensors, which opens up different user experiences in games that support the appropriate tech. Meanwhile the audio sub-system is also worth mentioning as it has four integrated speakers and two built-in subwoofers.

As one would expect from a laptop that is 2.71” – 3.3” (68.8 mm – 83.82 mm) thick and weighs 18.74 lbs (8.5 kilograms), the Predator 21 X has all the connectivity that one might ever need (just like high-end desktops), including 2×2 802.11ac + Bluetooth Wi-Fi module, a Gigabit Ethernet port, one Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) port, four USB 3.0 Type-A connectors, an HDMI 2.0 output, two DisplayPort 1.4 headers, and an SD card reader. For input, the Acer Predator 21 X uses a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches with five programmable buttons. The numeric keypad does not have mechanical switches, but it can be flipped and turned into a touchpad.

From performance point of view, the Predator 21 X has rivals from ASUS and MSI, but when it comes to its curved 21”/120 Hz display panel, it does not really have direct competitors (except desktops, of course). Meanwhile, the panel itself is custom, which adds to the cost of an already expensive machine. After considering performance, dimensions and price, Acer figured out that demand for a laptop that is priced at $8999 will be limited, and instead of trying to reduce the price tag, decided to make an ultra-exclusive product out of its Predator 21 X. The company will only produce 300 of such machines (referring to 300 Spartans?), each of which will have an individual number. The Acer Predator 21 X will ship in a Pelican-style case that can be “repurposed” and actually be used as a luggage.

As part of the IFA event this week in Berlin, Acer is announcing its Predator 21 X, the industry’s first desktop replacement notebook with a curved display. The laptop is aimed at gamers without budget constraints and packs high-end gaming hardware, such as Intel’s 7th Generation Kaby Lake processors, two NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards in SLI and even a mechanical keyboard. The system can hardly be called a mobile computer because it is very large and heavy, but it still comes in clamshell form-factor and can be transported relatively easily. One of the key features is the display.

The Acer Predator 21 X will be the company’s new flagship gaming notebook, which will feature a plethora of technologies that we have not seen in laptops so far. The machine will be based on Intel’s upcoming 7th generation Core processors codenamed Kaby Lake. Acer does not reveal exact CPU models or their specifications, but given the positioning of the notebook, expect the company to use chips designed for gaming PCs (45W+, one would imagine). For graphics, Acer plans to offer up to two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPUs, but other options will probably be available as well. The company does not specify storage capabilities of the Predator 21 X, but chassis designed to fit a 21” display panel can integrate a number of M.2 and 2.5” drives.

While the performance of the Predator 21 X promises to be high, the key feature of the notebook is its 21” curved IPS display panel with 2560 × 1080 resolution and NVIDIA’s G-Sync dynamic refresh rate technology. In addition to curvature, Acer also added Tobii infrared eye-tracking sensors to the display, which opens up different user experiences in games that support the appropriate tech. To further appeal to gamers, the DTR laptop comes with four integrated speakers and two built-in subwoofers (the audio sub-system carries the SoundPound 4.2+ brand name).

For input, the Acer Predator 21 X uses a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches (just like MSI’s GT80 Titan) with five programmable buttons. The numeric keypad does not feature mechanical switches, but a good news is that it can be flipped and turned into a touchpad (a device that some DTR gaming laptops lack).

For connectivity, the Predator 21 X has one GbE port as well as a 2T2R 802.11ac + Bluetooth Wi-Fi module with two physical antennae on the rear side. In addition, the machine sports two USB Type-A ports, at least one USB Type-C receptacle, audio in/out as well as three display outputs (two DP, one HDMI).

Since the Acer Predator 21 X seems to be based on Intel’s yet unannounced 45W+ 7th generation Core chips for gaming machines, it will not be available for purchase for at least several months from now. For this reason, Acer does not unwrap all of its specifications just yet because the spec is hardly final at this time. That said, it is impossible to even estimate an approximate price of the machine. Yet, it is safe to say that it will cost more than average gaming laptops not only because of two high-end graphics cards but also due to the unique display and form-factor.

In the usual race to claim industry firsts, Acer does so with the Predator Z301CT in exemplifying it as the first 21:9 curved display. The Z301CT features a 30” display and utilizes an 8-bit VA panel. The VA panel type doubtless affords the Z301CT the high refresh rate (200Hz) and contrast ratio of 3000:1. The VA panel also contributes to the slower (in comparison with the XB2 series) response time of 4ms.

All of new Predator panels, including the Z301CT, will support nVidia G-Sync. The Predator Z301CT will be available beginning February 2017 with prices starting at $900.

The second additions to the Predator display line up are two different displays, with the only distinct difference being size. The Predator XB252Q is a 24.5” display, while the XB272 is a 27” version. Both displays use a TN panel; not surprising, given the 240Hz refresh rate. Maximum resolution for both displays is 1920x1080 at 240Hz. For color, we have 100% of the sRGB color space covered, and 1.67 million reproducible colors.

Although bereft of the more astonishing features of the abovementioned model, both the XB252Q and XB272 do feature nVidia G-Sync and Ultra Low Motion Blur (ULMB). Both panels tout 1000:1 contrast ratios and 1ms response times.

Perhaps the jewel in Acer’s CES crown, and certain anomaly in the notebook landscape, is the Acer Predator 21 X. Being the world’s first curved, 21:9 screen on a notebook, the Predator 21 X aims to be a portable, no compromise gaming solution whilst doing so in standout fashion.

The Predator 21 X boasts a 21” IPS panel of 2000R curvature with a maximum resolution of 2560x1080 at 120Hz. The display also features nVidia G-Sync as well as the previously mentioned Tobii Eye Tracking technology. The Predator 21 X uses the i7-7820HK overclockable CPU in combination with a GPU array consisting of two GTX 1080s in SLI.

The Predator 21 X can support up to 64GB of DDR4 2400MHz memory, and will offer support for up to four SSDs in RAID 0. Two of the SSDs are NVMe/PCIe capable while the other two are SATA based. Furthermore, there is a fifth storage option in the form of a 1TB HDD.

In similar fashion to that of MSI, Acer has implemented a fully mechanical keyboard on the Predator 21 X, featuring Cherry MX Brown switches with per-key RGB backlighting. The numeric keypad will also invert and serve as a tracking pad.

Onboard audio is a three-way (tweeter, midrange, subwoofer) design consisting of 4 speakers and 2 subwoofers. Also included is a Windows Hello IR camera for facial recognition. In the vicinity of the keyboard will be a maintenance panel adorned with a blue dragon logo. The panel will allow access to the RAM modules and one of the 2.5” SSDs. The first 300 units will feature a unique, limited edition series number about the panel.

Preloaded on the Acer Predator 21 X is the PredatorSense software and the Xsplit Gamecaster software. The former being an application used for control of lighting, overclocking, and fans while the latter is aimed at game streaming and video editing.

The Predator 17 X will see a refresh of sorts. The predator 17X sits near the top of the stack in Acer’s gaming notebooks. It will be updated to offer the i7-7820HK CPU and GTX 1080 video card. The newer Predator 17 X will contain four SODIMM slots with 64GB DDR4 2400MHz capacity. Storage options include one PCIe/NVMe or 3x SATA SSDs with RAID 0 support. Either options will be complimented with optional HDD support.

The Predator 17 X will offer the following interfaces and ports: 1x Thunderbolt 3 (USB 3.1 Type-C), 3x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.0 w/ power off charging, 1x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI w/ HDCP support, 1x Ethernet port, 1x headphone/speaker/line-out jack, 1x Kensington lock slot.

Display options on the Predator 17 X will come in either 1920 X 1080 or 4K 3840 X 2160, both using a 17.3 “IPS display. The Acer Predator 17 X will be available this month, starting at $2,600.

The Acer Predator 21 X is unmatched by anything we"ve tested, at least on paper. It features the overclockable 7th generation Intel Core i7-7820HK, which we"ve only seen in the MSI GT73VR Titan SLI 4K. It has two Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080s, making it a graphical powerhouse as far as laptops (if we can even use that word) go. It contains 64GB of DDR4-2400 memory, two 512GB M.2 SSDs running in RAID 0, and a 1TB 7200RPM HDD for added storage. But those qualifiers pale in comparison to the 21" Wide-FHD (2160x1080) matte IPS display with G-Sync running at 120Hz.

For starters, the MSI GT73VR Titan SLI 4K, another dual graphics configuration. Besides its i7-7820HK CPU, this laptop features two GTX 1070s, 32GB of DD4-2400, two 256GB M.2 SSDs running MSI"s Super RAID technology, and a separate 1TB 7200RPM drive for additional storage. As you might guess, the Titan SLI 4K features a 17.3" Ultra HD (3840x216) matte IPS display. Price-wise, this is the closest competitor to the Acer Predator 21 X, but even then it"s well under half of the Predator"s price.

We"ll also toss in Eurocom"s Tornado F5. We"ve yet to publish our full review, but we will very soon. It"s equipped with a desktop Intel Core i7-7700K as well as a GTX 1080. It also has 16GB of DDR4-2400 memory, a 250GB M.2 SSD, and a 1TB 7200RPM HDD for additional storage. The Tornado F5 utilizes a 15.6" Full HD (1920x1080) IPS display with a matte coating. With its desktop-class CPU, we can expect competitive performance in synthetic tests and in gaming titles that are hungry for more than just GPU muscle.

Finally, we"ve included the EVGA SC17, which for all intents and purposes is really a high-end laptop. But in this comparison group it actually fulfills the low end of the comparison spectrum, and in this context seems like a bargain at $2,000+. It"s packing last generation"s i7-6820HK CPU, a single GTX 1070, 32GB of DDR4-2400 memory, a 256GB M.2 SSD, and a 1TB 7200RPM HDD for additional storage. It has a 17.3" UHD (3840x2160) matte IPS display running at 60Hz.

3DMark gives us an initial picture of performance. As you"d expect, the Acer Predator 21 X bests all others in Fire Strike and Graphics scores, thanks to its dual GTX 1080s. In Fire Strike, those 1080s exhibit almost 100% scaling compared with the Eurocom"s single GTX 1080, and the scaling increases in Fire Strike Extreme, Fire Strike Ultra, and Time Spy. However, the Eurocom has a desktop-class i7-7700K, and that kicks in during the Physics and CPU tests.

We use two CompuBench workloads: Video Processing and Bitcoin Mining. The Video Processing test is heavily CPU-based, so the Predator 21 X"s i7-7820HK takes a back seat to the Tornado F5. The Bitcoin Mining test is more GPU-based, but a powerful CPU will benefit here. Also, the Bitcoin Mining test doesn"t support multi-GPU configurations. Thus, the Eurocom laptop runs the table.

We perform an IOmeter test on each laptop’s primary drive to measure basic random and sequential read and write speeds. The Predator 21 X utilizes two 512GB Toshiba OCZ RD400 M.2 SSDs running in RAID 0. The MSI Titan SLI features two 256GB Samsung SM951s running MSI"s Super RAID, which is essentially a RAID 0 configuration. The Eurocom Tornado F5 uses a 250GB Samsung 960 EVO SSD. Finally, the EVGA SC17 has a 256GB Toshiba XG3 SSD.

The Predator 21 X"s RD400s outshine the competition, especially in 128K sequential performance (QD2). This ensures faster performance on larger file types, like movies, photos, and music. The Acer"s 4K random read speeds are also impressive, but this laptop has the slowest random write speed.

PCMark 8 features workloads that use the Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative suites to gauge a system’s performance in common workday tasks. The workloads are mainly platform-based, so a powerful CPU is a major determinant in the Creative and Office scores. As such, the Eurocom takes first place, thanks to its beefy i7-7700K. Our Acer Predator 21 X contains an i7-7820HK, just like the Titan SLI, so the scores are eerily similar. The EVGA SC17 takes the last spot, primarily because it"s using last generation"s i7-6820HK.Acer Predator 21 X: Price Comparison

Predator Gaming is a gamer-focused brand and line of computer hardware owned by Acer. In 2008, Acer introduced itself in the gaming computer market with a line of desktop computers: the Acer Aspire Predator series, later renamed as Acer Predator. The series is characterized by the futuristic computer chassis and high performance. In 2016, a complete range of Predator desktops, gaming laptops, tablets and accessories exists.

Acer"s 9000$ range gaming laptop that run"s as powerful as a desktop with 2 nvidia gtx 1080"s in sli. It comes with 64gb of ram memory and 1tb of ssdAcer Predator 21 XDeveloper

It"s an anchor on your lap, and moving it takes effort. The idea is for the Predator to replace a gaming tower and external monitor, and in that context maybe you could consider it portable. It"s not fitting in any normal backpack, though, so be prepared to carry it in a separate case.

Though I wasn"t able to get much gaming time in, by default the Predator 21X uses a latest-gen Intel Core i7-7820HK chip — which is close to as powerful as those get today — two top-end Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards, a whopping 64 GB of RAM, up to four fast 512 GB solid-state drives, and a 1 TB hard disk drive.

It’s probably impossible to make a 21-inch laptop not look silly, but the Predator still has the kind of colorful logo, weird angles, and exposed vents that scream “gamer” at every turn. It"s a stereotype.

There’s a glowing panel just below the display, too, and Acer says the plate next to that can be customized with certain engraved graphics. Again, excess.

Eric Ackerson, the company’s senior product marketing and brand manager, says the company isn’t expecting to make much revenue off the Predator 21X, but that it mainly wants to push back against its reputation as a netbook-making, value-focused manufacturer. It’s a brand play, in other words.