Review: The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE 16″ Is a Sleek, Portable, and Impressive Gaming Laptop
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The Predator line of Acer gaming laptops live up to their name. Sleek and full of uncompromising power, these laptops are choke full of the latest and greatest bits of technology to ensure gamers can experience their favorite titles to the maximum.
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The latest entry in the Predator line is that of the Triton 300 SE 16″, the bigger brother of the unit we reviewed in early Fall of 2022. How does the big brother fare? I got the chance to put it to the test for several weeks using it as an everyday laptop for work and pleasure. Let me just say that I didn’t think gaming laptops could be this sleek and portable.
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE 16" Gaming Laptop
Buy Now On Amazon
$2,200 at acer
$1,900 at Newegg
Pros
Highly portable
Strong graphics
Lots of great features
Great battery
Cons
Keyboard feels fine
Expensive
Key Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700H processor
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti with 8 GB dedicated memory
Display: 16″ WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
Aspect Ratio: 16:10
Refresh Rate: 240 Hz
RAM: 16 GB DDR5 SDRAM
Hard Drive: 1 TB SSD
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE 16″ Gaming Laptop: Set Up
Not unlike most computers (laptop or otherwise), you’ll spend a bit of time customizing your unit before you can fully dive in. Luckily, the 300 SE was pretty much ready for me as soon as I got it out of the packaging.
Powering on the device booted it up almost instantly, and from there I was easily able to download the various applications I needed. If you’re doing a total setup, it may take a bit longer, but I was completely set to start gaming in about a hour, including the time it took to download copies of Destiny 2, Fortnite, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
Granted, I have a pretty fast Internet connection, so your mileage may vary. Otherwise, fast and easy — which exactly what you want from a gaming laptop.
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE 16″ Gaming Laptop: Design
The 16″ doesn’t look radically different from the 14″ except for the fact that it’s, well, bigger. That increased screen size does make a difference when you’re gaming, but it’s a subtle shift in the overall carrying process.
That’s to say, the unit weighs in over five pounds and is slightly under one-inch thick. The unit is highly, highly portable which isn’t always the case with a gaming laptop. Put it this way: I carried both the SE 16″ and my work laptop with me home for the holidays and didn’t have much of an issue with the weight or the size, so if you’ve gotta get your game on, you can carry with ease.
The sleek metal design is still present here, feels a lot closer to a beefy work laptop than something to game on, minus a few exterior details. The extensive back fan ventilation is present, but other than a subtle bit of Predator branding at the top, you’d be hard-pressed to realize this is a gaming laptop. That changes a touch when you open the casing, as keyboard looks a little bit futuristic.
Port-wise, the lefthand side contains the power plug, a HDMI cord, and a USB port; the righthand side features a headphone port, USB-C charging, another standard USB slot, and an Ethernet port if you want to ensure you have a super fast connection.
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE 16″ Gaming Laptop: Features and Performance
With a vivid 2,560×1,600 pixel screen running a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, the 300 SE 16″ rarely compromises on performance. The worlds of the games I play the most (Destiny 2 and Fortnite) were rendered in incredible detail by the laptop. I especially loved testing the unit during Destiny‘s holiday event, where the game’s community space felt a chilly snow settle in over the environment.
The particle effects of the falling snow looked convincing and made the season bright, while the reflections of the water in the game’s myriad outdoor spaces felt alive. In Fortnite, the newly launched map popped with all sorts of visual fidelity, full of bright colors and absurdly tense gun battles. I noticed, in particular, how fun some of the animated skins looked, notably anime characters from Dragon Ball Z Super and My Hero Academia, as their striking designs popped off the screen in fun ways.
On the Call of Duty: Warzone side of things, the new map felt lush and expansive, with the computer able to easily render all of the little details of the world while ensuring a smooth frame rate experience. Testing Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla saw the computer hit over 60fps with the settings cranked up to the max, so you won’t need to fret about the power nestled inside the unit.
When it comes to battery life, the 300 SE 16″ can easily last around 6 or 7 hours depending on the screen’s brightness and what you’re doing. Gaming without the unit plugged in will drain the battery in just a few hours, but if you need the laptop to fire off a few emails or to say, write a review on while you’re at the airport, the 300 SE works like a charm.
I wasn’t too concerned about battery life on it while traveling and working, so there’s plenty of flexibility for those who might invest in it for more than just gaming. With that in mind, the computer includes a full HD webcam that looks really good and a really impressive set of built-in DTS-tuned speakers. I had to turn them down quite a bit when I was gaming at the table, as they were loud enough to hear in the other room around the midpoint.
Where the 300 SE 16″ takes a slight hit is on its keyboard, which feels good but not great. That’s not a huge deal for me one way or another, but worth mention if you’re looking for this to a be a truly all-in-one solution. Those who are really particular about using, say, a mechanical keyboard for instance, may want to ensure they connect it to this, but it’ll work more than fine enough on the go.
And, as always, price is always going to be a consideration point. But considering the size and vividness of the display combined with the features and strong battery life, the 300 SE 16″ makes quite a compelling case.
The Verdict: The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE 16″ Gaming Laptop Remains a Fierce Contender
With a stunning screen, strong overall battery, and lots of portability for the features, the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE 16″ gaming laptop continues to prove that Acer is a fierce contender in the gaming space, capable of producing striking units that don’t have to compromise on being both a gaming computer and a laptop computer. If you’re looking for something that can shift from work to play with ease, you’ll find a lot to love.
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE 16" Gaming Laptop
Buy Now On Amazon
$2,200 at acer
$1,900 at Newegg
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