Acer uncloaks updated Predator gaming desktop

It's been a little while since we've heard from Acer about its Predator gaming desktop, so we were a bit surprised to learn about the updated version announced Monday morning. The new, fixed-configuration system offers a decent collection of hardware for the $1,999 price tag, including a 2.8GHz Core i7 930 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 graphics card, and support for two additional 3D cards via extra slots on the motherboard.

Other specs for the Predator include 12GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM, a 1.5TB 7,200rpm hard drive, and the familiar mechanized door on the front panel that conceals the front-accessible hard drive bays. Acer also tweaked the colors this time around, although given the outlandish design, we can't say adding more black to the exterior really does much to make this system more acceptable to anyone without a certain zeal for broadcasting their affinity for PC gaming.

A quick glance around the rest of the PC gaming market suggests this system is a fairly good deal. We checked with Alienware, Dell, Falcon Northwest, Maingear, and Velocity Micro, and none of them offers a similar configuration for less than $2,000. Alienware's Aurora came closest, but it doesn't offer the front-loading hard drives, a feature we've come to appreciate in the few desktops that offer it.

Hopefully Acer has made sure this new version won't suffer the overheating that plagued a select number of Predators from the previous generation. Those with the means and an appreciation for the distinctive Predator style should find this system available for purchase now from the usual large retail suspects.