Acer's new gaming desktops run the gamut, from high-end Predator to low-end Nitro
At its announcement event, Acer offered up baby Predator Orion 3000 as a space-saving entry to the line and the Predator X was the mystery guest.
If you love the design of Acer's splashy Predator Orion 9000 gaming desktop, but don't have the space, Acer announced two equally snazzy but smaller alternatives at its annual event. Sadly, we don't yet know how much any of the new gear will cost, nor when it will arrive.
Acer teased a high-end Predator X, but aside from mentioning it would come equipped with dual Intel Xeon processors , we know nothing. The eighth-generation Xeons are supposedly more game- and VR-ready than their predecessors, which could potentially make the X a nice creative/gaming crossover system, but you're still stuck with the workstation vs. gaming card driver issue.
The Orion 3000 is the baby of the group at 14.5 x 6.8 x 14.6 in/368 x 167 x 372 mm (HWD). Specs include:
- Optane-compatible eighth-gen Core i7-8700 or Core i5-8400
- Up to 64GB, 2,666Hz memory, 32GB
Intel
Optane
-
Nvidia
GeForce GTX 1050/1050 Ti through GTX 1080
- Up to 3TB HDD or 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD
- Creative Sound Blaster X 720°
- Gigabit Ethernet, 2x2 wireless,
Bluetooth
5
- 1 PCIe x16 slot; 1 PCIe x1 slot; 1 M.2 2280 PCIe x4 slot for SSD; 1 M.2 2230 slot for WLAN
The bigger Orion 5000 is more of a compromise between size and expandability. It comes in two versions: one designed for dual-GPUs with two-way graphics and overclocking -- that one goes up to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti -- and the other for a single GPU and no OC. Specs include:
- Optane-compatible 8th-gen Core i7-8700 or 8700K or Core i5-8600 or 8600K
- Up to 64GB, 2,666Hz memory, 32GB Intel Optane
- Up to 3TB HDD or 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD
- Creative Sound Blaster X 720°
- Killer E2400 Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.2
- 22 x 10.0 x 20.5 in/563 x 253 x 520 mm (HWD)
- 2 PCIe x16 slots; 2 PCIe x1 slots; 1 M.2 2280 PCIe x4 slot for SSD; 1 M.2 2230 slot for WLAN
For more mainstream "I like to game but don't like to look the part" buyers, Acer added a desktop model to its mainstream consumer Nitro line, the Nitro 50. One of its perks is an optional Qi wireless charging pad. Other specs include:
- Optane-compatible 8th-gen Core i7-8700, Core i5-8400 or Core i3-8100
- Up to 64GB, 2,666Hz memory, 32GB Intel Optane
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050/1050 Ti through GTX 1070 or AMD Radeon RX 580X/RX 580
- Up to 3TB HDD or 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD
- Creative Sound Blaster X 360°
- Gigabit Ethernet, 2x2 wireless, Bluetooth 5
- 1 PCIe x16 slot; 1 PCIe x1 slot; 1 M.2 2280 PCIe x4 slot for SSD; 1 M.2 2230 slot for WLAN
It offers a lower-price entry into Acer's gaming with Core i3 and AMD GPU options, but for the most part it's very similar on the inside to the Orion 3000.
To complement the Nitro 50, Acer introduced the Nitro VGO display. It comes in 22-, 24- and 27-inch models, with HD, QHD or 4K IPS panels and up to 144Hz refresh rate, presumably at the lower resolutions.
New to its gaming mice, the Cestus 510 offers swappable top and right panels, optional weights up to 10 grams, 16,000 dpi resolution at a speed of up to 400 inches per second. Plus it had a nice lighting design. There's also a gold-and-white version to match with the new Helios 300 Special Edition.
