First Look: Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024 Edition) Gaming Laptop

Introduction + Specs Tested

Acer sent over its Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop over for review, a revamp of its 2023 model with newer innards including an Intel Core i7-14700HX processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, and 32GB of DDR5 memory.

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The company has been pushing its Predator gaming products for a number of years now, with Acer using a more aggressive gaming design with the Predator Helios Neo 16, yet still make it not look crazy enough that it couldn't be used in an office.

This will be the last of these styles of laptop reviews before I fully assume my role as the new Desktop Gaming PC and Gaming Laptop Editor of TweakTown, after our good friend and colleague Tyler Bernath passed away recently from cancer. I will be carrying on reviewing desktop systems and gaming laptops in his spirit. RIP, my friend.

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On a good note, the Predator Neo Helios 16 gaming laptop had me impressed from the moment it was unpacked and setup, and then working + gaming away. I pumped around 40-50 hours of work per week for around a month into the laptop for this review, and around 10-15 hours of Overwatch 2 running at 1600p 240FPS+ which was glorious.

The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop can be picked up for $1699, but if you didn't want all of that power (between the Core i7-14700HX + RTX 4070 Laptop GPU) then the company sells the slightly slower version (same CPU, but switched down to the RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) for $1499. Down from there, you can grab the same laptop again but with the slower Core i5-13500HX processor + GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU for $1199.

Priced at $1699, you're getting a fantastic bundle between the Acer Predator aesthetic and the power of the Core i7-14700HX processor and GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU with the 1600p @ 240Hz display you've got a pretty damn mean portable gaming machine.

Specs tested:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-14700HX (cores, threads, clocks)
• RAM: 32GB DDR5-5600
• SSD: 1TB Gen4 SSD
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (8GB GDDR6)
• Display: 16-inch 2560 x 1600 (1600p) @ 240Hz (IPS)

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First Impressions

On the GPU side of things, we've got up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU with 140W MGP with Dynamic Boost, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus support, and MUX Switch equipped. The RTX 4070 Laptop GPU is a perfect blend with the 1600p @ 240Hz display on the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop.

I'm totally digging the design aesthetic that Acer uses on the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop, with a nearly all-black design, and black-on-black keyboard that is beautifully lit up across four RGB zones. The RGB backlit keyboard is really, really nice to look at but it's just as functional when you're typing or gaming.

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Acer uses some fantastic Scrabble-like keys that are larger than some gaming laptops, have a good amount of weight to them, and are fantastic for typing away all day (which I did) and gaming away all night (which I also did).

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One of the downsides to the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop is that Acer didn't opt for an OLED panel, but we do have a rather good 16-inch IPS panel that has a native 1600p resolution (2560 x 1600) and a smooth 240Hz refresh rate. While it's not OLED, it's also not just a 1440p panel... those additional 160 pixels really do matter.

The 240Hz refresh rate was amazingly fluid to use throughout Windows for about of month of use, and pumping in countless hours into Overwatch 2 running at a near 240FPS all day and night long.

A gaming laptop will normally feature a webcam, which is useful for video chats (if you do them) or for work calls (if you do those, too) with a 1080p webcam inside of the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16. There's also a microphone array that's actually not total crap, so you've got a gaming + workstation laptop that can handle a ton thrown at it.

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Acer includes its 5th Generation AeroBlade 3D Fan Technology inside of the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop, with a liquid metal thermal interface, vector heat pipes, and more. Acer says that the combination of these cooling technologies means that the Helios Neo 16 ensures "consistent top-tier performance, even in the most heated moments".

Personally, with my time on the Predator Helios Neo 16 it didn't get too out of control when it came to thermals or noise. I did want the absolute maximum performance out of Overwatch 2 running at 1600p @ 240FPS, so I did crank up the performance profile to Turbo and let those fans FLYYY.

AI Features

No NPU Here, But There's Still AI

No NPU, no AI workload help from the CPU.

This is NOT an AI laptop, as it's using an Intel Core i7-14700HX processor which is a Raptor Lake Refresh chip, with new Core Ultra 100 series "Meteor Lake" processors featuring an on-board NPU for AI workloads, there's no such thing here (and that's a good thing).

NPUs are virtually useless for the masses right now, and this is a gaming laptop - no AI in sight - that is until 2025 when more and more laptop processors are released with NPUs.

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Acer does include its own PredatorSense utility, which is a software suite that controls a bunch of the system functions inside of the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop. You can tweak the fan speeds, RGB lighting, power settings, and more.

The company includes a bunch of pre-configured power settings based on different workloads, like work/school for the Quiet setting and lowered fan speeds, but if you want to game on it and enjoy max frequencies without all the heat, that's where the Turbo mode comes in... blast off time.

Some of the other AI-related features include Copilot+ as the usual generative AI assistant inside of Windows 11, while Acer PurifiedView allows you to experience automatic framing, advanced background blur, and gaze correction for AI-boosted video calls, while Acer TNR provides sharper images in low-light situations.

Acer also includes PurifiedVoice 2.0 technology which taps AI algorithms and a 3rd microphone to identify and remove unwanted background noise, providing distraction-free audio when you're gaming (or on a video chat and need clearer audio if you've got kids or animals around).

Gaming On The Predator Helios Neo 16

1600p @ 240FPS Gaming

I fired up Cyberpunk 2077 on the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop, running at the native 1600p resolution (2560 x 1600) and with DLSS 3 enabled with Frame Generation turned on, and RT on across the board we have a respectable 93FPS average. Turning it down to 1080p but keeping DLSS 3 + FG + RT on and we have 139FPS average.

Forza Horizon 5 pumped away maxed out on Ultra settings (no DLSS enabled) and still spitting out 92FPS average at the native 1600p resolution.

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What about Black Myth: Wukong? Yep, that's fine... with the Predator Helios Neo 16 set to Very High graphics in the game, DLSS @ 40% (Performance) + FG enabled + DX12 enabled and we have 65FPS average at 1600p and 49FPS average if DLSS is cranked to 100% (Quality). 65FPS average at 1600p with DLSS enabled in something as good-looking as Black Myth: Wukong isn't bad out of the RTX 4070 Laptop GPU.

My addiction to PC gaming is with Overwatch 2 which is the first game I loaded up onto the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop, and just to reiterate, this is my last laptop review as the "AI laptop reviewer" the next gaming laptop review will have a bigger suite of games being run.

But, the first thing I did was install Overwatch 2 and configure it: 1600p native res with DLSS set to Performance mode and the graphics settings with a personal blend of Medium to Ultra. I was enjoying 240FPS+ average, with just a few dips into the 180-200FPS area before I tweaked more settings for a rock solid 240FPS+ in Overwatch 2 on the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop... bliss.

Anyone who plays the game knows that those quick boosts and weird directional flying with a hero like Pharah are an entirely different ballgame.

Pros & Cons

PROS

• 16-inch 1600p IPS display: The 16-inch 2560 x 1600 resolution really stands out on the Acer Predator Helius Neo 16 laptop, with the IPS panel offering some fantastic colors and quality. It's not quite an OLED panel, but it's not a TN panel, either.
• 240Hz refresh rate: I can't use a 60Hz panel, 90Hz is about my entry point (if it's an OLED) but 120Hz and above gets my tick of approval. The 1600p @ 240Hz panel is great to not just game on, but to use and browse the internet and work on, 240FPS is awesome.
• RTX 4070 Laptop GPU: This is a fantastic laptop GPU for 1440p 240Hz gaming, especially if you're more into esports-style shooters like Overwatch, Apex Legends, and more. However, you can easily play AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077 maxed out at 1080p 60FPS+ with all of the RT bells and whistles on and closer to 120FPS with DLSS 3 enabled.

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• HDMI 2.1 output: Acer includes a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port that can carry 4K 120Hz+ to your gaming monitor or big screen HDMI 2.1-ready TV. There are some laptops that do not include HDMI 2.1 out, or they're limited to HDMI 2.1 (4K60), so this is great to see on the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop.
• Thunderbolt 4: Acer includes full-function Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, which is great for content creators who need to squeeze 80Gbps of data (up or down) into the Predator Helios Neo 16.
• Acer Predator aesthetic: I'm really digging the look and style that the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop presents, and I can't wait to see what the 2025 model has in store.
• Fantastic keyboard: I'm a considerably fast typer, and the keyboard on this laptop is great... the keys feel great, there's a nice distinct 'click' to them, and of course... RGB lighting. We can't go past the RGB lighting on a gaming laptop now, can we?
• Tons of I/O: We have an Ethernet jack, USB 3.2 Type-A port, microSD card slot, USB 3.2 ports, and more, it's all here on the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop.
• No NPU + AI junk: Because there is no NPU on the processor, there's no AI crap on this laptop - win.

CONS

• Not USB-C powered: I understand that the components are too powerful to be powered over USB-C, but man, I can't wait for the day this happens.
• No OLED display option: It would've been nice to have an OLED option on the Predator Helios Neo 16, even if it was a few hundred dollars more.

Final Thoughts:

Acer surprised with the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop, surprising me in that it handled my workload every day of the week for months, and my lust for 240FPS+ gaming in Overwatch 2, without being too thick, too loud, or too bulky.

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The keyboard is fantastic to use, but the touchpad wasn't that great - I'm someone who always uses a mouse, with my weapon of choice being the Logitech G502X wireless mouse.

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Acer doesn't push the performance side of its Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop, but that's because it's not a flagship Core i9 part (or soon-to-be Core Ultra 9). It also has the third-knocked-down GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, while the RTX 4080 Laptop and RTX 4090 Laptop GPUs are inside of higher-end gaming laptops.

Now that we're getting new Core Ultra 200 series "Arrow Lake" and Ryzen 9000 series "Granite Ridge" CPUs, we'll see an entirely new wave of gaming laptops unleashed by Acer at CES 2025. So, if you've found the Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop at a discount? On sale? Somewhere cheap? Should you buy it?

In a word, yes.

Acer's Predator Helios Neo 16 has a decent Core i7-14700HX processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB Gen4 SSD and an RTX 4070 Laptop GPU. This is all infused into a 16-inch 1600p 240Hz display which is beautiful to look at - only downside is that it's not an OLED panel - but the 240Hz refresh is very welcomed for a gaming laptop.

Wrapping up, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptop is a great option for those wanting to dive into the Predator world but don't want to spend the additional funds required for a higher-end RTX 4080 or RTX 4090 Laptop GPU.