Acer Predator Triton 500 SE (16-Inch, 2021)

Gorgeous and smooth 16-inch screen

Could use a better keyboard

The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE starts at $2,300, which is $200 less than the Razer Blade 15 with 12th-gen Intel chips and $400 less than the most recent Blade 17. Be prepared to shell out $3,000 if you want all of the hardware from our review unit...

Excellent 300Hz display ; Strong gaming performance ; Pleasing keyboard and touchpad ; Slim and light form factor ; Great value

So-so design ; Processor is just ok (for the price) ; Modest battery life

Big, bright 16-inch, 16:10 display with speedy 240Hz refresh rate ; GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is most potent GPU around ; Power duo of 12th-gen Core i9 CPU and massive 32GB of RAM ; Useful ports with both USB-A and -C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support ; Low...

Big, bright 16-inch, 16:10 display with speedy 240Hz refresh rate ; GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is most potent GPU around ; Power duo of 12th-gen Core i9 CPU and massive 32GB of RAM ; Useful ports with both USB-A and -C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support ; Low...

The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE delivers the goods for gamers but also supplies an understated design and 16-inch, 16:10 display that extends its value and versatility.

Premium build quality ; Esports ready display that’s also gorgeous ; Respectable battery life ; Solid productivity performance

Gaming performance isn’t competitive compared to rivals ; Bigger SSD storage would be nice ; No USB-C Thunderbolt charging ; Speakers are pretty weak ; Some may find the Turbo button useless

Roomy 16-inch high-refresh display ; Good all-around and gaming performance via 11th Gen Core i7 and GeForce RTX 3060 ; Solid battery life

Subpar keyboard quality ; 512GB SSD is small for gaming, especially at this price

The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE's features and components outdo the existing Triton 500's, but a few build-quality and storage-size shortcomings keep it from a top recommendation.

Slim, understated design ; Bright, high-res 16-inch display ; Comfortable keyboard ; Solid performance

Runs hot ; No per-key RGB option

Acer's Predator Triton 500 SE is a portable gaming laptop with a bright 16-inch display and a comfortable keyboard, but it's outmuscled by rivals.

Dazzling Mini LED display ; Distinct yet discreet aesthetic ; Heaps of power available

Fans can be loud ; Screen flexes ; Top-end model gets pricey - and build is a bit plasticky looking considering

This design - pretty much pitched as 'gaming laptop for the business person' - is more discreet than your average, yet there's still all the RGB lighting, cooling vents, ports and Turbo overclocking that you could want.

Excellent graphics performance ; Terrific SSD performance ; High-quality display options ; Efficient colling

No per-key RGB lighting ; Battery life could be better ; Audio quality is unremarkable

The Predator Triton 500 SE is certainly the “tip of the spear” gaming laptop in Acer’s lineup, and this model is particularly fast, both for Gaming and Creative applications.

Bright and crisp display ; Power in every corner ; Ports galore ; Decent price for the configuration

Runs incredibly hot ; Touchpad feels cheap

+ Solid build quality ; + Intel Core i9-11900H and RTX 3080 is a good combo ; + 165Hz QHD display with 16:10 aspect ratio ; + Super speedy 1TB storage ; + Good array of ports ; + Wi-Fi 6 and HDMI 2.1 ; + Dual Thunderbolt 4

- Battery life could be better ; - Pricey ; - 3-zone RGB feels is a bit of a letdown ; - Fan can get really loud in Turbo ; - True potential held back by 230W power brick ; - Could be lighter

The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is certainly a powerful machine, and its unique look makes it quite an eye-catcher as well.