It’s unique, curved, and worth more than half a million pesos. The Acer Predator 21X is a sign that today’s gaming category laptop is definitely growing. Now, this laptop has been in the news for almost a year now, but only recently has Acer sold this beast in the Philippines.
With only a limited number of units in the Philippines, one very rich guy just bought 3pcs for a whopping Php1,650,000. So technically, if Acer’s announcement of allocation is true, then there aren’t any units available anymore in the Philippines.
There are only 300 pcs globally and some are used for review units such as this one. So… is someone still interested in buying one? Perhaps ask Acer Philippines for a unit to be imported or built.
Here are the specs for the Predator 21X
| OS | Windows 10 |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-7820HK |
| GPU | Dual GTX 1080 in SLI |
| Memory | 32GB DDR4, expandable up to 64GB |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe PCIE x4 M.2, 1TB HDD |
| Display | 21-inch Curved Ultrawide IPS, Quantum Dot, G-Sync, 120Hz, Tobii Eyetracking, 2560 x 1080 |
| Input Devices | 87-key Cherry MX Browns, Scissor switch keypad, Track pad |
| Audio | Dolby Surround Sound, 6-satellites, subwoofer |
| Ports | 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 Ports, 1x Thunderbolt 3.0 port, 2x DisplayPorts, 1x HDMI, 1x RJ-45, Built-in SD Card Reader |
| Weight | 8KG |
But what does it like to experience a Php550,000 laptop?
Yup, that’s the question I got when I tried the Predator 21X and it was no joke to anyone who saw the laptop. So let me give you a glimpse of my experience of this legendary laptop.
The Predator 21X comes with a Pelican-certified case. It seems that Acer has gone up and beyond to provide every little detail about this laptop. And yet, its premium grace is one that every gamer will appreciate. Once opened from its Pelican case, the Predator 21 X is still hidden behind a special cloth for that extra protection.
Lifting the unit and foam tray will reveal the following:
- Arm rest
- Manual and letters
- Charger silicone case
- Charger + cables x 2
- Predator lanyard
- Removable trackpad /Numpad combo
Setting up the unit was fairly easy, but it was the dismantling of the chargers that’s a bit of a chore. We understand this is a laptop, but it would take around 10 minutes minimum to setup the chargers and your table (Given that it can support the 8kg weight).
Once setup, you will be glad that you’re now ready to experience the world’s most expensive laptop, but a few things are missing… a mouse and a headset. To be honest, we expected Acer to provide all of the peripherals for gaming on such an expensive laptop but we think that they know that mice and audio aren’t their forte. Thus, they didn’t dwell on this matter.
The keyboard is mechanical with Cherry MX Blue switches. With the 21-inch screen, we felt that the keyboard was a bit small for our experience with other mechanical keyboards. So there will be a learning curve in using this laptop, but nothing too much to be concerned.
While the core keyboard is mechanical, the numpad is your usual chiclet keyboard from almost any other laptop in the market. It’s a bit weird using a mechanical keyboard in such a cramp space, but it’s something you’ll get used to in time.
Aside from the big body, the display is also a selling point for this laptop. The 21-inch curved monitor is a delight, the Ultrawide FullHD monitor is much more comfortable when playing games or looking at two applications in one screen.
Colors are bouncy and top notch, we like the darker blacks and better contrast. We aren’t that sure if the monitor is RGB compliant, it’s not something you’ll consider if gaming is your top priority.
Playing games like Overwatch (which is our main game), was smooth as silk. We had minor issues with the microphone conflicting with the Dolby audio system, but was corrected with a minor settings adjustment.
The 5.1 audio system tuned by Dolby is something interesting, it has tweeters at the front while the bottom sides are speakers as well, for a full blast of audio. Overall, the audio is loud for the size of the laptop but lacks a bit of bass in our taste (Much like other laptops).
Then again, this is a laptop. We recommend using a gaming headphone when playing games, even with the Dolby Audio system activated, you are dependent of ambient noise if it can deliver a clear difference between left and right.
Performance wise, we weren’t able to do benchmarks with the tight time with the laptop. But with our friends from Unbox.ph shared that the Predator 21X thus stand at the top 5 of the most powerful laptops right now, but not the fastest as other brands have a more efficient cooling system.
Generally, performance isn’t a problem with the likes of these laptops. They provide top notch processing for both gaming and intense applications. It will really depend on more of if you are sold to Acer’s implementation of a mechanical keyboard and the curved 21-inch monitor.
Ventilation vents are everywhere on this laptop, the dual GTX 1080 produces heat of around 55 degrees even at decent air-con environment. So, be warned if you try to use this in non-aircon environments. Then again, the heat is more of additional inconvenience, not really hindering the feel of the laptop.
At the back are ports for the display, Ethernet, and a Type-c thunderbolt port. Of course, you have the dual-power ports that power the 700W laptop as well. If you are looking for the battery life, well we aren’t going to recommend it as you’ll probably last for 30mins – 45 mins maximum. That’s just enough to unplug and re-plug into another location without shutting off your laptop.
Now you might be wondering the question: “Who the heck buys a Php550,000 laptop?”, well someone did and he even bought 3 units. This is a laptop for those who have the luxury of money and no-time to waste in nit-picking the specs. Plus, there are only 300 units worldwide, so its bragging rights as well.
“Why don’t I just build a Php550,000 desktop setup?” Well again, this is for those who aim for a one setup solution, no annoying build setup, and customization. Just one unit to answer all of their computing and even gaming concerns.
Overall, it was a delight using the Predator 21X at the time my desktop got jealous and decided to kill its own PSU. More or less, Acer just made a statement that they are serious about gaming and the Predator 21X is a testimony to that. For sure in the incoming years, we will see Acer adapting 21X’s faults and advantages to deliver a more affordable and pro-gaming laptop for all.
If you ask us if we would buy one? Well, the answer is no due to practicality, but for those who have no time to meddle with specs and customization; this is the answer folks! Just remember to buy a gaming mouse and headset to pair with the Acer Predator 21X.
