If budget is a concern and you want a machine with a good balance of performance for gaming and engineering tasks, the Acer Predator Helios 16 offers solid capabilities at a midrange price. However, it’s heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the Razer Blade 17. On the other hand, if you need top-tier performance, particularly for intensive engineering applications and machine learning, and a higher-resolution screen, the Razer Blade 17 is a more suitable option despite its higher cost and larger screen size, which may affect portability. Both are gaming-capable, but the Razer may offer slight advantages due to its superior display and processor. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Predator Helios 16
Good battery life
Advantages of the Razer Blade 17
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good overall build quality
Excellent speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.0/10
8.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
498.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Razer Blade 17 and Acer Predator Helios 16 are both very good for general use, though the Razer Blade 17 is somewhat better.
The Razer Blade 17 outshines the Acer Predator Helios 16 in general use mainly due to its superior main processor, larger amount of RAM, and higher screen pixel density, which contribute to faster performance and clearer visuals, albeit with slightly lesser battery life and portability due to its larger screen and increased weight. While both laptops offer high-quality displays with considerable screen size, the Razer's better keyboard quality, along with its advanced heat management and overall build quality, enhance user experience in everyday tasks, despite its greater weight and lower battery life compared to the Helios 16.
Software Development
7.9/10
8.5/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for software development, while the Acer Predator Helios 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.8/10
8.6/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
240Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
498.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 17 for gaming and AI, while the Razer Blade 17 has a better screen for engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the Acer Predator Helios 16 and the Razer Blade 17 offer clear, sharp images with bright displays due to their high resolution and top-tier panel technology, ensuring comfortable viewing and vivid details for everyday tasks. When it comes to engineering and design, these laptops excel by providing wide color coverage that allows for precise color work crucial for professionals dealing with graphics and visual projects. However, both fall short for gaming and 3D because of their lower refresh rates, which can lead to less smooth visuals, potentially affecting the fluidity of fast-paced games and 3D simulations.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 17 has very good build quality, while the Acer Predator Helios 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,599
$4,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has a price of $1,599 and the Razer Blade 17 costs $4,300.
The Razer Blade 17 and Acer Predator Helios 16 are both very good for gaming and AI.
The Acer Predator Helios 16, with its Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card and high screen refresh rate of 240 Hz, is highly suitable for immersive gaming and vivid 3D experiences. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 17 takes advantage of the superior Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card and a decent refresh rate of 144 Hz for exceptional gaming performance and rendering details in 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.7/10
9.1/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Razer Blade 17 to be excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Predator Helios 16 is very good.
The Razer Blade 17 offers a more powerful CPU and double the RAM compared to the Acer Predator Helios 16, which makes it better suited for demanding engineering and design tasks that require extensive processing and multitasking capabilities. Additionally, the Razer Blade 17 features a higher resolution screen for finer details, but it may be less portable and have more operating noise, leading to a trade-off between performance and convenience.
Content Creation
8.2/10
8.5/10
9.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 17 and Acer Predator Helios 16 are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Battery
6.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios 16 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Fair
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.0 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Razer Blade 17 and Acer Predator Helios 16 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Predator Helios 16 and the Razer Blade 17 compare to other laptops
"The Predator Helios 16 stacks up well against its closest competition in benchmark comparisons. The Acer Predator Helios 16 isn't perfect. It's bulky, its lid feels flimsy and some of its keys are just too damned small – but none of its problems are fatal, and it shines where it counts. The powerful graphics and processor combo are spot on for this price point, the fans stop it getting hot under pressure, and the display is as good as you’ll find under $2,500. It's simply one of the best laptops to play demanding games on."
"Our test configuration of the Blade 17 targets gamers and creative professionals. A Core i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP after the BIOS update, 16 GB of VRAM), and 32 GB of working memory equip the laptop for video processing, rending, and 4k gaming at the highest level. In addition, a fast PCIe-4 SSD (1 TB) ensures short load and storage times. With the Blade 17 (Early 2022), Razer delivers a successful and powerful work device for creative professionals. But this also has its price."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios 16 or the Razer Blade 17
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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