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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Predator Helios 300, with a midrange price, offers a much more powerful Intel i7 processor, superior Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics, and generous storage and RAM, making it suitable for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering work. However, it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, which affects its portability. In contrast, the Gateway 11.6" is more budget-friendly, lightweight, and extremely portable, with a much longer battery life. But it has significantly less power, storage, and RAM due to its Intel Celeron processor and basic integrated graphics, limiting it to general use and less demanding tasks. 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 300
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the Gateway 11.6"
- Excellent portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.4
5.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
294.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
3.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
6.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
7.2
5.4
6.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate, which are very important for gaming and 3D applications, providing smooth visuals and the ability to render complex graphics quickly.
Engineering and Design
7.6
5.4
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
6.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 surpasses the Gateway 11.6" for engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i7 CPU, substantial 16GB of RAM, and high-performance Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU that are critical for demanding software, in addition to a higher-quality 1080p display that enhances visual detail and clarity.
Content Creation
7.3
5.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for content creation, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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.
Software Development
7.1
5.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for software development, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
7.3
5.7
15.6in
SIZE
11.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
294.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a better screen than the Gateway 11.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a high-resolution display and good brightness, making it vibrant and clear for general use, with wide color gamuts ensuring precise color reproduction critical for engineering and design tasks, but its lower refresh rate compared to specialized gaming laptops makes fast-paced gaming less smooth. The Gateway 11.6", with its lower resolution and brightness, offers less visual clarity and weaker color range, which can strain the eyes during prolonged use and is not ideal for color-sensitive work, and the slow refresh rate also diminishes the gaming experience where fluid motion is key. Essentially, the Acer provides a better visual experience for most tasks, while the Gateway falls short in delivering quality across various applications due to its inferior display characteristics.
Battery
3.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has 3.5 hours of battery life. The Gateway 11.6" has 8 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
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
11.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.6 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 11.6" has excellent portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 300 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
5.1
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has good build quality, while the Gateway 11.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,204
$89
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a price of $1,204 and the Gateway 11.6" costs $89.
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How the Acer Predator Helios 300 and the Gateway 11.6" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Predator Helios 300 | Gateway 11.6" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,204 | $89 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2021 | August 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.9'' | 11'' x 7.5'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 2.6 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.3" | 11" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10" | 7.5" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-11800H | Intel Celeron N4020 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 4 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 64 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 3.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | Unknown | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 11.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 294 nits | 200 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.9/10 | 9.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Acer Predator Helios 300
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NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | November 2022
"The Acer Predator Helios 300 review is an overclocked gaming laptop with a good display. The Predator is large, heavy, and loud, but also offers plenty of performance according to gamers. An overclocked gaming laptop - or its user - also has to struggle with the usual disadvantages we mentioned above. On the other hand, overclocking is optional, and those who like it quieter and can live with a few less frames per second can also switch to the significantly more moderate Standard mode. Then the Helios 300 won't be any louder than the competitors."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios 300 or the Gateway 11.6"
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 Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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