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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Predator Helios 300 offers better performance for intensive tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning, and is equipped with a powerful processor and high-performance graphics card. However, it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. On the other hand, the Gateway 14.1" is much more affordable and lighter, making it easier to carry around, but it has a less powerful processor and graphics, which limits its ability to handle demanding tasks efficiently. If you prioritize gaming and high-performance work, the Acer is likely the better option, but for basic tasks and greater mobility, the Gateway may suffice. 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 14.1"
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.4
5.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
294.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
3.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
6.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is equipped with a powerful CPU, ample RAM, high-quality screen, and better heat management, which makes it suitable for various demanding tasks and hence good for general use. However, the Gateway 14.1" has a less capable CPU, minimal RAM, a lower-quality screen, and poor keyboard quality, making it inadequate for multitasking and advanced applications, classifying it as poor for general use.
Gaming and AI
7.2
5.4
6.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
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 14.1" is poor.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 excels in gaming and 3D because it has a powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 144Hz, while the Gateway 14.1" falls short due to its basic Intel UHD Graphics 600 and a lower screen refresh rate of 60Hz. The Helios 300 also benefits from a robust Intel i7 processor and better screen quality, which further supports demanding tasks, in contrast to the Gateway's Intel Celeron CPU and lesser screen attributes.
Engineering and Design
7.6
5.5
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 14.1" is poor.
The Acer Predator Helios 300, with its high-performance Intel i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card, is equipped to handle the demanding computational and graphical tasks common in engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" has a lower-tier Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and integrated graphics, making it less suitable for such intensive workloads.
Content Creation
7.3
5.8
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for content creation, while the Gateway 14.1" 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
5.8
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for software development, while the Gateway 14.1" 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
6.0
15.6in
SIZE
14.1in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
294.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 boasts a high-resolution display and panel that delivers crisp visuals and vibrant colors essential for engineering and design tasks, with brightness that ensures comfortable viewing in various lighting conditions for general use. However, its lower refresh rate may not provide the smoothest experience for fast-paced gaming or 3D applications. The Gateway 14.1", while adequate for everyday tasks and general design work with fair resolution and brightness, falls short for both engineering precision due to limited color range and gaming due to a lackluster refresh rate.
Battery
3.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has 3.5 hours of battery life. The Gateway 14.1" 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
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.1in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 14.1" has very good 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 14.1" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,204
$99
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a price of $1,204 and the Gateway 14.1" costs $99.
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How the Acer Predator Helios 300 and the Gateway 14.1" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Predator Helios 300 | Gateway 14.1" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,204 | $99 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2021 | August 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.9'' | 13.1'' x 8.8'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 3.35 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.3" | 13.1" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10" | 8.78" | |
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" | 14.1" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 294 nits | 208 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.9/10 | 8.1/10 | |
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 | 1 | |
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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Dig into reviews and images
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."
Gateway 14.1"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | September 2021
"The Gateway Ultra Slim 14" is surprisingly quiet with long battery life. The inexpensive Gateway excels at maximizing performance per dollar with lots of RAM and storage, super-quiet fan, and a long battery life. It can even house up to two M.2 SSDs which we weren't expecting from such a cheap system. However, the iffy reliability of the keyboard and USB-C port on our test unit means users should double-check for these potential issues immediately after purchasing."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios 300 or the Gateway 14.1"
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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