The Acer Predator Helios 300 offers a balance of performance and price, suitable for general use and gaming with its 11th gen i7 processor and RTX 3060 GPU. It has a 144Hz refresh rate screen which is great for gaming, though the 1080p resolution means it's not as sharp as the Legion's display. It's also more affordable and lighter, making it a solid choice for someone who wants a good gaming experience without breaking the bank or their back.
On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) is a more future-proof investment with its latest gen i7-14700HX processor and RTX 4070 GPU, ensuring top-tier performance for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks. The higher resolution 16:10 display with a 165Hz refresh rate provides a crisper and more immersive visual experience, which is excellent for both work and play. It's also built with durability in mind, though it comes with a higher price tag and is slightly heavier, which might impact its portability.
If you prioritize a higher resolution screen, cutting-edge performance, and are willing to pay more and carry a bit more weight, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is the way to go. However, if you're looking for a more cost-effective solution that's easier to carry around and still delivers strong gaming performance, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is a compelling choice. 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
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024).
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024)
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.2/10
8.5/10
6.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Predator Helios 300 is good.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
6.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Predator Helios 300 is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) and Acer Predator Helios 300 are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) is somewhat better.
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
7.1/10
7.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) and Acer Predator Helios 300 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) is somewhat better.
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
7.3/10
8.1/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
294.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a better screen than the Acer Predator Helios 300 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Cost
$1,204
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a price of $1,204 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) costs $1,500.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) and Acer Predator Helios 300 are both good for general use.
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.
Battery
3.5 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has 3.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 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
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Predator Helios 300 and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.4/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Predator Helios 300 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024) compare to other laptops
"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."
"The midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios 300 or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024)
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
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