Acer's formidable new Predator Orion 7000 desktop can crush any game with its RTX 4090, and it's joined by two refreshed Nitro V laptops

What you need to know

• Acer announced two new gaming laptops — the Nitro V 14 and Nitro V 16 — at IFA, along with a new Predator Orion 7000 pre-built gaming desktop.
• The Nitro V 16 and Predator Orion 7000 are powered by Intel and NVIDIA, while the Nitro V 14 has an AMD Ryzen and NVIDIA hardware combination.
• The Nitro V 16 is expected to launch in NA and EMEA markets in October starting at $1,300/€1,449.
• The Nitro V 14 is expected to launch in NA and EMEA markets in September starting at $1,100/€1,199.
• No release date or pricing is set for the Orion 7000 desktop.

IFA 2024 is set to officially begin on September 6 in Berlin, but Acer has already unveiled an array of new laptops, monitors, and gaming hardware. Particularly exciting for PC gamers out there are the new Nitro V laptops and the Predator Orion 7000 pre-built desktop, mixing AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA performance hardware.

I'm most excited about the new Orion 7000 desktop, with Acer teasing "next-gen Intel" processors that are paired with up to an RTX 4090 GPU; the Intel chips should be the rumored "Arrow Lake" series that have yet to be officially announced. Let's dig into the three new gaming PCs headed our way from Acer.

Acer's new Nitro V 16 and Nitro V 14 are mid-range gaming laptops

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Despite Intel announcing its next-gen "Lunar Lake" mobile CPUs on September 3, Acer is sticking with 14th Gen Core HX mobile chips for the new Nitro V 16.

That's still a ton of performance for gaming, and the Nitro V 16 has what it takes to keep up with its optional 16-inch 2560x1600 display with 180Hz refresh rate. With up to a Core i7-14650HX CPU, NVIDIA RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, 32GB of upgradeable DDR5 RAM, and a 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, you can expect stable frame rates at QHD+ even in demanding games.

That is, of course, the top configuration, which will cost a lot more than the entry-level model that Acer pegs at about $1,299.99. It looks like it will have a Core i5-14450HX CPU, NVIDIA RTX 3050 GPU, and an FHD+ display with 165Hz refresh rate. I'd rather see Acer go with an RTX 4050 for this entry model, but the last-gen GPU should still make easy work of less demanding titles.

Acer's Nitro brand focuses more on keeping prices down than it does offering high-end features, and that's no different here. The laptop's camera has just a 720p resolution, it uses Wi-Fi 6 (instead of the faster and more reliable Wi-Fi 6E), and it has just a 57Wh battery capacity. 

If you're buying a top-end model with the best performance hardware, I suggest you go in without any grand expectations when it comes to gaming battery life. That's not out of the ordinary even with the best gaming laptops, and a MUX switch will no doubt help push runtimes when using the laptop for productivity.

Acer says the Nitro V 16 (ANV16-71) is launching in October in NA and EMEA markets.

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The Nitro V 14 (ANV14-61) sibling takes a different approach than the 16-inch model. Acer positions it an a more compact alternative for gamers and students who take their favorite titles everywhere, and its white finish should appeal to anyone tired of the usual gamer laptop aesthetic. Acer doesn't specify the level of RGB customization for the keyboard, but the product photos show a pleasant light blue color.

There are two 14.5-inch IPS display options available, starting at 1920x1200 (FHD+) and going up to 2560x1600 (QHD+). Both have a 16:10 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, and 100% sRGB color reproduction. Considering there's at most an NVIDIA RTX 4050 Laptop GPU inside, I don't see any reason to have a higher refresh rate.

The introductory model, which Acer says starts at $1,099.99 when it launches in NA and EMEA markets in September, will assumedly have an AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS CPU and an NVIDIA RTX 2050 Laptop GPU. Acer also lists an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU, NVIDIA RTX 3050 or 4050, up to 32GB of upgradeable DDR5 RAM, and up to a 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. Like its larger sibling, the Nitro V 14 has a 57Wh battery. A MUX switch for the GPU will help add some runtime.

The Nitro V 14's camera doesn't impress me much at just a 720p resolution, but its wireless and physical connectivity are a step up. It has Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, with USB4, two USB-A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, and a microSD card reader to help with creative work and photography.

Acer's Predator Orion 7000 desktop gets next-gen Intel CPUs and up to a NVIDIA RTX 4090

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As a PC gaming enthusiast, the Predator Orion 7000 (PO7-660) is what I'm most excited about. Acer designed it to offer the utmost performance for anyone who doesn't want to build their own PC, with a stylized design and branded Predator case.

Acer's new Predator CycloneX 360 case fans are joined by a 360mm AiO liquid cooler for the CPU, all supporting customizable RGB lighting. Acer says this new pairing can lower temperatures at the motherboard by 9°C compared to older Orion desktops, which is a considerable jump in efficiency. 

That's a very good thing when you're working with up to a NVIDIA RTX 4090 desktop GPU. Acer's included PredatorSense 4.0 app can help customize RGB lighting and can even be used to easily overclock some hardware.

The case has plenty of room inside for upgrades after purchase. A drive bay can hold up to 4TB of HDD storage, there's space for up to 6TB of M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD storage, and you can get up to 128GB of dual-channel DDR5 RAM. It all runs on up to a 1,200W power supply.

For ports, the PC has dual Thunderbolt 4, USB-A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5mm audio jack, plus whatever video ports come with your GPU of choice. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 handle wireless connectivity.

Acer doesn't yet have any availability or pricing info for the Predator Orion 7000, and we'll likely know more when Intel officially reveals the exact next-gen CPUs that Acer is teasing here.

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Next-gen Intel "Arrow Lake" chips are expected soon

Why are there no firm details surrounding the Predator Orion 7000's processor choices, pricing, and launch date? Acer only lists "Intel next-gen processors" in its announcement, and I can only assume it's referring to Intel's "Arrow Lake" chips that have yet to be officially announced. Regardless, plenty of rumors are flying around regarding launch dates, performance, and pricing.

I'm expecting (thanks to rumors) a shakeup to Intel's naming format, with Core Ultra taking over for the flagship desktop chips to keep in line with the fresh mobile naming scheme. These desktop chips shouldn't be too far behind the Intel "Lunar Lake" Core Ultra Series 2 mobile CPUs that were also just announced yesterday at IFA 2024.

With Intel's rocky year — involving lawsuits, CPU failures, and layoffs — almost behind them, the expected reveal of its next-gen "Arrow Lake" desktop CPUs should offer some good news for those rooting for Team Blue.