First Impressions: Acer Predator Triton 17 X (2023)
Our first impressions of Acer's powerful-yet-slim gaming machine
First Impressions
The Acer Predator Triton 17 X (2023) gaming laptop aims to pack tons of performance into a fairly slim chassis. But it faces extremely tough competition, meaning small mistakes could cost it.
Availability
- UKRRP: £3999
- USARRP: $3798
- EuropeRRP: €4499
Key Features
- 17-inch Mini LED screenA big and bright Mini LED display, with a QHD+ resolution and 250Hz refresh rate.
- 3kg weight and 21.9mm thinAcer’s Triton range is slim but powerful, though this laptop isn’t the lightest.
- 13th Gen Intel and RTX 4090Only one choice of CPU and GPU, but it’s top-tier Intel and Nvidia options.
Introduction
The new Acer Predator Triton 17 X aims to pack an immense amount of gaming power into a relatively slimline chassis.
Acer always reveals a bunch of laptops at its Global Press Conference, and this year was no different. With the smaller model of this machine, the Acer Predator Triton 14 (2023), being showcased, as well as desktop PCs, Chromebooks, eBikes and more.
The new Predator Triton 17 X was revealed and is clearly meant to grab attention. It’s packed full of the latest and greatest Intel and Nvidia specifications. It’s a device squarely aimed at those who love high-end gaming, but don’t want an extremely thick machine sitting on their desk. I had some time with the gaming laptop, and here are my first impressions.
Price and Availability
The Acer Predator Triton 17 X has a starting price of £3999/$3799/€4499. You’ll be able to get your hands on it from May/June in the UK, May in North America and June across EMEA.
This pricing comes in below the Mini LED-featuring model of the Razer Blade 16, which also has a 13th Gen Intel Core i9 processor and an RTX 4090 chip at £4399.99.
However, the above pricing for the Acer is the starting price, so I expect it to rise quite a bit for its Mini LED model. With the Triton 17 X not giving off the same luxury vibes as the Blade 16, it could be a harder sell. But, we’ll have to judge how the complete package stacks up against the competition in our full review.
Design and Keyboard
- Slim but mighty
- Not as heavy as you’d think
- Pleasant keyboard
The Acer Predator Triton 17 X (2023) enters a field of laptops, like the Razer Blade 16, aiming to pack a whole lot of power into a relatively thin chassis – compared with those that skew thicker for more easily manageable thermals.
The benefits are obvious, providing a more compact design even with super high-end specs. For the Acer Predator Triton 17 X, that adds up to a 21.9mm thin and 3kg weight. The thickness roughly lines up with its Razer rival and the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023).
The weight, not so much, at more than 500g heavier than both of these devices. However, I’m not sure if it’s the weight distribution, being a 17-inch device or something else, but I didn’t think the Triton 17 X felt as obscenely heavy as the 3kg would suggest. One thing’s for sure at least, you won’t want to be carrying around this laptop on the regular.
The look is particularly reminiscent of the MSI Stealth and Asus TUF ranges, with less-luxurious vibes than Razer Blade models, but a dark and boxy shape. It’s an unassuming design that won’t look out of place in an office but some RGB chops will have it suit gamers just fine too.
My first impressions of the keyboard were satisfactory, but fell short of blowing me away. The feedback was pleasingly crunchy but I’d expect a bit more travel from a device of this size. There’s also plenty of room for larger, or more well-spaced, keys with the keyboard not taking up all that much room on the bottom half of the device. Or, the additional space could’ve been used for a number pad.
The trackpad was more underwhelming, with an unsatisfying click. Gamers will want to pair this up with a mouse, and likely would have anyways. Those wanting to use this for other tasks too won’t be wowed here.
For ports and connectivity, you’ll find two Thunderbolt 4, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, an HDMI 2.1 port, a Micro SD card reader, an Ethernet port and a headphone jack. That’s a solid selection right there.
Specs and Performance
- Packs an Intel Core i9-13900HX processor
- Powered by an Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU
- Mini LED or standard IPS display options
If you don’t like obscene amounts of portable power then tough, that’s the message Acer is putting out there with the configurations available for the Predator Triton 17 X.
I say configurations… it’s configuration. You can pick up this laptop with an Intel Core i9-13900HX and an RTX 4090 alongside, and that’s the only option for the GPU and CPU. It’s these high-end components or nothing. There are still a couple of options for storage: either a 1TB/2TB PCIe Gen 4 or 2TB/4TB NVMe SSD, as well as up to 64GB DDR5 RAM.
Those are high-end specs and I’ll be intrigued to see how this performs against other monster-sized gaming laptops, especially ones that offer a little more thickness and, consequently, room for cooling. Acer features its own vapour chamber, 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D tech, Vortex Flow, and liquid metal. We’ll have to see how this shakes out in our benchmarking when we’re able to fully test this machine.
You get two options for the display, a 17-inch 2560×1600 Mini LED 250Hz panel or a 2560×1600 IPS 240Hz screen. The Mini LED model I saw during my hands-on time was impressive, offering up great contrast alongside gloriously deep blacks, with poppy colours also along for the ride. With a capability of up to 1000 nits, the brightness was expectedly strong; you should be fine with this laptop in almost any working or gaming environment.
I won’t be expecting miracles with the battery life, as a super high-performance gaming laptop. Expectedly, the Triton 17 X pushes right up against 100Wh, at 99.98Wh, so you’ll be all good taking this mammoth device on a plane should you need to.
Early Verdict
In a vacuum, the Acer Predator Triton 17 X looks like a hugely powerful gaming laptop that should appeal to many. The reality is that it has some immensely strong rivals. There’s the more stylish Razer Blade 16, the slim and powerful Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 (2023) and the more performance-focused Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023).
These devices are all exciting and similarly, if not priced lower than the Triton 17 X. The Acer Predator Triton 17 X and its sole RTX 4090 configuration are going to have to impress massively in benchmark testing to justify its pricing superiority over the competition.
Aside from battles over pricing and specs, I’m unconvinced by the keyboard and trackpad team-up, with my initial impressions not on par with these top-tier competitors. Nevertheless, a bright and lush Mini LED option might catch the eye of many here.
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Full Specs
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.