Gamers usually look for the best devices for enjoying a better gaming experience. Most gamers usually wait for the release of new versions of laptops and notebooks that come with advanced features. And since the official release of the first wave of Pascal-powered mobile chips, Acer was among the first to offer their top gaming solution, the Predator 17. The new Predator 17 features quite a different aesthetic but keeps real to its roots.
However, most of the experience with this Predator 17 may be the same as last year’s model, but the new thing this time is its 4K screen which makes it stand out. Gaming on the big UHD panel is more exciting with the new GTX 1070 running the show. You may still have to lower some of the settings, but at medium preset along with the G-Sync technology included in the panel, all gaming scenes will run more smoothly. This is the really important improvement in this notebook in comparison to its last generation as before the Predator 17 and 15 didn’t offer the much required G-Sync chip.
Continue reading the guide to explore more about Acer Predator G9-793 and get a complete review of this device so that you can decide if it is worth the money or not.
About Acer Predator G9-793
Acer Predator 17 G9-793 is the third iteration of the high-end 17-inch gaming series of Acer company. The first version was the Predator 17 G9-791 which had a few drawbacks. However, that was later addressed with the successor G9-792 which comes with improved Turbo utilization and the noise level was also reduced.
Besides improvement, some points of criticism remained such as the GPU still throttled under extreme loads and accessibility to the hardware was still restricted.
But now the good thing is as the predecessor was available in many different configurations so is the newest offering. Like most of the 17-inch Predators, the Acer Predator G9-793-77LG encompasses an Intel Skylake quad-core Core i7-6700HQ. This CPU has 32 GB of RAM. Furthermore, this gaming notebook comes with a GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card with 8 GB of GDDR5-VRAM. It has a 4K IPS display with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels which provides good screening. Another positive aspect is the generous selection of physical ports that includes a Thunderbolt 3 port using a USB 3.1 Type C interface. In addition, it has a killer WLAN module, and a gaming-specific, colorful backlit keyboard with programmable function keys. It comes with many useful tools such as the popular Dust Defender.
Specifications of Acer Predator G9-793 in comparison to 792
The following are the most significant differences between the 793 and the 792 versions:
- The GTX 1070 is used in the new version instead of the GTX 980M or GTX 970M.
- In Acer Predator G9-793, G-Sync also works with the integrated panel.
- The chassis is slightly different such as the exhaust grill at the rear.
- The power adapter of the new version now supplies 230 watts instead of 180 watts, which implies that the battery now doesn’t discharge with the device plugged in.
Features of Acer Predator G9-793
Here is a detailed description of all the features of the Acer Predator G9-793 as described below:
- Design and Construction
The overall appearance of the Acer Predator G9-793 is almost the same as the previous version with some little tweaks here and there. Unfortunately, the main design drawback is still present, which is the port placement. Most of the connectors of the notebook are positioned on the right side including HDMI, DisplayPort, two USB 3.0, RJ-45 for LAN, and USB-C 3.1 which makes it a bit difficult to use the mouse on the right, especially when space is less.
However, for the most part, you would be happy with the build quality and design. It has a comfortable touchpad, keyboard, and stable construction. Talking about the keyboard, it now features a customizable RGB backlight which can also be adjusted by liking via the Predator Sense app. And at last, the back of the device, where the main exhaust vents are placed, is rebuilt and now seems more in line with the entire design concept with fierce triangle elements.
- Processor
Acer Predator G9-793 comes with Intel Core i7-6700HQ (Skylake, 2.6-3.5 GHz, Hyper-Threading, 45 Watt TDP). The CPU of this notebook is fast enough for all commonly used applications so you can easily run any application on this device. According to the Cinebench R15 (Multicore) test, the Predator 17 may not be one of the fastest notebooks with this 14 nm CPU, but in comparison, the Alienware 17 R3 which is also equipped with the i7-6700HQ is only about 4 % faster.
- Maintenance and Upgrade options
One of the great features of Acer Predator G9-793 is its maintenance and upgrade options. You can do most of the upgrades using the service lid which is present on the bottom of the notebook and it comes off pretty easily. Under this notebook, you will find the two M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD slots along with a 2.5-inch HDD and two DDR4-2133 RAM. Besides it, the other two RAM slots are placed on the other side and require full disassembly.
- Storage Upgrade options
Acer Predator G9-793 supports two M.2 PCIe NVme SSDs or two sticks utilizing the SATA interface in a RAID 0 configuration. One of the slots of the notebook is a standard 2280 but the other one is still the same 22110 size. Manu people wonder why Acer didn’t include two identical M.2 sticks instead of using two different standards. However, on the other hand, the 2.5-inch HDD is also present there just as in the previous version of the notebook.
- Display quality
This time the Acer Predator 17 doesn’t differ a lot from its predecessor when it comes to displaying quality. However, it is obvious as the last generation and the new one share the same AU Optronics B173ZAN01.0 panel. But the good thing is that the new version scores slightly better according to users. The main reason behind this could be it’s a revised or updated version so you may also find its display quality slightly better.
The screen of Acer Predator G9-793 uses a UHD 4K (3840×2160) IPS panel. It comes with a matte finish in a 17.3-inch diagonal leading to a pixel density of 255 PPI and a pixel pitch of 0.1 x 0.1 mm. It can be referred to as “Retina” when viewed or seen from a distance equal to or greater than 30 cm.
- Keyboard
The keyboard of this notebook appears to be identical to those of its predecessor versions. The region left to the chiclet keyboard is for the six special function keys. Five of the keys form a special group and are thus assigned their own individual color. For instance, The P-key up top allows the user to switch the groups. Furthermore, the group 1 (red) key is assigned for the following tasks which include always using discrete graphics, disabling sticky keys, maximum fan speed, multimedia mode settings, and game bar. In addition to these function keys, you can use the keys for macros as well. The keys that have functions assigned are the only ones that light up.
- Speakers
The sound system of the laptop consists of four speakers and two subwoofers which is quite impressive. The maximum volume level is high so you can easily use it even in large rooms. This notebook has a Dolby Audio menu which allows the user to select different presets and pinch several settings like the equalizer. For instance, in the standard setting, music sounds pretty natural, full, and detailed, but also slightly harsh which may be because of the upper-frequency range that appears to be a little over-emphasized.
As per our review, the Predator 17 appears to handle lower frequencies better than most notebooks, although true bass is lacking as the enclosures are not large enough. However, the soundstage is quite deep and the sound is also decently dynamic. At times at maximum volume levels, the speakers distort and somewhat too many low-frequency instruments at the same time muddle the sound. But we didn’t notice any sound fluctuations at the time of review. And as the games sound decent, we don’t think that headphones are required. So overall, the sound system is very useful and the quality is excellent for the high price point.
- Other components
The rest of the hardware of Acer Predator G9-793 is replaceable that includes the Wi-Fi card named Hon Hai which is located right next to the cooling fan. In addition to this, The battery is pretty easy to change once you remove the whole bottom of the laptop. It is still rated at 88.8Wh which means there is no change over last year’s generation.
Performance of Acer Predator G9-793
Many of you may wonder how does the Predator 17 perform when it comes to gaming? So let’s have a deep insight into its performance. Inside the notebook, there is a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card, and 16GB of RAM which make it a powerful combination as a gaming system.
So undoubtedly the Predator 17 delivers smooth gameplay as per our 3D and gaming tests. It got a good score of 24,273 points on our 3DMark Cloud Gate and 7,269 points on the more intensive Fire Strike Extreme. This might be small but you can see a noticeable improvement in comparison to its predecessor which scored 22,177 and 5,642 respectively with a last-generation Nvidia GTX 980. Moreover, it is also potent with the 25,278 and 7,366 scored by the MSI GT62VR which is not too far behind the Razer Blade Pro that has 25,439 on Cloud Gate, and 8,256 on Fire Strike Extreme, even though it is equipped with the same processor and a little more powerful GTX 1080.
The Predator 17 is specially designed for gaming, but it is more powerful enough to handle everyday productivity tasks as well. On conducting the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test, it got 3,558 points which are ahead of the Razer Blade Pro, Acer Predator 17 X, and MSI GT62VR. It may lag slightly behind the Asus ROG OC Edition which scored 3,865 points but that’s in part because of its overclocked processor and 64GB of memory.
The Acer Predator 17 also performed impressively when it came to multimedia tasks
In addition to this, while no one would expect excellent battery life from a gaming laptop, Acer Predator 17 G9-793 did fairly well with battery consumption as well.
Pros of Using Acer Predator G9-793
The following are some positive aspects of using Acer Predator G9-793 as mentioned below:
- The price of this notebook is good which means it is affordable.
- It has a swappable fan module.
- It has plenty of storage and I/O options.
- Its battery life is better than average.
- It is a well-built notebook with a good display with GSync support.
- It provides you with solid performance and excellent thermals, leaving room for overclocking.
- It also has capable speakers to provide you with a good sound experience.
Cons of Using Acer Predator G9-793
Besides having so many positive points, there are also a few drawbacks of using Acer Predator G9-793 as mentioned below:
- Some users may find it heavy with a bulky design.
- The Fans used in the device can get loud.
- It has flashy LEDs and design elements.
- Its Wi-Fi connection gets slow once you get away from the router.
- It has a rather poor keyboard feedback.
Accessories that come with Acer Predator G9-793
It comes with the usual accessories such as the power adapter, which is now rated at 230 watts, the starting guide, and the warranty details. The good thing is that besides the usual accessories, this time the box also contains an additional FrostCore fan, which you can insert into the slot for the optical drive (also included) and this will provide it additional cooling. This additional accessory makes it appeal cool as well.
Price and Availability of Acer Predator G9-793
Acer Predator 17 G9-793 is a Windows 10 Home laptop that comes with a 17.30-inch display along with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. This notebook is powered by a Core i7 processor and has 16GB of RAM. In addition, it is packed with 1TB of HDD storage.
The graphics of the laptop are powered by Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060. Its connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth, and Ethernet and have 4 USB ports including (4 x USB 3.0), HDMI Port, Multi Card Slot, Mic In, and RJ45 (LAN) ports.
Talking about the price of this gaming device, Acer Predator 17 G9-793 price in India starts at Rs. 90,000 as of December 2022.
About the Company: Acer
The Acer company was founded under the name of Multitech in Taiwan in 1976 and then in 1987, it was renamed Acer Group. They offer a wide range of products including, laptops, tablets, smartphones, desktops, monitors, and televisions. In addition to this, Gateway Inc. and Packard Bell also belong to this Group and sell their laptops under the brand.
Acer had the third largest global market share in the notebook part in 2008. However, in 2016, it ranked 6th with a market share of 6% as it had continuously lost market shares.
There are a lot of Acer laptop reviews per month and the ratings are also average. So you can easily check the reviews and ratings before buying this notebook.
The bottom line
Some gaming laptops try to play it decent that they are worth using but this is not always the case. However, the Acer Predator 17 is a laptop for gamers who want a strong and bold device. It provides gamers with a red-and-black gamer aesthetic vibe. There are both positive and negative aspects to this notebook.
Acer Predator G9-793 has a very decent build quality, a great display, very potent hardware, and a future-oriented selection of ports such as Thunderbolt 3. The gaming-specific tools and the programmable keys of this notebook are worth using. Last but not least, the amazing sound system is also worth mentioning.
So overall, Acer Predator G9-793 is a decent laptop for gamers. We hope that you found this guide informative and that this review would help you decide if you should buy this notebook or not.