Acer has just announced the release of two new gaming desktops during CES 2022: The Predator Orion 5000 and the Predator Orion 3000.
The desktops are new both inside and out, sporting a redesigned chassis and some new hardware under the hood, including 12th-gen Intel Alder Lake processors, DDR5 memory, and Nvidia RTX 30-series graphics cards.
The new Acer desktops are refreshed versions of the already existing Predator Orion line of gaming PCs. They vary from one another both in specifications and in size: Predator Orion 5000 is a large, majestic gaming PC with almost everything you could want from a high-end rig, while the Orion 3000 is a mid-tower computer with slightly less to offer in terms of specs.
The look of the case is dramatically simpler than the previous iteration, which featured lots of jagged lines and Tron-like light strips. The pared-down aesthetic puts the emphasis on the components inside and less on the ornate branding.
Acer also revealed the specifications of the upcoming Predator Orion PCs, although keep in mind that these are customizable PCs and many components can be swapped out for a cheaper option.
The Predator Orion 5000 comes with an up to Core i7 Intel Alder Lake processor based on Intel’s H670 chipset. The best configuration of the Orion 5000 offers Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3080 GPU with 10GB of GDDR6X memory.
This PC supports a maximum of 64GB of the latest DDR5 RAM clocked at 4000MHz. In terms of storage, users can pick up to two M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs with a maximum size of 1TB each as well as up to two HDDs with up to 3TB of storage each. The Predator comes with Windows 11 pre-installed as well as Intel’s Wi-Fi 6E built-in.
When it comes to the design of the PC itself, Acer seems to have emphasized what seems like a solid cooling system, with four Predator Frostblade 2.0 fans keeping the temperatures at bay. All these fans are definitely needed, as builds like this tend to run hot. Customizable RGB lighting lights up an otherwise fairly simple design.
The obsidian-colored chassis comes with an EMI-compliant transparent side panel that should protect the components within from electromagnetic interference. Acer promises that the case features a tool-less design for quick and easy upgrades in the future.
Moving on to the Predator Orion 3000, we are greeted with a similar ceiling in terms of maximum specs, but there are some noteworthy differences between the two rigs. At the first glance, this mid-tower computer is much smaller (measuring 6.8 by 14.8 by 15.1 inches compared to the 8.6 by 19.8 by 19 inches of the 5000,) with one fewer 92mm by 92mm Predator Frostblade fan than the 5000. The EMI-compliant transparent side panel is optional in this model, which indicates that it may cost extra.
In terms of components, the Predator Orion 3000 also features an up to 12th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, this time on Intel’s B660 chipset. The best available graphics card is Nvidia’s RTX 3070. This model offers up to 64GB of 3200MHz DDR4 memory, which marks another difference from the Predator Orion 5000 which runs DDR5.
However, we can expect the same amount of storage, and the Orion 3000 also comes with pre-installed Windows 11. Acer has already updated the Orion 3000 recently, but this refresh is a move to the new Intel Alder Lake platform.
Both of the desktops are releasing shortly and are supposed to hit the shelves in North America in February, in the EMEA region in March, and in China as early as this month. The Predator Orion 5000 will be priced at $2,600 as a starting point, while the Predator Orion 3000 will be available at $2,000 and up.
