At the annual Global Press Conference (GPC), Acer presented the company's fastest gaming PC to date. The Predator Orion 7000 relies on Alder Lake-S and can be equipped with a maximum of one GeForce RTX 3090. Despite this target group, the system for gamers is much more discreet this time than previous PCs.
Even the gamer notebooks from Acer optically no longer scream “gaming” as loudly as they did a few years ago. This mantra is now being followed with the Predator Orion 7000, the first desktop PC, which, in view of the equipment options offered, will be faster than the actual flagship Predator Orion 9000, which Acer still offers with Extreme processors of the 10th generation from Intel.
Intel's 12th core generation is just around the corner
In contrast, the new Predator Orion 7000, which is due to hit the market in the first quarter of 2022, contains Alder Lake-S – or as Acer calls it: the 12th generation Intel Core i7 and i9 without specific SKUs. The background is that Intel has not yet presented the new processors in detail. The performance to be expected from Intel with the 12th generation could recently be seen in various ways from the rumor mill.
The graphics cards always come from Nvidia
The selection of graphics cards is just as important for gamers. Acer has committed itself to Nvidia and offers a GeForce RTX 3090 with 24 GB GDDR6X in the highest configuration level. In the Nvidia warehouse there will also be the RTX 3080 and potentially even smaller configurations. AMD CPUs and graphics cards have made their way into notebooks at Acer, but not yet in the desktop segment for gamers, even with this generation. A transparent side panel made of tempered glass reveals a view of the components.
-
Acer Predator Orion 7000 (Image: Acer)
Image 1 of 3
< figure class = "thumbs thumbs - 3" role = "group">
Acer Predator Orion 7000 
Acer Predator Orion 7000 
With Alder Lake comes DDR5
Support for DDR5 goes hand in hand with Intel's new CPU platform, which can be selected for the Predator Orion 7000 with up to 64 GB DDR5-4000. SSDs can be configured in two PCIe 4.0 slots with a maximum of 1 TB each, which can be supplemented by two 3.5 “HDDs with up to 3 TB each. Exchangeable storage is implemented via a 2.5 “hot-swap drive slot with USB 3.2 Gen 2 connection.
Simpler housing with RGB fans
Although Acer opted for a much more discreet appearance this year, for example when the older Predator Orion 9000 is used for a direct comparison, the Predator Orion 7000 can still be assigned to the target group of gamers. Like a UFO shortly before the start, you can no longer insult the new generation, instead the predicate “gaming” is primarily limited to the RGB fans in the front and rear as well as the AiO cooling system.
-
Acer Predator Orion 7000 (Image: Acer)
Image 1 of 4
Acer Predator Orion 7000 
Acer Predator Orion 7000 
Acer Predator Orion 7000 
Specifically, Acer relies on two 140 mm fans in the front and a third with 120 mm in the rear. At the front, fresh air is sucked in through side slits, blown through the housing and expelled again at the rear. The all-in-one water cooling keeps the temperatures of the processor in check and, judging by the pictures, has a 240 or 280 mm radiator in the lid. The graphics card, on the other hand, manages with traditional air cooling, which blows from the rear, among other things. The monitoring of temperatures, fan speeds and RGB lighting is possible via Acer's Predator Sense software, which is also responsible for overclocking the system.
Fast Ethernet and WLAN
A view from above of the case shows the illuminated power button in the center of the front area, followed by ports for USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 and USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, headphones Microphone and the mentioned hot-swap drive. On the back, buyers will find three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2, two USB-A 2.0 and three audio sockets. Ethernet is provided via an Intel Killer NIC 2.5G, and there is also Wi-Fi 6E with 2×2 MU-MIMO for wireless connections.
prices pending
Acer will not announce specific prices for the Predator Orion 7000 until a later date. According to Acer, however, around 3,000 euros can be set as a guideline for a system with medium equipment.
ComputerBase has received information about this article from Acer under NDA. The only requirement was the earliest possible publication time.