Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2016
02/27/2017: Warning: WORST TECH SUPPORT EVER. I've been working on computer since the 80's, and have never before actually been unable to get any sort of help. After two hours of trying to get "Live Chat" support to work, I gave up and tried calling. After being asked the same questions three times, the automated system told me it would connect me to a rep - then I got another recording which told me to try again later and hung up. Calling their office directly resulted in a 10 minute wait, followed by finally a real person, who did nothing but put me on hold, which then hung up on me after another five minute wait. I will NEVER be getting another Acer. Period.
The "issue" is that periodically the PC will go into an endless loop of rebooting. The only "fix" I've found is to unplug it, remove the optical drive, re-insert it, plug it back in, and try to reboot. This may take anywhere from one to five tries before it works, but then it will work for up to a week before having to do it again.
06/23/2016: After having used this guy for a while, I need to make a couple more comments. These are in addition to what's below.
The Keyboard is VERY annoying in one particular regard. I lock my computer every time I step away, and every time this stupid thing turns NumLock off. Well no, not exactly. The FIRST keystroke is with NumLock on. Then it turns it off. Very, VERY annoying. I've found that to enter my PIN quickly, instead of just hitting the numbers as I've done on every other machine, I have to tap NumLock THREE times, then enter the number (four if I use the first tap to remove the "cover screen"). Before anyone accuses me of not doing the research, I've tried every Registry Hack and so on that I can find - that's not the problem. The problem is that something is turning it off AFTER the first keypress. The first keypress actually types as a number in the PIN field! Yah, I know. Weird. If I figure it out, I'll try to remember to post my findings. But I wanted to let you know so that if you run across it, you won't think you're losing your mind!
Regarding Macros: I've found that it's generally easier to edit the XML files than it is to try to enter macros perfectly in "Record" mode. I've also found it's far easier to put my .BAT file folder on the PATH, then make the macros run BAT files with very short names, than it is to go through all the trouble of recording/editing XML files. For example, most of my "Macros" now just hold down the WIN key, tap "R", then type in the BAT file name for each macro. Made one, replicated it fifteen times. Easy peazy. The filenames I use are @R1 through @R5 for the five RED macros, @RG1 - @G5 for the GREEN set, and so on. The BAT files themselves do all the work. This works fine in normal computer operations, but obviously will not work for gaming macros, since the game will have the foreground. For that, you'll need to either Record, or you'll need to edit using the key codes. I found what appears to be a pretty good list of the key codes at[...]
--- END OF EDITS --- Original Review follows ---
So apparently the review I did yesterday mysteriously disappeared. Thanks Amazon! :-(
There are several "flavors" to this laptop. Mostly they're just different screen, memory and M.2 drive sizes. The one I got is a 17" with the 500GB M.2 drive and 32GB memory. I don't think I could live with a 256GB main drive, no matter how fast, so that was my primary reason.
The size/weight is comparable to other GAMING laptops. I've had some bigger and heavier. This one has about the same footprint as my Alienware M18X-R2 and Asus G74SX laptops, a little bigger than my Samsung NP700G. It's significantly thinner and lighter than the Alienware, about the same thickness and a little lighter than the others. The power brick is the smaller than all the others.
Like most of the other reviews say, it's a good, fast, well-built machine. But as with all machines, there's a few "Gotchas" you need to know about. So here we go...
GOTCHA - Coating Peels: The machine feels well-built and has a nice texture similar to that of the Firestick remote. That is, it feels like rubber, but it's not. Most of the body and lid appear to be made of plastic, so the texture is (presumably) part of the plastic. However, the back piece which the lid hinge goes into is apparently metal with this coating applied. After having it a week and carrying it back and forth to work only twice, this coating is already starting to scrape off along the top "crease" because they made it angular instead of rounded (probably because it's a gamer machine and looks more "Sci-Fi" that way). I don't think this is fixable without returning the laptop, and would likely just happen to the next one too, so I'll just have to live with it. I'll color it with a sharpie or something to make it not so obvious, but it's still pretty annoying for such an expensive unit.
GOTCHA - Touchpad button: It's a good touchpad with one-, two-, and three-finger functionality. I won't use it much, but when I do, it's a nice one. The GOTCHA here is the button to turn it on/off. It's conveniently located. My issue with it is that it doesn't just turn off the touchpad. It also turns off the Windows key. I believe this is because it's a "Gamer" machine, and many gamers hate the Windows key because if you hit it in mid-game, often it will break you out of the game to pop up the menu. That's fine for gamers. But for those of us who use it for other things, and especially for those of use who use the Windows key a lot, it's EXTREMELY ANNOYING, especially if you don't know it's happening. It does flash an icon indicating the Windows key is on/off, but if you don't know what that icon means, it's not helpful. WORK-AROUND: You can turn off the touchpad without affecting the Windows key by using FN+F7. The touchpad light will stay green. I would MUCH prefer a simple little setting somewhere which would change the button from touchpad+windows key, to touchpad-only, but I guess that's asking too much.
GOTCHA - Keyboard Lighting: I read some reviews that said the coloring was adjustable, as it is on my Alienware. It's NOT. You have three "zones" (areas) in the main keyboard (red) and a separate "zone" on the numeric keypad (blue). You can turn them all off/on independently. That's all the control you have. The only ones that change color are the Macro buttons.
GOTCHA - Thunderbolt Update: I had the machine about two days when it notified me of an update to the Thunderbolt drivers. The update came in two parts with reboots after each. The first try on the first part failed the first time, so for me it went like this: Update first part. Reboot. Fail. Update first part again. Reboot. Update second part. Reboot. Done? Nope! After that it told me I had to turn off the machine, then hold the "reset" button on the bottom of the unit for four seconds using a paperclip. Why is this a "Gotcha"? Well, I don't know about you, but I simply do not keep paperclips around the house anymore! I mean, this IS 2016, right? Fortunately for me, it's not my first rodeo, and I have a few pre-straightened out paperclips in my PC toolbox. But guess what? I made those with "large" paperclips, and the reset hole on this laptop is too small for them! You have to get a SMALL paperclip to fit in there! I finally found one in a box of old files and the operation was a success, but it took me about an hour to find one. So be prepared and make sure you have a SMALL paperclip handy!
GOTCHA - Macro Buttons: On all the pictures I saw, the macro buttons are across the top, where they belong. On mine, they're down the left side. Unlike some other laptops with a similar feature, they ARE far enough removed and flush with the base, so I won't hit them by mistake when typing "by feel". The Macro Set Selector allows you to select between the three "sets", so you can have, for example, one set for general use, one set for Fave Game #1, and one set for Fave Game #2. When you press the selector, an on-screen indicator shows you what set is selected, as well as what macro is on each button. It stays on screen for 5 sec. To create/edit macros, open PredatorSense, then click the EDIT button. (There's a Profiles selector, so perhaps you can also create "Profiles" with three macro sets in each?) This is also where the lighting controls are. Note that you have to use the Macro tab and create a macro, then go to the Key Assignment tab to assign that macro to a key.
GOTCHA - Game Bar: This is actually a Windows 10 / XBox "innovation" which allows you to record the screen while you play. By default, Macro Set #1, button #5 is programmed to activate it. I tried it on my browser, just to see how it works, and was then prompted by it EVERY time my browser opened. Annoying, and had to look up how to get rid of it. You can turn it off in the XBox app, in Settings/GameDVR. I don't know if it's possible to control on a per-program/per-game basis, though if it's not, that's a horrible implementation. So that's ONE "Gotcha". The other is that if you're not logged into your PC in with a Microsoft account, the XBox app may or may let you in. For me I got in the first time, but just now when I was trying to confirm where the setting was, it wouldn't log into XBox or the App Store at all until I changed my account to a Microsoft account and logged in. Naturally I'll be changing it back to a Local account immediately, but thought you should know. This isn't really an Acer issue though, it's a Microsoft issue/Gotcha. BTW, the Game Bar macro that comes pre-programmed just hits the Win+G combo, which is the Windows 10 built-in hotkey for the Game Bar.
GOTCHA - Macro Buttons: They're VERY rudimentary and the "editor" is even rudimentarier (It's a word if I use it as a word!) And there's no simple way to launch an app/program. Essentially you can "Record" a series of keystrokes, or you can "Insert" a single keystroke (which it does by turning on Record - duh!). Delays are placed between and can be adjusted. That's ALL you get! Welcome to 1980's technology! Because of this EXTREME clunkiness, your macro keys are essentially useless unless you have the patience of a monk and endless time to try to get it to work. What you end up with is something that looks like:
LWin Key down
0 Delay
R Key down
0 Delay
LWin Key Up
0 Delay
LeftShift Key down
0 Delay
OemQuotes Key Down
0 Delay
OemQuotes Key Up
0 Delay
LeftShift Key up
That whole thing is to hold down the Windows key and tap "R". Since the editor will only show you eight lines at a time, you'll be doing a LOT of scrolling for even the simplest tasks and will encounter endless frustration. You can remove most of the "Delays", and can prevent them from being inserted by clicking the "No Delay" option before you start "recording" keystrokes. If you like editing XML and using Hex Key Codes, I found that the Macros are stored in XML files in %appdata%\PredatorSense\ProfilePool\Default\MacroKeyPool\ But then you're basically looking at XML that looks like:
<KEYVALUE state="down">0x5b</KEYVALUE>
<KEYVALUE state="down">0x52</KEYVALUE>
<KEYVALUE state="up">0x5b</KEYVALUE>
which translates to the first three commands above, minus the delays. Not really an improvement. Hopefully someone will create an actual editor someday soon! Also, I'm not sure how you'd re-load the XML after you edited it, or if PredatorSense would overwrite your editing when you shut down, so play with that stuff at your own risk. Personally, I'll stick with MacroExpress or AutoHotKey and just call the Macro buttons on the Predator what they really are - a complete waste of space. Or in a kinder phrase, a sweet hardware feature ruined by an absolutely HORRIBLE software implementation.
GOTCHA - NumLock (Yes, again!): This is the first machine I've seen which turns the NumLock key OFF whenever the PC is locked. It doesn't matter whether you lock it manually or if it locks because of time-out. Either way, when the password entry screen is displayed, the NumLock key is OFF. I've tried the Registry fix, and that actually does work to keep NumLock on WHEN YOU FIRST BOOT UP. However, once it's booted, it reverts to turning it back off whenever the Lock Screen is displayed. Very annoying, and I can't find any fix for it.
On a side note... I'm a data hoarder, and my other machines all have at least 2x1TB SSDs, so this felt cramped. So I immediately replaced the 1TB HD with a 2TB SSD (Samsung Evo). I'll be populating the second M.2 drive bay with a 1TB M.2 when they become available (and reliable). I'm very happy there's two slots, because I'll likely want to clone the smaller to the larger, which would be difficult with only one slot! I personally have had "spinning" laptop drives fail several times, so I always go SSD (plus they're faster). That being said, I was pleased to see that the drive which came in there is a HGST, not some Seagate or Toshiba crap. It's now living in an enclosure, of course. :-)
