I've been a big fan of Acer's Predator Helios Neo 16 gaming laptops for a while now. It sits in the sweet spot between
budget models that force you to make a lot of compromises and high-end configurations that are beyond most budgets. I
loved last year's more budget-minded system, and my fellow laptop reviewer at CNET, Jason Cockerham, thinks this year's
And right now, you can pick up a maxed-out Predator Helios Neo 16 model at Best Buy at a steep discount for Cyber Monday
that makes it nearly the same price as the lower-end unit that Cockerham reviewed.
The sale model at Best Buy is $495 off for Cyber Monday, dropping its price to $2,000. Here are the specs:
Nvidia RTX 5070Ti graphics
16-inch OLED with 2,560x1,600 resolution and 240Hz refresh rate
Cockerham reviewed a similar model that costs $1,900 at Best Buy (it's not on sale for Cyber Monday) and features 32GB
of RAM and a 1TB SSD but the same CPU, GPU and display. I think it's a good deal at its full price, so getting double
the RAM and storage for only $100 more makes the Cyber Monday sale model a fantastic deal.
You just won't find many RTX 5070 Ti gaming laptops with an OLED display and that much memory and storage for $2,000 or
less. And the Predator Helios Neo 16 series has been a favorite of mine for budget-conscious gamers for a number of
First, it usually offers great performance for the price, and this 5070 Ti configuration is no exception. Secondly, the
design is subtle and doesn't go overboard in an attempt to appeal to gamers. The chassis also feels solid and includes
an aluminum top cover for added durability and a bit more of a premium feel. Further, the 2.5K OLED screen on this Cyber
Monday sale model is gorgeous, and the RAM and storage are upgradeable, which helps extend the life of the laptop.
The Predator Helios Neo 16 is not perfect -- the fans can be a bit loud, the battery life is shockingly short and the
webcam isn't great -- but none of these demerits are deal breakers for gamers.
If you've got $2,000 earmarked for a gaming laptop, the Predator Helios Neo 16 at its Cyber Monday sale price today
provides more than you'll likely find elsewhere.