Acer Predator Triton 700 crams GeForce GTX 1080 into 0.74-inch frame

Why it matters to you

Acer’s upcoming laptop will likely begin a wave of super-thin PC gaming notebooks with better graphics performance than larger, heavier competing products.

During Nvidia’s keynote at the start of Computex 2017, Acer said that its upcoming ultra-thin gaming laptop, the Predator Triton 700, will have an option of an overclockable GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip. This is in part thanks to Nvidia’s new optimization of its “Pascal” graphics chip architecture dubbed as Max-Q, which simultaneously maximizes the power efficiency of the GTX 1080 chip while providing better performance than what was previously experienced with GTX 1080-based notebooks. Max-Q enables laptop designs that are three times thinner than before as well.

In the case of Acer’s upcoming Predator Triton 700, it will measure just 0.74 inches thick (18.9mm). For a GTX 1080-based laptop, that is seemingly unheard of given the space required to previously cool the graphics chip along with a hefty power requirement. For example, the Alienware 17 R4 packing the non-Max-Q GTX 1080 graphics chip measures around 1.18 inches thick and weighs at least 9.74 pounds. The Predator Triton 700? A mere 5.7 pounds.

“Max-Q, an integral part of NASA’s mission to launch man into space, is defined as the point at which the aerodynamic stress on a rocket in atmospheric flight is maximized,” Acer said. “Thus, the design of the rocket is precision-engineered around Max-Q. Nvidia has applied a similar philosophy to designing gaming laptops.”

As for the other hardware specs, we won’t have specifics until we get closer to the laptop’s launch later this summer. However, here’s what we know so far:

Screen size:
15.6 inches
Screen resolution:
1920 x 1080
Nvidia G-Sync support
Panel type:
IPS
Processor:
Seventh-generation Intel Core
Graphics:
Up to GeForce GTX 1080
Cooling system:
Dual Acer AeroBlade 3D fans
Five heat pipes
Memory:
Up to 32GB DDR4 @ 2,400MHz
Storage:
2x NVMe PCI Express SSDs
Audio:
Acer TrueHarmony
Dolby Atoms Surround Sound
Connectivity:
Killer DoubleShot Pro
Ports:
1x Thunderbolt 3
2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A (one charges)
1x USB 2.0 Type-A
1x HDMI
1x DisplayPort
1x Gigabit Ethernet
Keyboard:
Mechanical
Per-key RGB illumination
Touchpad:
Smoked Corning Gorilla Glass plate
Shows the cooling system underneath
Size:
18.9 mm-thin (0.74 inches)
Weight:
5.7 pounds
Body:
Black aluminum
Angular front corners and straight contours
Starting price:
$2,999

As the above list shows, the laptop will still rely on two fans to keep the processor and graphics chip cool in addition to the five heatpipes that carry heat away from these chips. But given the efficiency of Nvidia’s new Max-Q chip enhancement, the fans won’t be as large as those used in bulkier PC gaming laptops prior to Max-Q-based laptops. That means the notebook likely won’t be a growling beast in your lap either.

As we reported in April when Acer first revealed the laptop, the touchpad actually resides above the keyboard instead of below. It sports a smoked Corning Gorilla Glass plate so that owners can see the two Acer AeroBlade 3D fans cooling the innards underneath. That’s definitely a nice touch, and traditionally not something we’ve seen in the past on high-dollar PC gaming laptops.

Acer’s upcoming Predator Triton 700 will hit store shelves in various configurations this August.