Coming from someone who has used many gaming laptops on a daily basis, what you are looking for is balance. You want a set of components that the cooling system can handle, the right amount of storage space, a good looking chassis, and a great screen. All of that can be had for a price that won't make the bank manager call you and say, "Are you sure?"

That's why this Acer Predator Helios 16 is a bargain. For a very reasonable price, you get components that make much more sense than the overpowered (and consequently very hot) combinations found in some of the more expensive laptops on the market.

Let's start with the display. This 240Hz IPS LED-backlit panel is, unfortunately, not the Mini-LED model found on the RTX 4080-powered ultra high-end version. Too bad. Still, at this refresh rate and 500 nits peak brightness, it packs a mega-fast punch and is perfect for gaming.

Of course, you could buy a more powerful model with a better screen. However, while we liked the RTX 4080 version we reviewed, it was incredibly loud under load.

This should hopefully be less of an issue here. Don't get me wrong, almost all modern gaming laptops are hot and loud. But here, instead of the hot running Core i9 13900HX we reviewed, we have the more sensible Core i7 13700HX.

Still, it's a great chip for gaming and productivity, and it won't put too much stress on the cooling system even under heavy loads; paired with the 140W TGP RTX 4070, this machine can still deliver excellent gaming performance, while still being able to handle the regular specifications are far more reasonable than the heat and noise monsters we review.

Thanks to the RTX 4070, you'll also experience the benefits of DLSS 3, which boosts frame rates on high refresh rate displays. In a gaming laptop, it is tempting to buy a heavy-duty graphics chip like the RTX 4080 or RTX 4090, but ultimately something more efficient like the RTX 4070 will get the job done. If not faster, at least less drama.

Gaming laptops are usually a compromise, and that compromise is nicely balanced here.

"Portability" Now, we run into some drawbacks here. While this enclosure looks nice, the large lip on the back is a bit awkward. The charger brick is a chonker, and at 2.6 kg, it is a bit heavy overall; not the heaviest 16", but not the lightest to carry on your back with the charger.

The 1TB of NVMe storage is pretty good; 1TB will get the job done, but personally, I'd consider upgrading to make room somewhere down the road.

Still, what you get here is a very well-specced gaming machine that falls right in the sweet spot between price and performance. At this price, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more balanced mobile component.