Made for each other: Predator Orion 3000 and Predator XB3 Gaming Monitor

With all these gaming laptops available, you might be wondering where the desktops are. Well, Acer’s got you covered, with the Predator Orion 3000 (P03-620) and Predator XB3 Gaming Monitor to pair with each other for that wishlist of yours. If you haven’t gotten the time to research and build your own PC, gamers can look towards the Predator Orion 3000, and grab the Predator XB3 to complement their new gaming machine for one of the best experiences you can expect from a display.

ORION 3000

You can be assured this desktop will have power to complete virtually any task you might need it for, with a processor and GPU that will be able to fire off the hottest titles available, all in a relatively compact package. Get the GeForce RTX 2060 Super and Intel Core i7-10700H CPU @ 2.90GHz, more than ready for the greatest visual effects at 4K.

APPEARANCE

The chassis strikes a balance between a “simple” and “gaming” design. Its textured front has two blue LED lights, another light behind the chassis light and a triangular power button on the top. This Orion 3000 has a glass panel on the side, which is not present on its previous desktops, perhaps an effect of Acer wanting a new look for their desktop.

The front also has a hook where you can hang unused peripherals, like your headset, so you can save a little bit of space on your table. It does look on the small side, but it can match its bigger cousins no sweat. Get connectivity options including HDMI, 3 DisplayPorts, 4 USB-A 2.0, 2 USB-A 3.1 Gen 1, USB-C, Ethernet RJ-45 port and input/output audio ports. The front has a USB-C port, USB-A port and speaker/microphone jack.

PERFORMANCE

The Orion 3000 we had hands on was equipped with a GeForce RTX 2060 Super, Intel Core i7-10700H CPU @2.90GHz, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD. The RTX 2060 Super is the best card yet for 4K gameplay, and will enable Ray Tracing. You can see its performance in-game for yourself:

It’s only a fraction of the Orion 3000’s capabilities even with that. Doom and Rainbow Six Siege will run at maximum settings with no problems, on top of turning on V-Sync, anti-aliasing, HFD resolution and more, taking it all on like a champ. It would stand to reason it will be more than fine with more “complex” titles like Battlefield V or Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

The RTX 2060 Super will be more than sufficient for 1080 or 1440p, while you can leave the hardcore 4K testing to someone else with a better monitor (the Predator XB3, perhaps?). The Orion 3000 is primarily marketed as a gaming machine, but this power will do just fine with demanding creative work like photo and video editing, offering fast rendering.

OPINION

Acer’s been stepping up for their gaming desktop line, firmly wanting to put their machines in your sights. The Predator Orion 3000 may not be breaking new ground, but it will be a good consideration to fill the needs of both more hardcore or casual gamers.

PREDATOR XB3 GAMING MONITOR

The Predator XB3 gaming monitor is a 25-inch panel with 240Hz refresh rate and response time as low as 0.5ms. Needless to say, it will be very good for your video games.

APPEARANCE

The three-legged stand is one of its striking design points at first glance. It’s quite a heavy monitor, but it can be adjustable, allowing you to tweak its height, tilt (from -5 to 20) and can be slanted 20 degrees on either side, and can spin. It can also be pivoted 90 degrees to either edge, and has a place to hang your headset on the back. Almost all the I/O ports are on the back, where you’ll find the power plug, two HDMI connectors, one DisplayPort, audio jack, USB Type-B and two USB-Type A. Two more USB Type-A ports are on the left.

DISPLAY QUALITY AND LIGHTSENSE RGB

The Acer Predator XB3 gaming monitor is an IPS panel, with a maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz and response time as low as 0.5ms as mentioned. The colours and sharpness on this display really pop, matching the quality of other 4K monitors. It also has NVIDIA G-Sync technology, so the frame rate is smooth and speedy, something the competitive player would be eyeing. As many praises as we can sing for this monitor, you’ll need at least an NVIDIA GTX 1080 to utilize it to its fullest potential, namely its 240 Hz refresh rate.

The XB3 comes with a strip of RGB light that you can customize, cycling 9 colours in four different modes. Basic Sync Mode is the default setting, standardized across programs. Music Sync does exactly what it says, detecting your tracks, films or games to provide suitable lighting. Screen Sync will match the colours on your screen, slowly spreading out to give an impression of a smooth and organic flow of colour. Game Sync will work to match the light patterns in your current game.

OPINION

As a whole the XB3 is an incredible monitor and practically has it all: speedy IPS panel, good refresh rate and response time, and covers more than 100% of the sRGB spectrum for the best images. It won’t be coming cheap, but you’ll get everything that you want.

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