First look: Acer Predator X – the world-ender of gaming PCs

Acer Predator X

We didn’t think Acer could possibly top itself with an even more ridiculous gaming desktop than the Predator Orion 9000, but then the company went on to introduce an even more over-the-top Predator X featuring not one, but two Intel Xeon processors.

With those two enterprise-grade processors in tow, the Predator X is much more of a workstation that an ultra-high-end gaming PC. Whereas the Predator Orion 9000 employed an 18-core Intel Core i9-7980XE processor, the current highest-end Xeon chip, the E7-8890 v4, features 24 processor cores.

If Acer were to go with two of these chips we could potentially see the Predator X powered by up to 48 processor cores – although this seems like a long shot, simply because of the sheer amount of heat this configuration would generate.

Going with a Xeon platform also implies that this rig will support ECC memory and Quadro graphics. The floor sample we saw at Acer’s global press conference also came equipped with two Nvidia graphics cards working together in SLI.

Looks to kill and intense cooling

In terms of design, the Acer Predator X remains unchanged from the Predator Orion 9000. From the side, the gaming desktop still looks like a monolith, or the Tyrell building from Blade Runner.

Likewise, Acer has employed its patented IceTunnel 2.0 airflow management system again. The system will be loaded up with up to five intake fans to create a positive-pressure air channel, which is to say all the cool air being sucked is also used to push heat through every crevice.

Acer has yet to announce pricing, availability or potential configurations for the Predator X, but it’s an almost forgone conclusion that it will cost a fortune.

Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee was a former computing reporter at TechRadar. Kevin is now the SEO Updates Editor at IGN based in New York. He handles all of the best of tech buying guides while also dipping his hand in the entertainment and games evergreen content. Kevin has over eight years of experience in the tech and games publications with previous bylines at Polygon, PC World, and more. Outside of work, Kevin is major movie buff of cult and bad films. He also regularly plays flight & space sim and racing games. IRL he's a fan of archery, axe throwing, and board games.