Review of the Helios 500

UncleMikey42 · September 2018

Awesome review (and a few tips and tricks I had missed reading elsewhere that I plan to look into). I agree with you that Acer has really knocked it out of the park with this machine. I bought mine (also at MicroCenter) in lieu of paying more for a "thin and light" and I actually find myself with no regrets whatsoever. This thing just chews through everything I want it to do, and it stays completely cool doing so.

Red-Sand · September 2018

UncleMikey42 said:

Awesome review (and a few tips and tricks I had missed reading elsewhere that I plan to look into). I agree with you that Acer has really knocked it out of the park with this machine. I bought mine (also at MicroCenter) in lieu of paying more for a "thin and light" and I actually find myself with no regrets whatsoever. This thing just chews through everything I want it to do, and it stays completely cool doing so.

Totally agree.
I actually got the chance to play with a few of the other brands I had been considering and it only resolved my mind that i made the right choice. As you said this thing chews through everything.
Very pleased.

Maktor · September 2018

@Red-Sand

Thanks for the review!

I am one of apparently few that predominantly game from my couch with the laptop in my lap (the name indicates that they should be usable in this position

This has only been working out for me with the Asus G-series (not gl etc) series of laptops (currently running a G751) with a similar chassis build as the Helios 500. So how does this machine work from the lap in terms of temperatures? Don't need the actual degrees, just want to know if it gets uncomfortable when playing demanding games and if it seems to get enough air flow?

I've read/seen most available reviews (I think) and only Notebookcheck.net even talks about bottom temperatures. Unfortunately they did screw up the test for this model with weird results (seems like they did not test with both gpu and cpu simultaneous loads). Thanks!

Red-Sand · September 2018

Maktor said:

@Red-Sand
Thanks for the review!
I am one of apparently few that predominantly game from my couch with the laptop in my lap (the name indicates that they should be usable in this position This has only been working out for me with the Asus G-series (not gl etc) series of laptops (currently running a G751) with a similar chassis build as the Helios 500. So how does this machine work from the lap in terms of temperatures? Don't need the actual degrees, just want to know if it gets uncomfortable when playing demanding games and if it seems to get enough air flow?
I've read/seen most available reviews (I think) and only Notebookcheck.net even talks about bottom temperatures. Unfortunately they did screw up the test for this model with weird results (seems like they did not test with both gpu and cpu simultaneous loads). Thanks!

Great question!
This is a VERY comfortable lap laptop 😉
Even the keyboard just gets a liiiiitttle warm but still about 80% cooler than the H300 model. This is probably due to the thicker chassis.

The bottom I notice a warmth but its the same warmth of having a pillow on your lap for a while and I attributed it to body heat rather than laptop heat.

There is an extra layer of plastic inside separating the mainboard from the bottom of the laptop which absorbs the heat and leaves little to be noticed from the bottom.

I will do some testing and leave it plugged in (since it has more power plugged in) and see how it feels on my lap. I've only tested it on battery so far while mobile (couch/bed).

Maktor · September 2018

Red-Sand said:

Maktor said:

@Red-Sand
Thanks for the review!
I am one of apparently few that predominantly game from my couch with the laptop in my lap (the name indicates that they should be usable in this position This has only been working out for me with the Asus G-series (not gl etc) series of laptops (currently running a G751) with a similar chassis build as the Helios 500. So how does this machine work from the lap in terms of temperatures? Don't need the actual degrees, just want to know if it gets uncomfortable when playing demanding games and if it seems to get enough air flow?
I've read/seen most available reviews (I think) and only Notebookcheck.net even talks about bottom temperatures. Unfortunately they did screw up the test for this model with weird results (seems like they did not test with both gpu and cpu simultaneous loads). Thanks!

Great question!
This is a VERY comfortable lap laptop 😉
Even the keyboard just gets a liiiiitttle warm but still about 80% cooler than the H300 model. This is probably due to the thicker chassis.

The bottom I notice a warmth but its the same warmth of having a pillow on your lap for a while and I attributed it to body heat rather than laptop heat.

There is an extra layer of plastic inside separating the mainboard from the bottom of the laptop which absorbs the heat and leaves little to be noticed from the bottom.

I will do some testing and leave it plugged in (since it has more power plugged in) and see how it feels on my lap. I've only tested it on battery so far while mobile (couch/bed).

If, possible, please test with some heavy lifting (as that is what I plan to use it for)

Thanks!

PS. A second question, do I understand your review correctly that I actually won't need to neither re-paste or undervolt? That's impressive customer care from Acer, but it sort of steals some of the fun of buying a new laptop for me personally

Once again, great in-depth review!

Red-Sand · September 2018

Maktor said:

Red-Sand said:

Maktor said:

@Red-Sand
Thanks for the review!
I am one of apparently few that predominantly game from my couch with the laptop in my lap (the name indicates that they should be usable in this position This has only been working out for me with the Asus G-series (not gl etc) series of laptops (currently running a G751) with a similar chassis build as the Helios 500. So how does this machine work from the lap in terms of temperatures? Don't need the actual degrees, just want to know if it gets uncomfortable when playing demanding games and if it seems to get enough air flow?
I've read/seen most available reviews (I think) and only Notebookcheck.net even talks about bottom temperatures. Unfortunately they did screw up the test for this model with weird results (seems like they did not test with both gpu and cpu simultaneous loads). Thanks!

Great question!
This is a VERY comfortable lap laptop 😉
Even the keyboard just gets a liiiiitttle warm but still about 80% cooler than the H300 model. This is probably due to the thicker chassis.

The bottom I notice a warmth but its the same warmth of having a pillow on your lap for a while and I attributed it to body heat rather than laptop heat.

There is an extra layer of plastic inside separating the mainboard from the bottom of the laptop which absorbs the heat and leaves little to be noticed from the bottom.

I will do some testing and leave it plugged in (since it has more power plugged in) and see how it feels on my lap. I've only tested it on battery so far while mobile (couch/bed).

If, possible, please test with some heavy lifting (as that is what I plan to use it for) Thanks!

PS. A second question, do I understand your review correctly that I actually won't need to neither re-paste or undervolt? That's impressive customer care from Acer, but it sort of steals some of the fun of buying a new laptop for me personally

Once again, great in-depth review!

LOL I know what you mean! Ive immediately repasted every laptop Ive ever owned and so far I havent repasted this one yet! 😂

And yes, all my tests are always brutal so no worries there.

UncleMikey42 · September 2018

I use this device so far exclusively on my lap. I do use a laptop cooling pad underneath it, but more to guarantee a stand-off between my body and the laptop's fan intakes on the bottom than anything else--otherwise, those intakes would be resting right on my legs much of the time. The pad I chose (Targus Chill Hub) also has some adjustability, which helps with ergonomics. I don't run the pad's fans most of the time, and the few times I've experimented with them, they haven't actually made much of a difference, because the laptop was already doing such a good job of keeping itself cool.

Maktor · September 2018

UncleMikey42 said:

I use this device so far exclusively on my lap. I do use a laptop cooling pad underneath it, but more to guarantee a stand-off between my body and the laptop's fan intakes on the bottom than anything else--otherwise, those intakes would be resting right on my legs much of the time. The pad I chose (Targus Chill Hub) also has some adjustability, which helps with ergonomics. I don't run the pad's fans most of the time, and the few times I've experimented with them, they haven't actually made much of a difference, because the laptop was already doing such a good job of keeping itself cool.

Always glad to hear others getting a nice setup! Though personally I am trying to avoid an extra peripheral.

The model I'm currently using (Asus G751) has it's air intake through the keyboard (I believe) and extra plasitc "plating" in the bottom. So it's always lukewarm at the bottom and lap-use does not obstruct air-flow (GENIUS DESIGN!). Though it might not be a 1-1 comparison as it's running GPU and CPU at lower wattages than the Helios. But they have discontinued them to instead market a luxury variant (G703) which is increadibly expensive. The Helios 500 seems to be the closest thing on the market to an update of what I already have at an affordable price

UncleMikey42 · September 2018

I definitely can appreciate wanting to avoid the extra do-hickey if you don't need it. I used it directly on my lap for a few days before deciding to buy the cooling pad, and ultimately went with it for ergonomics more than cooling performance, although as I said, I did have some concerns about possibly blocking the intakes. To be honest, the device is clearly designed with the assumption that you are more likely to be using this on a table, or on some other flat stable surface (it has fairly thick feet to elevate it) and not directly on your lap or on blankets (where fabric might block the intakes). So I really do recommend having something, even if it's just a cheap lap-desk, between you and the device, not because it would burn your lap otherwise (it won't!) but just to give the cooling system full play.

Maktor · September 2018

UncleMikey42 said:

I definitely can appreciate wanting to avoid the extra do-hickey if you don't need it. I used it directly on my lap for a few days before deciding to buy the cooling pad, and ultimately went with it for ergonomics more than cooling performance, although as I said, I did have some concerns about possibly blocking the intakes. To be honest, the device is clearly designed with the assumption that you are more likely to be using this on a table, or on some other flat stable surface (it has fairly thick feet to elevate it) and not directly on your lap or on blankets (where fabric might block the intakes). So I really do recommend having something, even if it's just a cheap lap-desk, between you and the device, not because it would burn your lap otherwise (it won't!) but just to give the cooling system full play.

I recognize your concern, but do I understand correctly that you have had it right on the lap, running some heavy-duty stuff, without temperature issues for either you or the laptop?

UncleMikey42 · September 2018

That's correct. I bought the machine to play games at max settings, and the machine stays perfectly comfortable and cool the entire time. I rarely bother cranking up the fans, I've only experimented a little bit with undervolting, and I certainly haven't cracked the case open to re-paste anything, since the entire reason I chose this machine was that I have no interest in doing so. I wanted a machine that's actually designed to stay cool at full tilt. The Helios 500 qualifies.

Maktor · September 2018

LOL I know what you mean! Ive immediately repasted every laptop Ive ever owned and so far I havent repasted this one yet! 😂

And yes, all my tests are always brutal so no worries there.

I'm on my toes, checking in every day

Red-Sand · September 2018

Maktor said:

LOL I know what you mean! Ive immediately repasted every laptop Ive ever owned and so far I havent repasted this one yet! 😂

And yes, all my tests are always brutal so no worries there.

I'm on my toes, checking in every day

Checkin in for what bro?
Did I forget to post something? Lol

Maktor · September 2018

Red-Sand said:

Maktor said:

LOL I know what you mean! Ive immediately repasted every laptop Ive ever owned and so far I havent repasted this one yet! 😂

And yes, all my tests are always brutal so no worries there.

I'm on my toes, checking in every day

Checkin in for what bro?
Did I forget to post something? Lol

Oh, I might have read to much into your answers, sorry! I thought there was a bottom heat test of some kind in the works.

Red-Sand · September 2018

Well if by heat test you mean running it full tilt while covering the bottom vents with my lap then sorry man I'm not doing it lolol.

Any laptop that has the bottom vents covered is bound to get warm.

Maktor · September 2018

Red-Sand said:

Well if by heat test you mean running it full tilt while covering the bottom vents with my lap then sorry man I'm not doing it lolol.

Any laptop that has the bottom vents covered is bound to get warm.

Haha! I fully get that

I was referring to this answer:

Red-Sand I will do some testing and leave it plugged in (since it has more power plugged in) and see how it feels on my lap. I've only tested it on battery so far while mobile (couch/bed).

Red-Sand · September 2018

Maktor said:

Red-Sand said:

Well if by heat test you mean running it full tilt while covering the bottom vents with my lap then sorry man I'm not doing it lolol.

Any laptop that has the bottom vents covered is bound to get warm.

Haha! I fully get that
I was referring to this answer:

Red-Sand I will do some testing and leave it plugged in (since it has more power plugged in) and see how it feels on my lap. I've only tested it on battery so far while mobile (couch/bed).

Ah so what I did there was run it normally for a while till it was warmed up and just set it on my lap and it wasn't bad at all.

(I just scrolled back and saw I didn't put that anywhere!) 😁