TechRadar Verdict
The Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023) is a real improvement on its previous model, though Acer has missed the opportunity to fix that PC’s most commented-upon flaw: super-turbo about-to-lift-off fans. But it hasn’t “fixed” the series’ gorgeous aesthetic and has taken us from an RTX 3080 to the outstanding RTX 4090. Performance-wise the machine is impeccable. It is expensive, but really the price is pretty good for what you get. Along with its upgradability, its spacious chassis, and well-laid-out internals, the Orion 7000 can be kept top-of-the-line for years to come.
Beast performance
Gorgeous ARGB lighting
Very upgradable
Huge and heavy tower
Can get very noisy
Expensive
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Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023): Two-minute review
Acer, always a competitor where price is concerned, is better known for cost-effective laptops than high-end gaming PCs, but they’ve been producing some of thebest gaming PCssince 2008.
The newest of its Predator line, the Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023), is a monolith of a PC, which is to say it looks like a proper sexy space monolith, except it’s nowhere near as quiet. Rather, it’s so loud that if you wanted to go on holiday but couldn’t, you could get part-way there by closing your eyes and make-believing you’re on a plane. That’s how loud the fans get on “gaming mode”.
On the normal power setting, the fans don’t spin up all that often even while gaming – but they definitely will at some point during a gaming session. If you value immersion while playing, you will find it broken by the Orion 7000.
But the PC excels in all other ways, making it one of the best computers we’ve seen in a while. It’s gorgeously designed; particularly its ARGB lighting is lovely. It’s got more ports than a leopard has spots. Its very large chassis is very well laid out, affording you ample opportunity to customize and upgrade the PC in the future.
Performance-wise it delivers everything you could ask for. It performed well in all the benchmarks we ran, and when we very enthusiastically played the brand-new AAA gameStarfieldat max settings, it was utterly smooth, with nary a frame-drop.
The fans will be a real problem for some. You wouldn’t be able to record live audio on it. Even voice chat is affected. The2022 versionof the Predator Orion 7000 (2023) had the same problem and was criticized for it, so it’s not like Acer didn’t know.
It’s clear what Acer’s priorities were, though: The Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023) is not all that expensive – for a high-end gaming PC, you understand – and Acer has thrown in a decent mouse and keyboard combo. For this decent price, you may well be happy to slap on a good noise canceling headset with directional mic and enjoy the power you’ve bought.
Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023): Price & availability
Starting at $3,000 / £3,300 (about AU$4,655), the Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023) is expensive, but considering its specs, the price is actually pretty OK. Acer is known for producing some of thebest prebuilt gaming PCsfor a more budget-friendly market, and, for a high-end gaming PC, the Predator Orion 7000 is not egregiously budget-un-friendly. Anyone looking for a PC armed with an i9 and RTX 4090 is already girded to pay at least this much.
Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023): Specs
TheAcer Predator Orion 7000 (2023)comes in four configurations in the US, three elsewhere. The cheapest of the US’s configurations has an i7-13700KF, a RTX 3080, and 10 GB dedicated memory; the other three can be succinctly summed up with GPU numbers: 3090, 4080, and 4090. Of Australia’s three configurations, two have an i9-13900K, and either an RTX 4090, or 4080. UK customers also have three configurations, the cheapest of which comes with an i7 hexadeca-core 3.40GHz and an RTX 4070Ti. The other two configurations come with an i9 and an RTX 4080 or 4090.
Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023): Design
The Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023) is a no-nonsense PC. Its exterior alone proclaims “hard as nails”, meaning it’s serious business, serious gaming business. It scores almost full marks on aesthetics, and no, not simply because of its delicious ARGB – we’re not so shallow we’re completely swept away by a few million colors.
Well, regardless of whether we are or not, the whole package is gorgeous. Its massive ATX chassis is black all over with rounded edges, and the interior is spacious and very neatly arranged. The interior is visible through a crepuscular glass side panel paired with the gorgeous 16.7m ARGB LEDs. To finish is a matte black metal door with a shiny Acer logo printed in black, and topped with mesh.
The front of the chassis has two Predator FrostBlade fans in a raised glass casing with a shiny plastic frame; most of the glass is the same shadowy glass as the side panels, and part of the upper part of the glass is opaque with an Acer logo that lights up blue.
While it’s gorgeously designed, the Predator Orion 7000 (2023) really is huge. At 485mm x 219mm x 504.8mm and starting at 14Kg in weight, it’s not easy to carry and takes up a lot of space, so you’ll want to recall your manual handling training when you lift it and position it where you can access the back and not have to move it ever.
And it’s designed to keep you from having to. It’s designed to be easily-upgradable. It’s “toolless” – that is, you don’t need tools to access its internals. And its spacious interior means you don’t need to sweat and curse and get cramps while replacing parts.
As for ports… there’s a really impressive selection both at the back and the top of the chassis: 1x HDMI, 4x USB 2.0, 4x USB 3.1, and 2x USB-C. As for storage, there’s a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, and 3TB HDD SATA 3 (and you can have up to 2 of each), and on the top, a 2.5-inch bay for hot-swapping USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C drives (one of our favorite features).
Also, there’s some cool freewallpaperson the Acer Predator site to finish off the look of your PC if you’re interested.
Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023): Performance
Here’s how theAcer Predator Orion 7000 (2023)performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Port Royal:25679Speed Way:10026;Fire Strike:46869;Fire Strike Ultra:24059Time Spy:31781;Time Spy Extreme:17409GeekBench 5.5:1908(single-core); 21380(multi-core)GeekBench 6.1:2896(single-core); 17399(multi-core)GeekBench 6.0.3:2764(single-core); 16780(multi-core)Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra):251.7 fps;(1080p, Low):559.5 fpsCyberpunk 2077 (1080p):117.1 fps;(4K):41.1 fpsDirt 5 (1080p):256.5 fps;(4K):187.3fpsAssassin’s creed Valhalla: (1080p):204 fps;(4K)117 fpsBorderlands 3:(1080p):258.95 fps;(4K):129.11 fpsGrand Theft Auto V: (1080p):186.032240 fps;(4K):84.786770 fpsFar Cry 6 (1080p):129 fps; (4K):109 fpsMetro Exodus Enhanced Edition (High 1080p):153.91fps(4K):127.50 fps;(Ultra 1080p):144.91 fps(4K):105.92 fps;(Extreme 1080p):134.95 fps(4K):72.65 fpsRed Dead Redemption 2 (Medium 1080p):186.1147 fps(4K):79.3755 fps; (Ultra 1080p):109.0437 fps(4K):36.7910 fpsShadow of the Tomb Raider: (1080p):244 fps; (4K):129 fps25GB File Copy:1233.809283Handbrake 1.6:2:26CrossMark: Overall:2,305Productivity:2,151Creativity:2,631Responsiveness:1,904
The Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023) performs, well, fantastically. It’d be surprising if it didn’t. The review unit we received comes with an unlocked AIO liquid-cooled i9-13900KF processor with 24 cores, 32 threads, a stock frequency of 3000MHz and a clocking speed of 5.4GHz, and the scrumptious beast that is theNVIDIAGeForce RTX 4090.
That partnership alone needs no explanation, it is the creme de la creme of gaming parts. Most games we benchmarked it with stayed above 100 FPS even at4K. A couple managed to tax it at 4K, likeRed Dead Redemption 2.
For everyday tasks – browsing, watching Netflix, emailing, programming – well, of course there were no problems. Even playing games while doing most of those things at the same time didn’t disturb the Pool of Performance at all.
The cost is fan noise. When Predator Orion 7000 (2023) gets into full gaming mode they hum in an endless high-speed harmony – as Acer says, hilariously. What they mean is they can’t deny the fans areloud. While voice-chatting, we had to use a headset with noise canceling, and a directional mic, which definitely improved things, but it’s such a shame it’s necessary.
The noise means you won’t always get to appreciate Acer’s DTS:X Ultra audio, which, Acer says, allows you to experience “real-world spatial sound” by transforming your speakers and headset into a 360 degree high-end surround sound system. We can confirm that the sound is full, clear and feels immersive.
Where internet connectivity is concerned Acer has installed its 2.5G “Killer Ethernet” and 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E, so fast and efficient internet access will run whether you want to use Wi-Fi or ethernet to get online.
The Orion 7000 comes preinstalled with Acer’s PredatorSense software. Despite the name it doesn’t alert you to predators or prey but to problems in your system: it’s the obligatory system-specific hardware monitor/configurer, one of the nicest we’ve seen, though; it shows temps and speeds very clearly, and lets you control the fans, power settings, lighting, and the clock speeds without having to go into the BIOS.
Should you buy the Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023)?
Buy it if…
You want a behemoth PC that can take on anythingPerformance is at the heart of the Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023). It can take on any task from general day-to-day use to intensive gaming sessions. It’s perfect for old, new and future games, so you won’t need a replacement any time soon.
You want an easy-to-upgrade PCThe opportunities to upgrade the Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023) are almost endless. With its toolless, spacious chassis, you won’t be fiddling and stressing when you’re ready to tweak it.
You can’t resist some RGB goodnessIf you want rich lighting options in your PC then Acer has you covered, as the lighting options are gorgeous and easy to manage in Acer’s PredatorSense software.
Don’t buy it if…
You’re looking for a more cost-effective gaming PCThe Predator Orion 7000 (2023) is expensive, and understandably so, but if you don’t have enough in your budget to fork out for its cheapest configuration, then there are more-than-decent cheaper alternatives to purchase instead.
You don’t want an exceptionally noisy PCThe Predator Orion 7000 (2023) can get extremely loud. So loud that it’s near unbearable. We’ve reviewed enough PCs now to know cutting-edge gaming PCs and laptops just get loud … but the Orion 7000 really is loud.
You want a more compact high-end PCThe size and weight of the Orion 7000 is up there: 17Kg, and about the size of a cabin bag. A new smaller and similarly beast-like version, the Orion X has just been released and might be a suitable alternative.
Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023): Also consider
If theAcer Predator Orion 7000 (2023)has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider…
Alienware Aurora R15Almost identical in specs to the Predator Orion 7000 (2023), the R15 is cheaper. Design-wise it looks gorgeous, eye-catching, but it falls down on upgradability – Alienware love their obscure parts and peculiarly-shaped chassis.
Read our fullAlienware Aurora R15 review
Acer Predator Orion 3000Although it’s older and less powerful than the Orion 7000, it’s a fantastic PC. It’s simple to upgrade, smaller and much-easier to manage, and kinder to your pocket.
Read our fullAcer Predator Orion 3000 review
How I tested the Acer Predator Orion 7000 (2023)
I used this beaut as my main gaming PC for almost three weeks. Gaming-wise, I played various games, old and new, mostly very new (Starfield, at max settings, which was glorious, loud at times, but glorious). Benchmark tests were carried out using games like CyberPunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, andGTAV. I browsed the internet, joined video calls. And I, of course, wrote on it.
There’s very little the Predator Orion 7000 (2023) can’t do. Play your favorite games. The newest titles are nothing to it. Surf the web, watch shows, compile the Linux kernel, hell, do all of those things at once; it’ll look at you serenely like a lion challenged to a fight by a cat.
I have over 25 years of gaming experience and several years of testing gaming peripherals, PCs and laptops under my belt. I don’t just review these things in an “I have a job to do” type of way: I’m their manufacturer’s target audience; I thoroughly, honestly and fairly review and test all units. I pretty much live and breathe games, computers, and all the extras and have opinions about what is good and important, and can identify deficiencies and suggest improvements.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed October 2023
Rosario Blue is a writer, playwright, and freelance journalist.
She is a Global Goodwill Ambassador for Postcards for Peace.
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