Acer Predator 21X

The Acer Predator 21X is a limited-edition high-end gaming laptop that was developed, manufactured and marketed by Acer Inc. and released under their gaming brand Acer Predator in 2017 for a list price of $8,999,99 in the United States and €9,999 in Europe. It was first presented at the IFA Berlin in 2016.^[1] Depending on the source, only 300^[2] or 500^[3] units have been produced worldwide.

Acer Predator 21X

Developer	Acer
Type	Gaming laptop / desktop replacement computer
Release date	2017
Introductory price	$8,999,99 / €9,999
Units shipped	300 or 500
Operating system	Windows 10 Home
CPU	Intel Core i7-7820HK Quad-core 2.9 GHz unlocked
Memory	64 GB DDR4 SDRAM @ 2400 mHz
Storage	4x 512 GB SSDs in RAID 0 (two slots in NVMe) + 1x 2.5-inch SATA III 7200 RPM HDD
Display	21" 2560 x 1080p 120 Hz curved G-Sync IPS
Graphics	Two Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 8 GB in SLI
Sound	Six speakers (two tweeters, two midrange, two subwoofers)
Input	HDMI, DisplayPort, 4 USB 3.0 ports, a USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port, Ethernet RJ-45, 3.5mm audio jack, 3.5mm microphone jack, SD card reader
Camera	Yes, with additional cameras for tobii eye tracking
Touchpad	Yes
Power	8-cell non-removable Li-Ion battery, two separate 330W power bricks
Dimensions	568 mm x 314.5 mm x 68.8 - 83.25 mm
Weight	8.5 kg
Website	Official website (archived)

Hardware

The Acer Predator 21X weighs 8.5 kg and has a 21-inch curved panel with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a screen format of 21:9 while having a resolution of 2800 x 1080 pixels (Wide Full HD) which supports Nvidia's G-Sync technology.^[4] It has an overclocked^[5] Intel Core i7-7820HK and two GeForce GTX 1080 GPUs working in Scalable Link Interface (SLI) as well as 64 GB of DDR4 RAM clocked at 2400 mHz distributed over 4 memory sticks.^[6] It also features a full mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Brown switches positioned at the front edge of the laptop.^[4] Its list price is $8,999,99 in the United States and €9,999 in Europe.^[7] Two solid state drives (SSDs) with 512 GB capacity each as well as a 1 TB hard disk drive (HDD) are pre-installed; the storage is expandable.^[6] The laptop has 4 built-in speakers, providing stereo sound, as well as two subwoofers.^[8] It has five fans and nine heat pipes and comes with two power supplies.^[9]

Reception

The Verge described the 21X in their review as "overkill", stating that "It's a trophy for anyone who buys it, a status symbol of having the biggest and best thing out there".^[4] PCMag stated that: "Though it costs as much as a decent used car, the Acer Predator 21 X shows how much performance and how many features you can get if you cram every possible high-end component into a gaming laptop."^[10] LaptopMag praised the laptop for its "stunning design", performance, curved display, keyboard, and built-in eye-tracking function, though they criticized it for its price, lack of an option with a 4K display, and audio.^[11] Tom's Hardware found the built quality of the device to be "outstanding" and liked its mechanical keyboard as well as its color-accurate display. They stated that the 21X offers "the best performance found on a gaming laptop", but criticized the "outrageous price" and "extremely poor battery life".^[12] German online magazine Chip [de] described the laptop as a "10,000 euro monster", praising its two GTX 1080 graphics cards, large curved display, and gaming-optimized eye-tracking, but criticizing its high price and weight.^[5] TechRadar called the 21X "the world’s most powerful gaming laptop", stating that, "while the price tag is likely to be far too much for most people, there’s still a lot to admire about this machine."^[13] The magazine praised the performance, cooling system, and "easy to use software" of the 21X, while criticizing its cost, weight, short battery life, and "bulky design".^[13]