Acer Predator Orion 3000 desktop PC with Core i7-12700F and RTX 3070 in review
The Predator series from Acer has been around for many years and is mainly aimed at gamers. There are various models with this designation for both laptops and desktop PCs. With the current Predator Orion 3000, the manufacturer not only updates the product but also uses a new case compared to the older generation.
An Intel Core i7-12700 or an Intel Core i7-12700F is always used as a basis (Intel Core i7-12700F in our sample). However, there are different models in terms of GPU configuration, although the GeForce RTX 3070 is the top model in this series. When it comes to working memory, DDR4 RAM is always used. Nevertheless, you can choose between 16 GB or 32 GB depending on your budget. The same applies to the storage, which is the minimum in our system with 1 TB that Acer offers in the current Predator Orion 3000.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
v7 (old) | 09 / 2022 | Acer Predator Orion 3000 PO3-640 i7-12700F, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | 7.4 kg | 377 mm | |
v (old) | 12 / 2021 | Intel Beast Canyon NUC i9-11900KB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 | 189 mm | ||
v (old) | 06 / 2021 | Zotac Magnus One (ECM73070C) i7-10700, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | |||
v (old) | 05 / 2022 | Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | 1.8 kg | 62.2 mm | |
v (old) | 04 / 2022 | Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 i9-12900, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 | 189 mm | ||
v (old) | 06 / 2020 | Zotac MEK Mini (RTX 2070 Super) i7-9700, GeForce RTX 2070 Super (Desktop) |
Acer Predator Orion 3000 PO3-640 in detail
Case
The case of the Acer Predator Orion 3000 PO3-640 looks like a standard ATX case at first glance. However, the manufacturer deviates from the standard here because the front connectors are located directly on the motherboard and are not connected to the motherboard via cable. With such constructions, replacing the motherboard is almost impossible. However, other manufacturers go similar ways and install proprietary motherboards in proprietary cases. The case is well manufactured, although the look is really a matter of taste. The scope of delivery also includes a side panel with a viewing window to better showcase the installed components. However, due to the already very limited airflow, we refrained from using the optically chic side panel during the test. At least the metal cover offers a few holes to suck in the fresh air.
Equipment
There is not much to criticize in the interface selection. There are a total of 8 USB ports, which are divided into 7 TypeA and 1x Type-C. The GPU offers 3x DisplayPort and HDMI as standard. However, there is only Gigabit LAN as a network interface. We would have wished for a faster 2.5G or 5G LAN port here. You also have to do without an SD card reader. The distribution of ports is typical for a device class. Thus, it is not surprising that most interfaces are found on the back. However, the USB ports on the front are a bit difficult to reach due to the case's build.
Communication
Acer also equips the Predator with an Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 module. It is located as an M.2 plug-in card directly on the motherboard and delivers relatively good transfer rates. Nevertheless, the Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211's performance in data reception cannot keep up with the good rates in transmission. The comparison devices partly deliver better rates here. However, the everyday test showed that you can also manage well with the installed WLAN module. We did not have any problems using the wireless connection. As an alternative, the user can use an RJ45 port that relies on a killer E2600 chip. Unfortunately, this only offers a maximum of 1 GBit/s.
Accessories
If you buy an Acer Predator Orion 3000, you will also get an optically matching keyboard and a gaming mouse, which also comes in Predator style. Thus, you are well prepared for the start and the hardware provides a coherent overall impression. The tower can also be upgraded with the optional side panel including a viewing window. This shows off the built-in RGB lighting to better advantage.
Maintenance
Maintenance is not a big problem for the Acer Predator Orion 3000. The side panel is fixed with two screws and can be removed easily. The internal components are easy to access. For example, the mass storage can be expanded with a second M.2 module. Alternatively, up to two conventional 3.5-inch hard drives can be accommodated.
Performance - Braked-in Core i7-12700F
The current version of Acer's Predator Orion 3000 is always equipped with a frugal 65-watt CPU. Thus, the strongest model is equipped with the Intel Core i7-12700F. This offers very good performance and can always provide the best speed for the respective application thanks to the hybrid architecture with E- and P-cores. In a cheaper configuration, you can also get the Predator Orion 3000 with an Intel Core i5-12400. This also offers a good gaming performance but has to do without the E-cores. As a graphics card, you get at least a GeForce RTX 3060 which is designed for 1080p gaming. More performance is available with the GeForce RTX 3070 which also allows 1440p gaming.
Test conditions
We performed all tests with the energy profile maximum performance
. We also did not use the transparent side panel in the case. The fan speeds can also be configured via the Predator Sense
tool. We kept the auto setting to achieve a good compromise between noise and performance.
Processor
With the Intel Core i7-12700F, the Predator Orion 3000 in this review is equipped with the fastest model that Acer offers for this PC. The 65-watt SoC offers 8 P-cores and 4 E-cores, which together can process up to 20 threads simultaneously. However, Acer restricts the Intel Core i7-12700F somewhat when it comes to maximum power, as the PL2 is normally 180 watts for this model. Acer, on the other hand, limits the maximum power consumption here at 126 watts for a maximum of 28 seconds. Compared to the other comparison devices, the Acer Predator Orion 3000 can still achieve a good result. Nevertheless, the manufacturer gives away performance for a better overall result.
For further comparisons and benchmarks, we refer to our CPU comparison chart.
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Acer Predator Orion 3000 in the Cinebench R15 multi-loop
We get a good first insight in terms of efficiency in conjunction with the built-in cooling during the Cinebench R15 continuous loop. After the first run, the performance drops drastically because the increased PL2 can only be maintained longer during the first run than during the further runs. The recorded CPU metrics during the test show this very well.
System performance
The fact that the system performance benchmarks do not call up the full performance permanently clearly suits the Acer Predator Orion 3000. The results are good and only a few percentage points worse than those of the Intel Dragon Canyon NUC with Intel Core i9-12900. The working memory performs quite well compared to the comparison devices here in the test, although a bit more performance could be achieved with faster RAM and lower latencies.
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Average of class Desktop (43747 - 88386, n=11, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Predator Orion 3000 PO3-640 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-12700F () | |
| Intel Beast Canyon NUC | |
| Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 | |
| Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C | |
| Zotac MEK Mini (RTX 2070 Super) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Average of class Desktop (47347 - 94830, n=11, last 2 years) | |
| Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C | |
| Acer Predator Orion 3000 PO3-640 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-12700F () | |
| Intel Beast Canyon NUC | |
| Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 | |
| Zotac MEK Mini (RTX 2070 Super) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Average of class Desktop (46768 - 84869, n=11, last 2 years) | |
| Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C | |
| Intel Beast Canyon NUC | |
| Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 | |
| Acer Predator Orion 3000 PO3-640 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-12700F () | |
| Zotac MEK Mini (RTX 2070 Super) | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Intel Beast Canyon NUC | |
| Intel Dragon Canyon NUC - RTX 3060 | |
| Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C | |
| Acer Predator Orion 3000 PO3-640 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-12700F () | |
| Average of class Desktop (68.3 - 90.3, n=11, last 2 years) | |
| Zotac MEK Mini (RTX 2070 Super) | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC latencies
LatencyMon already reports latency problems when opening multiple tabs in Edge. The drivers do not yet seem to be optimized here.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Acer Predator Orion 3000 PO3-640, Intel Core i7-12700F | |
| Minisforum EliteMini B550, AMD Ryzen 7 5700G | |
| Asus ExpertCenter D9 SFF, Intel Core i7-11700 | |
| Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN173070C, Intel Core i7-11800H | |
| Minisforum EliteMini HX90, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | |
* ... smaller is better
Mass storage
Our test sample is equipped with a 1 TB SSD from Micron. The M.2 module offers good transfer rates, although the maximum values cannot quite keep up with the comparison devices. However, this is hardly noticed in everyday use. The 4K read rate, for example, has a much bigger impact, which turns out very well in the Acer Predator Orion 3000. The storage capacity of 1 TB is sufficient and should not be smaller for a gaming device in our opinion. The mass storage of the Acer Predator Orion 3000 can be expanded relatively easily. A second M.2 module can be installed on the motherboard. Furthermore, there is also room for two 3.5-inch hard drives in the case. All necessary connection cables are included with the device
For further comparisons and benchmarks, please refer to our Comparison chart.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
With the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, we have the Acer Predator Orion 3000 in the strongest configuration in the test. Considering the somewhat throttled CPU performance, the 3D performance in the synthetic tests turns out very good. The unknown model of the GeForce RTX 3070 works exactly according to the specifications given by Nvidia. That means a GPU clock of 1,500 MHz, which is specified with 1,750 MHz in Boost. As for the VRAM, RTX 3070 typically has 8 GB of GDDR6 and the total power consumption of the installed model is 220 watts. Compared to the Zotac Magnus One the Acer Predator Orion 3000 can prevail due to the better CPU.
More benchmarks of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 can be found here
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
| Acer Predator Orion 3000 PO3-640 | |
| MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |