Acer Predator AG3-605-UR1G Review

The Acer Predator AG3-605-UR1G gaming desktop not only looks imposing, but its quad-core Intel Processor and enthusiast level NVIDIA GeForce GTX745 Graphics with 4GB of Discrete Video Memory powered by Intel Core i5-4590 Processor will help annihilate PC game opponents. This is a perfect match for gamers looking for a perfect desktop PC, but are finding it more difficult to decide on exactly what they need; it can be easy to buy too much hardware or the wrong hardware, or pay too much.

The Acer Predator wraps up the risk, thanks to a number of useful, high-end-mainstream performance features that will make the day of gaming enthusiasts who handle some serious games or run weighty applications. But since it isn’t designed for everyone, this PC may fail to live up to your full expectations if you plan on using it for other things. It’s a fine number-cruncher, but its deceptive packaging might convince you you’re getting a powerful gaming machine you aren’t quite. Will the Acer Predator AG3-605-UR1G Gaming Desktop be Acer’s big break? Or the Acer Predator gaming laptop takes the honors?

Design

The top of the chassis is recessed to form a tray you can store your smartphone in. It also has good selection of I/O ports, including two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, an SD card reader, and audio jacks for headphones and a microphone. The back has audio ports, a DisplayPort, two DVI ports, an Ethernet jack, a HDMI port for connecting to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse PS/2 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 3.0 ports. In addition to Gigabit Ethernet, there’s also Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11a/b/g/n dual band Wi-Fi.

The interior has limited expansion. There’s space for an additional slim optical drive and an additional 3.5-inch internal hard drive, but only a single remaining SATA port on the motherboard. There are two free memory DIMM slots, allowing you to upgrade the existing 8GB of memory to a maximum of 32GB, and two free PCIe x1 expansion slots. A neat folding brace protects the heavy graphics card and keeps it in place during shipping.

The front of the Predator AG3-605-UR1G has two panels. Behind the first is a Blu-ray drive (BD/DVD±RW DL) for all of your movie watching, game loading, and disk burning needs. The second opens and slides down to reveal two other hidden features, the first is a quick-access hard drive bay, giving you a slot for added a second hard drive without having to open up the tower.

The second looks like another optical drive, with a small eject symbol prompting you to press it. Push the button and out pops a built-in hanger for a gaming headset. Whether or not this is entirely necessary is debatable, but it at least shows a design made with gamers in mind, and it may help keep one gaming peripheral off of your floor or desk.