RTX 5070 Ti gaming laptops are about the closest you'll get to 80-Class power at under $2,000, and Best Buy's latest sale has hit a true mid-range hero this week. The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI is fairly unassuming on the shelves, but with $350 off the price of an RTX 5070 Ti configuration, it's being shunted into the limelight this week.
This gaming laptop deal comes courtesy of Best Buy's Tech Fest Sale, so the offer only stands until Sunday. What do you get? Only an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, 32GB RAM, and an OLED screen for $1,549.99. Considering that starting $1,899.99 rate, and the fact that most other RTX 5070 Ti gaming laptop deals are over $1,700 right now, that's a fantastic saving.
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI is perfect for those after a jack of all trades. It doesn't lean into performance as hard as some of the best gaming laptops on the market, but it does offer sturdy framerates, a gorgeous display, and a slick, slimline design for a price I don't see too much of these days.
- See all Tech Fest deals at Best Buy
I had a good time with the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI when I had it on my test bench back in October. Even at MSRP, you're getting better components inside the chassis than you normally would in this price range, and that display - while being a little glossy in practice - offers some fantastic contrast for more immersive gameplay moments.
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI is an easy recommendation for anyone after an RTX 5070 Ti rig that wants to do it all.
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI review
A slimline design means it's good to go for both work and play, though it's not as compact as something like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (also on sale for $1,899.99 at Best Buy right now). If you're after an everyday laptop that will also run your Steam collection well, though, it's more than up to the job.
It's also one of the few mid-range options to offer the RTX 5070 Ti. You're far more likely to find an RTX 5070 or RTX 5060 GPU under the hood of a machine like this. The Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 10 is going for the same value-packed OLED proposition and taps out much further down the GPU scale, while the more expensive Alienware 16X Aurora opts for a chunkier chassis that still maxes out at the 5070.
So what can you expect from this rig? This spec is pretty much identical to the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX / RTX 5070 Ti version I benchmarked last year.
At full 1600p (this version's native resolution), the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI beat even RTX 5080 machines in lighter games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, while managing to hold its head above 60fps in Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered and Total War: Three Kingdoms at max settings. Cyberpunk 2077 is a 1080p affair if you're going for a crisp 60 as standard, though.
We've still got a good leap from RTX 5070 performance here. At QHD, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI offered up a 17.7% increase in Shadow of the Tomb Raider max settings compared to the chunkier Asus ROG Strix G16, with a 27% increase in performance across Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered.
That RTX 5070 G16 is tough to find for a decent price as well. An RTX 5070 model will currently set you back $2,199 at Newegg and $1,929 at Best Buy. Spending $380 less for a boost in performance, even as small as that of Cyberpunk 2077 (3.9%), seems like a no-brainer.
- See all gaming laptop deals at Best Buy
I'm also hunting down all the best Asus gaming laptops as well as the best Razer laptops and the best Alienware laptops on the market.
