It's become almost amusing to watch what gaming brands will come up with to one-up the competition. Acer's solution this time is the Predator 21 X, an outrageous – we last used similar language to describe the ASUS ROG GX800 – notebook with a 21-inch curved G-Sync display. This is a laptop with dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080s, and we really wouldn't expect anything less from a notebook with the guts to sport a curved panel.
Whatever your opinion on whether or not the Predator 21 X is a good idea, I think we can all agree that it is quite a sight to behold. The generous curved display is gorgeous to look at, with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,080 pixels. There's just something in unnecessary features that make you want to have them.
The glowing Predator emblem on the lid is flanked by two bright blue accents.
There's even a window built into the chassis for you to peek at the processor fan at work, yet another in a long list of superfluous but delectable design decisions.
The Predator 21 X – with its seventh-generation Intel Kaby Lake processor and dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080s – is cooled by a total of five cooling fans. You can see here the vents on the left edge, alongside what look like two USB 3.0 ports and a headphone and microphone jack.
More USB ports are located on the opposite side. If you've noticed the absence of ports like a Gigabit Ethernet connector and display outputs, they are actually located at the rear. an arguably more convenient location.
The keyboard is a full-fledged mechanical one with Cherry MX switches. That said, we're at the point where we're not even surprised by this anymore (the ASUS ROG GX800 has mechanical switches as well, as does the MSI GT83VR Titan SLI).
The sheer excess continues. However, certain press images of the laptop don't feature this graphic, so it's unclear if retail units will eventually feature this.
Finally, the number pad can actually be removed and flipped over to be used as a track pad. It snaps in place with magnets and the swap requires almost zero hassle.