Acer Predator Orion 5000 (2024) review: Killer value

The Acer Predator Orion 5000 ($2,299 to start) is the company's mid-tier gaming PC, and the 2024 model can be a beast thanks to the latest Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000 series graphics cards and Intel Raptor Lake Refresh 14th Gen CPUs. 

I know because I've spent some time working and gaming on a review unit that Acer sent us, and after some time getting to grips with the Orion 5000 I have to say, I'm impressed at how much value you can get out of this mid-range gaming rig.

It's probably a bit too cute to reference Goldilocks in a PC review, but the longer I spend with the Orion 5000 the more convinced I am that it's place in the middle of Acer's gaming PC hierarchy is just right for folks who want a versatile gaming machine.

I say that because I saw good to great results (thanks in part to Nvidia's DLSS upscaling tech) playing some of the latest games on this PC in 1080p, 1440p and even 4K resolution. While there are a few complaints I can level against this machine, I think it's probably one of the best gaming PCs you can buy in this price range thanks to its good performance, attractive design and (relatively) low noise.

Acer Predator Orion 5000 (2024) review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The 2024 edition of Acer's mid-range Predator Orion 5000 gaming desktop, sitting between the cheaper Acer Predator Orion 3000 and the top-of-the-line Acer Predator Orion 7000.
• What does it cost? The answer depends on when you buy and how you configure your desktop. At time of publication, the prebuilt Acer Predator Orion 5000 I review here retails for roughly $1,799 at Acer and retailers like Best Buy.
• Who is it for? PC gaming enthusiasts who want to pay upfront for a big, reliable gaming rig that's great for 1080p or 1440p and good for 4K gaming.
• What do we like? I appreciate the Predator Orion 5000's good balance of performance to price, the attractive easy-to-open chassis and good value for money.
• What don’t we like? Acer's bloatware is limited but frustrating to use, there is some fan noise when playing high-end games for long periods, and the included mouse and keyboard aren't amazing. 

Acer Predator Orion 5000 (2024) review: Specs

Acer Predator Orion 5000 (2024) review: The ups

This is the first Acer Predator Orion 5000 build I've had a chance to review, and after spending some time with it I really like how much value this prebuilt PC delivers.

Good performance for the price

I have to say, I'm impressed at how much fun I had gaming on this mid-range rig. After I unboxed our Orion 5000 review unit I hooked it up to my LG C2 OLED to try out a bit of PC gaming on a 4K 65-inch screen, and the rig had no trouble kicking out decent framerates in a lot of the best PC games I own, even at 4K.

While playing Cyberpunk 2077 I regularly saw framerates in the 50-70 FPS range even with raytracing on and without DLSS 3 enabled, though the framerate definitely crashed a few times during heavy action. But with DLSS 3 running, it smoothed out and I had hours of fun catching up on old quests at a steady 50-70 FPS. I had a similar experience playing more modern games like Star Wars Outlaws, though I needed to enable DLSS 3 and turn down a few setting a notch or two in order to get a reliable 40-60 FPS in Ubisoft's Star Wars game.

When we got the Orion 5000 into our testing lab and ran it through a few of our gaming benchmarks, I was impressed to see how well it performs given its price.

While the MSI Codex R2 (~$1,239) was significantly cheaper than our Orion review unit, the MSI Aegis R2 ($2,699) we reviewed is a bit more expensive than the Orion 5000 and had a slightly better CPU and GPU (Intel Core i9-14900K and RTX 4080 Super vs. the Acer Predator Orion 5000's Intel Core i7-14700F and RTX 4070 Super GPU). Knowing that, it's not surprising to see it outperform the Orion 5000 in our gaming tests.

Even so, I feel pretty good about saying that our Orion 5000 review unit is one of the better gaming PCs you can buy if you want a good price-to-performance ratio. But also, don't think you have to climb into the $3-$4k range to get an appreciably better time—the scores of the Aegis R2 show that if you're willing to spend a little under $3k you can get a noticeable jump in performance over the Orion 5000.

When we ran the Orion 5000 through our non-gaming performance tests, the story played out in a similar fashion. Acer's mid-range Predator desktop performed slightly better than similarly priced or cheaper gaming PCs, though the more expensive MSI Aegis R2 outperformed the Orion 5000 here as well. 

Easy-to-access case is lovely

I've been a big fan of Acer's Orion cases for some time because I like how they look and, more importantly, how easy they are to open and move around in with my clumsy mitts.

Our 2024 Acer Predator Orion review unit is no different, and its case offers the same easy access I've come to appreciate from Acer. To access the interior it you just slide a latch on the back and remove two screws, at which point the glass panel slides off easily.

I also like how light yet sturdy the case feels given its plastic parts. Don't get me wrong, it's not exactly light weight and you may want support if you're trying to move it long distances. But I can pick it up and move it around my house fairly easily, which is really nice given how much gaming muscle this rig delivers. I've come to expect that beastly gaming PCs weigh a ton, so having a (fairly) portable tower like this which is capable of running the latest games at 4K with a decent framerate is nice.

Acer Predator Orion 5000 (2024) review: The downs

I'm fond of our Acer Predator Orion 5000 review unit, but after spending some time using it for work and play there's a minor issue you should be aware of before purchasing one yourself.

Noisy fans

Our Acer Predator Orion 5000 review unit is no jet engine, but it does make an audible whirring noise when the machine is under heavy load. 

That's probably good for heat and performance since this PC isn't water-cooled and instead relies on a slew of system fans studded throughout the case. However, during marathon sessions of demanding games like Alan Wake 2 and Star Wars Outlaws, I definitely noticed the hum of the fans while gaming. In some cases I heard an even more annoying high-pitched whine that would repeat intermittently while gaming, though that issue could be unique to our prebuilt PC.

Now I'm not very sensitive to fan noise, so for me this is no deal-breaker. Moreover, this PC is beefy enough that I was able to keep it next to my 4K TV and play on the big screen, which means the case was usually at least 6 feet away from me while gaming. If it were right under my desk or right next to my monitor, however, I think the audible fan noise when gaming would be even more annoying.

Of course, it was never enough to distract me from games and I always had the option to put a pair of headphones on if it became too much, so I'd still be pretty happy with this machine if it was my primary gaming rig.

Acer Predator Orion 5000 (2024) review: Verdict

After spending some time with our Acer Predator Orion 5000 (2024) review unit, I think this might be my new favorite of the company's Predator gaming PCs.

I've reviewed all three models at this point, and while I love the overwhelming power of the Predator Orion 7000 I just don't need it to play the best Steam games in 4K anymore. This year's Orion 5000 is perfectly capable of running games I just bought a few months ago at a nice framerate in 4K with most of the bells and whistles turned on, and that's really all I need to enjoy myself.

And while I love the Orion 3000 for its affordability and recommend it as a great prebuilt 1080p gaming PC for someone just getting started with the hobby, it's hard not to think about how much more power you get from the Orion 5000 for a couple hundred bucks more upfront.

That said, there are other gaming PCs on the market that offer a similar value if you don't like the look or design of the Orion 5000. I'm thinking specifically of the Alienware Aurora R16, which delivers similar components and performance for the price. I think it also runs quieter than the Acer's Orion, too, though Alienware's PC is a bit heavier. 

But ultimately, I think this is a great prebuilt gaming PC with an attractive, easy-to-open case that delivers a lot of value for your money.