With the dust having settled from Black Friday, some notebook gamers out there may not have gotten their hands on the upgrade they were looking for. As such, they'll likely have to turn to non-discounted offerings to ensure their gaming notebook setup is top notch. Aiming to be the preferred new gaming notebook is Acer's latest device in the Predator lineup - the Triton 700. 

Having landed locally recently, but still in pre-order status, there is still a bit of time to go until the Triton 700 becomes more commercially available. With that in mind, here's seven things you need to know about the Triton 700. 

1. A subtle redesign

The first thing you're going to notice about the Triton 700 is that it does not look like the usual gaming notebook that Acer has been known for. More specifically, the Taiwanese company has gone for a subtle colour combination, with blue accents replacing the red ones we often associate with gaming-specific hardware. 

There are still customisable keypad controls to change the lighting options on the Triton 700, as well as select different areas of the keypad to light up according to the function being performed. Consequently, gamers can still ensure their notebook has a kaleidoscopic look to it, or alternatively go a bit more stealth.    

2. Internal specs

Partnering with Intel, as it routinely has for gaming hardware, Acer Africa is utilising the former's 7th Gen i7 processors internally. The company has also informed us that they're looking to bring 8th Gen versions of the Intel chips to the country, but the timeframe for this remains unconfirmed, with a late Q1/early Q2 2018 arrival being mentioned. 

On the graphics card side, Nvidia has been the go-to option, providing the power for the two different models Acer Africa is bringing to our shores. To that end an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB dedicated memory) and GeForce GTX 1080 (8 GB dedicated memory) variants will be available.  

3. Surprisingly lightweight

One of the big selling points that Acer has been touting for the Triton 700 is its lightweight design, which is a far cry from the insane Predator 21 X. To that end it tips the scale at roughly 2.39 kg, making it one of the lighter 15.6" (Full HD; 1920x1080) gaming notebooks around at the moment. 

4. VR ready

Another perhaps lesser known aspect of Acer Predator offerings are their VR readiness. Powered by Nvidia, the Triton 700 is VR ready, which is good news if you currently own a gaming compatible VR headset. While Acer is yet to officially bring their Mixed Reality headset to South Africa, the Triton 700 could be a handy interface for it if/when they decide to.   

5. Real-time diagnostics

If you're a bit of a control freak, Acer's PredatorSense panel will likely be your favourite part of the Triton 700. Along with providing the interface for users to customise the lighting setup, this control panel also provides real-time diagnostics, with System, CPU, GPU readouts, as well as overclocking and fan operation all appearing. 

6. Pricing and availability

The Triton 700 is not widely available at the moment, with Acer Africa listing it only on loot.co.za for pre-order. The notebooks are expected to ship by mid-December, according to the manufacturer. You need to have deep pockets though, with the GTX 1060 model retailing for R37 999 and the GTX 1080 version going for R59 999.

Whichever option you opt for, the Predator Triton 700 is not the cheapest gaming notebook around, but given its specifications, should certainly stand you in good stead for a couple years.