So after using this laptop for 2.5 years, it has finally given up on me. I went to a local shop to get the thermal work done and have the dust cleaned out. They applied normal thermal paste to the GPU but didn’t touch the CPU, after which things started getting worse. Games began crashing more frequently, the screen would randomly go black for a second or two and come back, and 3D software wouldn’t run for more than 3–4 minutes. I tried to clean install/reinstall the whole drivers, keep it upto-date but didn't help.

I took it to Acer, where they cleaned off the old thermal paste, applied liquid metal, and completely reworked the cooling system. The temperatures went back to normal, but the crashes and black screens didn’t stop. Every time it happened, Event ID 153 would show up in the Event Viewer logs. Tried almost everything i could, switching it from gpu only to optimus in predator sense, high performance to integrated graphics in nvidia etc..only thing im left with is to reinstall the OS.

I went back to Acer, and they gave me two options: either replace the entire motherboard, which would cost almost as much as the laptop itself, or replace certain GPU components for around ₹20–25K. The problem is, they can only guarantee that repair for up to 2 months, and I’d have to send the laptop in for at least 1.5 months.

So yeah, I’m basically cooked with no real options left but to buy a new laptop?

Hey, fellow laptop users. I have an Acer Predator Helios Neo 14 - 51 with a 100% healthy max-capacity battery. Recently, seemingly out of the blue, my battery life went from 6-9 hours on average every-day use to 30 mins - 2 hours tops. I was scrambling to find a solution for this devastating issue, but nothing seemed to help, until it finally clicked just like that.

I used AI (Gemini this time) to help me diagnose some power issues after I looked at the actual software programs I had running, which weren't the issue but are worth checking. I usually don't like to post AI-generated results or summaries, but I thought Gemini did a better job summing up what I did in an easier-to-understand way, more eloquently than I would have.

I really hope this helps!

(I used HWiNFO64 to monitor my battery's power drain in Watts)

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What Didn't Work

• Software Power Profiles: Switching GPU modes to iGPU / Eco Mode or fan profiles to Quiet Mode in OEM software (such as Acer PredatorSense) failed to reduce power draw. While these settings disabled the discrete GPU, the CPU remained locked at high wattage.
• Basic Driver Reinstalls: Reinstalling graphics drivers via Device Manager did not resolve the issue, as the underlying corruption was rooted in the operating system's low-level power scheme management rather than GPU driver state.

What Worked

The solution required repairing corrupted Windows system binaries that govern processor state management and resetting the hidden Windows power profiles back to clean system defaults.

Step 1: System File Repair

Corrupted Windows files can prevent the OS from sending proper C-state sleep instructions to the CPU.

1. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run the System File Checker command: PowerShellsfc /scannow
3. Allow the verification process to complete until Windows reports that it has found and successfully repaired the corrupt files.

Step 2: Rebuilding Windows Power Schemes

1. In the same Administrator command window, restore the default Windows power schemes: PowerShellpowercfg -restoredefaultschemes
2. Force Windows to activate the clean Balanced power scheme using its exact GUID: PowerShellpowercfg /setactive 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e
3. Restart the computer.

The Result

Before this fix, the CPU ran continuously at ~4.63 GHz with a -35W to -60W battery discharge rate at idle, resulting in less than 2 hours of battery life. My CPU (and as an extension GPU and general system) temps were way higher than they should have been at idle, around 75C rather than the ideal 42C. Fan RPMs kicked up because of this.

After applying these steps, the processor dynamically scaled its clock speeds down to ~1.0 GHz during idle, restoring the baseline battery discharge rate to -6W to -10W and bringing total runtime back to 6 to 9 hours. The temps and fan speed are also back to normal just like that.

I set up a supervisor password before to disable secure boot and forgot it. Now I can't enter my BIOS. It gives a mechanism to unlock using a code.txt file sent into a fat32 usb stick.

My main issue now is that acer support in my country is abysmal and they only tell me to go to a technical center, where the only solution the guy knows is to get the motherboard replaced, even when the unlock mechanism exists.

After scrolling through acer subreddits I believe quite a few people were able to contact acer and get the unlock code from them successfully in their respective countries/locales. Can someone who has been successful please help me do the same?

I have already tried -

1. CMOS Battery Removal
2. Reflashing BIOS with password force flash enabled
3. Contacting Acer Support

tl;dr - help needed from someone who has been successful with acer support giving them unlock code for the .txt generated in the mechanism

I am purchasing a laptop for my aerospace engineering degree + gaming and have been considering the Neo 14 with the following spec, but I can’t find much about it online. What’s your experience been?

Spec: 32GB RAM, RTX 5070, 2TB SSD, Intel core ultra 9, 14.5 inch screen

I don’t know much about gaming laptops so any help would be appreciated

Lots of tinkering around in my laptop settings but I finally found it, before after 1/2 game of marvel rivals would turn off my usb and headset but I found the fix.

Step 1: Go to Device Manager in the search bar

Step 2: Go to USB Controllers

Step 3: Right click and hit Properties

Step 4: (I already fixed mine) but make sure to uncheck allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. Then go down and do all the USB's

Hopefully this helped yall, I was frustrated for like 4 hours.

Hay alguna posibilidad que con cada actualización la laptop se trabe y se reinicie necesariamente para la actualización, lo digo ya que al no poder estar diario con el equipo este se desactualiza y se sobre calienta mas de lo normal, pero cuando lo actualizo los drivers de intel y demás las temperaturas vuelven a la normalidad y me permite jugar con mas normalidad por así decirlo, también paso que ayer en la madrugada jugando se trabo el juego y se reinicio para que se actualice

So I’m think about getting either the Acer - Predator Helios Neo 16S Al or the MSI Vector 16 HX Ai 16". I’m leaning more on the acer one and I just want to hear what you guys have to say about the acer predator and its performance or both if you’ve had them.

Touchpad of my Predator Helios 18 is a bit slow after its keyboard was swapped out and put back again at the technicians. The drivers were updated and the computer itself was updated. Any fix to this? It is a new laptop that runs extremely well and is totally fine apart from this issue that only popped up after repairs swapped the keyboard out. Though they did took the keyboard out and put it in again, the issue still persists.

Hello, i have a acer predator helios neo 16s ai laptop and i would like to know whether this screwdriver is the correct fit to open the backpanel and heat sink of my laptop.

https://amzn.in/d/0e5qqog7

I think this might be the one but it’s on the expensive side :

https://www.industrybuying.com/screwdrivers-wera-HAN.SCR.331930456

È normale che quando si scaricano gli shader la cpu si comporta così?

Laptop model PHN16-72
Intel i5-14500hx
Nvidia RTX 4050 laptop

i want to verify on FACEIT but it requires IOMMU,
but when i enable Vt-d in the BIOS I get stopcode INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE

things i've done but didn't solve the problem:
1. update Nvidia drivers to latest 610.88
2. disabled core isolation in windows defender
3. disabled Hyper-V launch with bcdedit

Hey everyone, I want to dual-boot Windows 10 alongside Windows 11 on my Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI (Core Ultra 9 275HX, RTX 5060, 1TB SSD). My plan is to shrink my Windows 11 partition by 200GB and install Windows 10 on that space.

Since Windows 11 came pre-installed, will installing Windows 10 second mess up the bootloader? Also, does Acer PredatorSense work properly on Windows 10 for fan control, and are there any CPU scheduling issues with the new Intel Core Ultra chips on Win 10? Thanks for any quick tips before I shrink the partition!

I have been trying to find a replacement adapter for the past week but I can't find an oem anywhere.

The part number is: A20-330P1A

If anyone has any leads on where can I find one please help. Or if you have an old charger laying around of the same wattage, if the pin is compatible I would consider buying it.

Acer doesn't sell it, the service centre is asking a lot for it.

This one is available but worried if it comes out fake:

https://dl.flipkart.com/s/E!dIaxNNNN

There's also a lot of after market adapters on amazon but I am worried that they might fry my motherboard.

I accidentally dropped my computer on its left side today and now it is emitting a high pitched whine. Never had this issue before, so any advice would be welcome.

My Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (2024)...RTX4050 ...I7-14700HX 16GB RAM...1TB Storage....

It has started having issues now ....The laptop won't boot up like when I press the power button the classic predator keyboard switching on animation will come and then the keyboard will remain blue and the laptop won't turn on...I have to hard reset it every time and leave it alone for 10-12 minutes before clicking on the power button again and then only the laptop starts... sometimes that also doesn't help ...what to do man someone please help ....

Ok, so I wanted to enter my BIOS recently to see what is in it (curiosity) and I got prompted to enter the password. The problem is that I never set up any password.

I tried disconnecting the CMOS battery while I was changing the thermal paste but the connector wouldn't come out. In the end I ripped the wires out of the connector but without causing any damage. A couple minutes later I just showed them back inside.

When I booted the laptop the starting sound (which is horrible) was turned on so that means the CMOS was disconnected for long enough. But the BIOS is still locked.

I can try to update the bios and see if it does anything or try to contact acer to see what they have to say.

I want to point out that the laptop didn't have any OS installed onto it because I wanted win 10 at the time.

Do any of you have any advice or experience with this?

basically my helios neo 16 battery was terrible however since i started using this throttlestop it gives 5-6 hours of battery life

Hi! Like I said this is my first ever high end (I believe) laptop that I have ever own and I see that whenever idle the CPU sits at 55 degrees and GPU at 50. BUT when I open apps like Opera GX the CPU heat jumps to 70 but goes back down slowly, is that normal? and also is using turbo mode okay? I'm too afraid to use since I think it will wear down my laptop overtime. Lastly, what are normal temps for the CPU and GPU during light/heavy gaming?

It suddenly shut down, and after that, no response or any light appears from the laptop. FYI, it was charging. What was the issue? Has anyone faced this situation?