Acer Nitro 5 review

The new Acer Nitro 5 may not top any benchmark charts, but at a price of $899, there is no reason to complain. The system is one of the most affordable modern gaming notebooks while offering a good base of components and features.

Acer’s Nitro 5 gaming laptop lineup has not particularly wowed in the past. In fact, previous Nitro 5 models have received some of our worst reviews. But over the past two weeks, we have been testing the latest Nitro 5, which features modern innards and a design that’s a bit boring but in a good way, if there is such a thing. Maybe or maybe we appreciate a more relaxed approach to design, but the newest Nitro 5 isn’t a gaming laptop we  quickly frown upon. On the contrary, it’s quite the opposite.

Truly affordable gaming laptops are hard to find these days, but the new Acer Nitro 5 makes a strong case for itself. The review unit – a model that sells at Best Buy for just $899.99 – is wallet-friendly and offers solid entry-level performance. The 12th-generation Intel Core i5 CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU and 144 Hz refresh display ensure a comfortable 1080p gaming experience.

A little more storage would be nice, but the 512GB internal solid state drive keeps the price under $1,000, making it a great choice for mainstream gamers looking to save money. However, gamers looking for frame rates of 60 frames per second and above should look for a laptop with a more powerful GPU, such as the MSI Katana GF66.

Design

Acer has gone for a fairly minimalist look with the latest Nitro 5, which we really like. It wasn’t long ago that most Nitro notebooks were covered in aggressive colors and design flourishes, but that’s now a design of the past. Garish red and black were especially popular, and while some still like that much-vaunted combination, it was hard to find an affordable gaming rig that just looked like a regular notebook.

The earlier Nitro 5 from earlier this year had a different look, and red was very present. The corners of the lid and the rear vents were a bit more geometric, while this new edition has a squarer, cleaner look. The lid is sleek and smooth, without the muscular lines of the early in this year version.

It’s worth noting that this Best Buy model has a different design than the Nitro 5, which is available from the Acer Store and Amazon and has some circular lines on the lid. This notebook, with its almost all-black chassis (a bit of red remains on the rear vents) and white keycaps, will not stand out in a coffee shop or classroom.

Keyboard and Trackpad

Rewinding for a second, the keyboard on the Acer Nitro 5 is a significant selling point. Nothing really unique stands out about it. Yes, the symbols are red, the backlight is red, and the WASD keys have red paint on them to make them stand out. Here is where we discovered a significant grievance. We both concur that using a gaming laptop trackpad is typically not recommended for PC gaming, especially when playing FPS, RPG, and action games. However, the trackpad on this laptop is so poor that you won’t even want to use it for typical computer tasks.

If you step back for a moment, the keyboard of the Acer Nitro 5 is a great asset. There is nothing special about it. Sure, the symbols are red, the backlight – which, by the way, is only enabled when plugged in, making it hard to see the keys in the dark when it’s not – is red, and the WASD keys are highlighted in red. Overall, this is a typical, mediocre keyboard. Still, we find it comfortable and quite reliable. It’s fast and responsive, and we didn’t notice any lags, missed keys, or accidental presses. Whether you’re typing or gaming, that’s all that matters.

Display

A large notebook also needs a correspondingly large display. The 15.6-inch FHD screen brings out all the small details in graphically demanding modern games. It is also great for movies and streaming content. Although not every game can take advantage of the 144 Hz refresh rate, the extra headroom ensures smooth frame rates when playing at 60 fps or higher.

We found that the Nitro 5’s screen achieved an average brightness of 314 nits during our brightness test. That’s slightly more than the advertised 300 nits, which is comparable to the Dell G5 15 SE (301), but not the Alienware x14 (377).

When we pointed a colorimeter at the screen to see how well it renders colors, we found that the Acer Nitro 5 can achieve 64.1% of the sRGB color gamut and 45% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. That’s less impressive than the Alienware x14 (109.7%, 77%) and means this isn’t a great display for eagle-eyed photo/video playing and editing who value color accuracy.

Audio

The 15.6-inch, 1080p, non-touch screen on the Acer Nitro 5 model We evaluated had a refresh rate of 144Hz. The vast majority of Nitro 5 systems have this display, while a few high-end variants can be upgraded to a 1440p 165Hz monitor. Of course, 1080p resolution isn’t spectacular in 2022, but it’s a great option for any laptop with a focus on affordability. Because of the size of the display, the pixel density is still sufficient for games to look exceptionally sharp, and by keeping with 1080p, most games operate well at the laptop’s native resolution.

Graphics and Gaming

Two DirectX 12 gaming simulations from UL’s 3DMark, Night Raid (more sluggish, ideal for laptops with integrated graphics) and Time Spy, are used to measure the visual performance of Windows PCs (more demanding, suitable for gaming rigs with discrete GPUs). Two more GFXBench 5.0 tests are conducted off-screen to accommodate various screen resolutions and stresses.

Performance

Similar to Acer’s design strategy, the Nitro 5’s components are used. They are straightforward and effective without drawing special emphasis to any particular feature. An Intel Core i5-12500H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage are all included in the Nitro 5 that we’ve been evaluating.

These components work together to create a playable entry-level gaming laptop that can handle any task you throw at it. In order to regularly get 60 frames per second, you’ll need to be willing to fiddle with the game’s graphic settings. Here is a brief comparison of benchmark results between the HP Omen and the MSI Stealth 15M before we get into my personal experience.

Battery life

With the Nitro 5, battery life is a minor area of concern. Depending on the test, Acer claims battery benchmark testing should last between five and seven hours. The Nitro 5’s battery, however, lasted three hours and twenty-four minutes until the laptop shut itself off when PCMark 10’s battery benchmark was run.

A few years ago, we might have told you that a gaming laptop with a battery life of more than three hours was outstanding. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, for example, completed the same test with a battery life of more than nine hours, raising the bar for more contemporary gaming laptops we’ve examined.

Heat

Things are burning under the hood of both Acer Nitro 5 laptops, especially the more powerful model. After 15 minutes of gaming, the RTX 3050 Ti model reached 94 degrees Fahrenheit on the bottom, comfortably below the 95-degree mark. The center of the keyboard and touchpad reached 96 and 73 degrees respectively.

However, it got hottest on the rear underside, below the fourth vent from the right, at 123 degrees. The RTX 3060 model came in at 106 degrees (bottom), 102 degrees (keyboard) and 74 degrees (touchpad). The hottest spot, the same as above, climbed to a blistering 129 degrees.

Price and Availability

The Acer Nitro 5 is one of the most affordable gaming notebooks on the market today. With its starting price of $749, the same model we tested gives you the most basic configuration. This exact configuration is also available in the UK, but costs about $335 more. However, this configuration is not available in Australia. According to Acer’s website, the most basic configuration available there is AU$1,999, which includes the Intel Core i7-8750H processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 with 4GB, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD and 128GB SSD.

Several other configurations are available for the US market, the most expensive of which costs $1099. At this price, the laptop is equipped with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD, while the GPU and HDD are the same. In general, the Nitro 5 can keep up with gaming laptops in similar price points and configurations, such as the Dell G3 15 and Lenovo Legion Y530, though the user-controlled cooling on this laptop is a novelty in this niche.

Final Words

We hope you like this blog on Acer Nitro 5 Review. If you’re on a tight budget and don’t need an overly thin notebook, the Nitro 5 is worth considering. we enjoyed our time testing it, even if it didn’t blow away. It’s an average design with average performance at a budget price.

There’s nothing to be mad about. Thanks to the excellent cooling system, the notebook delivers consistent performance. Sure, it has thick edges, but the 144 Hz refresh rate screen is very good. If you’re looking for powerful notebook that won’t break the budget, the Nitro 5 is a good choice. It can even replace your aging desktop computer.

John Brister
John Brister
Meet John Brister, the prolific content writer renowned for his perceptive comparison articles on Bollyinside. Specializing in topics ranging from TVs to headphones and other accessories, John's knack for breaking down intricate details into reader-friendly insights has garnered him a dedicated following. Beyond his literary pursuits, John is an avid swimmer and equally passionate about tracking, often exploring new trails and routes, feeding his sense of adventure.

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The Acer Nitro 5 is one of the most affordable gaming notebooks currently on the market. A large notebook also needs a correspondingly large display. The 15.6-inch FHD screen brings out all the small details in graphically demanding modern games.Acer Nitro 5 review