Pros
- Excellent graphics performance
- Enjoyable keyboard
- Plenty of connectivity
- Loud, crisp audio
Cons
- Uninspired design
- Mixed processor performance
- Display delivers mediocre image quality
- Short battery life
Our Review
Acer’s Nitro 5 is a value gaming laptop held back by performance life.
Gamers searching for a worth laptop will find many machines that bring section level discrete graphics at a sensible cost, however few out of every odd laptop with such equipment is great for gaming. Acer’s Nitro 5 makes that statement with its remarkable game presentation, however a couple of imperfections will restrict its allure.
However, try not to get it bent. The Nitro 5 brings a ton to the table. It conveys magnificent graphics execution and there are a lot of port choices. The sound is likewise punchy and the console is roomy. Notwithstanding, similarly as with most modest gaming laptops, there are a few trade offs to know about. Battery duration is amazingly short and the presentation is actually not a huge deal. All things considered, assuming you’re on a strict spending plan, the Nitro 5 is as yet an entirely sensible choice.
Specs and features
The Acer Nitro I tried prepares Intel’s Core i5-12500H processor, a section level variation in the H series that gives a sum of 12 centers yet just four execution centers. This will make for a captivating examination with earlier gaming laptops, large numbers of which have less centers altogether however no effective centers.
- CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H
- Memory: 16GB
- Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060
- Display: 15.6-inch 1080p 144Hz IPS LCD
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Webcam: 720p
- Connectivity: 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB-C 3.2, 1x USB-A 3.1, 2x USB-A 2.0, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x Ethernet
- Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
- Biometrics: None
- Battery capacity: 51 watt-hours
- Dimensions: 14.2 inches x 10.7 x 1.06
- Weight: 5.51 pounds
- Price: $1,299.99
Intel’s twelfth gen processor is matched with a Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB, which carries the MSRP to $1,299.99. The laptop, which won’t be delivered until May 22, 2022, is selling a hair over that cost on Amazon at the hour of distribution.
Design and build quality
The Acer Nitro 5 is an assortment of plastic boards and metal exteriors constrained into a rakish and forceful plan. There’s a retro vibe to the machine which, at over an inch thick, is far bulkier than the smooth very good quality gaming laptops that frequently hoard the spotlight. Assuming you need a laptop that shouts “hello, I’m new and cool!” – look somewhere else.
There is one touch I like: the cover. I get a 1980s vibe from its downplayed combo of matte dark surfaces with pastel blue and red stripes that help me to remember wire follows on a PCB.
How can it feel? Fine. The frame and show cover are for the most part plastic and permit recognizable flex when taken care of with unassuming power, yet the plan appears to be in all actuality tough. This is thanks to its thick profile and cumbersome, immovably expressed show pivots.
In any case, Dell’s gaming-focused Inspiron line and Lenovo’s entrance level Legion laptops give a more appealing gander at comparative estimating. Much Acer’s own Predator line is undeniably more vigorous and there’s a cross-over in evaluating between Nitro 5 models and the Predator Helios 300 line.
Keyboard and trackpad
Acer stuffs a huge keyboard with a numpad into the Nitro 5’s sizable edge. There’s a lot of room in spite of the numpad’s incorporation, so the bolt, Enter, and Backspace keys are comparative in size to different laptops. The right-side Shift key is half-sized, nonetheless. I could do without the numpad’s incorporation, as it counterbalances the keyboard from the touchpad, yet the people who need a numpad will obviously invite its consideration.
RGB keyboard backdrop illumination is incorporated yet deals with a for every zone, not per-key premise. This is a satisfactory split the difference for a laptop in the Nitro 5’s cost range. Backdrop illumination brilliance is extremely high at greatest and a few splendor levels are accessible.
Key feel is great. There’s a lot of space for a really long time, rich key travel. The keys base out with a fresh, smart activity that gives respectable criticism. The keycaps appear to be modest and empty, nonetheless, again helping proprietors to remember the Nitro 5’s worth valuing.
The touchpad is mediocre. It’s not gigantic, estimating around 5 inches wide and 3.5 inches down. It’s encircled by lovely shallow palm rests for a machine of the Nitro 5’s size. The responsive surface however can appear to be confined while utilizing Windows’ multi-contact motions.
Display and audio
The Acer Nitro 5 model I inspected had a 15.6-inch 1080p non-contact screen with an invigorate pace of 144Hz. This show is tracked down on the larger part of Nitro 5 frameworks, however a couple of top-level models move up to 1440p 165Hz presentation.
1080p goal isn’t energizing in 2022, obviously, yet it’s an ideal decision for any worth arranged laptop. In view of the showcase’s size, pixel thickness is still sufficiently high to look incredibly sharp in games, and adhering to 1080p means most games areas of strength for convey at the laptop’s local goal.
Picture quality is blended. The edge-lit LCD show offers great variety precision and a good differentiation proportion of up to 1230:1, yet is restricted by a thin variety range that shows just 66% of the sRGB range. This drains the liveliness you’ll find in more top notch gaming laptops and is most observable in beautiful games like Overwatch or Rocket League. It’s likewise terrible information for makers trusting the Acer Nitro 5 could be a financial plan disapproved of versatile machine for both gaming and photograph or video altering.
Results like this are normal to find in esteem gaming laptops, yet show the issues of increasing a machine that generally focuses on a worth purchaser. The Acer Nitro 5 conveys a MSRP that puts it near the passage level variants of additional exceptional laptops like the Alienware m15, Lenovo Legion 7, and Acer Predator. These will offer an obviously better showcase.
Webcam
The Acer Nitro 5 doesn’t attempt to offer a fantastic video or sound recording experience. It has a fundamental 720p webcam with a double cluster mouthpiece. Each functions admirably enough for video conferencing in a sufficiently bright, calm room, however you’ll run into inconvenience in dull rooms or those with moderate foundation clamor.
Connectivity
Nitro 5 brings space to the table for a wide scope of network. Video yield is given by a HDMI 2.0 port and a USB-C 3.2 port/Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode.
The USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port is expressed to give Power Delivery up to 65 watts, however the laptop’s battery released when I associated it to a screen conveying 65 watts, so don’t anticipate depending on it for charging. A 230-watt power connector gives juice over a barrel plug connector.
Extra USB network incorporates one USB-A 3.1 port and two USB-A 2.0 ports. There’s likewise an Ethernet jack and a 3.5mm combo sound jack. I would’ve gotten a kick out of the chance to see more USB-A 3.1 ports accessible.
Remote network comes over Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The remote connector is Intel’s Killer Wi-Fi AX1650i. It gives close Gigabit execution at short reach yet battled in my disengaged shed, which is 50 feet two or three dividers from the switch. This area is in many cases intense for laptops, however the Nitro 5 was particularly questionable and could accomplish download paces of around one megabyte each second.
Performance
The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-527S, similar to the remainder of the freshest Nitro 5 line, offers a twelfth gen Intel Core processor. My specific machine prepared the Intel Core i5-12500H, a 12-center processor with four execution centers and eight proficient centers. This was matched with 16GB of memory and a 512GB strong state drive.
We start with PCMark 10, an engineered test with an accentuation on everyday use as opposed to requesting jobs. The Intel Core i5-12500H doesn’t do well here, falling behind each correlation machine beside the Acer Swift 3. It’s disheartening to see the Core i5-12500H fall such a long ways behind the HP Victus with Core i7-11800H processor. The Core i5-12500H’s thin number of execution centers appears to keep it down in this test.
Cinebench R15 is an intensely strung and requesting test that better spreads the heap across many centers. This is to the Core i5-12500H’s benefit. While it doesn’t beat the Core i7-1800H, it comes close, and conveys a success over the Ryzen 7 5800H in the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED. It’s a decent, however not uncommon, result for the Acer Nitro 5.
Handbrake, another vigorously multithreaded test, reports all the more uplifting news. While the HP Victus isn’t accessible for examination in that frame of mind because of contrasts in testing conditions, we can see the Acer Nitro 5 scores a success over the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 tried with Ryzen 9 6900HS processor. The Core i5-12500H additionally gives a significant improvement over the Core i7-1260P, a processor that will be normal in slim, premium laptops.
Presently we continue on toward the designs benchmarks, beginning with 3DMark’s Time Spy test. The Acer Nitro 5 scores an extraordinary triumph here, overcoming the comparatively prepared HP Victus and effectively beating the MSI GF76 with RTX 3050 Ti. Truth be told, the Acer Nitro outclasses numerous new RTX 3060 laptops and comes somewhat near the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with Radeon RX6800S.
Battery life
The Acer Nitro 5 is areas of strength for an in games, yet this comes at a lofty punishment in battery duration. It’s normal to see frustrating battery duration in this portion, yet the Nitro 5 is essentially more regrettable than expected.
Indeed, truth be told. The Acer Nitro 5 will scarcely keep sufficiently going to watch a film on a departure from Seattle to San Francisco. Certifiable execution in light use was superior to that, coming in close to three hours, however that isn’t anything to gloat about. It seems OK, be that as it may. The laptop has a small 51 watt-hour battery. That is more modest than what you’ll view as in some dainty and-light machines. It’s basically overpowered by the eager for power equipment.
Conclusion
The Acer Nitro 5 is a decent incentive for gamers focusing on most extreme game execution on a thin financial plan. Nvidia’s RTX 3060 is given the space and power it necessities to convey solid outcomes. For some, this by itself will be sufficient to make the Nitro 5 a competitor. Notwithstanding, various defects keep the Nitro 5 away from its maximum capacity.