lcd panel acer nitro 5 an515-53 color accuracy manufacturer

One of the weak spots on Acer’s Nitro lineup has been the display in the past, so we will see how the new model fares. The base offering is a 15.6-inch 1920x1080 IPS display, offering a 60 Hz refresh rate, and on higher-tire models there is a 144 Hz offering available, although with the limited GPU offerings, that is likely overkill for this machine. There is no G-SYNC available either, so although 144 Hz displays are fantastic, the Acer Nitro 5 likely won’t be able to achieve that kind of framerate at its native resolution anyway.

To see how the Acer Nitro 5’s display performs, we test it using Portrail Display’s Calman software suite with a custom workflow. Brightness and contrast measurements are done with the X-Rite i1Display Pro colorimeter, and color accuracy testing is done with the X-Rite i1 Pro 2 spectrophotometer.

To hit a price target, one of the first areas generally cut is the display backlighting, and that is certainly the case here. At just 260 nits of peak brightness, the Acer Nitro 5 is one of the least-bright displays we have tested recently. That being said, it does offer relatively good black levels, so the overall contrast ratio is very solid at 1300:1.

At 200 nits brightness, the grayscale was very impressive on the Nitro 5, with very even red, green, and blue coloring to the white levels. The overall result did not go over the 3.0 level at any point, and the average was just 2.4 dE2000, which is quite good.

Unfortunately for the Acer Nitro 5, the good grayscale is not backed up by good color accuracy. The Nitro 5 backlighting is not only dim, it can not even get close to covering the entire sRGB color gamut. The blue values are very undersaturated at 100% levels, but red and green are both unable to hit the correct target either, so the secondary colors are quite far off the mark as well.

Gamut tests the color accuracy at 100% levels for the primary and secondary colors, and the saturation test does the same thing but at 4-bit steps from 0% to 100%. The blue levels are some of the worst results we have seen in years, with a peak error level of almost 17. For reference, error levels of 3.0 are considered accurate, and under 1.0 is considered impossible for the eye to distinguish.

The Gretag Macbeth swatch tests not just the primary and secondary colors, but many others as well, including the important skin tones. With the display unable to achieve the full sRGB gamut, the GMB results are unsurprisingly poor. The average error level is helped by reasonable grayscale, but most of the other colors are quite far off.

The colorchecker tests a sample of colors, and displays the target color on the bottom with the measured color on the top, to give a visual indication of the inaccuracy of the display. This is a relative result, as any errors in your own display will change the output, but it is still a handy way to more easily interpret the error levels shown above. It is not very pretty for the Acer Nitro 5.

Going into this review, there were not high hopes for the display. It is an area where Acer has found room to keep costs down in the past, and if we are being honest, it is an area where you expect less than ideal results in a budget-focused design. That being said, $300 iPads and $500 Surface tablets ship with full sRGB displays that are calibrated per-device. This display is fine for what it is. It is an IPS display, with good viewing angles, and at least on the review unit, good white values, but although some slack must be given Acer due to the tight budget on this device, it is still a bad display.

Optimised for gaming. While laptops with an RTX 3080 offer a whole lot of performance, they are often chunky and can get really hot, which is not something that everybody wants. The Acer Nitro 5, on the other hand, is for those who are looking for a low-priced portable gaming laptop.

The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55 is the latest laptop in Acer’s Nitro 5 series, which consists of low-priced notebooks that aim to cover the basics. Our review device comes with the GeForce RTX 3060, which is one of Nvidia’s latest GPUs. The Nitro 5 is supposed to offer a relatively high level of performance at a reasonable power draw. Our review device is very similar to the Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44, which is why we did not provide a detailed description of the case and the ports. You can find all the relevant information in our review of the predecessor model.

The design of the 15.6-inch Nitro 5 AN515-55 has not changed much when compared to the predecessor model. The laptop is still made of matte black plastic. The colour accents are also still here. Because the keys now have a white accent instead of a red one, the Nitro 5 looks less flashy. The angular design, the red colour accent around the touchpad and the red plastic "inserts" are all vestiges of what used to be considered cool in the gaming laptop world. The build quality is on a good level. The chassis is quite stiff. However, the display lid and the keyboard deck exhibit a small amount of flex.

The Nitro 5 AN515-55 takes up slightly more space than most other laptops with similar hardware. Weighing in at 2.3 kg (5 lbs), the Nitro 5 is the heaviest device in our comparison chart. The MSI GF65 Thin 10UE is the lightest notebook that we included in our review. It only weighs 1.9 kg (4.27 lbs).

Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-55-57GF Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT Schenker XMG Core 15 Ampere HP Omen 15-en0375ng MSI GF65 Thin 10UE Asus TUF Dash F15 FX516PR DIN A4 ❌

363.4 mm / 14.3 inch255 mm / 10 inch23.9 mm / 0.941 inch2.3 kg5 lbs363 mm / 14.3 inch255 mm / 10 inch24 mm / 0.945 inch2.2 kg4.8 lbs359.8 mm / 14.2 inch243 mm / 9.57 inch22.9 mm / 0.902 inch2 kg4.45 lbs358 mm / 14.1 inch240 mm / 9.45 inch23 mm / 0.906 inch2.2 kg4.76 lbs359 mm / 14.1 inch254 mm / 10 inch21.7 mm / 0.854 inch1.9 kg4.27 lbs360 mm / 14.2 inch252 mm / 9.92 inch20 mm / 0.787 inch2 kg4.51 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch210 mm / 8.27 inch1 mm / 0.03937 inch5.7 g0.01257 lbs

The Nitro 5 supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, thanks to an Intel communications module (AX201). The Nitro 5 does not achieve spectacular speeds in our Wi-Fi test, but it is still fast enough for all usage scenarios. However, some competing laptops are almost twice as fast as the Acer notebook when it comes to Wi-Fi speeds.

To get to the internal components, users will have to undo 11 screws on the bottom. Once the device is open, users will get access to the two M.2 slots, the replaceable Wi-Fi module, the battery and the fans. As you can see from the image below, there is a bay for a 2.5-inch drive, but there is no SATA connector.

The keyboard features an RBG backlight with four brightness levels, which can be cycled through in the Nitrosense utility. The keys offer a short travel distance and very little resistance. The keyboard does not produce a lot of noise when typing, which is why it can be used in quiet environments. The keyboard is not suited for long typing sessions. Moreover, the keys of the numeric pad are too small.

The Acer Nitro 5 has a 15.6-inch display with a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 144 Hz. The display is fit for competitive titles. Those who want a 165-Hz 1440p screen or a 240-Hz 1080p display will have to pay a significant premium.

The brightness is on a very good level when compared to the rest of the competition. The brightness distribution is also quite decent. Our panel does not exhibit an excessive amount of backlight bleeding. The Schenker XMG Core 15 Ampere is the only device in our comparison chart that offers a higher screen brightness. The panel in the Schenker notebook also has a higher resolution (2560x1440).

Both the contrast ratio (1371:1) and the black value (0.21 cd/m²) are very good. Only the MSI GF65 Thin 10UE does better here. The Nitro 5 still manages to beat the MSI GF65 in terms of colour reproduction, though. Nevertheless, the screen of the Nitro 5 is not suitable for professional applications, because it only manages to cover 62% of sRGB and 44% of AdobeRGB. Both the Schenker XMG Core 15 and the Asus TUF Dash F15 have significantly more colour-accurate screens, but they cost more money.

The display of the Nitro 5 is hard to read outside on sunny days because it has a brightness of only 260 cd/m². However, in all other situations, the screen should be legible, thanks to a matte surface.

ℹDisplay response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.↔ Response Time Black to White

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19272 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Our review device comes with the Intel Core i5-10300H, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 and 16 GB of DDR4 dual-channel RAM. Our configuration of the Nitro 5 features a 512 GB NVMe SSD. In Europe, there is also an alternative configuration with the hexa-core Intel Core i7-10750H and the RTX 3050/RTX 3050 Ti. Our review device is primarily intended for gaming because it comes with a mid-range CPU and a high-end GPU. Buyers should also be aware of the fact that not all configurations come with Windows 10 preinstalled. For instance, Windows 10 was not preinstalled on our review device.

The Core i5-10300H is a hexa-core Comet Lake-based processor, which was manufactured on the 14-nm node. However, nowadays buyers can get Intel’s 10-nm CPUs, which offer a big boost in performance. Howbeit, the Core i5-10300H is still a very capable gaming processor.

In our Cinebench R15 loop, the CPU was able to achieve very stable, albeit rather low, clock rates. The predecessor model with the AMD Ryzen 5 4600H exhibited similar behaviour in this test. Nevertheless, the Ryzen 5 4600H in the Nitro 5 AN515-44 is 57% faster than the Core i5-10300H in our current review device in the CR15 loop. When running on battery power, the CPU performance of the Nitro 5 AN515-55 drops significantly. When plugged in, the Nitro 5 AN515-55 achieved a multi-core score of 777 points in Cinebench R15. However, when running on battery power, it only got a multi-core score of 504 points.

In the productivity benchmarks, the Core i5-10300H was trounced by the competing laptops with better CPUs. In all of our benchmarks, the Core i5-10300H performed as expected.

Because it does not have a very powerful CPU, the Nitro 5 achieves mediocre results in our system benchmarks. Nevertheless, in day-to-day use, the system feels very responsive and applications start very quickly.

Our review device features a 512 GB NVMe SSD from Western Digital. However, other models come with a 1 TB SSD. In the storage benchmarks, the 512 GB SSD performs worse than the competition in almost all areas. The 4K read speed is the only exception. All in all, the SSD is fast enough to provide a very good user experience.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (Mobile) is a high-end GPU, which is based on Nvidia’s new Ampere architecture. It offers a significant boost in performance when compared to last generation GPUs. It has 6 GB of GDDR6 video memory and an 85-W TGP.

The Schenker XMG Core 15 is outperforming the rest of the competition in the 3DMark benchmarks because it features an RTX 3060 with a 120-W TGP. The Nitro 5 beats its predecessor by more than 50% and can keep up with the 85-W RTX 3070 in the Asus TUF Dash F15 in certain benchmarks.

Acer’s gaming laptop can handle all modern titles at 1080p on high settings. It can run some esports titles at 144 FPS. However, the RTX 3060 cannot achieve playable frame rates in Cyberpunk 2077with RT effects enabled. Without DLSS, it can hit only 23 FPS on average. All in all, the RTX 3060 in the Nitro 5 is a capable gaming GPU.

dB(A)0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs204136.842.642.946.539.82535.834.338.436.536.243.5314441.148.945.444.746.54029.62632.732.23234.35027.323.83041.641.541.26331.62728.929.927.936.98023.919.2222418.327.81002320.51918.317.825.412526.721.323.119.317.630.716029.824.528.92121.930.520029.224.326.12321.429.225029.422.321.121.717.430.731530.12018.616.415.131.340030.427.621.213.41531.950031.123.119.112.312.533.663033.621.62012.511.435.480034.221.819.212.311.236.8100034.621.619.612.211.337.2125037.324.721.512.411.340.1160038.324.322.511.711.440.920003621.618.112.212.339250035.117.114.813.11337.6315035.615.314.31412.739.2400031.415.414.714.713.935.7500030.214.213.813.713.534.2630028.313.613.713.513.732.8800022.713.513.513.413.5271000020.613.113.31313251250018.51312.812.712.720160001812.312.512.41216.7SPL46.332.830.52625.449.2N5.21.61.40.80.76.5median 30.2median 21.3median 19median 13.4median 13median 32.8Delta4.24.13.52.61.84.8hearing rangehide medianshow medianFan NoiseAcer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-55-57GF

Under load, the underside of the device gets hottest (49-51 °C; 120.2-123.8 °F), especially in the area near the screen. We saw these surface temperatures during both our gaming stress test with The Witcher 3 and our stress test with Prime95 and FurMark. The right side and the middle of the wrist rest area reach up to 37 °C (98.6 °F), which is quite warm. However, the left side does not get as warm, peaking at only 28 °C (82.4 °F).

At the beginning of our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark running continuously for at least one hour), the processor operated at 4.2 GHz and the GPU ran at 1425 MHz. After a short while, the CPU hit 90 °C (194 °F) and started to throttle down to keep itself within the conservative operating range set by Acer. In the meantime, the GPU temperatures slowly climbed to 79 °C (174.2 °F). Eventually, the GPU clocks settled at around 800 MHz, occasionally spiking to 1400 MHz. Over the course of our stress test, the average CPU clock rate amounted to 3.4 GHz and the average GPU clock rate was 1040 MHz.

(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 40.3 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.

(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 49 °C / 120 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.

The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55 comes with two 2-W speakers. They do not produce a lot of bass but still sound acceptable. The maximum volume is on a good level. Users can connect external audio devices via a USB port, the included 3.5-mm audio jack or Bluetooth.

dB(A)0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2046.543.62536.235.53144.745.3403231.25041.541.86327.934.58018.32610017.82812517.635.616021.938.520021.440.225017.445.931515.148.94001553.450012.559.963011.467.880011.271.1100011.370.1125011.366.9160011.465200012.362.725001360.5315012.759.9400013.954.7500013.555.4630013.756.4800013.557100001354.11250012.752.8160001245.6SPL25.476.3N0.734.3median 13median 55.4Delta1.88.13734.53729.328.429.33326.7332522.32527.825.527.834.724.434.729.429.629.424.223.724.230.128.430.143.321.243.356.219.656.263.218.863.262.920.762.963.52063.566.520.366.572.921.972.975.422.875.468.72568.766.224.266.269.524.669.566.72266.759.119.459.160.218.860.267.61867.663.915.463.965.213.365.267.514.967.57214.47273.512.973.567.413.467.480.733.180.750.41.750.4median 66.2median 20median 66.25.52.85.5hearing rangehide medianshow medianPink NoiseAcer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-55-57GFMSI GF65 Thin 10UE

The 57.5-Wh battery of the Nitro 5 lasted 5h and 43m in our Wi-Fi test and 1h 28m under load. In our video test (playing back an H.264 video on a loop), the Acer laptop lasted 6h and 9m. In our battery tests, the Nitro 5 achieved slightly above-average battery runtimes for a device with such a battery capacity.

The matte black plastic surfaces make the Nitro 5 appear quite subdued. However, thanks to its angular design, it does not look boring at all. The build quality is on a good level, and the input devices are usable. The selection of ports is not outstanding but it is good enough for a laptop in this price bracket. The Nitro 5 does not offer any premium features.

The main draw of the Nitro 5 is, undoubtedly, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (Mobile), which Acer put in its low-priced gaming laptop. The last-generation CPU is powerful enough to allow the RTX 3060 to reach its full potential when gaming. However, we would not recommend the Core i5-10300H to anyone who needs to use a lot of productivity applications. The subpar keyboard and the small battery capacity are our main points of criticism.With the Nitro 5, Acer wanted to achieve a good price-to-performance ratio by using an RTX 3060. At the right price, the Nitro 5 is a great gaming laptop with no major weaknesses.

In most titles, the CPU does not play a very significant role. The Nitro 5 can easily handle the latest games. The 144-Hz screen is good enough for gaming. However, it is not suitable for professional applications because of the poor colour space coverage. Even though there is a whole lot of competition in the lower mid-range segment, Acer managed to deliver an impressive gaming laptop, which covers the basics very well.

Midrange through and through. While OEMs currently reserve Nvidia RTX 20-series GPUs for their more expensive gaming laptops, Acer has chosen to equip its attractively priced Nitro series with GeForce GTX 1600-series chips. Read on to find out how the entry-level model performs in our detailed review.

If you want to spend a maximum of 1,500 Euros (~$1,685) on a gaming laptop, then the Acer Aspire Nitro range could be a perfect fit for you. Acer has recently refreshed the series too with an upgraded case and a choice between the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 and GeForce GTX 1660 Ti.

Moreover, Acer has eschewed 8th generation Intel Core processors on which many OEMs still rely for newer 9th generation chips. You can choose between the quad-core Core i5-9300H that powers our review unit or the more powerful, and hexacore, Core i7-9750H. Likewise, you have the option of equipping the Nitro with 8 or 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, although Acer currently only sells the series with a 512 GB SSD. Our test device is the AN515-54-53Z2 for reference, which costs just under 1,100 Euros (~$1,236) on notebooksbilliger.de at the time of writing. Incidentally, our review unit is also the base model of the series.

We have chosen to compare the Nitro 5 against other comparably priced 15.6-inch gaming laptops. Our comparison devices will include the Dell G5 15 5587, the Lenovo Legion Y730-15ICH and the Medion Erazer X6805. We shall also compare the GeForce GTX 1650-powered Nitro 5 against its AMD-powered sibling. Please keep in mind that our review unit is the first that we have tested with the GeForce GTX 1650. Our Nvidia-powered comparison devices all have GTX 10-series GPUs for full disclosure.

Update 9.13.2019:Following multiple requests from readers, we have decided to put the Core i7-9750H SKU through our tests. Acer currently charges around €50 (~US$55) more than the Core i5-9300H model. We shall weave our new tests into our existing review, as the two models are identical save for their CPUs.

Acer has given the Nitro 5 a major design overhaul. While the old model had wide bezels, Acer has jumped on board with the slim side display bezels for this year’s model. The reduction in bezels has also allowed the company to make the new Nitro 5 noticeably more compact than its predecessor. Our review unit is also around 3 cm narrower and 1 cm shorter than its AMD sibling, while it is 200 g lighter too. Overall, the Nitro 5 is comparatively light for a 15.6-inch gaming laptop; only the Legion Y730-15ICH matches our review unit out of our comparison devices here.

Discounting the slimmer bezels, the Nitro 5 looks remarkably like its predecessor. The device retains the red styling of yesteryear, which Acer continues to apply to the keyboard, the edging around the touchpad and the display hinge cover, the latter of which also has the NITRO branding.

There are some subtle changes though. Acer has changed the shape of the Nitro 5’s ventilation slots and has ditched the textured finish that it previously applied to the top case. The design of the display lid is also more restrained, most of which is plain black plastic. Acer has applied a textured finish to the left and right sides of the lid, but this does not stop the Nitro 5 from looking more discreet and less playful than its predecessor.

The plastic case is sturdy enough too, although not impressively so. The base unit only gives way under intense pressure, but we can temporarily deform the display lid using two hands with relative ease. The display also bounces around a bit, although it has a comparatively large opening angle of approximately 150°.

385 mm / 15.2 inch265 mm / 10.4 inch33 mm / 1.299 inch2.5 kg5.62 lbs390 mm / 15.4 inch266 mm / 10.5 inch27 mm / 1.063 inch2.4 kg5.29 lbs389 mm / 15.3 inch274.7 mm / 10.8 inch24.95 mm / 0.982 inch2.9 kg6.29 lbs363 mm / 14.3 inch255 mm / 10 inch27 mm / 1.063 inch2.2 kg4.76 lbs362 mm / 14.3 inch267 mm / 10.5 inch19.95 mm / 0.785 inch2.2 kg4.85 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch210 mm / 8.27 inch1 mm / 0.03937 inch5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Unfortunately, the selection of ports has gotten worse rather than better. Acer has replaced one of the two USB 2.0 ports with a USB 3.0 port and has stuck to four USB ports overall, but it has also inexplicably removed the card reader. Likewise, Acer has persisted with a combined 3.5 mm jack rather than having dedicated headphone and microphone inputs. Also, there is only an HDMI 2.0 port for image output, while there is no USB 3.1 Gen2 or Thunderbolt 3 ports. We welcome the inclusion of an RJ45 port though, but it does not stop us from marking the Nitro 5 down here.

The distribution of ports is lacklustre too. Acer has moved the ventilation grille to the right-hand side of the frame and has brought the headphone jack along with the USB Type-A port forward. The positioning of these three means that you are likely to feel warm air blowing against your hand if you use an external mouse with your right hand, while the mouse will likely catch against any cables you have connected. In short, we do not understand why Acer has made these design decisions because they only serve to reduce the Nitro 5’s functionality.

We have no cause for complaints with our review unit’s Wi-Fi performance though. Acer has equipped the device with an Intel Wireless-AC 9560 module, which achieved exceptional transfer speeds in our iperf3 Client Wi-Fi tests. We conducted these tests with the Nitro 5 approximately 1 m away from our Linksys EA8500 reference router, for reference.

Acer preinstalled a few pieces of software along with Windows 10 Home 64-bit, which should please people who like to fine-tune their systems. The company’s Nitro Sense program manages the Nitro 5’s power plans and fan control. The software also displays an overview of system information like fan speed along with CPU and GPU temperatures. Acer has bundled its Care Center program too, which provides support information and allows you to download updates or recover the device. Windows Update still downloads other updates regardless though.

Acer includes a quick-start guide, warranty booklet and an HDD adapter in the box. The latter allows you to retrofit a 2.5-inch drive should you wish to do so. There is a 135 W power supply too, although Acer bundles a higher capacity version with more-expensive and powerful models.

Maintenance is a bit more complicated than it was on the Nitro 5’s predecessor. Acer has not included any maintenance flaps this time around, so you must remove the bottom case to access any internal components. Fortunately, you only need a Phillips screwdriver and some brute force to pry the case from the chassis. You then have access to all main components including the battery, drive bays and RAM. You cannot swap the CPU or GPU, but this is common for most laptops, except for something like the Alienware Area-51m.

The Nitro 5 comes with 24 months limited manufacturer’s warranty. The coverage includes a pickup & returns service, although Acer only extends this internationally for the first 12 months of the warranty period.

Acer has made some minor changes to the keyboard between generations, but it still inherits the pros and cons of its predecessor. Typing on our review unit is an unspectacular yet pleasant enough experience, but we have mixed feelings about the keyboard layout. Some buttons are too close to each other for our liking despite the chiclet design, especially the # and Enter keys. The right arrow key also extends into the number pad, which could lead you to accidentally pressing the right arrow key initially instead of the 0 key. We still prefer full-size keys to half-size ones though. Acer has also outlined the arrow keys in red as it has with the WASD keys, a decision that will divide opinion. Aesthetically, they go against the Nitro 5’s relatively understated look, but they stand out nicely when gaming.

The positioning of the power button is an odd one too. Acer has decided to place it at the end of the function keys, which is not in itself a bad idea. However, it does not stand out from the other keys, so we sometimes found it hard to spot. The colour and lettering style of the keys is difficult to read in some lights too.

The trackpad is also a mixed bag. While it has a pleasantly smooth finish, its precision leaves something to be desired. Multi-touch gestures are easy to perform though, especially two-finger gestures such as scrolling or zooming. Acer has opted for an integrated rather than dedicated input device that allows the trackpad to be an enjoyably large 10.5 x 7.5 cm. Including dedicated mouse buttons would have made the trackpad feel a lot smaller, the effect of which would have been compounded by its imprecision.

Acer has equipped our review unit with a 60 Hz 15.6-inch display, specifically the LG Philips LP156WFC-SPD1. We suspect that the company opted for a 60 Hz panel to save on costs. A 144 Hz display would have been a nice addition though.

In short, our review unit has a disappointing display. According to X-Rite i1Pro 2, the panel only has an average maximum brightness of 226 cd/m², which is much darker than the displays in most of our comparison devices. Its 57% sRGB and 36% AdobeRGB colour-space coverages are underwhelming too, especially for a gaming laptop.

The contrast ratio, reaction times and viewing angles are also below par. Most of our comparison devices do not have great contrast ratios either, but that is no excuse for Acer equipping the Nitro 5 with what is, basically, a bargain basement display.

Worse still, our review unit suffers from backlight bleeding. The panel is only 83% evenly lit, which leads to bright spots appearing in the top corners of the display when using the Nitro 5 in poorly lit rooms or at night.

ℹDisplay response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.↔ Response Time Black to White

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19277 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Our review unit with its Core i5-9300H processor and GeForce GTX 1650 GPU sits firmly in the midrange of modern gaming laptops. Its 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD is comparatively large for a gaming laptop at this price, particularly as there is a second M.2 2280 drive bay and a 2.5-inch bay too. 8 GB of RAM is standard though, and at least Acer has included two SO-DIMM modules so that the system runs in dual-channel mode. The only downside is that you must replace both modules if you ever want to upgrade to 16 GB or beyond, but that is a minor gripe.

The Core i5-9300H succeeds the Core i5-8300H, a popular CPU that found itself in the entry levels of most multimedia and gaming laptops released in the last year. The new processor is more of an upgrade in name only though. Intel has increased the clock speed by 100 MHz, but both CPUs have 8 MB of L3 cache and can process up to eight threads simultaneously. They both have a 45 W thermal design power (TDP) too.

We should point out that the Nitro 5 supports Nvidia Optimus. This allows the system to switch from its Nvidia GPU to its more-efficient Intel UHD Graphics 630 for undemanding tasks like video-streaming and web-browsing, which reduces power consumption and should help lengthen battery life.

We checked the clock speed behaviour of the Core i5-9300H using Cinebench R15. The quad-core chip reaches its maximum potential in the single-core benchmark where it averages 4.1 GHz, but it disappoints in the multi-core version. Our review unit briefly reaches 4.0 GHz before dropping to around 3.3 GHz, a level that it can consistently maintain.

Update 9.13.2019: The Core i7-9750H model achieves scores about 10% more in single-core benchmarks than our first review unit, and 29% more in multicore work. The Core i5-9300H, for reference, which accounts for the uplift in single-core benchmark performance. The

As you can see from the benchmark tables, the Nitro 5 cannot distinguish itself from its Core i5-8300H-powered competitors. What’s more, the Legion Y730 gets around 8% more peak multicore performance with its nominally weaker CPU than our review unit does. The Nitro 5 also only scored approximately 5% higher in CB R15 Multi 64Bit than the G5 15 5587. The Core i7-8750H destroyed the Core i5-9300H too, with the Medion Erazer X6805 scoring 58% more than the Nitro 5 in the same benchmark.

Update: 9.13.2019: System performance benchmarks only split the two models by 2%, with the Core i5-9300H model even taking the lead in some tests. Benchmarks like PCMark measure more than just CPU performance though, so it is unsurprising to see two devices that share the same SSD, RAM and GPU score roughly the same here.

Acer has equipped our review unit with a 512 GB WDC PC SN520 SSD that delivered excellent transfer speeds in benchmarks like AS SSD. The drive is considerably faster overall than those in our comparison devices, with only the Erazer X6805 and its Samsung PM961 coming close to the transfer speeds that the WDC PC SN520 achieves.

One of the most exciting things about the Nitro 5 is its GPU. The device is the first that we have tested with the GeForce GTX 1650, which succeeds the popular GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Nvidia has delivered a decent performance boost between generations, which it has achieved by increasing the shader count from 768 to 1,024 among other improvements. The GeForce GTX 1650 theoretically has around a 100 MHz lower base clock and a 60 MHz lower boost clock than the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. However, the speeds that individual cards can reach in practice depend largely on the cooling system with which they are paired.

In short, the Nitro 5 manages its GPU clock speeds well. The GeForce GTX 1650 averaged 1,710 MHz during Unigine Heaven 4.0 and 1,650 MHz in The Witcher 3 when set to Full HD and ultra-graphics, both of which are respectable. Our review unit also maintained peak frame rates throughout an hour-long play-through of

Update 9.13.2019: Most modern games are GPU heavy, so upgrading your CPU will only yield performance improvements if it is bottlenecking your system. Even CPU-intensive games like Core i7-9750H brings, with our new review unit averaging the same FPS on the High and Ultra presets as its Core i5-9300H sibling. Both CPUs maintain roughly the same clock speeds during our

The GPU performed well in synthetic benchmarks like 3DMark 11 too. The GeForce GTX 1650 scored over 30% more than the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti here, while the Nitro 5 almost reached the levels of the G5 15 5587 and its GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q. Our review unit loses ground in 3DMark Fire Strike though, but it still performs well considering its price.

The GeForce GTX 1650 is powerful enough to play most modern triple-A games in 1080p at high or maximum graphics. In short, you should have no issues with gaming in the Nitro 5"s native display resolution.

However, we would recommend stepping up to the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti for gaming in QHD and at least a GeForce RTX 2070 for UHD. Please see our gaming benchmarks page and our GeForce GTX 1650 review for more information about the GPU and how it performs in other games.

Acer has equipped the Nitro 5 with two fans, which are pleasantly quiet at idle. If you are not pushing the machine hard, then the fans will either stay quiet or whir at between 31 dB(A) and 33 dB(A). We also could not hear any annoying electrical interference like coil whine during our tests.

Some laptop fans exceed 50 dB(A), but we would still recommend using headphones when gaming with the Nitro 5. Its fans will drown out its speakers even if you max out the volume.

Some parts of the Nitro 5 get hot to the touch too under load too, but not dangerously so. Most of the case exceeds 40 °C under maximum load, while one area reaches 50 °C, but the palm rest remains a pleasantly cool sub-30 °C.

Likewise, case temperatures do not exceed 25 °C when the system is idling. Overall, the Nitro 5 should only ever feel hot to the touch when you are pushing it hard.

It is a different story under the hood though. GPU core temperatures only reached a maximum of 72 °C during our stress test, but the CPU peaked at 94 °C, which is only a few degrees short of its maximum operating temperature. However, we designed our combined FurMark and Prime95 stress test to push systems to their limits, so you should not experience these high internal temperatures even when enjoying prolonged gaming sessions.

(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 47 °C / 117 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.

The Nitro 5 has stereo speakers like many laptops. The speakers reproduce high-pitched tones comparatively accurately but at the expense of mid and low-end frequencies. Overall, the speakers are good enough for occasionally listening to music or watching videos. However, we would recommend using external speakers or headphones where possible for a better listening experience.

dB(A)0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2043.346.72539.640.53132.4334034.442.35027.231.36329.327.48027.728.610026.830.912523.433.516022.745.120022.952.125023.554.631519.958.940019.76550019.269.963017.970.58001870.7100017.872.6125018.967.3160017.869.3200017.465.8250017.765.7315017.765.2400017.861.1500017.558.6630017.552.6800017.457.71000017.359.51250017.360.41600017.355.2SPL30.278.9N1.443.2median 17.8median 60.4Delta1.56.729.83427.431.527.729.928.429.826.726.725.525.325.631.424.943.321.545.221.646.621.354.920.861.319.363.818.464.118.364.917.566.917.571.517.870.418.368.418.367.917.168.417.466.117.758.717.863.21861.617.961.817.762.317.760.617.558.217.451.13078.41.343.8median 17.9median 62.31.35.1hearing rangehide medianshow medianPink NoiseAcer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0

The Nitro 5 has surprisingly low power consumption at idle, during which it consumes between 5 W and 11 W. By contrast, only the G5 15 5587 of our comparison devices can better our review unit here, with the other candidates consuming considerably more than the Nitro 5.

Moreover, the system consumed a maximum of just 90 W while playing The Witcher 3, which underlines the extent to which Nvidia has optimised its Turing architecture compared to its older Pascal-based chips. The Nitro 5 even consumes less than its AMD-powered sibling too. Overall, it is an impressive showing for Acer and the GeForce GTX 1650 here.

After those impressive power consumption values, it should come as no surprise to see the Nitro 5 at the top of our battery life table too. Acer equips the device with a 57 Wh battery, a capacity that is on par with the batteries in our comparison devices, and which allows it to achieve excellent runtimes.

Our review unit lasted about 8 hours in our practical Wi-Fi battery life test, during which we reduce display brightness to around 150 cd/m² and turn all power-saving features off. Predictably, the device needs recharging much sooner if you are pushing it hard.

We should also point out that the Nitro 5 maintains approximately 80% of its peak CPU and GPU performance when running on battery. This 20% reduction should not affect frame rates significantly, for reference.

The Acer Aspire Nitro 5 is a balanced package at a fair price. The combination of a Coffee Lake CPU with a Turing GPU breezes through almost all applications, unless you overdo it with QHD or UHD resolutions and extremely high graphics settings. We also liked the inclusion of a fast PCIe SSD too.

By far the biggest highlight of the Nitro 5 is, however, its battery life. The device is perfect for those who want to game on the move. Likewise, it is even better for those who want to do more general tasks like responding to emails and browsing the web without being chained to a power outlet.

The more compact design and the quality of input devices are decent for the money too. However, Acer would need to improve a plethora of things for the Nitro 5 to get a higher overall rating. Firstly, the speakers are not the best, and neither is the display. Moreover, the selection of ports is rather meagre and outdated; we would have expected to see at least one Thunderbolt 3 port and a card reader in 2019.

However, do not let these weaknesses put you off. The Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2 is a great gaming laptop for the money. You will struggle to find anything more powerful or offering a better overall package for around 1,100 Euros (~$1,236).

Update: 9.13.2019: At €50 (~US$55), the Core i7-9750H is a worthwhile upgrade. The model, which Acer calls the AN515-54-78TL, offers considerably better single and multicore performance and does not reach the limits of the Nitro 5"s cooling system. However, the additional cores and higher clock speeds have no effect in games like The Witcher 3, so we would recommend saving your money if you only plan to use the Nitro 5 for gaming.

However, Acer does offer the Nitro 5s in a multitude of configurations. This article is about the updated 2020 15-inch Nitro 5, code-name Nitro 5 AN515-55, in its higher-tier version with the 10th gen Intel i7 processor, RTX 2060 graphics and a FHD 144 Hz display with 100% sRGB color coverage.

I’ve gathered all my thoughts and impressions on this product down below, however, keep in mind that most of our findings apply to the other 2020 Nitro 5 variants as well, with some differences in the performance, thermals, and noise for the lower tier configurations. That means that you will find most of this article useful no matter the Nitro 5 model you’re specifically looking at, and we’ll update with links towards our other reviews once we get to test those as well.

Much like the previous generations, this 2020 Nitro 5 is entirely made out of plastic. It doesn’t feel cheap, but it’s also not as nice as the metallic Acer Predator options, starting with the Nitro 7.

I appreciate that Acer ditched the faux carbon-fiber patterns and red accents on the lid used on some of their previous Nitros, as well as the fact that they implement muted Acer branding elements on this generation. However, those black smooth surfaces are incredibly prone to showing fingerprints and smudges, both on the lid and on the arm-rest, and you’ll constantly have to rub this laptop clean if you care about these aspects.

Despite the all-plastic build, this Nitro 5 feels sturdy, with a strong screen and little flex in the lid or keyboard deck. It’s also fairly compact and lightweight, at a little over 5 lbs in this variant.

As far as the practical aspects go, I will complain about a few details, such as the fact that the status LEDs are annoyingly placed just beneath the screen and the front lip and corners are too sharp for my liking. For the most part, though, this is a fine laptop. Acer put grippy feet on the bottom, implemented a hinge that allows one-hand operation and can get the screen to about 160 degrees on the back, and placed a fair selection of ports on the sides.

Acer offers this Nitro 5 series with either a red or an RGB keyboard, and we have this latter variant here, normally reserved for the higher-tier configurations.

It’s also a good typer that should appeal to most of you. The feedback is a bit stiffer than I’m used to and not as mushy as I remembered from the previous Nitros, and that’s a good thing.

Acer offers a couple of different screen options for the Nitro 5 series. Once more, our sample gets the higher-tier variant, which is a fine IPS FHD panel with 144 Hz refresh rate and fairly good response times.

This is a solid choice for gaming and daily use, with 100% sRGB color coverage, wide viewing angles and almost 400-nits of brightness at its highest setting. Blacks are fairly washed out, though, and that also impacts the overall contrast.

Our test model is a top-specced configuration of the Acer Nitro 5 in the 2020 AN515-55 model, with an Intel Core i7-10750H processor, 32 GB of DDR4 3200 MHz RAM, 1 TB of storage and dual graphics: the Nvidia RTX 2060 dGPU and the Intel UHD within the Intel platforms, with Optimus.

Before we proceed, keep in mind that our review unit is an early-production model with the software available as of late-July 2020 (BIOS v0.14, Nitro Sense 3.00.3138, GeForce Game Ready 451.67 drivers). While certain aspects might change with future software updates, our results should be mostly what you’ll get with the retail models as well.

Spec-wise, the 2020 Nitro 5 tops at a 6Core Intel Comet Lake i7-10750H processor available on this sample, with i5 models offered on the lower-end models. AMD Ryzen configurations are also available in some markets, but we’ll cover those in a separate article.

The updated Intel platform supports up to 3200 MHz DDR4 memory. Our configuration gets 16 GB of RAM in dual-channel, and there are two DIMMs available inside. As for the storage, our unit gets a single WDC PC SN530 drive. There are two M.2 slots on this laptop, as well as a 2.5″ bay.

For the GPU, what we have here is the standard Nvidia RTX 2060 non-Super graphics chip from 2019, in the 80W variant. I would have expected some power variation between the performance modes available in the Nitro Sense control app, but switching between Balance or High Performance doesn’t seem to change anything on our sample. In both cases, the CPU stabilizes at 45W in demanding loads, and the GPU runs at its stock 80W settings.

Both the CPU and GPU are soldered on the motherboard, but the memory, storage units, and wireless chip are accessible inside for upgrades. For that, you’ll need to take out the bottom panel, hold in place by a couple of Philips screws. I have to add that the 2.5″ bay lacks the required connector on our unit, and there’s a good possibility that Acer will not include it if you opt for a configuration without an installed HDD. Looks like a standard connector that you can easily find online, though.

Before we talk about real performance in demanding loads, I do have to mention that this Nitro 5 is a fine everyday laptop for multitasking, browsing, and video.

On to more demanding loads, we start by testing the CPU’s performance by running the Cinebench R15 test for 15+ times in a loop, with 2-3 seconds delay between each run.

The i7 processor quickly stabilizes at around 45+W on the High Performance setting, which translates in frequencies of 3.5+ GHz and temperatures of 95+ C, with scores of 1070+ points, and quiet fans at only 40-41 dB at head-level. There’s plenty of headroom on this implementation, and Acer could decide to allow it to run at higher power on this profile, the same way they allow it on their Helios and Triton lineups that we’ve tested.

Undervolting is disabled on this sample, and I couldn’t figure out how to enable it in BIOS. That’s unfortunate, as undervolting would have surely helped here, based on our experience with other Acer 10th gen notebooks.

Switching over to the Balance profile power doesn’t have any impact on the performance and thermals on this sample, which is one more reason why I’d expect the retail units to perform a little bit differently. The CPU is however power limited at 25+W on battery, with matching scores. Details below.

To put these findings in perspective, this Nitro 5 performed poorer than the other 15-inch implementations of the i7-10750H platform that we’ve tested, and that’s due to the stock 45W power-limit and lack of undervolting support. I’ve also added two competing AMD Ryzen 4800H models in the chart below, options available in this Nitro’s price range, just for a ballpark comparison of the kind of CPU performance gap you can get with the AMD platform these days at around $1000.

With that out of the way, we then went ahead and further verified our findings with the longer Cinebench R20 loop test and the gruesome Prime 95, on the High Performance profile. The CPU runs at 45+ W on both tests, with fairly quiet fans and solid temperatures of around 75-80 degrees C.

We also ran our combined CPU+GPU stress tests on this notebook. 3DMark stress runs the same test for 20 times in a loop and looks for performance variation and degradation over time, and this unit passed it fine. Luxmark 3.1 fully loads both the CPU and GPU at the same time. The CPU stabilizes at around 45W and 90+ degrees C, with the GPU running at around 80W and 82+ C.

The HWinfo logs below show the CPU and GPU speeds and temperatures in Witcher 3 and Far Cry 5 on the High Performance power profile, with the laptop sitting on the desk.

You can also manually adjust the fan’s speed in the Nitro Sense app, if you’re looking to better balance thermals and noise. However, without undervolting support or the possibility to cap the CPU in Throttlestop, I don’t think you will get it to run at lower than high-80s based on our experience with this sample, at least not in the latest generation AAA titles. Repasting might help, though, but that’s not for everyone

Acer didn’t skimp on the thermal design of this 2020 Nitro 5 configuration, implementing a cooling solution with two fans, four radiators, three heatpipes, and sufficient thermal plates spread on top of the components and secondary electronics. That’s a step-up from the design on the previous 2019 Nitro 5 lineups, and much closer to the kind of cooling normally implemented on higher-tier products, such as their Predator Helios 300 lineup.

With this sort of thermal design, I’m somewhat surprised by those high CPU temperatures in this chassis. Make sure to look into a few other reviews, maybe there’s something wrong with our sample. I’ll update this section once we get to review a few more Nitro 5 configurations.

With games, the fans ramp up to 43-44 dB on Auto, or 49-50 dB on their Max setting available in the Nitro Sense control app. Here’s a quick summary, at head-level.

As far as outer shell temperatures go, this Nitro runs cooly with daily use, but heats up a fair bit with gaming. With the fans on Auto, we measured temperatures in the high 40s around the arrow keys, and mid 50s in the right side of the keyboard, but the WASD region stays cool at mid to high 30s. Switching over to the Max fan profile shaves a few degrees of the hottest regions, but doesn’t drastically change things.

*Daily Use – streaming Netflix in EDGE for 30 minutes, Balance Profile, fans at 33-37 dB*Gaming  – High Performance – Auto fans – playing Far Cry 5 for 30 minutes, fans at 43-44 dB

The speakers fire through cuts on the underbelly and don’t expect much from them. We measured volumes of around 73-75 dB at head-level, and experienced average to poor sound quality, with little at the lower end (on the Music profile in Nitro Sense). You’ll most likely want to hook up some headphones with this.

For some reason the CPU didn’t clock down the way it should on our sample, thus I’d expect the retail versions to run more efficiently and offer around 3-4 hours of daily multitasking, 4-5 hours of light use and 5-6 hours of video on a charge.

This Nitro 5 configuration comes with a compact 180W power-brick, and that’s what you’ll also get with the GTX 1660Ti models. The battery fills up in about 2 hours and USB-C charging is not supported.

This top-end configuration with the 144 Hz screen, the i7 processor and the RTX 2060 graphics chip goes for around 1350 EUR in Germany and 1150 GBP in the UK, but I couldn’t find it in the US just yet.

However, Acer offers this in a multitude of other versions, starting from 899 EUR/799 GBP for the i5 model with GTX 1650Ti graphics, while the i7 model with 1660Ti graphics is available for 1199 EUR/999 GBP. Careful about those screen options, though. If possible, I’d definitely pay extra for the 144 Hz 100% sRGB panel on this sample.

The RTX 2060 variant tested here might not be the most popular version of this laptop, as it’s nearly as expensive as the 2060 variant of the higher tier Predator Helios 300, but the 1660Ti and 1650Ti models are worth more than a look. Acer cleaned-up the design, upgraded the thermal module, keyboard and screen options, and also updated the hardware specs with these Nitros.

On the other hand, the high CPU temperatures with games, paired with only limited performance in CPU-heavy loads, plus the poor speakers and smudge-prone black plastic build are some of the aspects that could lead you towards something else. But even so, the 2020 Nitro 5 lineup is competitive in its segment, where some compromises have to be made to hit the lower price tag.

The Acer Nitro 5, a budget gaming laptop under $1,000, is a carefully curated rig that makes the right concessions to attract bargain-hunting gamers. Acer wanted to offer consumers a decent graphics card at a wallet-friendly price, so it sacrificed a premium build quality and a bright, colorful display to make room for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU.

The Nitro 5 isn’t for bougie gamers — I’m talking to you pretentious players who wouldn’t touch an all-plastic laptop with a ten-foot pole, fancy folk who believe dim displays are for peasants, and CPU snobs who only use the latest processors. These types would balkat the thought of using this gaming rig. This Acer laptop is for down-to-earth gamers who are willing to accept a few trade-offs in favor of a better discrete graphics card.

If you turn your nose up at lackluster screens, odd keyboard layouts and cheaply built gaming rigs, you may not be satisfied with the Nitro 5. However, if you’re a sucker for crimson-and-onyx motifs, impressive mid-range GPUs and decent VR performance at an affordable price, the Nitro 5 is an excellent choice.

The Acer Nitro 5 starts at $829.99 and comes with a quad-core Intel Core i5-10300H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU with 4GB of VRAM, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB NVMe SSD and a 15.6-inch, 144Hz display.

My review model costs $999 and comes with the same storage and display, but swaps out the processor, graphics and memory for a hexa-core Intel Core i7-9750H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU with 6GB of VRAM, and 16GB of RAM, respectively.

An attractive red hinge with the word “Nitro” connects the display to the deck. Acer adorns the Nitro 5 with red-trim accents around the keyboard keys and touchpad. The Nitro 5’s chassis is made out of plastic — and it shows. If you press down on the lid, you’ll notice some flex and a lack of sturdiness. The palm rest is more solid than the lid, but certainly still feels cheap. One of the trade-offs you’ll make with this budget gaming laptop is build quality.

At 4.9 pounds and 14.3 x 10 x 1 inches, the Acer Nitro 5 is lighter than its three budget gaming rivals: the Asus ROG Strix G15 (5.3 pounds, 14.2 x 10.8 x 1 inches), Dell G5 15 SE (5.5 pounds, 14.4 x 10 x 0.9 inches) and the Lenovo Legion 5 (5.4 pounds, 14.3 x 10 x 0.9 inches).

The Nitro 5 does not have Thunderbolt 3 support, a microSD card slot nor a mini DisplayPort. If you need more ports, we recommend checking out our best laptop docking stations and best USB Type-C hubs pages.

I played Hitman 2, navigating through a Colombian jungle to take down a drug cartel. I loved how the display accurately showed Agent 47’s transition from the muggy wilderness — cloudy with a misty haze — to a less humid environment with muddy streets and run-down brick homes. Of course, being that the Nitro 5 is equipped with a 1080p screen, it won’t win any awards, but I was pleased with the game’s visuals on Nitro 5’s IPS display.

I hope you don’t sit near a bright window — Nitro 5 is pretty darn dim. The Acer laptop’s display emanates only 245 nits of brightness, which is dimmer than the average budget gaming laptop (271 nits). The ROG Strix G15 (251 nits), G5 15 SE (301 nits) and Legion 5 (287 nits) are all brighter than the Nitro 5, but not by much.

With a Delta-E score of 0.33, the Nitro 5 is less color accurate than the 0.3 score of the average budget laptop (the closer the score is to zero, the better). The Nitro 5 is also less color accurate than the G5 15 SE and Legion 5, which share a Delta-E score of 0.26, but the Acer gaming rig defeated the ROG Strix G15’s score by a hair (0.34).

The keyboard’s island-style, red-and-black color scheme panders to my personal tastes — I have a weakness for crimson-and-onyx motifs. I even love the red backlighting, which has four brightness tiers. Unfortunately, if you’re not a fan of red-backlit keys, you’ll be disappointed to know that the Nitro 5 doesn’t feature customizable RGB-key lighting, so you’re stuck with red. You can always turn off the red backlight, but the dark-red symbols superimposed on black keys are a tad difficult to see.

The Nitro 5’s 4.2 x 3.1-inch touchpad is fine, offering a satisfactory clicking experience. It’s also responsive to Windows 10 gestures, like two-finger scrolling and three-finger tabbing. However, when I don’t have a gaming mouse handy, I prefer touchpads with dedicated left-and-right buttons. While playing Dishonored 2, I found myself landing on the wrong side of the touchpad, causing me to accidentally fire my pistol and alert nearby enemies of my presence. I had to run for my life — so much for stealth gameplay.

While playing Dishonored 2 on the Nitro 5, I preferred the Gaming General preset, which provided well-balanced sound for both the characters’ voices and the background music. Dishonored 2 is one of those games where you’ll need to rely on sound to detect whether an enemy is nearby, and of course, being that the Nitro 5 is a budget gaming laptop, it won’t offer a surround-sound experience. Overall, the speakers are simply OK.

On the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark (Highest, 1080p), the Nitro 5 hovered around 52 frames per second, which outpaced the budget gaming laptop average (36 fps). The ROG Strix G15, powered by an Nvidia GeForce RTX 1650 Ti GPU, fell short against the Nitro 5 (40 fps). The G5 15 SE, armed with an AMD Radeon RX 5600M GPU, also fell short of the Acer gaming rig (45 fps). The Nitro 5 finally met its match with the Legion 5. Powered by a GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, the Lenovo laptop offered the same score as the Acer laptop (52 fps).

The Nitro 5 averaged 67 frames per second on the Grand Theft Auto V benchmark (Very High, 1080p), which crushed the 48-fps category average. The ROG Strix G15 could only muster 44 fps. The G5 15 SE and the Legion 5 also failed to reach the Nitro 5’s glory with just 56 and 64 fps, respectively.

On the Metro Exodus benchmark (Ultra, 1080p), the Nitro 5 climbed to 47 fps, beating the 36-fps category average. The ROG Strix G15 only offered 30 fps. The G5 15 and the Legion 5 came close to the Nitro 5 with 46 fps and 42 fps, respectively, but the Dell and the Lenovo laptops couldn’t surpass Acer.

If you’re wondering whether the Nitro 5 can handle VR, you’ll be happy to know that the Acer gaming rig slew the VRMark Orange Room benchmark with a score of 7,116, sailing past the average budget gaming laptop (5,415). The Nitro 5 also defeated the ROG Strix G15 (5,259), the G5 15 SE (7,237) and the Legion 5 (5,013).

Despite its obsolete CPU, the Nitro 5 served up a score of 5,435, which beats the category average (4,696) and the Core i7-10750H processors inside both the ROG Strix G15 (5,168) and the Legion 5 (5,325). However, the Nitro 5 couldn’t keep up with G5 15 SE’s AMD Ryzen R7 4800H CPU, which outputted a spectacular score of 7,715.

The Nitro 5 took 11 minutes and 41 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p on our HandBrake benchmark, failing to surpass the category average (11:25). The ROG Strix G15 (10:28), G5 15 SE (6:43) and Legion 5 (10:05) were quicker than the Acer gaming rig.

When we ran the file transfer test, the Nitro 5’s 256GB SSD duplicated 4.97GB of multimedia files in 18 seconds at a transfer rate of 301 megabytes per second. This is a tinge faster than the category average (285 MBps). The Nitro 5 also beat the 512GB SSDs inside the ROG Strix G15 (129 MBps) and the Legion 5 (200 MBps). However, the Acer laptop couldn’t keep up with the G5 15 SE (452 MBps), which also sports a 512GB SSD.

The Acer gaming rig lasted 7 hours and 6 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test (continuous surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness), which outlasted the average budget gaming laptop (6:56). The Nitro 5 also has more endurance than the ROG Strix G15 (5:11). The G5 15 SE (7:14) and the Legion 5 (7:13) lasted 8 minutes and 7 minutes longer than the Nitro 5, respectively.

After playing a 15-minute, 1080p YouTube video, the Nitro 5 remained relatively cool under the hood, showing off the advantage of its plastic chassis. The Acer laptop’s center (88 degrees), touchpad (76 degrees) and underside (87 degrees) all hovered below the 95-degree comfort threshold. Again, the hottest location was the underside (near the vents), reaching 91 degrees.

You’ll also find Acer properties such as Acer Product Registration, which offers discounts and exclusive offers, Acer Collection S, an app store, and Acer Care Center, a platform that runs system updates, tuneups and diagnostics.

The Acer Nitro 5 is a solid budget gaming laptop with competition-beating frame rates and VR score. However, there is one laptop that consistently kept outperforming the Nitro 5 during our testing: the Dell G5 15 SE.

The $829 G5 15 SE kicked the $999 Nitro 5’s butt. The AMD-equipped Dell gaming rig sports a punchier display, more storage, zippier file-transfer and video-editing rates, and better overall performance.

On the plus side, the Nitro 5 crushed the G5 15 SE — and its other rivals — when it comes to gaming frame rates, offering an average of nine more frames than the Dell laptop. It also surpassed all of its competitors on the VRMark Orange Room benchmark.

If decent VR performance and higher frame rates appeal to you, get the Nitro 5, but if you prefer a better display, a blisteringly fast CPU and more storage at a sub-$1,000 price tag, the G5 15 SE is the better option.Acer Nitro 5 (Core i5-12500H and RTX 3050 Ti): Price Comparison

Not everyone has a ton of money to invest in a gaming notebook. Starting at $899.99, the Acer Nitro 5 is a budget gaming laptop that can play most games, although not always at the highest settings.

If only Acer didn"t put so much bloatware on this machine. It may be subsidizing the cost a bit, but all those extras make the laptop feel cheaper than it is. But if you"re willing to do some uninstalling, the Acer Nitro 5 delivers a strong value that puts it on our list of best gaming laptops under $1,500 and best gaming laptops under $1,000.

Reader, I"m surprised to tell you, but after many years of red and black gaudiness, Acer has refined the Nitro 5. It"s still a budget offering, and still one made from plastic, but it"s not ostentatious. The entire lid is black plastic, with Acer"s logo reflecting off the top. (This is a Best Buy exclusive design. At other retailers, there are some red and teal lines that zag along the top.)

The 15.6-inch, 1080p screen is surrounded by a moderate bezel, with a chunky bit on the bottom. Whenever Acer updates this design, I hope it considers a more contemporary 16:10 aspect ratio with less of a chin under the display.

The Nitro 5 weighs in at 5.51 pounds and measures 1.06 inches thick, which is noticeable in a backpack but not crazy for a 15-inch gaming notebook. It"s lighter than the Asus TUF Gaming F17, which is 5.73 pounds and measures 0.99-inches thick, but also has a larger, 17-inch screen. The MSI Pulse GL66 is lighter at 4.63 pounds and is 0.94 inches thick, making it the smallest of the bunch.

With its Intel Core i5-12500H and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, the Nitro 5 isn"t the most powerful gaming laptop out there. But that"s one of the sacrifices you make when you fall below $1,000. Still, you should be able to play most games well, though you"ll have to turn down some settings to get high frame rates.

I often go to Control to test gaming laptops, because it"s still a challenging game (and still one of my favorites in recent memory). In order to play it on the RTX 3050 Ti, I ran the game in DX11, which the developer recommends for most people and doesn"t support ray tracing. On the medium preset at 1080p, the game typically ran between 62 and 70 frames per second, including during combat.

On the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark"s highest settings, the Nitro 5 ran at 52 fps, falling behind the Pulse and its RTX 3060 (68 fps). This game didn"t run on the TUF Gaming F17 when we tested it.

Grand Theft Auto V(very high) wasn"t a challenge for any of the systems. The Nitro 5 ran it at 61 fps, coming ahead of the TUF Gaming F17 with an RTX 3050 Ti, but again losing to the Pulse and its GL66.

On Far Cry New Dawn, the most CPU-dependent of these tests, the Nitro notched 79 fps, just a few frames behind the Pulse, and perhaps the closest gap between those two laptops.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an example of the type of game you need to ratchet down to play on the Nitro 5. At medium settings, it ran the game at 39 fps, falling behind both the TUF and the Pulse.

We also ran a stress test on the Nitro 5, cycling through 15 runs of Metro Exodus benchmark on the "normal" preset. The laptop averaged 70.42 fps and was consistent within a few decimal points.

The CPU"s performance cores ran at 3.83 GHz and the efficiency cores clocked 2.93 GHz. The average temperature for the processor was 74.16 degrees Celsius. The graphics card ran at an average speed of 1,489.93 MHz and measured 68.85 degrees Celsius.

Any gaming laptop worth its salt should also have some productivity chops. The