Here is all about Acer Nitro 5 Review in detail. In the past, I haven’t found Acer’s Nitro 5 gaming laptop lineup to be particularly appealing. Indeed, prior Nitro 5 models were responsible for some of my lowest-scoring reviews. But, for the last 2 weeks, I have been testing the latest Nitro 5, which has modern internals as well as a design that’s a little boring – but in a good way, if such a thing exists. Perhaps I’m jaded, or perhaps I’ve grown to appreciate a more relaxed style of design, but the latest Nitro 5 isn’t a gaming laptop I’d dismiss. In fact, the inverse is true.
The Acer Nitro 5 is available at a variety of price points, beginning at $699 and reaching well over $2,000. Fortunately, Acer sent me a set-up that is roughly in the middle of the price range, at just over $1,300. So, for $1,300, how much gaming laptop will you get? It turns out to be a reasonable sum.
Acer Nitro 5 Review: Design
With Nitro 5, Acer has not attempted to re-invent the gaming laptop. The RGB backlit keyboard with red Nitro text, 4 distinct zones, as well as a pinstripe-like effect on the lid give it a bit of gaming flair.
The Nitro 5 is quite thick and bulky. It has dimensions of 14.19 x 10.67 x 1.06 inches, and weighs 5.51 pounds; you’ll definitely notice it in your backpack.
Ports can be found on three of the four edges. The 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports on the right side provide power for charging a device even when the Nitro 5 is turned off. The charging port, with a Thunderbolt 4/USB-C port as well as an HDMI 2.1 port, is located on the Nitro’s backside. A traditional USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and an RJ45 Ethernet jack are located on the left side.
I like how evenly distributed all of the ports are, as well as how they cover a broad range of standards and offer multiple connectivity options. However, I wish the Thunderbolt 4 port could be utilized to power the Nitro 5 for all purposes.
When I linked the Nitro 5 to Belkin’s Pro Thunderbolt 4 Dock, a message appeared on the screen informing me that the Nitro 5 wasn’t charging at full speed and that I should use the included 140W charger if I intend to do any serious computing (read: gaming). Given that the hub’s maximum output is only 90W and the Nitro 5 just charges at 65W via the Thunderbolt 4 port, this is an expected response.
The 15.6-inch display has a 1920×1080 resolution and a reload rate of 144Hz. The bezels around the display complement the Nitro 5’s overall design aesthetic. That is, they are not slim. A 720p webcam is located above the display.
A standard keyboard is located beneath the screen, with a small number pad on the far right-hand side of the housing. On the left side of the deck is a medium-sized touchpad. The keyboard but also touchpad are simple but effective.
Generally speaking, the Nitro 5 feels and looks like any other entry-level gaming laptop released in recent years. The design isn’t particularly unique or noteworthy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. At the very least, you understand what to expect.
Acer Nitro 5 Review: Performance and Gaming
The components that comprise Nitro 5 are related to Acer’s design approach. They’re simple and effective, requiring no particular attention to just about any aspect.
The Nitro 5 that I’ve been testing has an Intel Core i5-12500H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of SSD storage.
The combination of these components results in a serviceable entry-level gaming laptop that can handle whatever you throw at it. To consistently hit 60 frames per second, you must be ready and able to tweak a game’s graphic settings.
I never felt the Nitro 5 was slow during my testing. I have been able to utilize it for routine tasks such as Edge web browsing, Spotify listening, and rapidly editing gaming clips.
In terms of gaming, the experience was mediocre. I saw an ordinary frame rate of 87 frames a second while playing Call of Duty: Warzone with all graphics settings pimped out except texture resolution, which was set to normal. Any higher, and the VRAM usage exceeded Warzone’s recommended limit. I played for a long time with all settings on high and noticed an average drop of about 10 frames per second, with the infrequent dropped frame because of excessive VRAM use.
Acer Nitro 5 Review: Battery life
The Nitro 5’s battery life is a minor source of concern. Battery benchmark tests, according to Acer, should last between five to seven hours, based on the type of test. Running PCMark 10’s battery benchmark, on the other hand, contributed to the Nitro 5’s battery lasting 3 hours and 24 minutes before shutting down.
A few years ago, I would have said that a gaming laptop with more than 3 hours of battery life was outstanding. However, newer gaming laptops I have tested have raised the bar, with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 enduring over 9 hours in the same test.
I’m not criticizing the Nitro 5’s battery performance too harshly right now, but a battery life of fewer than four hours will soon be considered a major disadvantage.
Acer Nitro 5 Review: Software
Despite the fact that the Nitro 5 seems to be an entry-level gaming laptop, Acer was light on preinstalled software and bloatware. Of course, the standard apps were present. NitroSense apps allow you to adjust the laptop’s cooling system, view system statistics and even enable a devoted discrete GPU mode, which forces the system to utilize the RTX 3060 at all times. NitroSense is also used to customize the keyboard’s four-zone RGB backlighting.
Aside from NitroSense, Acer has its own app installed that assists in checking warranty information or keeping the laptop’s drivers as well as software up to date. Then there is Norton Security Ultra.
NitroSense appealed to me and was simple to utilize and navigate. I didn’t spend much time with it, other than to experiment with changing the lighting on the keyboard and getting a general feel for it. However, with a devoted key on the keyboard to release NitroSense, I see it as a program I would use frequently if I owned a Nitro 5. Without a devoted key, it’s all too easy to overlook comparable apps on competing laptops.
Verdict
If you are on a tight budget and also don’t require a laptop with an ultra-thin design, the Nitro 5 is well worth considering. Even though I was just not blown away by it, I had a good time testing it. It’s a mediocre design with a mediocre performance at an affordable price. That’s impossible to be upset about.
