The Acer Nitro 5 we assessed remains priced a bit above $1,000 (N900,000), but during sales, you can locate the RTX 3050 Ti variant for as low as $799 (N719,100). Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 Ti delivers performance nearly on par with the RTX 3060, supporting ray tracing and offering double the speed of the GTX 1650.
This particular Nitro 5 model boasts a mature all-black design with subtle colored accents, a departure from the often flashy RGB displays prevalent in the gaming arena. Despite its bulkiness, the laptop effectively utilizes its space to ensure efficient airflow and maintain optimal temperatures for its high-powered components. The keyboard and trackpad offer comfort and user-friendliness. Additionally, the screen exhibits vibrant colors, and its 144Hz refresh rate proves valuable for fast-paced esports games.
Specifications
- Processor:Â Intel Core i5-12500H
- Graphics:Â Nvidia RTX 3060
- RAM:Â 16GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Storage:Â 512GB
- Display:Â 1920 x 1080p @ 144Hz display
- Ports:Â 1 x HDMI; 1 x USB-C; 4 x USB-A; 1 x Ethernet; 1 x Headphone jack
- Wireless connectivity:Â Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
- Webcam:Â 720p
- Battery:Â 230 W battery charger
- Weight:Â 5.51 pounds
- Size:Â 14.2 x 10.7 x 1.1 inches
- Warranty:Â 1-year limited warranty
Awful battery life
Historically, Acer’s battery life hasn’t stood out, and the Nitro 5 doesn’t deviate from this trend—our evaluation unit fell short of lasting four hours. When engaging in intensive gaming, connecting to a power source becomes imperative. While a more vivid color gamut in the display would be appreciated, Acer effectively nails the essentials in its budget-friendly Nitro 5 model.
A gaming laptop is fundamentally still a laptop and should possess the ability to manage everyday productivity tasks without depleting its battery rapidly. For our battery life assessment, we set laptops to cycle through web pages at a screen brightness of 200 nits—a reasonable simulation of someone using a laptop for tasks like editing documents in Google Drive and streaming a few episodes of a show on Netflix while away from home.
Regrettably, this Acer Nitro 5 fell short of reaching the four-hour mark; it ceased functioning after three hours and 40 minutes. Such limited battery life hampers the laptop’s portability, making it inconvenient to carry the Nitro 5 around a classroom or office without constantly needing to be near a power source. While it doesn’t rank as the worst among gaming laptops (as quite a few struggle to even surpass the three-hour threshold), it’s disheartening to observe no improvement compared to the previous generation’s Nitro 5. This is especially disappointing given that numerous other gaming laptops in the market offer six or more hours of battery life.
The older Nitro 5 with an Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card achieved roughly six hours. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 demonstrated an impressive eight hours and 44 minutes in our testing. The HP Victus 16 endured for seven hours and 35 minutes, while the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro managed six hours. (Remarkably, MSI’s Delta 15 gaming laptop persisted for an astounding nine hours and 40 minutes!) It’s unfortunate to witness the new Nitro 5 being hindered by such limited battery life.
You can also check the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i (2023) Specification and Price