Gaming laptops are usually pretty expensive. If you want graphical fidelity and snappy processors, you have to spend a pretty penny. At least, that’s conventional wisdom.
Acer wants to change that with the Acer Nitro 5, though. Acer can talk a big game, but does it deliver on its promise of gaming-goodness at a low price?
First Consideration: Price
It doesn’t really matter how strong it is if the price isn’t right, though. Thankfully, the Nitro 5 is in the right place with its MSRP. Coming in at a reasonable $670, and available at less than $600 from wholesalers, the Nitro 5 doesn’t break the bank. Where once you’d have to spend more than $900 for a decent gaming laptop, recent innovations in graphics and processors seem to have brought prices down. While the Nitro 5 isn’t the strongest laptop around, it’s certainly the best bang for your buck.
What’s Inside, Though?
Okay, so you’re sold on the price. But what’s in it? Well, that’s where things get interesting. The most cost-efficient layout has a 2.3 GHz Intel i5 running the show, 8GB of RAM and a 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti. While there are slightly cheaper versions of the laptop, we recommend this setup for maximum gaming potential for your buck. So, what does all of that mean? It means this is a surprisingly powerful machine for its price. You won’t be disappointed when the Nitro 5 takes on modern games: graphics will be high-fidelity, and frames will be smooth.
Design
This one looks the part of gaming laptop, to be sure. The keyboard is huge and glows with red back-lights and the vents are stylized and mean. It has a touchpad, which is responsive and gets the job done. It has no dedicated buttons for left or right click, though; you have to click the pad itself. This is awkward for some, but others don’t mind it. All that being said, we recommend gaming with an actual mouse, so the trackpad isn’t a big concern.
The display is the most important part of the exterior design, though, as it’s what you’ll be viewing the games through. It’s got a solid 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution, but doesn’t have the best colors. Images look slightly washed-out and blah. That said, the images are crisp, just a little bland.
Acer Nitro 5: Worth the Price?
With the right configuration, the Nitro 5 is a great gaming laptop for mid-sized games. For a laptop to game on lunch breaks or on the bus, you could do much worse. If you’re looking to play through a back-catalogue of older games, or simpler games like Fortnite, this is a great pick. Newer AAA games might not look too smooth, though. If you’re looking for a full-scale gaming PC replacement, it doesn’t quite have the power for that. That said, the price is right for a portable gaming platform with reasonable power.
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