A Comprehensive Review of the Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop
Whether the Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop (configured at 59999 rupees) is worth your investment depends largely on your usage needs and priorities. This review will provide a detailed analysis of the laptop, combining aspects of performance, design, and value, to help you decide if it’s the right choice.
Historical Usage and Current State
I purchased my Acer Nitro 5 in 2020, using it until November 7th, 2023. Initially, it performed well with a GTX 1650 and 8GB of DDR4 RAM, managing to run casual games and utilities smoothly for the first 1.5 years. However, after that period, the system’s performance noticeably declined, likely due to dust buildup and possibly minor hardware damage. The fans made a quiet but persistent noise, and the laptop occasionally overheated, which could have further diminished its longevity.
Current Updates and Aesthetics
The newer models of the Acer Nitro 5, released in 2022, have received mixed reviews, largely due to their aesthetics and performance. The 2022 version features a sleeker design that eschews the gamer-red keyboards of previous models. While the twin 850-rupee price tag is more reasonable, the aesthetics still owe much to the MSI Stealth, a classic in budget gaming laptops. The GTX 3050, despite being a mid-range GPU, still provides good performance in less demanding games.
Performance and System Specifications
Powering the newer Nitro 5 model is the Alder Lake i5-12500H, paired with an RTX 3050. While this processor combination isn’t cutting-edge, it delivers decent performance. The i5-12500H matched the-performance of the i9-12900HS in Cinebench R23, achieving a score of 14,300—quite respectable for its class. The RTX 3050 offers sufficient graphical power for most modern games, but don’t expect ultra settings. The 4GB GDDR6 memory is a limiting factor for some games, often restricting settings to medium or high.
Display and Battery Life
The 17.3-inch, 144Hz display offers good clarity and contrast, though the DCI-P3 color gamut at only 48% is rather disappointing. For a budget gaming laptop, the 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM is a standout feature, providing ample memory for multitasking and running demanding applications. The laptop’s battery life is a significant drawback, halved by the inclusion of a SATA drive slot. At best, you can expect around three hours of battery life.
Build and Cooling
The cooling system in the newer Nitro 5 is adequate but can become noisy, reaching up to 63dB in Performance mode. This is louder than many high-performance GPUs like the 3080 Ti, which max out around 58dB. However, for a budget gaming laptop, this level of noise is more manageable. If you plan to upgrade to RTX 3060 or 3070 variants, be prepared for potentially more disturbing noise.
Conclusion and Recommendations
In summary, the Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop (configured at 59999 rupees) serves as a decent starter rig for those looking for a budget-friendly option. However, it is not without its limitations, particularly in terms of battery life and noise levels. If your needs are primarily for casual gaming and productivity, and you are not planning to carry the laptop frequently, it might be a suitable choice. However, for more demanding setups or those who value higher performance and quieter operation, you might be better off with a used 1660 Ti laptop with a 9750H processor. The 16GB of RAM is a significant improvement over previous generations, making it more appealing for multitasking and running resource-intensive applications.