Both are very competitive multi-purpose laptops, with the 3050Ti configurations at around the 1000 USD/EUR mark and the 3060s as the superior performers at around 1200-1400. They do have to face tough competition from the likes of the Lenovo Legion 5 ( also reviewed here in a different variant), HP Omen 15, or the Asus TUF Gaming A15/F15 series, but based on local availability and pricing, these Nitros could be the best options among these in some regions. Follow this link for a more detailed looked at the best gaming laptops of the moment at various price ranges and classes. Explore Comet and discover a constellation of products from washing machines and fridge freezers to air fryers, 4K TVs, laptops, consoles and more - it’s easy to find everything you need for your home in the Comet universe. Acer sent me a sample of their Nitro 5 AN515-57, the code name for the 2021 model built on Intel Tiger Lake 11th gen Core i7 and i5 hardware. It’s an early sample, but runs on the latest software available as of early August 2021, so I feel confident to share my findings with you in this article, with the reserve that some aspects might still change with future BIOS updates. The Nitro 5 comes with Windows 11 pre-installed - with a raft of new features, including DirectX 12 for better graphics, DirectStorage for faster loading and Auto HDR to help enhance visuals in non-HDR games, Windows 11 is the best Windows ever for gaming.

The lid doesn’t feature a fully flat design and that’s mainly because the laptop is trying to look like a sports car with the two distinguishing details that are placed on both sides of the lid. You can open it with a single hand (with a slight wobble after you release it) and you’ll see that the two side-placed bezels are normally sized but unfortunately, we cannot say the same thing for the upper one and for the fat “chin”. The Web camera is orthodoxly positioned so no surprises here. The RTX 3070 configurations would demand 200-300 USD/EUR extra over the 3060s, for a roughly ~20% gain in GPU performance. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend a 3070 in this sort of chassis, but our test unit performed really well and even outmatched the 3070 Predator Helios 300, so unless Acer somehow limit the retail models with future BIOS updates, the 3070 configurations might not be a bad deal here. Just beware of those internal temperatures. Acer offers the 2021 Nitro 5 series in a multitude of configurations and in either 15 to 17-inch screen sizes. As for the AMD model, that’s going to last longer on a charge, run more efficiently, and most likely offer superior CPU sustained performance; at the same time, though, the combined and gaming experience would be more aggressively impacted by Optimus and the fact that these laptops ship with single-rank memory. So if you opt for an AMD variant and plan to game on it, consider upgrading the RAM as well. To put these findings in perspective, the Intel Core i7-11800H in this Nitro 5 fares similarly to the same i7 implemented by Acer in their Predator Helios 300, but runs at lower power and higher temperatures here. The same i7-11800H can perform faster in designs that allow for even higher-power allocations, while the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor tends to outperform the i7 at even lower power in various designs, including the AMD-based version of the Nitro 5.Here’s what we got on our review unit, with the screen’s brightness set at around 120 nits (~70 brightness). We tested the laptop with a cooling pad and with the fans ramped up to their max state. With the cooling pad, the GPU frequency is a bit higher while the temperatures are the same compared to the default fan settings. Now, there is an improvement if you set the fans to max speed but good god almighty – the CPU fan spins at 5000 rpm and the GPU one is rotating with 6000 rpm. Nope, in this mode the laptop isn’t just a vacuum cleaner – it’s a fighter jet that flies near you. Comfort during full load Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-57)’s display (CMN1521) is PWM-free which is definitely good for your health no matter how long you plan to stay in front of the laptop. Spec-wise, this 2021 Acer Nitro 5 variant is built on the latest Intel 11th gen Tiger Lake Core H platform, with an option for the 8Core i7-11800H that we have here, or a 6Core i5-11400H on lesser configurations. Both are fast processors with a design TDP of 45W, but the ability to run at higher power in this chassis in sustained loads.

All in all, this Intel-based variant of the 2021 Nitro 5 is quite a lot different than the AMD model we’ve tested before. However, we did test them several months apart and with different software, so in the meantime, the AMD variant might also be a lot closer to this Intel model. At that time, though, we found the AMD model a lesser performer than this Intel variant, but also a more efficient product that ran at lower temperatures and with quieter fans.Not much to say about the touchpad – it offers a big gliding surface and you can slide your fingers with ease but in the meantime, it’s not the most accurate one. Explore and enjoy a new level of gaming with the Nitro 5, featuring a powerful Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU combination to provide you with excellent performance. The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light. As expected, the Intel platform is not as efficient as the AMD models tested earlier, and when paired with the small battery, the runtimes end up this short. The fact that the screen runs at 144 Hz on battery and does not switch to 60 Hz takes a toll as well, so you might want to manually switch it over to further increase the runtimes. All in all, don’t expect more than 2-4 hours of daily use on a charge on this Nitro 5 model. Plastic is used for the entire construction. The interior and lid have a smooth soft feel and this sort of finishing that resembles dark sand, with some sparkly elements integrated into the plastic. They look fine, but show smudges easily. The underside is a rougher kind of plastic.

Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-57) is equipped with a Full HD IPS panel, model number Innolux N156HRA-EA1 (CMN1521). Its diagonal is 15.6″ (39.62 cm), and the resolution is 1920 х 1080 pixels. The screen ratio is 16:9, and we are looking at a pixel density of – 142 ppi, and a pitch of 0.18 х 0.18 mm. The screen turns into Retina when viewed at a distance equal to or greater than 60cm (24″) (from this distance one’s eye stops differentiating the separate pixels, and it is normal for looking at a laptop).In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. In other words, the leakage of light from the light source. In short, the refreshed AN515-57 devices can be configured with Intel Tiger Lake 45H and NVIDIA Ampere GPUs – that sounds modern enough no matter if you’re going to use it for gaming, office, some productivity task, or something else. As always, the base configurations are a bit shy when it comes to power but the best possible one sounds intriguing for a Nitro 5 chassis (and perhaps it’ll be challenging for the cooling as well) – an Intel Core i7-11800H and GeForce RTX 3070 (100W). We think that’s the first time when a Nitro device can house such a powerful graphics solution. For people who don’t need so much power, there are a lot more not-so-powerful and wallet-punishing setups. In the past, some Nitro laptops were suffering from high CPU and GPU temperatures during heavy loads but right now things are changed. The inefficient and hot Intel Coffee Lake and Comet Lake-H CPUs are gone for good and the refreshed laptops with the Intel Tiger Lake-H CPUs don’t heat too much as the previous-gen devices thanks to the newer CPU chips. So, let’s see how capable the new one is. Still, given the AMD AN515-45 Nitro 5 has been available in stores for a while now, you might find it for less than a matching AN515-57 configuration, which would leave you enough to upgrade the RAM within the same total cost.

Finally, the camera is placed on top of the screen, flanked by microphones. It’s OK for occasional calls, and I might argue slightly better quality than what you’ll normally get on mid-range laptops these days. Battery life As far as the practicality of using this Nitro every day, I don’t like the pointy corners and sharp lips that Acer still implement on this notebook, and I’m not a big fan of having the status LEDs under the screen either. Those aside, though, no complaints. In terms of upgradability, this laptop left is speechless – for that kind of a price tag, it has two SODIMMs, two M.2 slots (one for PCIe drives and the other can handle both PCIe and SATA standards) and a regular SATA port – thumbs up! When it comes to comfort, this one offers a normal experience during load – not too silent but not too loud at the same time.Acer offers a couple of different screen options for the 2021 Nitro 5 series, with several FHD 144Hz options and a QHD 165Hz panel for the higher-tier configurations. Our test model is a mixed-specced configuration of the Acer Nitro 5 in the 2021 AN515-57 model, with an Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-11800H processor, 16 GB of DDR4 3200 MHz RAM in dual channel (2x single rank chips), 1 TB of storage (WD SN530 included drive), and dual graphics: the Nvidia RTX 3070 Laptop dGPU and the Iris Xe iGPU within the Intel platform, with Optimus. There’s no MUX switch here, and the display is hooked up through the Intel iGPU. We’ll update once we know more, and in the meantime, follow this link for the latest updated prices and configurations available in your region. Final thoughts – Acer Nitro 5 AN515-57 It’s also slightly shifted to the left side of the laptop and centered under the Space key, which might take some time to get used to, especially if you’re coming from a centered layout without a NumPad.