Acer's Nitro 5 budget gaming laptop already got an Intel 11th Gen Core H-Series CPU upgrade last month, but this revision takes things even further with the option of dropping in up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 GPU.
Among other upgrades, the Nitro 5 gets some compelling new display options, one of our biggest complaints with the previous model.
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Acer Nitro 5 price and availability
The 15.6-inch Acer Nitro 5 will start at $1,099 and the 17.3-inch model will start at just $999. Both models will start shipping in June.
Acer Nitro 5 specs and highlights
The internal upgrades to the Acer Nitro 5 are of course the highlights with an Intel 11th Gen Core H-Series CPU and GPU options up to an impressive Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070. Storage configurations can include a pair of M.2 SSDs that can be maxed out at 1TB Raid 0 or a 2TB HDD and RAM goes up to 32GB of DDR4.
Display options caught our attention with a QHD resolution and 165 Hz refresh rate with a 3ms response time. That's a notable bump up from the 1080p and 144 Hz refresh rate of its predecessor. The 80% screen-to-body ratio isn't breaking new ground, but not bad for a budget gaming laptop.
The keyboard features four-zone RGB backlighting and a luxurious 1.6mm of key travel. Ports shouldn't be a problem with HDMI 2.1, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, a Thunderbolt 4 port and a charging port on the back of the laptop.
Acer boasts that the improved cooling technology including a dual-fan and four vents allows for a 10% boost to fan speed and 9% increase in CPU/GPU cooling that helps to ensure maximum performance. The NitroSense key gives you quick access to customize virtually any setting from cooling and overdrive to distinct sound modes.
Outlook
The display and the keyboard were our reviewer's two biggest complaints with the Nitro 5 when we last reviewed it, so we've got high hopes that these models could fix those problems with the refreshed display and 1.6mm key travel.
Needless to say, the internal upgrades are guaranteed to be a massive improvement as well and the ability to take it all the way up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 is awesome in a budget gaming laptop. We'll need to see what the final pricing looks like on that top configuration, but with prices starting as low as $999 this could be a contender this year.
