As for whether to go Intel or AMD on the 2021 Nitro 5, I’d go with the Intel configurations if I’d be primarily looking for a gaming machine or work laptop for applications that are favored by the Intel platform, such as content creation in the Adobe suite. However, I’d stay away from the base-level FHD 144Hz screen that we had on our test unit, and try to get the better quality 144Hz BOE panel instead, or even reach out for the sharper QHD option. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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 Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.The popularity of Acer’s Nitro series is undeniable. The main reason for this is the fact that these devices combine decent hardware with a reasonable price tag. The Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-57) is a typical representation of what you can expect from a new Nitro laptop – every year the laptops get some refresh treatment. Expectedly the improvements for the new devices take place under the shell of the notebooks. The looks of this particular device seem (almost) unchanged compared to what we saw last year. The Nitro 5 also comes with Nvidia’s latest RTX 3050 GPU, giving you the power you need to obliterate the most demanding games. The all-new Ampere architecture features enhanced ray-tracing cores and high-speed G6 memory to provide the most photo-realistic gaming experience ever.

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. 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. 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.At this point, this Intel-based version of the 2021 Acer Nitro 5 AN515-57 is not yet widely available in stores, but you should follow this link for the latest updated prices and configurations available in your region, at the time you’re reading this article.

We also ran the 3DMark CPU profile test, where the Intel i7-11800H in this Nitro came about 10-15% behind other higher-power i7-11800H models we’ve tested, which is on par with the results above. 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. The GPU is an Nvidia RTX 3070 Laptop running at around 80W in our tests as of right now. However, with Dynamic Boost 2.0 this should ramp it up to 85-90W on the retail models, based on our experience with other Nitro models, and that might impact some of our findings. We’ll explain below. The 3060 variant should run at similar power levels, while the 3050Ti is a 60-80W variant. If interested, here’s a comparison of the 3050Ti, 3060 and 3070 graphics chips at similar power levels. All in all, this i7+RTX 3070 configuration of the Nitro 5 AN515-57 is an excellent performer in games, even if it doesn’t offer a MUX and the display is connected via the iGPU. The impact of Optimus or the fact that Acer puts dual-channel SR memory on this series seems to be considerably more reduced here than on the AMD variants, something to keep in mind if gaming sits high at the top of your priorities’ list. I would advise straying away from this AU Optronics panel though and try to find a configuration with the superior BOE FHD 144hz panel instead. Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers, and othersFor connectivity, there’s Gigabit Lan and Wireless 6 + Bluetooth through Realtek/Intel chips on this unit. This Intel configuration of the Nitro 5 seems to get a higher-quality WiFi module, but we haven’t noticed any differences during our use of any of the 2021 nItro 5 models that we’ve tested, nor near the router and at 30+ feet away with obstacles in between. Here’s what we got on our review unit, with the screen’s brightness set at around 120 nits (~70 brightness). The outer shell temperatures are pretty good, though, with only some hotspots around the components. No complaints here. There’s still only a 58Wh battery inside the Acer Nitro 5 series, as the rest of the space is occupied by the 2.5″ storage drive. This is smaller than what the competition offers these days.

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. The Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-57) is a refreshed device that surprises us with its decent performance. The price tag of it isn’t too wallet-stretching but at the same time, it offers a lot of bang for its money. The build quality is just fine for this kind of notebook, sure, that’s an all-plastic build but the device feels sturdy and rigid despite its not-so-premium build materials. What we have here on this sample is the base-level 144Hz panel made by AU Optronics, which is a fairly poor panel choice, but in line with what the competition offers in this segment on the base specs: 60% sRGB color coverage, 250-nits of brightness, and slow response times, despite the 144 Hz refresh rate. Collecting the old product which is officially counted as WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment). These products are separated into the correct waste flow at our local depots and send directly to government approved WEEE recycling plants. As a White Goods manufacturer, we take our WEEE obligations very seriously and actively encourage our customers to use the most environmentally friendly recycling scheme available in the UKAs for the storage, Acer puts a WD SN530 on this Nitro 5, a mid-range PCIe SSD. PCIe gen4 SSDs are also supported by the Intel 11th gen platform if you’re looking to upgrade to faster storage, although this included one is plenty fast for daily use. The display is a mixed bag – it’s a PWM-free panel which is good for your eyes during long gaming sessions. Also, it has a good contrast ratio and comfortable viewing angles. On the other hand, the color coverage is too narrow which isn’t a big problem if you use it mainly for games but if you want to do some color-sensitive work you should look somewhere else for a machine with a better panel. Unfortunately, the pixel response time is on the slow side so if you want to play fast-paced online shooters probably you’ll spot that.