For 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. 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. 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.

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. Nonetheless, I’d look for a configuration with the higher-quality BOE panel (300+ nits, 100% sRGB, faster response) that we’ve tested on the previous Nitro 5 2021 model, it’s a much nicer screen overall and better suited for fast-paced games, thanks to the improved response times. Hardware and performanceIt’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. 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). The cooling solution looks almost the same as the one that we found in the Predator Triton 300 (PT315-52). This means that it has three heat pipes – one of them is shared between the CPU and the GPU and the other two are solely dedicated to these chips. The cooling solution is complimented by four heat sinks and two big cooling plates that cover the video memory and the voltage regulators. 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.

In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering. We also ran some Workstation related loads on this Intel i7 + RTX 3070 configuration, on the High-Performance profile: 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 others With the Nitro 5, you also get DTS:X Ultra audio technology, which works with your existing speakers or headphones to create a multi-dimensional sound that moves around you like it would in real life. 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.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. Here’s what we got on our review unit, with the screen’s brightness set at around 120 nits (~70 brightness).