In today’s discussion, we will review one of Amazon’s most popular and bestselling gaming laptops, the Acer Nitro 5. Is it the powerful combination of the NVIDIA RTX 4050 graphics card and Intel Core i5 13420 processor that makes it so popular among users? Or are its attractive design and price also major reasons? Could this laptop be the perfect fit for your next gaming experience during the upcoming holiday season? We are about to dive into a detailed performance evaluation.
Amazon Prime Deals and Laptop Features
The Acer Nitro 5 is available on Amazon Prime for $649, which is quite affordable compared to its original price. However, it’s important to note that prices may increase over time. The new 15.6-inch design is much more refined compared to previous models. Its sleek blue color and minimalist design, along with improved build materials, give it a more premium look.
In terms of ports, on the left side, you’ll find a charging port, Ethernet, HDMI, two USB 3 ports, and a Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) port. On the right, there is another USB 3 port, a combo headphone jack, and LED indicators. This variety of ports is certainly a major plus for gaming and work purposes.
Performance and Limitations
The Acer Nitro 5 features an advanced cooling system, which helps keep long gaming sessions smooth. The laptop uses DDR5 RAM, which enhances gaming performance. However, a significant limitation is that it comes with only 8GB of RAM running on a single channel, which may cause issues during heavy gaming.
With just 8GB of RAM, memory usage can reach 80% quickly, leading to lag during gaming or while handling other demanding tasks. Therefore, we highly recommend using dual-channel RAM, which will significantly improve gaming performance.
To resolve this issue, we purchased an additional Crucial DDR5 RAM stick operating at 4800 MHz. In the future, upgrading to a 5200 MHz RAM stick could further enhance performance. The good news is that upgrading the RAM is easy and can be done for as little as $20.
Gaming Performance Test
In our gaming performance test of the Acer Nitro 5, it proved powerful enough to run games like Warzone and Fortnite. However, due to the 8GB of RAM, there were occasional lag issues, especially with games like Warzone. Hence, we advise anyone purchasing this laptop to upgrade the RAM, as it will make a significant difference in gaming performance.
Conclusion
Overall, the Acer Nitro 5 is a good budget-friendly gaming laptop, especially if you’re looking for one within the $600 range. However, upgrading the RAM is crucial to ensure smoother gaming performance. Its excellent design, enhanced cooling system, and variety of ports make it a great choice for budget-conscious gamers.
