Acer’s new 17.3-inch Nitro 5 appears to be excellent value for money

Acer has refreshed its entry-level Nitro 5 gaming laptop lineup for the second half of 2021, and its new 17.3-inch model launched in mid-October looks particularly impressive given its price tag of 1199. , $ 99. Its 1080p display has a 144Hz refresh rate and it is equipped with an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia’s RTX 3050 Ti graphics chip. (Acer didn’t specify the CPU model or what the maximum graphics power of the GPU will be.) Other specs include 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 1TB SSD. It looks like a solid gaming laptop to me, as long as you don’t expect too much.

If you want something smaller, Acer is also offering a 15.6-inch version in mid-October for $ 769.99. It also has a 144Hz refresh rate screen, but as you might have guessed with the $ 400 price difference, there’s more than size getting a cut here. It has an 11th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of DDR4 RAM, a 256 GB SSD and, on the graphics side, the Nvidia GTX 1650. It should still be able to do light gaming, but it’ll likely be a more compromised experience than what the 17.3in can do.

Both models feature an Ethernet port and a Thunderbolt 4 port, in addition to three USB-A ports, an HDMI output, a 3.5mm jack, and a Kensington slot.

Image: Acer

Acer only made a few minor design tweaks to the latest Nitro 5 that set it apart a bit from the early 2021 model. It still has a red and black colorway with tapered edges, as well as a full-size keyboard. The cylindrical plug charger now plugs into the right side of the laptop instead of its back, and parts of its cover and chassis appear to have a more grippy texture.

If you just picked up the Nitro 5 or a similar gaming laptop earlier this year, these upgrades don’t seem like a must-have. But if you’re in the market for a 17.3-inch machine, the latest version from Acer seems like fantastic value.