62 PCWorld DECEMBER 2020REVIEWS ACER NITRO 5
CONFIGURATION
Acer offers a wide variety of Nitro 5
configurations, with models powered by
9th- and 10th-gen Intel (Whiskey and Comet
Lake) processors or AMD Ryzen 3000 and
4000 CPUs; and GTX 1650, GTX 1650 Ti, or
RTX 2060 GPUs. The least expensive Nitro 5
variant packs in a quad-core Core i5-9300H
processor, a GTX 1650 graphics card, 8GB
of RAM, and a 256GB solid-state drive,
while the priciest system comes with a
hexa-core Core i7-9750H CPU, an RTX 2060
GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a roomier 512GB
SSD.
Our Nitro 5 review unit (AN515-44-
R99Q) features the following specs:
CPU: Hexa-core AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
Memory: 8GB DDR4 3200MHz
(upgradeable to 32GB)
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1650 with 4GB
dedicated GDDR5 VRAM
Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe (plus
second PCIe slot and one 2.5-inch HDD bay)
Display: 15.6-inch full-HD (1920x1080)
IPS display, 60Hz refresh rate
Webcam: 720p SHDR
Connectivity: 1 x USB SuperSpeed
10Gbps Type-C, 2 x USB SuperSpeed
10Gbps Type-A (one with power-off
charging), 1 x USB SuperSpeed 5Gbps
Type-A, HDMI 2.0, ethernet, combo audio
jack
Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Killer Gigabit
ethernet E2600, Bluetooth 5.0Biometrics: None
Battery capacity: 57.5 Watt-hour
Dimensions: 14.3 x 10 x 1 inches
Weight: 4.7 pounds (measured),
1-pound power brick
The quick takeaway from the Nitro 5’s
spec list is that it’s a solid budget gaming
laptop, with (on paper) enough GPU
horsepower to run most AAA games at or
near 60 fps, once you’ve tinkered with the
graphics settings. The hexa-core Ryzen 5
4000-series CPU should tear through
CPU-intensive activities such as video
encoding or database crunching. While the
8GB of RAM is only adequate in terms of
multitasking, you can upgrade the RAM all
the way up to 32GB. We’ll delve into the
Nitro 5’s real-world performance in a bit.
The Nitro 5’s 256GB solid-state drive is
decidedly cramped when it comes to
games. Luckily, the system comes with
SuperSpeed 10Gbps Type-C and Type-A
ports, ideal for connecting speedy external
storage. You can also upgrade the Nitro 5’s
internal storage using the available PCIe slot
or the empty 2.5-inch HDD drive bay.
The 15.6-inch full-HD display is roomy but
limited to a 60Hz refresh rate (there are pricier
versions of the Nitro 5 with 120Hz and 144Hz
screens). More impressive is the Nitro 5’s
networking features, including a gigabit
ethernet port and cutting-edge Wi-Fi 6, which
means you’ll be able to wring every last bit of
throughput out of the latest gaming routers.