Acer Nitro V 15
A budget play laptop computer with reasonable spectacles for its terms .
A budget play laptop computer with an Intel Core i7 and an Nvidia Geforce RTX 4050 with good human body quality overall ; however , it skimps on a few quality - of - life aspects that really hamper delectation over the long term .
The Acer Nitro V 15 gaming laptop packs a fair bit of power in its frame for less than $1,000 MSRP, but you’ll still need to play it plugged in.Image: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Starting at $ 850 ( reviewed at $ 1,000 )
pro
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Nvidia’s DLSS does a lot of the heavy lifting for supporting games with ray tracing enabled.Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
If there ’s one matter in the play laptop computer infinite that does n’t get enough attention , it ’s the sub-$1,000 category . It ’s all about give and take for a humiliated - price , portable laptop . You want portability , but you require quality operation . You need a shiny , beautiful video display to show off in - game graphics , but you need a long - lasting electric battery lifespan to take on for more than an hr from the comfort of your couch or hotel room . The Acer Nitro V 15 has a fair few positivist quality for its price tag . Still , it ’s a by all odds center - of - the - road twist that sacrifices bombardment lifespan for the sake of slimly better - than - modal performance and show quality .
Though the V 15 set forth at $ 850 , my review unit boasts pretty timbre stats for a laptop that sells MSRP for just under $ 1,000 . It use a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 - 13620H with a 2.4GHz clock swiftness . It also contain a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 with 6 GB of VRAM and 16 GB of memory . It ’s by all odds good enough without any tangible “ wow , I ca n’t believe I ’m get that in a budget laptop computer ” to it . It ’s not the prettiest laptop out there with a mat black streaky outside , so much so you might as well leave outside esthetic whole . recollect of this machine in terms of its build quality . Most significantly , it ’s not too thick , and it ’s not too sonorous at just under 5 pounds .
It ’s taken a mediocre while for me to make sensory faculty of the real humdrumness of this PC . December ’s seasonal tidings and then CES put me behind on eventually sit down to save the fivesome 15 review . With my even personal computer out of activity , it effectively became my everyday machine driver and the PC I release to for my recent weekend play session with friend , and I ’ve had the Nitro V 15 in hand for a bit more than two and a half month . In that fourth dimension , I ’ve come to learn some of the more niggling issues with the quintuplet 15 that , to put it simply , really grind my geared wheel .
There’s a surprising number of ports packed into the Nitro V 15.Image: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
familiarity does n’t always multiply contempt , but I ’ve come to question a few of Acer ’s design determination . For one , I really do n’t like the touchpad on the V15 . It ’s not really a mutual charge for a gambling laptop computer since you ’ll likely be using a mouse anyway . Still , the grain on the Microsoft - brand preciseness pad feels pissed and cheap compare to other laptops , even ones much cheaper than the Nitro . I ’m happy with the identification number of USB ports on the machine , include one USB - C supporting Thunderbolt 4 , two USB 3.2 Gen 1s , and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 . That ’s enough for a black eye , a wired headset , and several other dongles . But the ports are also strangely wet . It ’s hard to take away them or slip in my devices . None of this is anywhere near a dealbreaker , but these quibbles are damn annoying , and I hope they ’re modified to some extent on future Nitros .
Speaking of which , Acer already has its Nitro V 16 descend down the route in March . Those laptops are coiffe to have newfangled AMD Ryzen 8040 Series CPUs and a svelte upgrade to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 laptop computer GPU . It will also gambol new exhibit option extend up to 165 Hz refresh rates . infernal region , the newly - harbinger $ 1,250 Nitro 17 is come down the pike with its 17 - column inch QHD show , an Intel Core i7 , and an RTX 4060 GPU . Without hands - on time with Acer ’s 2024 offering , we ca n’t make any declarations . You should salve money , but yield that the V 15 bad personnel casualty is its minimal stamp battery life-time , we hope this year ’s other contenders can make some amends .
Acer Nitro V15 Performance
Strong Performance for a $1,000 Laptop
you’re able to easy strike an norm of 30 FPS or more on Cyberpunk 2077 on high configurations with DLSS enabled , but only with ray of light tracing position on low . you’re able to kick it up by lowering the configurations , but that ’s about what you’re able to expect for most of your sentence with the cinque 15 . Other games without Nvidia ’s upscaling tech menu worse if you want to have re tracing going , but that ’s to be expected with what hardware is packed into the V 15 . It ’s more than a match for mediate - to - high configurations on Baldur ’s Gate III , and you’re able to reach a happy midway ground of frames and graphics online in game like Halo Infinite .
I was never dissatisfied with the V 15 ’s carrying out , especially deliberate how well an upper - middle - range RTX 4050 can do , peculiarly when you have Nvidia ’s upscaling and operation sweetening in tow . Mind you , I do n’t know if the Intel Core i5 - 13420H presents any bottlenecks for the V 15 at lower price points .
The gadget also manages to keep cool under stress , but that ’s thanks in part to the devotee that can strike folio electric fan strength under load . That can be alter in the NitroSense control venire ( easily accessible by a dedicated push next to the function keys ) , but I ’m not the form of player to get distracted by hot strain .
NitroSense offers a few ways to control the fan speed and battery settings.Image: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Acer Nitro V 15 Battery Life
Expect to Keep the V15 Plugged In Whenever Possible
The 75W battery does n’t sound too bad until you dare bump up the brightness level stage setting and seek to game with the laptop unplug for any stretch . I managed to average out about three and a half 60 minutes online in games that do n’t precisely emphasize the GPU , like Lethal Company , but it can be as small as two hours on more nerve-wracking titles .
Even when I ’ve kept the machine on electric battery - saving mode , just doing daily work tasks , I would see the battery drop to 50 % in just two hour . With Windows 11 barrage rescuer enabled , I managed to stretch it out a fleck before need to offend out the exponent brick inevitably .
Acer Nitro V 15 Display
A Strong Refresh Rate For a Budget Gaming PC
The V 15 144 Hz showing is easy one of the laptop computer ’s biggest selling points , but for those who are n’t trying to maximize their Overwatch 2 membership or those who need to get the most clicks per second on Diablo IV for under $ 1,000 , the projection screen is just alright . Coming back from CES after seeing one beautiful OLED after another , it ’s hard to go back to the kingdom of FHD LCDs . But needs must , and this is why we have budget laptops in the first place .
That being said , the display is really just fine . In the game , the blacks look pretty grayish , and at just 250 nit of brightness , it ’s not exit to daze anybody in modest - sparkle setting anytime presently .
That being said , the Nitro V 15 sure has a lot going for its cost . If you only care about mystify an RTX 4050 in laptop data formatting , then you should expect some strong performance for the Mary Leontyne Price . On the other hired man , while the Nitro has skilful habitus quality overall , the laptop computer skimps on a few quality - of - life prospect that really handicap enjoyment over the long condition . Let ’s promise 2024 offers us a few more laptop that have a agio flavor without the agiotage price .
need more of Gizmodo ’s consumer electronics picks ? learn out our guides to thebest laptops , best TVs , andbest headphone . If you desire to learn about the next big thing , see our guide toeverything we screw about the iPhone 16 .
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