Acer Nitro 5 (2022, 17-Inch) Review

Acer produces a wide array of Nitro gaming laptops, which generally trend toward affordable and midrange options. The latest is this 17-inch AMD Ryzen 6000-based Nitro 5, listed at $1,499 but sold in the same configuration for $1,199 at Micro Center (at the time of writing). This model combines a capable RTX 3060 graphics processor and Ryzen 7 6800H processor with 1TB of storage and a 144Hz display, making for an effective big-screen gaming laptop at either price. Its hefty weight reduces the usefulness for traveling gamers, and the build isn't a standout, but it’s a solid deal for a midrange all-rounder—particularly if you can get one from Micro Center.

A Weighty 17-Inch Gamer

We’ve seen many Nitro systems come through our testing benches, and this model shares the same general look as past editions. It does have some of its own flair, though, largely through the multi-color stripe design on the lid. Adding some color to the all-black chassis is a welcome touch, and it’s a minimalist way to include some style.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

Otherwise, it is as it appears: a big black slab in the same style of most Nitro systems. In its defense, most entry and midrange gaming laptops aren't too adventurous with their designs so as to maximize widespread appeal.

As far as size, the average laptop footprint has come way down over the years, even at 17 inches, but make no mistake that this is a sizable system. It measures 1.1 by 15.77 by 11.59 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.6 pounds, which is heavier than most laptops we test these days.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

A small slice of 17-inch systems opt for pure power in thick, heavy chassis, but this is far from a portable option if that’s your chief concern. This budget-friendlier Nitro 5 isn’t as big or as expensive as those, but still heftier than most. Even the previous Nitro 5 (reviewed in very early 2022 but made with 2021 components) weighed notably less at 5.95 pounds, while many gaming machines are under 5 pounds.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

This system is big, of course, to fit its roomy, 17.3-inch display. The IPS screen bears a full HD resolution (1,920 by 1,080 pixels) with a 144Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, and 300 nits rated brightness. The display, in practice, is pretty decent quality: the picture doesn’t overly impress, but it’s also not subpar or lacking in any way.

For the price, you can’t complain too much about topping out at 1080p resolution or 144Hz refresh rate—anything more powerful will simply cost more. For the mainstream shoppers likely looking at this type of laptop, what's here is good enough and a logical match.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the rest of the build is pretty unremarkable, with a standard touchpad and serviceable keyboard. The keys do offer four-zone RGB backlighting, so there is some sort of upgrade to the standard offering, but it's otherwise your usual fare. The typing experience is decent—the keys have a good amount of travel and don’t feel shallow or mushy—and there is a number pad, thanks to the wide chassis.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

With plenty of room on this larger body, the physical connectivity is nicely varied. The left flank includes an Ethernet jack (a great example of the benefits of this thicker size), a USB-A port, and a headphone jack. The right edge holds two more USB-A ports, and the rear has a USB-C port and an HDMI connection. There is no Thunderbolt support here given the AMD chipset.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

The supporting features include a 720p webcam, Wi-Fi 6E, Killer Ethernet bandwidth prioritization technology, and the NitroSense app to monitor performance. The camera quality is mediocre, as we've come to expect from sub-1080p cameras, but it suffices for normal video calls.

You can use NitroSense to change between cooling fan modes (auto, manual, or some custom tuning), as well as more general performance modes (default, quiet, or performance) that slightly boost the CPU and GPU speeds. The fans are pretty quiet when idling in default mode, normally audible when gaming, and a bit too loud in performance mode.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

Testing the Acer Nitro 5: Ryzen 7 and RTX 3060 Bring the Frames

As configured, this Nitro 5 includes an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H processor, 16GB of memory, a 1TB solid-state drive (SSD), and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU. Those are solid entry-to-midrange level parts, and a good pairing for taking advantage of the display.

Our model’s listed price is $1,499, but as noted, at the time of publishing this same model is $1,199 at Micro Center. If you can manage to find one from this retailer, that’s obviously a much better deal.

(Credit: Kyle Cobian)

At list price, the value is decent but not amazing. A couple of years ago, specs like these would have been more affordable, but you’d be hard pressed to match these parts for less today. There are alternative Nitro 5 SKUs available too, with superior-resolution displays, and options for a weaker GeForce RTX 3050 Ti or a more powerful GeForce RTX 3070.

To put this Nitro 5’s parts to the test, we ran our usual suite of benchmark tests and compared the results to a group of similar competitors. You can find their names and specs below to see what it’s up against.

The MSI Katana GF66 ($1,199 as tested) and Predator Helios 300 ($1,299 as tested) are available for around the same cost as the Micro Center pricing of our new model, while the 15-inch Nitro 5 ($899 as tested) is the most budget-friendly of the bunch. The Dell Inspiron 16 Plus (7620) ($1,599 as tested) is the only-non gaming laptop here, but considering the components and price parity to the review system, it’s worth considering if you want a do-it-all laptop that can play games too.

The components in these alternatives are generally matching or very similar to the Nitro 5—some on previous-generation Intel, others with the current 12th Gen chips, and with a mix of GeForce RTX 3060 and RTX 3050 Ti GPUs.

Productivity Tests

The main benchmark of UL's PCMark 10 simulates a variety of real-world productivity and content-creation workflows to measure overall performance for office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheeting, web browsing, and videoconferencing. We also run PCMark 10's Full System Drive test to assess the load time and throughput of a laptop's storage.

Three benchmarks focus on the CPU, using all available cores and threads, to rate a PC's suitability for processor-intensive workloads. Maxon's Cinebench R23 uses that company's Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene, while Primate Labs' Geekbench 5.4 Pro simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning. Finally, we use the open-source video transcoder HandBrake 1.4 to convert a 12-minute video clip from 4K to 1080p resolution (lower times are better).

Our final productivity test is workstation maker Puget Systems' PugetBench for Photoshop, which uses the Creative Cloud version 22 of Adobe's famous image editor to rate a PC's performance for content creation and multimedia applications. It's an automated extension that executes a variety of general and GPU-accelerated Photoshop tasks ranging from opening, rotating, resizing, and saving an image to applying masks, gradient fills, and filters.

To little surprise, Ryzen 7 6000 Series flexes its muscles on these productivity and media tests, with the new Nitro 5 finishing at or near the top of them all. The field is mostly pretty tight with a few exceptions given the parity in the CPUs used here, but this is among the quickest on average and will be well suited to any everyday, non-gaming task.

Graphics and Gaming Tests

We test Windows PCs' graphics with two DirectX 12 gaming simulations from UL's 3DMark: Night Raid (more modest, suitable for laptops with integrated graphics) and Time Spy (more demanding, suitable for gaming rigs with discrete GPUs). Two more tests from GFXBench 5.0, run offscreen to allow for different display resolutions, wring out OpenGL operations.

In addition, we run two real-world game tests using the built-in benchmarks of F1 2021 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. These represent a mix of simulation and open-world action-adventure experiences. We run Valhalla twice at different image quality presets, and F1 2021 with and without Nvidia's performance-boosting DLSS anti-aliasing. We run these tests at 1080p resolution so results can be compared fairly among systems.

The RTX 3060 GPU is hardly at the top of the hierarchy, but it has proven a very capable option over the years, and that’s no different here. You may have to turn down a couple of settings in the most demanding modern titles, but considering the Nitro 5 can even push Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to 69 frames per second on average at maximum settings, you’d be in good shape for a while with this system.

F1 2021, especially with DLSS on, also shows high frame rates. DLSS is a technology that boosts performance with minimal quality loss, and support will only become more widespread in the future. Hard-to-run games will remain viable on this laptop going forward. Meanwhile, less straining multiplayer games will hit even higher frame rates on this GPU, taking advantage of the 144Hz display. For the price, you could do a lot worse, performance-wise.

Battery and Display Tests

We test laptops' battery life by playing a locally stored 720p video file with display brightness at 50% and audio volume at 100% until the system quits. We make sure the battery is fully charged before the test, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off.

We also use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and its Windows software to measure a laptop screen's color saturation—what percentage of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 color gamuts or palettes the display can show—and its 50% and peak brightness in nits (candelas per square meter).

Both the battery and display tests dodge any major pitfalls, and the former is even pretty good. Budget-friendly and larger gaming laptops don’t always last very long, so 10 or so hours off the charger—not while playing games, though—increases the versatility of this laptop. That said, its size and weight will probably limit you from moving it too frequently, but it will enjoy a trip to your couch off the charger with no issue.

Verdict: A Sound Deal for Mainstream Gamers

While there isn’t too much special about the Nitro 5’s build, the total package is a strong value. The list price isn't quite a bargain, but Micro Center's price (at the time of writing) is much closer. An RTX 3060 is a deal at $1,200, but still reasonable at $1,500, and the fast processor and plenty of storage justify the cost.

The laptop is large and heavy, limiting usefulness for most buyers seeking a portable option. But, if your priority is a big screen and decent performance without breaking the bank, this is a fair, full-featured deal. If you're not sold and would consider a smaller size, check out the MSI Katana, our top pick for a great deal at 15 inches.