Acer Nitro 5 15 (2021)

Acer Nitro 5 15 (2021)

Manufacturer	Acer
Product family	Nitro
Release date	January 2021 (2021-01)
Introductory price	USD 700 to 1200
Discontinued	No
Operating system	Windows 10 Home (Upgradable to Windows 11)
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 5800H Intel Core i5-10300H
Memory	8 or 16 GB DDR4-2933/3200 SDRAM (supports up to 32 GB)
Memory slots	2 user accessible
Storage	256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD
Storage slots	2 user accessible M.2 slots, 1 x 2.5-inch drive bay
Removable storage	No
Display	Screen size: 15.6 inch Panel type: IPS Coating: Matte (anti-glare) Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or 2560 x 1440 Refresh rate: 144 Hz or 165 Hz Brightness: 262.3 to 288 Nits Aspect Ratio
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB GDDR6 GDDR6 75 W Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 GDDR6 85 W Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB GDDR6 GDDR6 85 W
Sound	2 x stereo speakers
Camera	720p webcam
Touchpad	Multi-touch Gesture
Connectivity	WiFi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C) 1 x HDMI 2.1 1 x Ethernet (Killer E2600) 1 x 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack
Dimensions	W: 14.3 inches (36 cm) D: 10 inches (25 cm) H: 0.94 inches (2.4 cm)
Mass	5.07 pounds (2.30 kg)
Power brick	180W AC adapter
Battery	4 cell Li-Ion 57.5 Wh
Keyboard	4 zone RGB backlit
Chassis	Color: Obsidian Black Materials: Plastic Cooling: 2 x fans
Number pad	Yes
Fingerprint reader	No
Facial recognition	No
Website	Acer

All statements attributed to reviews are the reviewer's own opinion. Note that these claims were accurate at the time of publication and may be dated when you are reading this article. Read more.

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The Acer Nitro 5 15 (2021) is a budget-friendly gaming laptop that offers a good price-to-performance ratio. It is equipped with either AMD Ryzen 7 5800H or Intel Core i5-10300H processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series GPUs. Available configurations vary by store and location.

Primary Hardware

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Processor

The Acer Nitro 5 15 (2021) can come with the following processors:

• AMD Ryzen 7 5800H with 8 cores and 16 threads, 3.2 GHz base speed, and 4.4 GHz turbo speed.
• Intel Core i5-10300H with 4 cores and 8 threads, 2.5 GHz base speed, and 4.5 GHz turbo speed.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800H performs adequately in productivity tasks but is outperformed by competitors like the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro. In gaming, it provides a solid experience, though it falls behind in synthetic benchmarks like PCMark 10 and Cinebench R15. The Intel Core i5-10300H, while stable, performs lower compared to the Ryzen 5 4600H, especially in multi-core tasks.

Benchmarks:

• Cinebench R15:
  • Ryzen 7 5800H: ~777 pts (multi-core), ~504 pts (battery)
  • Intel Core i5-10300H: ~777 pts (multi-core), ~504 pts (battery)
• Cinebench R23:
  • Intel Core i5-10300H: ~1095 pts (single-core), ~4621 pts (multi-core)
• Geekbench 5.5:
  • Intel Core i5-10300H: ~1190 pts (single-core), ~4584 pts (multi-core)
• Blender v2.79 BMW27 CPU:
  • Intel Core i5-10300H: ~522 seconds

Graphics

In addition to the integrated graphics, the Nitro 5 15 (2021) ships with the following discrete GPUs:

• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 with 4 GB GDDR6 memory, 1500 MHz boost clock, and 75 W TGP.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 with 6 GB GDDR6 memory, 85 W TGP.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 with 8 GB GDDR6 memory, 85 W TGP.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 and RTX 3070 provide excellent gaming performance, capable of handling modern titles at 1080p on high settings. However, the performance drops significantly when running on battery. The RTX 3070's performance is limited by the Max-Q design, capping the GPU at 85 watts, which affects its performance compared to competitors.

Benchmarks:

• 3DMark Fire Strike:
  • RTX 3060: ~15376 pts
  • RTX 3070: ~15376 pts
• 3DMark Time Spy:
  • RTX 3060: ~6529 pts
• The Witcher 3 (1080p High):
  • RTX 3060: ~231 fps

Memory

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) supports up to 32 GB of DDR4-2933/3200 memory. Pre-configured SKUs come with either 8 GB or 16 GB of RAM, with both SO-DIMM slots occupied in the 16 GB configuration.

The memory configuration allows for smooth multitasking and gaming performance, providing enough memory for most gaming and productivity tasks.

Benchmarks:

• 7-Zip 18.03: ~4841 MIPS

Storage

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) can ship with 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSDs. It supports up to three storage drives, with one M.2 slot occupied and an additional 2.5-inch drive bay available for upgrades.

The SSD provides fast load times and responsiveness, although it performs worse than competitors in most areas except for 4K read speed.

Benchmarks:

• CrystalDiskMark:
  • Sequential Read: ~1530 MB/s
  • Sequential Write: ~1828 MB/s
• AS SSD:
  • Read: ~581 pts
  • Write: ~1396 pts

Co-processors

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) includes the Intel Comet Lake PCH-H - cAVS coprocessor.

Input Devices

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Keyboard

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) features a chiclet keyboard with RGB backlighting and a numeric pad. The keys have a short, linear feel, and the numeric pad keys are two-thirds size.

The keyboard layout is well-designed, including dedicated keys for Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down, making it user-friendly for both gaming and productivity. However, the short travel distance and little resistance make it less suitable for long typing sessions.

Touchpad

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) comes with a buttonless touchpad that supports multi-touch gestures.

The touchpad is amply sized for comfortable use, but clicks require more effort than expected.

Webcam

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) includes a 720p webcam centered over the display.

The webcam delivers soft-focus video typical for laptops in this price range, suitable for video calls but not exceptional.

Microphone

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) comes with a built-in microphone.

Output Devices

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Display

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) is available with the following displays:

• 15.6 inches, 1920 x 1080, IPS, 144 Hz
• 15.6 inches, 2560 x 1440, IPS, 165 Hz

The display is bright and vivid with wide viewing angles, providing a sharp picture and smooth gaming experience. However, it lacks variable-refresh-rate technology.

Benchmarks:

• Maximum brightness: ~288 cd/m²
• Average brightness: ~262.3 cd/m²
• Contrast: ~1371:1
• Color coverage: ~62% sRGB, ~44% AdobeRGB

Audio

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) comes with stereo speakers.

The speakers provide acceptable sound quality but lack bass. The maximum volume is adequate for casual listening.

Connectivity

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WiFi

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) is equipped with an Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 module.

The Wi-Fi performance is decent but not exceptional compared to competitors.

Benchmarks:

• iperf3 transmit: ~1224 MBit/s

Bluetooth

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) comes with Bluetooth 5.0.

SD Card Reader

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) does not include an SD card reader.

USB

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) is equipped with the following USB ports:

• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C

Display Outputs

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) comes with 1 HDMI 2.1 output.

Case

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The Nitro 5 15 (2021) features a matte black plastic chassis with red accents on the back. The design includes angular lines, giving it a gaming aesthetic.

The build quality is good, with a stiff chassis that can withstand daily use. However, there is some flex in the display lid and keyboard deck.

Maintenance

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The bottom panel is held on by 11 screws, allowing for easy access to internal components for upgrades and maintenance.

Upgradeable components:

• Two M.2 slots
• One 2.5-inch drive bay
• Replaceable Wi-Fi module

Cooling System

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The Nitro 5 15 (2021) is equipped with two cooling fans with exhaust out the back and sides.

Heat

The laptop manages heat reasonably well, but the underside can reach temperatures of 49-51 °C under load.

Benchmarks:

• Maximum temperature: ~51 °C

Noise

The fans are inaudible when idle but ramp up under load, producing moderate noise levels.

Benchmarks:

• Idle: ~25-33 dB(A)
• Load: ~46-50 dB(A)

Energy Management

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Power Consumption

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) ships with a 180 W AC adapter.

The laptop has a peak power draw of 190 W under load, which is typical for gaming laptops.

Benchmarks:

• Idle: ~9 W
• Load: ~190 W

Battery Life

The Nitro 5 15 (2021) comes with a 57.5 Wh Li-Ion battery.

The battery life is slightly above average for a device with such a battery capacity, lasting 5h 43m during Wi-Fi web surfing and 1h 28m under load.

Benchmarks:

• WiFi Websurfing: ~5h 43min
• Video playback: ~6h 9min
• Load (maximum brightness): ~1h 28min

Biometrics

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The Nitro 5 15 (2021) does not support Windows Hello face recognition and does not have a fingerprint reader.

Software

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All SKUs ship with Windows 10 Home but can be upgraded to Windows 11.

Preinstalled Software

Nitro Sense

The Nitro Sense app allows for keyboard customization and performance monitoring.

Accessories & Warranty

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The Nitro 5 15 (2021) comes with a 180 W AC adapter and paperwork.

There is a one-year limited manufacturer warranty if purchased in the US.

Reviews Summary

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Overall Sentiment

The Acer Nitro 5 15 (2021) is considered a solid choice for budget-conscious gamers, offering good performance for its price. It is suitable for casual gaming and everyday tasks, though it has some drawbacks like a subpar keyboard and small battery capacity.

Problems Summary

• Subpar keyboard with short travel distance and small numeric pad keys.
• Small battery capacity.
• Plastic build less appealing in high-end configurations.
• Performance drops significantly when running on battery.
• Lacks built-in biometrics.
• No SD card reader.

Links

Ryzen 7 5800H, RTX 3070, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: PCMag

Intel Core i5-10300H, RTX 3060, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD: NoteBookCheck