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Acer Nitro 5 AN517: At First Glance
Acer’s Nitro 5 is a series of entry-level gaming laptops that offers impressive specs at an affordable price. In this article, I’ll discuss the 2020 edition of the Nitro 5 series, the 17-inch Acer Nitro 5.
The Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51-7656V particularly packs premium specs that are useful for an enjoyable experience. Impressively, it does this at a fairly competitive price of $1,676.00 which is a hard one to beat by competitors in the same category.
Now, enough with the intro – let’s move on to the design and performance of the Acer Nitro 5 517.
Acer Nitro 5 AN517: Design, Dimension & Weight
The Acer Nitro 5 is a chunky piece of a plastic-built gaming laptop with black and red accents. Unlike most gaming laptops, you won’t get fancy RGB lighting here.
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Despite being a gaming laptop, simplicity is a nice feat of the Acer Nitro 5. The only features that differentiate it from regular laptops are its red hinge section, red key edges, and red backlight.
The screen is held up by two hinges that allow the opening of the lid with one hand. On opening the lid, you’ll find the 17.3-inch screen.
Acer has advertises the laptop as one with slim bezels and this is not totally incorrect. Specifically, the laptop has slim bezels by its two sides and thicker bezels by the top and bottom.
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The downside however is that the front camera does not support Windows Hello. This means that you don’t get the advantage of login into Windows via facial recognition.
Moving down to the base of the laptop, you’ll find the black and red-themed keyboard. The keys have red outlines around them and they are backlit with bright red LEDs and three brightness levels to choose from.
When it comes to typing, the keys deliver an impressive typing experience. Specifically, the keys have decent travel and firm feedback.
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The touchpad is sufficiently sized and it also has a red outline to match the laptop’s color scheme. Its plastic surface is smooth and responsive and it also supports precision drivers.
Also, the multi-touch touchpad supports Windows 10 gestures like multi-finger swipes. Overall, the touchpad is efficient for everyday use.
When it comes to ports, the Acer Nitro 5 517-51 has a lot of them. Specifically, on the left side of the laptop, there are two USB-A ports, one USB-C slot, an HDMI connector, and an Ethernet connector.
Additionally, on the right, there is another USB-A port, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and a DC power adapter. Sadly, there is no SDCard slot or a Thunderbolt 3 port on this laptop.
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As for the laptop’s size and weight, it measures 403.8 x 279.4 x 26.9 mm and weighs 2998.2 g. The laptop is heavier than most of its competitors and definitely not pleasurable to move around with for long periods.
In comparison with the Lenovo Legion Y540-17IRH, the laptop is significantly heavier and bigger. The Lenovo measures 365 x 260 x 26.3 mm and weighs 2800 g.
In conclusion, the Acer Nitro 5 517-51 is a solidly built gaming laptop. Despite its plastic build, it is sturdy and looks classic with its black-red color scheme.
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Acer Nitro 5 AN517: Processor (CPU) Performance
The Acer Nitro 5 employs a 9th generation hexa-core Intel Core i7-9750H processor with a cache memory of 12 MB. Additionally, the processor has a base frequency of 2.60 GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.50 GHz.
To determine the processor performance of the laptop, I performed a Cinebench R15 benchmark test which had the laptop record 1,156 points.
Unfortunately, the Acer Nitro 5 was sitting at the bottom of the comparison chart. Specifically, Razer Blade 15 performed better with a score of 1,175 points.
Furthermore, the Lenovo Legion Y740 also performed better with a score of 1,188 points.
In conclusion, I’ll rate the processor performance of the Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51 a seven. This rating is because it sits below its competitors in the performance chart.
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Acer Nitro 5 AN517: Memory (RAM) Performance
The Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51 is equipped with two DDR4 SDRAM slots, each slot supports up to 16GB of RAM.
The unit I reviewed shipped with 16 GB RAM. Hence, there was 8 GB of RAM on each slot.
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Although 16 GB of RAM is sufficient for most users, more heavy memory tasks like video editing might require up to 32 GB of memory. Thankfully, you can upgrade the memory capacity of this laptop to 32 GB.
The unit I tested was an excellent multitasking machine. I had about 30 chrome browsers up and running.
Consequently, the Acer Nitro 5 was speedy in loading up the webpages and switching between the tabs. Additionally, the laptop didn’t exhibit any lags or stutters while these multiple activities were running.
Furthermore, it was a relief that the OS boots fast and application programs open fast as well.
In the PCMark 10 benchmark that I performed to test the RAM performance of the laptop, it scored 5,123 points. Unfortunately, the laptop’s performance falls below its competitors.
Precisely, the Razer Blade 15 recorded a higher score of 5,150 points in the test. Also, the Lenovo Legion Y740 recorded 5,341 points.
In conclusion, the Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51 is a decent multitasking device. However, its RAM performance falls below that of its competitors.
Therefore, I will rate the RAM performance of the laptop a seven.
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Acer Nitro 5 AN517: Storage Options & Performance
Now let’s discuss the storage Options of this laptop. Acer equipped the Acer Nitro 5 517 with 256 GB SSD storage.
256 GB storage space might be so quick to get filled up considering that Windows is occupying a chunky portion of it. Therefore, if you’ll like to upgrade the SSD, there is another M.2 PCIe slot for adding more SSDs up to 1 TB.
Additionally, there is a 2.5-inches SATA slot for adding up to a 2TB HDD or SSD as well.
I am sure by now you’re eager to read about the storage performance of this laptop. To determine how well the SSD on Acer Nitro 5 517 performs, I carried out an AS SSD benchmark test.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIn the AS SSD benchmark test that I performed, the Acer Nitro 5 recorded a sequential read speed of 2,961 MBps. In addition to that, it recorded a sequential write speed of 1,514 MBps.
Meanwhile, Lenovo Legion Y740 recorded a sequential read speed of 2,526 MBps and a sequential write speed of 854 MBps. Furthermore, the Razer Blade 15 recorded a sequential read of 2,590 MBps and a sequential write speed of 1,961 MBps.
Comparatively, the laptop recorded a significantly higher sequential read and write speed compared to its competitors I pitched it against. This impressive storage performance means that games launch and play fast on the laptop.
Finally, as a result of its impressive performance, I will rate the storage performance of the Acer Nitro 5 an eight.
Acer Nitro 5 AN517: Graphics Card Performance
Acer equipped Nitro 5 with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 with 6 GB GDDR6 VRAM. The GPU has a base frequency of 1365 MHz and a boost frequency of 1680 MHz.
In the 3DMark graphics benchmark that I performed, the laptop scored 5,464 points.
When it comes to its gaming capability, at a resolution of 1080p and high settings, the Acer Nitro 5 played Metro at 127 fps. Additionally, it played the more grueling Hitman 2 at a playable frame rate of 34.28 fps.
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However, it’s unfortunate that its competitors performed a bit better than it in the same game. Precisely, the Lenovo Legion Y740 played Hitman 2 at 37.82fps.
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Consequently, the graphics performance of the Acer Nitro 5 is great and the result shows that it can play most AAA titles. However, it slightly underperformed among its competitors.
Hence, I will rate the graphics performance of the Acer Nitro 5 an eight.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Acer Nitro 5 AN517: Battery life & Performance
The Acer Nitro 5 laptop is powered by a 4-cell 58Whr Lithium-ion battery. Acer has claimed the battery will deliver up to 7 hours of battery life under regular conditions.
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To ascertain this claim, I performed a video playback test. Based on the test outcome, the Acer Nitro 5 lasted 5 hours 38 minutes.
In comparison, Razer Blade 15 lasted 4 hours 28 minutes. Meanwhile, Lenovo Legion Y740 lasted 3 hours 12 minutes.
It is usually rare to see a powerful gaming laptop last all day without a charge. However, the Acer Nitro 5 is making an effort here.
Although its battery lasts for less than 6 hours in the video playback test, it performed significantly better than the competitors I pitched it against.
As a result of its battery performance, I will rate the Acer Nitro 5 a nine.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Acer Nitro 5 AN517 is a decent gaming laptop. Although it doesn’t look premium or flashy like most gaming laptops, it delivers acceptable frame rates at AAA titles.
The storage option of the Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51-76V6 is easily upgradeable. In addition to the 256 GB SSD, there is another empty M.2 SSD slot for adding more SSD up to 1 TB. Additionally, there’s a 2.5-inch SATA slot for adding a 2.5-inch SSD or HDD up to 2 TB.
Yes, the Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51-76V6 packs good specs at a fair price, this makes it worth buying. Speaking of its specs, you will get a 9th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. Also, you will get a 16 GB memory that can be bumped up to 32 GB. Additionally, you’ll get 256 GB storage that can be upgraded to 3 TB. Furthermore, you’ll get an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU that is capable of playing most AAA games. Finally, the laptop is powered by a 58Whr Li-ion battery that delivers a decent battery life, especially for a gaming laptop.
The Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51-76V6 is a fairly upgradeable laptop. Although the CPU and GPU are soldered to the motherboard and therefore not upgradeable, you can still upgrade the storage and memory. Precisely, the laptop has 2 RAM slots, it ships with 16 GB RAM i.e 8 GB on each slot and can take a maximum capacity of 32 GB with 16 GB on each slot. For the storage option, you can either add an M2 SSD to the second M2 slot or add a 2.5-inch HDD or SDD to the SATA slot.
At the time we published this review in July 2021, the Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51-76V6 cost about $1,676.00. The laptop is fairly and competitively priced among competing laptops with the same specs.
Conclusion
The Acer Nitro 5 AN517 is a decent buy for a gaming laptop. If you are not a fan of RGB gaming laptops, this laptop gives a pleasant contrast with its red and black color scheme.
Most impressively, the laptop offers great value for your money. However, if you decide to buy this laptop there are some sacrifices you’ll need to make.
For instance, the limited storage space is one thing you might not be pleased to look forward to. Nonetheless, the Acer Nitro 5 is easily upgradable.
In conclusion, the Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51-76V6 is a good gaming laptop for its price.
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