Acer’s new 17.3-inch Nitro 5 seems like a lot of bang for your buck

Acer has refreshed its Nitro 5 lineup of entry-level gaming laptops for the second half of 2021, and its new 17.3-inch model launching in mid-October seems particularly impressive given its $1,199.99 price. Its 1080p display has a 144Hz refresh rate, and it comes equipped with an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia’s RTX 3050 Ti graphics chip. (Acer hasn’t specified the CPU model or what the maximum graphics power of the GPU will be.) Other specs include 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 1TB SSD. That sounds like a solid gaming laptop to me, so long as you’re not expecting too much out of it.

If you want something smaller, Acer also has a 15.6-inch version coming in mid-October for $769.99. It also has a 144Hz refresh rate screen, but as you might have guessed with the $400 price difference, there’s more than just size that gets a reduction here. It has an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, a 256GB SSD, and on the graphics side of things, it features the Nvidia GTX 1650. This should still be able to do some light gaming, but it’ll likely be a more compromised experience than what the 17.3-inch can do.

Both models have an ethernet port and a Thunderbolt 4 port, in addition to three USB-A ports, HDMI out, a 3.5mm jack, and a Kensington slot.

Acer gave the latest Nitro 5 just a couple of minor design adjustments that make it stand out a bit compared to the early 2021 model. It still has a red and black colorway with edges that taper off, along with a full-size keyboard. The barrel plug charger now plugs in along the right side of the laptop instead of its back, and parts of its lid and chassis appear to have a grippier texture.

If you just got the Nitro 5 or a similar gaming laptop earlier this year, these upgrades don’t seem like must-haves. But if you’re in the market for a 17.3-inch machine, Acer’s latest seems like a fantastic value.