The Acer Nitro V 15 won’t make anyone shout “Extreme!” but maybe “Extremely affordable!” For $949.99, this entry-level gaming laptop combines an AMD Ryzen 5 7000 processor, 16GB of memory, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics chip to get you in the door to mainstream gaming. The performance doesn’t stand above its station—the CPU is a little slow, and the 512GB solid-state drive a bit restrictive—but this is a reasonably priced system with many ports and long battery life. Another Nitro V 15 model we tested (specifically, ANV15-51-59MT), with the same RTX 4050 inside, is an even better deal for less money as long as it’s available. However, if you can find this Acer model on sale, you’ll enjoy a capable budget gaming laptop.
Configuration: An AMD-Fueled Nitro
Acer’s Nitro V 15 comes in various models, but for this review, we’re looking at the ANV15-41-R2Y3 loadout. This $949.99 configuration includes an AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD, and a GeForce RTX 4050 GPU running at 75 watts.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
As with any gaming PC, your GPU dictates your gaming performance ceiling. I mean that in the most literal sense, as the RTX 4050 is the entry point into Nvidia’s 40-series GPUs and, thus, the least potent current-generation graphics chip you’ll find. That’s part of the package when shopping at this price. The previous Intel-based Nitro model we reviewed also packed an RTX 4050, as did a Lenovo LOQ 15 model, though an even cheaper Lenovo LOQ 15 (15IAX9I) variant housed an Intel Arc A530M GPU.
The 512GB SSD, meanwhile, is big enough to install multiple games, but if you play particularly large modern titles, you’ll have to juggle installs. On a happier note, the Nitro carries 16GB of memory rather than 8GB, which is increasingly becoming the expectation even for budget gaming laptops and should help with gaming and multitasking.
Design: Blending In With Basic Black
We’ve tested quite a few Acer Nitro laptops over the years. While the average shopper may be unable to tell Acer’s lesser-than-Predator models apart, I appreciate their evolution. The current iteration is a streamlined and simplified design that can blend into any environment—something you may particularly want if this is your sole laptop for all scenarios.
Acer dialed down the gamer-centric look and color scheme with a clean logo on an all-black lid. You might want more of an edge, but this design hits the mark on mass appeal. The last model we reviewed had some colorful dashes across its lid, which I miss just a bit.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The laptop’s plastic build quality has its peaks and valleys. It doesn’t feel incredibly cheap, and you likely won’t be bothered in everyday use. However, I notice some chassis flex in a few places with even a little pressure; the deck sags above and below the keyboard when you push or grab it, so be careful how you apply pressure or pick up the machine. The Nitro doesn’t feel like it’ll give way, by any means; certain areas are just a little more flexible than I’d like.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The screen gets stabilized by leaning its feet against the desk as you open the system, which also tilts the keyboard up to a more comfortable typing angle. The keyboard itself is pleasant enough to type on, with moderate feedback while avoiding the squishy feel some budget systems have. There is a numeric keypad squeezed into the right side, which some shoppers might appreciate, though its presence does require the rest of the keycaps to be a touch smaller than I’d prefer.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The plastic build, at least, makes for a reasonably portable 15-inch gaming laptop, weighing 4.6 pounds while measuring up at 1.08 by 14.3 by 9.5 inches (HWD). While I wouldn’t exactly call this Nitro light, you’ll find far heavier gaming rigs out there, and the machine is totable enough to be a daily commuter or classroom companion.
This being an entry-level system, the display keeps it basic. You get a full HD IPS screen (1,920 by 1,080 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio) with a 144Hz refresh rate. Most everyday laptops still have a 60Hz refresh rate, but among gaming laptops, even budget models have bumped up the baseline these days; some titles will be able to push frame rates beyond 60fps with less powerful hardware. We’ll see just how often the Nitro can reach for that ceiling in the performance section shortly.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The Nitro has a surprisingly robust port selection, providing just about everything you’d want. The left side holds two USB Type-A ports, one USB Type-C port, an HDMI connection, an Ethernet jack, and the power connector. The right side holds just a headphone jack and one additional USB-A port, but the overall offering is varied and useful.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Finally, Acer includes pre-installed NitroSense software to monitor components, tweak system settings, and swap between performance modes (which Acer dubs “scenarios”). While this type of software is found on many laptops, including some cheaper models, it’s nonetheless nice to have it included here, giving entry-level shoppers some of the degree of control that enthusiast shoppers enjoy.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Testing the Acer Nitro V 15: Middle-of-the-Pack Performance
To judge how this Nitro model performs, we put it through our suite of benchmark tests and recorded the results. Each test is explained below alongside the scores, but first, here are the systems we’ll be comparing against…
This is a varied group of comparable gaming machines, most notably the Gigabyte Aorus 15 BMF ($999.99 as tested), which is a fairly 1:1 competitor for the Nitro. The LOQ 15 is the less expensive unit ($649.99 as tested) mentioned earlier, running a seldom-seen Intel Arc dedicated chip, while conversely, the Gigabyte G6X 9KG ($1,349 as tested) is a pricier option with a step-up GeForce RTX 4060. Finally, the joker in the deck is the MSI Claw 8 AI+ ($899.99), which is not a laptop at all but a Windows-based gaming handheld. It’s a realistic gaming alternative given the price, but of course, its smaller size (and integrated graphics) means limited upside. (We were unable to include the older, Intel-powered Nitro V 15 for comparison as it was tested with an older suite of benchmarks, and we no longer have the machine on hand.)
Also, note that we tested the Acer using NitroSense’s performance mode to gauge its maximum output potential, but frankly, we don’t think it’s worthwhile. We saw modest gains in some instances, but the fan noise in performance mode is so loud it’s a guaranteed headache that’ll send you scrambling back to the already fairly raucous balanced mode.
Productivity and Content Creation Tests
Our primary overall benchmark, UL’s PCMark 10, tests a system in productivity apps ranging from web browsing to word processing and spreadsheet work. Its Full System Drive subtest measures a PC’s storage throughput.
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Three more tests we run are CPU-centric or processor-intensive: Maxon’s Cinebench 2024 uses that company’s Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene; Primate Labs’ Geekbench 6.3 Pro simulates popular apps ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning; and we see how long it takes the transcoding freeware HandBrake 1.8 to convert a 12-minute clip from 4K to 1080p resolution.
Finally, workstation maker Puget Systems’ PugetBench for Creators rates a PC’s image editing prowess in various automated operations in Adobe Photoshop 25.
On average, the Nitro looks a touch slow versus the rest of the field. Where specific systems fell above or below the Nitro varied by benchmark, but on the whole, you wouldn’t bet on it in a drag race. For everyday computing, multitasking, and light office work, the V 15 is capable enough, but don’t bank on it for quick hobbyist apps or professional media editing. Even the MSI Claw handheld outpaced the Acer in some instances.
Graphics and Gaming Tests
We challenge all systems’ graphics with a quartet of animations or gaming simulations from UL’s 3DMark test suite. Wild Life (1440p) and Wild Life Extreme (4K) use the Vulkan graphics API to measure GPU speeds. Steel Nomad’s regular and Light subtests focus on APIs more commonly used for game development, like Metal and DirectX 12, to assess gaming geometry and particle effects. We also turn to 3DMark’s Solar Bay to measure ray tracing performance in a synthetic environment. This benchmark works with native APIs, subjecting 3D scenes to increasingly intense ray-traced workloads at 1440p.
Our real-world gaming testing comes from in-game benchmarks within Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and F1 2024. These three games—all benchmarked at the system’s full HD (1080p or 1200p native) resolution—represent competitive shooter, open-world, and simulation games, respectively. If the screen is capable of a higher resolution, we rerun the tests at the QHD equivalent of 1440p or 1600p. Each game runs at two sets of graphics settings per resolution for up to four runs total on each game.
We run the Call of Duty benchmark at the Minimum graphics preset—aimed at maximizing frame rates to test display refresh rates—and again at the Extreme preset. Our Cyberpunk 2077 test settings aim to push PCs fully, so we run it on the Ultra graphics preset and again at the all-out Ray Tracing Overdrive preset without DLSS or FSR. Finally, F1 represents our DLSS effectiveness (or FSR on AMD systems) test, demonstrating a GPU’s capacity for frame-boosting upscaling technologies.
Across both the synthetic and real-world game tests, the Nitro slotted into its expected position among this group—which is to say, above the Intel GPU and behind the other two GeForce RTX laptops. The gap to the Aorus and its RTX 4050 wasn’t huge, but the RTX 4060 (unsurprisingly) had a sizable lead. The Aorus looks the best here, considering the respective system costs.
Aside from these head-to-head comparisons, these frame rates are acceptable. Considering some of our tests are run on higher visual settings (except for one of the Call of Duty runs), it’s expected that a budget laptop like this likely won’t reach 60fps without the aid of DLSS (as seen in F1 2024). The Nitro did perform unusually well in Call of Duty, which should be of particular note to competitive multiplayer gamers.
We’d generally recommend lowering the visual settings in these titles to achieve higher frame rates, likely to a mix of medium-high settings depending on the game. Cutting-edge titles like Cyberpunk 2077 will likely require even lower settings, more akin to the console experience. For the record, when switching from balanced power mode to performance mode, the Nitro gained 2fps in Cyberpunk on the Ultra preset. There was more movement on the F1 2024 DLSS test, jumping from 72fps to 88fps, but the fan noise required to achieve it was unbearable.
Even with a less powerful laptop like this, you can see the advantage it has over a smaller handheld device like the MSI Claw. For the price, the Nitro performs decently, but if you can find the Aorus 15 in stock (it was only spottily available new at this writing), it delivers more graphics power.
Battery Life and Display Tests
We test each laptop’s battery life by playing a locally stored 720p video file (the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel) with display brightness at 50% and audio volume at 100%. We make sure the battery is fully charged before the test, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off.
To gauge display performance, 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).
The Nitro lasted longer than all of the other laptops in this group on the video-playback battery drain test, with only the Claw and its efficient “Lunar Lake” chip pulling away from the pack. Nine hours is outstanding battery life for a gaming laptop, though naturally, the battery will deplete much more quickly if you’re actually gaming rather than watching video or browsing the web. (Of course, the same certainly applies to the Claw.)
The V 15’s screen, for its part, is subpar. The color coverage is mediocre (not unusual in the budget tier), and the brightness is low. The screen is certainly usable, but I did notice the maximum brightness was still a bit dim, and you may find it insufficient if you’re in bright lighting.
Verdict: A Fair Entry-Level Value
The Acer Nitro V 15 is a worthwhile candidate for budget-conscious gamers. It’s not quite basement pricing, and the fact that there are cheaper options (and similarly priced alternatives that perform better) limits its appeal. The cost is more “perfectly reasonable” than “must-buy bargain,” but given the dearth of gaming systems below $1,000, this model does what you need. The Gigabyte Aorus 15 BMF is a superior choice, but it’s exiting the market. If you can find it on sale, this Nitro can get you in the door to mainstream gaming in a solid build with long battery life.
Acer Nitro V 15 (ANV15-41-R2Y3)
The Bottom Line
This Acer Nitro V 15 configuration is no chart-topper but an affordable 1080p gaming laptop with plenty of ports, long battery life, and capable components—if you don’t mind dialing down some visual settings.
About Matthew Buzzi
Lead Analyst, Hardware
