This Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 with its RTX 3050 is the gaming laptop to consider if you want to have a new device with power without breaking the bank. It’s ideal for content editors and gamers who don’t want to dump their 2-3k.
But can this unit please gamers? On this page, we are going to discover more about it.
AN515-55-53E5’s Look
Appearance-wise, you really can tell that this is an Acer Nitro 5 family. It still has the Nitro 5’s branding signature look with its red theme and clean black chassis. Our favorite part is the black Acer logo that does not have LED lighting. We appreciate that Acer has not overly designed it with those childish gamer looks.
Once open, it will greet you with its top 144Hz screen with its thin two-side bezels and red keyboard design. There is also a 720p HD webcam on the top bezel. So you can do online video communications without purchasing a stand-alone webcam. Even a 2k+ gaming laptop does not even come with a webcam.
And despite being made from plastic (to save on the weight and more capable to keep it cool) this laptop is very thoroughly designed. It’s not too bulky for its size and capabilities (5.07 lbs or 2.29 Kg), and surprisingly sturdier than it looks.
We would also like to point out that this AN515-55-53E5 has stunning thermal management. Acer has updated its cooling system with this year’s models. They build good heat sinks and two fans to dissipate the generated heat whenever you are gaming. This system works very well surprisingly, to allow this laptop to run cooler and quieter than the previous generations.
What is more, this machine also has a built-in thermals management application that you can use to manually control your CPU’s temperature and fans. This is a gamers’ dream, you can game for hours without having appreciable burning discomfort.
How does the Performance go?
As far as performance goes, this Acer Nitro 5 model soars. For the price, this thing is more than capable to play your games, thanks to the good combination of its CPU and dedicated Graphics card. Before we discuss more, let’s quickly see the specification table.
What does it have?
The following are the main features that your new laptop has;
| Product: | Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 Gaming Laptop | Intel Core i5-10300H | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU | 15.6" FHD 144Hz IPS Display | 8GB DDR4 | 256GB NVMe SSD | Intel Wi-Fi 6 | Backlit Keyboard |
| Screen | Full-HD 15.6″ Widescreen (16:9 Aspect Ratio) IPS LED-backlit Display with 1920×1080 resolution, and 144Hz refresh rate.
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| Processor | Quad-Core 10th Gen of Intel i5-10300H (2.50 – 4.50 GHz clock speed) |
| Graphics | Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 SDRAM (Upgradable) |
| Storage | 256GB SSD (Upgradable) |
| Connectivity | 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1xUSB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet port |
| Other features | HD Webcam, Stereo speakers, built-in Microphone, Backlit keyboard, NitroSense, CoolBoost Technology, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, Upgrade kit |
| Strength & Weakness | VIEW |
Good CPU, Decent GPU
Acer features Intel’s Comet Lake-H series, the i5-10300H CPU inside this Acer Nitro 5 model. The “H” suffix indicates a “High” performance CPU for laptop processors.
This processor has 4-Cores with a base clock at 2.50 GHz and is capable to perform 8-Threads at the same time with its Hyper-Threading technology. Not every CPU has this technology. More than that, when required this CPU can clock up to 4.50 GHz!
Compared to its previous generation this quad-core CPU offers improved faster RAM (2933 vs 2666 MHz), and higher CPU speed (2.50 vs 2.40GHz, see our following table ).
To sum up, this 10300H is the often-used processor for multi-tasking and gaming laptops in this price category.
Now, let’s talk about the dedicated Graphics inside this AN515-55-53E5, which is the new RTX 3050. It’s not the most powerful GPU, but it is a new Ampere Graphics card.
This GPU is powerful enough to play your games at Full-HD 1080p at decent FPS (framerates). On top of that, this GPU can take advantage of the newest NVIDIA technology. Utilizing technologies like Ray-Tracing, DLSS, and AI in the supported games. These new features can help your games to be realistic as they can get.
A lot of games will require RTX GPU on your laptop in the future. This means it is a big advantage to have a new laptop that is capable to play future games. This GPU is capable to perform modern games for years to come. You’re getting a future-proof decent machine for its price.
In short, this combination of i5-10300H and RTX 3050 as well as excellent thermals is a reliable specification for modern games.
How is the battery life?
Battery life in this AN515-55-53E5 Acer Nitro 5 RTX 3050 model is decent for a gaming laptop. You cannot compare it to an ultrabook though, as this machine was designed with performance and power in mind. So if you look for a laptop that has long battery life, this is not for you.
For idle computing tasks, you can get 7-9 hours of battery life (Acer claims 11 hours). But when you use it for gaming, the battery will drain faster than that, as expected for a gaming laptop.
Other Fine Components
Other than its decent performance to game, this AN515-55-53E5 has many other fine components that you will like.
Smoothness Personified
The 15-inch Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 with RTX 3050 gaming laptop did the gamers right by featuring a 144Hz IPS display that looks bright and beautiful. For a 17-inch Nitro 5, check this one out.
Compared to other laptop screens that have lower refresh rates out there, your 144Hz screen looks smoother! You will notice the difference in the smoothness in the following video.
As you notice, the refresh rate of a gaming laptop’s screen plays an important role in your eye care and winning your games.
The 15.6-inch screen is just an ideal size if you want to have a portable gaming laptop that you can carry everywhere because less bulky than bigger laptops. If you need a less powerful non-gamer notebook, we recommend this i3 Acer Aspire 5, or the Ryzen 3 3350U model.
The Full-HD 1080p resolution offers better viewing angles and the display is an IPS screen with its beautiful color/contrast reproduction.
Full-Size Backlit Keyboard
You will get a decent backlit keyboard with this Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 RTX 3050 model. It is a full-size keyboard with Numpad and good tactile keys. After 30 seconds, the key lighting will automatically turn off by default, but you can control this behavior with the included Acer Nitro app. You can even turn the lighting off if the illuminated keys distract you. I like the backlit keyboard because it helps nighttime gaming sessions.
There are many function keys, as well as the highlighted WASD and arrow keys, a real gamers-optimized keyboard. Acer also adds a dedicated NitroSense key next to the backspace key to let you control your laptop’s components quickly. By pressing this button you can instantly access the fans’ speed, power management, temperature, and many more to manage your PC’s components.
The trackpad under the keyboard has a decent size and has a Windows precision driver, meaning it can detect your touch gestures. However, at the end of the day, it is a gaming laptop, so you will probably want to use a mouse to game anyway.
Plenty of I/Os & Killer Wi-Fi 6
This laptop has a decent choice of I/O ports. There is an HDMI 2.0 with HDCP port, a headphone jack, an Ethernet RJ-45 port, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, and 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A. The one USB Type-A version 3.2 Gen 2 supports Power-Off Charging. This means it can charge any device like your smartphone, tablets, etc even when your notebook is off or in Hibernate mode.
It is also nice to see the USB Type-C on board since it allows you to have a faster transfer speed than older USB ports.
The ethernet port offers better and more stable internet connections which are very important when you are gaming. Every second matters in gaming, right?
Furthermore, this laptop also features Bluetooth and the killer wireless Wi-Fi 6 generation.
All in all, we can’t complain about the connectivity and ports with this Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 RTX 3050 model.
Acer CoolBoost in AN515-55-53E5
We have mentioned briefly the thermal efficiency of this device above. Now, we need to mention the technology that Acer specifically designed for their Nitro 5 laptops family, Acer CoolBoost™. When the computer runs heavy tasks and needs a boost, this technology can increase its dual fan speed by 10%.
It also boosts the cooling process of the GPU and CPU by 9% when compared to the auto mode. Overall, this CoolBoost technology can increase thermal performance by 25%, which significantly helps your gaming experience.
In short, through a prolonged gaming period, the dual fans and the CoolBoost technology are built to keep the machine running well within comfortable temperatures.
Very Upgradeable
Acer equips this laptop with RAM and SSD expansion kit, so this device is very upgradable. However, its default RAM and storage are more than adequate to play your games.
To upgrade this AN515-55-53E5 laptop, you will have an access to upgrade the RAM and the SSD storage as well as the Wi-Fi card. Though I don’t think you would want to upgrade the Wi-Fi card as it is already the latest generation at the moment.
So once you are inside, you will be able to upgrade and expand as you need. There are three hard drives in total, 2x PCIe M.2 slots, and 1x 2.5″ hard drive bay.
For an upgrade-scenario example, you can add a SATA SSD to the open bay. For upgrading the RAM, you can add an 8GB memory stick like this one to the open RAM slot to get the double memory. Additionally, since this laptop’s RAM can be upgraded up to 32GB, you can replace the factory’s RAM stick and add more with 2x 16GB sticks such as this one, which will improve the performance.
Here is a guide about upgrading from the start to finish. It includes the step for the computer to identify your new drive before you can eventually use it as your additional storage.
Conclusion
So will this laptop be able to please gamers? For hardcore gamers who got a $6k gaming rig at home, no, it won’t please them. But if you or your kids need an inexpensive RTX gaming laptop, especially in this day and age, where component shortages do happen, this laptop is worth your consideration.
It has good components like the 144Hz IPS display, a decent CPU with a stunning cooling system, a new RTX 30-series GPU rather than the 20-series, a backlit keyboard, and the killer ethernet port as well as Wi-Fi 6. The addition of a good selection of ports, and a built-in webcam for the price are also a few things that make this laptop can’t be easily ignored.
This Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 is a capable gaming laptop that won’t break your bank and has good specs for its price.
In GTA, I get lower frame rates with the same setup but a 3060 instead of a 3050, strange.
If you need a gaming laptop as a gift, I definitely recommend this. Really cheap, but man, it’s still a beast when compared to what an average casual PC user might have. Not many people appreciate how inexpensive it is to be a gamer on the go these days. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to purchase an external hard disk to back up your stuff. The internal memory is extremely limited. You’ll deplete it quickly.
Hi.. this one OR Acer nitro 5 i7 gtx1650? Which is superior?