Customer Ratings & Reviews

Really good starter laptop! Never had my own laptop and bought this originally just for work, ended up using it for games and my personal things. Definitely good one!

Out the box the laptop feels really solid and you can tell it is high quality. The look is very nice and is definitely one that you would expect a gamer to be playing on. The red LED back-lit keyboard is a nice feature, especially when gaming in a dark room or at night. It boots up fast and initial setup didn't take long once all the standard information was entered to activate Windows 10. The laptop boots up quick and various programs and the games I installed boot up quick as to be expected with an SSD. There is not a DVD so be aware of that in the event you expect to be able to burn CDs or DVDs. One nice thing is that it does have USB-C port that can be used for an external DVD ROM or even a second monitor. Overall I am very happy with the speed and performance of the laptop but my one gripe is the lack of HDD storage space. It only comes with a 256 GB SSD so after all the windows updates and just a few games installed you will be quickly running out of space. There is a ribbon cable and screws that allows you to add a second SSD but it warns you will void the warranty if you don't have Acer do the install. I will probably do it myself soon because I have a 512 GB SSD just haven't had the time to mess with it. Other than the limitations of the HDD this is a very solid laptop with some great features and speed just held back a bit by the size of its HDD.

If you're looking for a thin and light mobile powerhouse and under the $800 range. I would highly recommend checking this second coming of the Nitro 5. It comes with a very capable GTX 1050 Ti with HDMI 2.0 output for dual monitor setup. This generation has a slimmer bezel and improved air ventilation which outputs towards the back of the laptop. The 256GB SSD enables very fast boot up and improves loading time. The laptop itself includes an adapter for a second HD if you want to add one, but I recommend taking it to a Acer service provider for this install if you're not too technically inclined. It would have been nice if it had came with a higher res monitor, but the matte finish and 1080p is still capable. With 1 HDMI 2.0, 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C, 1 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0, it has the right amount of ports for your gaming needs. Light enough for mobility with decent 3-5 hours of battery life. I wouldn't recommend overclocking the GPU since it will make the fans RPM go up to 8K which is pretty loud if you're not used to having a gaming laptop. Overall, great for the price and budget minded individuals. Thanks.

Great laptop overall. Only issue is the battery. Battery does not last long at all.

I’ve had this computer now for 3 years and haven’t had issues playing anything. Great value for what I payed!

Acer has been around for many years, producing very good (although not “great”) products, at reasonable prices. Before I get into what this “is”, let me state what it “is not”. It is NOT a high-end gaming laptop. It is NOT designed to run the latest & greatest games at their highest resolutions. It is NOT a major improvement over the 2018 model (which had an 8th-Gen Core-i5 8300H vs the 2019’s 9th-Gen Core-i5 9300H). This does NOT mean this is a bad laptop…but, as you will find out, the “upgraded” model isn’t much of a ‘upgrade’. While I normally focus on actual testing, I’m going to change tactics a little for this review. The primary reason for this is due to the fact that there are far more “similarities, and very few “differences”, between the 2018 & 2019 versions. Additionally, while there are several improvements over the 2018 version, there is one change for the worse, which is a major concern. I owned the 2017 & 2018 versions (for which my 2018 review contains comparisons to the 2017 version), and now the 2019 version. Since the 2018 & 2019 versions are so similar, I’m going to focus on the changes between these two. UNBOXING & INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: Packaging is typical Acer packaging – minimal graphics on the outside of the box. However, there’s a slight change to the 2019 packaging – previous packages had an all blackish-brown exterior, while the 2019 has a very light reddish-brown & blackish-brown design on the front. I will mention that I still like Acer’s (mostly) environmentally-friendly approach to packaging…inside, and out…as it’s one other manufacturers could implement. Upon opening the “wrapper” containing the laptop, the first difference you’ll notice (if you’ve seen the 2017 or 2018 versions) is the new case. While the front (which is also the top of the monitor) still has the “angled edge” look, it appears to have smaller “angled edges”, but you’d be wrong…and right. It’s not that the angled edges are smaller – the entire laptop case is smaller, producing a lighter laptop (4.85lbs vs the 5.95lbs of the 2018 version). While the 2018 was 15.4” x 10.5”, the 2019 version is a “slimmed-down” 14.3” x 10” (both are 1.1” high). Unfortunately, while Acer is (mostly) environmentally with their packaging, their laptops are still not Energy Star certified, nor are they EPEAT-qualified. 2018 vs 2019 COMPARISONS: Starting with the Passmark CPU Mark, while the 8th-Gen i5-8300H (2018) only scored 9493, the 9th-Gen i5-9300H scores 9751. Not a huge improvement (base increase from 2.3GHz to 2.4GHz (4% increase), while Boost increased from 4GHz to 4.1GHz (2% increase)), it helped enough (even beating the Core i7-6770HQ found in my wife’s Dell AIO). Cinebench scores are, on-average, approximately 3% better, while TrueCrypt scores are an average 25% better. 3DMark score increases ranged from 8% to 15% improvement, while Geekbench 4.0 scores improved 12% to 22%. Sunspider scores were virtually equal. Internally, much is still the same, and the 2019 version still comes with 8GB RAM (1x8GB SO-DIMM), and is still upgradable to 32GB RAM. There’s still no touch screen, it still comes with the same 256GB SSD, the keyboard is still the same backlit keyboard, and there’s still only 1 USB-C & 3 USB-A ports…but, with a difference. Regarding the USB-A ports, with the 2018 there were 2x 2.0 & 1x 3.0, but with the 2019 there is 1x 2.0 & 2x 3.0. the only other improvement would be the battery life – 2018 had 5.5hrs, while the 2019 has 7hrs, which would be due to the energy-efficiency of the new CPU. Unfortunately, not everything was improved. In fact, one major component was downgraded. Making this change even worse, it was to the most important part of a “gaming” laptop – the GPU. The 2018 version contained an Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti w/ 4GB, while the 2019 only contains a GTX 1050 w/ 3GB. Ifd this is intended to be a “gaming” laptop, WHY would they degrade the graphics…especially after upgrading the CPU? It makes NO sense. FINAL VERDICT: I have to admit, I’m somewhat “baffled”. I like the CPU upgrade, and I really like the new smaller, lighter case. However, in degrading the graphics, Acer has taken a “pretty good” gaming laptop, and turned it into a “somewhat-capable-but-not-quite” gaming laptop. Considering the “base” 2018 model contained a GTX 1050 Ti, it would have made sense if the 2019 contained the new GTX 1650 (as the new GTX 1660 Ti is intended for laptops starting at $1000). It might have even made sense (although, just barely) if they kept the GTX 1050 Ti. But, to downgrade to a GTX 1050, and with only 3GB, I am COMPLETELY baffled. If you have a gaming laptop with an 8th-Gen CPU, it’s not going to be worth it to upgrade, especially if going from a Core-i5, to another Core-i5. However, if you’re still running a 7th-Gen mobile CPU in your laptop, upgrading to a gaming laptop with the new 9th-Gen Core i5, such as the 2019 Acer Nitro 5, could prove a smart move. At the same time, you might be better off buying the 2018 model (while they’re still available), and saving yourself some money. Acer makes very good, albeit inexpensive, laptops, and, while I was able to recommend the 2018 model, unfortunately, I cannot recommend the 2019 model. Honestly, I’d like to be able to…but, with the downgraded graphics, I simply can’t. I’m sorry, Acer, but you’ve taken what was a “good” laptop, and made it worse. Yes, you made it smaller. Yes, you made it lighter. Yes, you even put in a slightly-better CPU. However, when releasing an “upgraded” model, you should NEVER downgrade the GPU…ESPECIALLY in what’s being marketed as a “gaming” laptop. Disclaimer: This product was provided free, or at reduced cost, for the purpose of reviewing the product. Nevertheless, the above review, be it positive, negative, or anywhere in-between, is a 100% honest review, and the price paid played absolutely no part in my review.

Like this laptop very much. It has done me ggreat.

Great gaming computer. Helped me during the covid situation. Its a monster.

Love this laptop. Bought it to work from home during covid

Pretty solid with games, it can run almost any game

I liked it a lot when it came to gaming helped me get better

I have had this for 3 years and it is still going strong! Love it so much I'll get another for my family!

Amazing laptop. Super fast and great for gaming. Buy it.

This is about as best as you get for a mid level laptop computer. After a couple years this laptop became too annoying to use. The initial use was for college but it became too hard to contend with awful update to a windows and lagging applications. Everything we would do on it would delay and take forever to accomplish tasks. I upgraded for a better quality computer and I no longer have these issues.

Great compute. I love it it's is very good. I just don't love the audio.

Been using this for 3 and a half years. And love it.

Awesome computer that runs quiet and is above average but for the random shutting off of the screen during use and edge shadowing when touching the keyboard section. If I touch near the screen at any point I can get the edges to light up and stay lit up. I can be sitting here watching something and the screen goes blank and I have to shut the lid to get it to come back to visible. I have looked at forums, followed the advice but still have the issue. It's very fast but I really wish I didn't spend nearly $700 for something that I have packaged up ready to be sent back to Acer to get repaired after 9 months of use. I was doubtful about buying an Acer but I did anyway and now regret it. Doubt I will again.

Very good laptop! Speed is great & my nephew love it!

This computer was purchased in January 2019. Less than a year into it now and the darn thing will not stay powered when unplugged. My son uses this at the University for his classes (I know to much of a computer for just class work, but he wanted to have the best of both worlds). At any rate, it is of no use when he can not keep it on in class for notes, quizzes and even tests. They do not allow them to use power plugs in class, as this wouldn't be fair to everyone mentality. So I am heading back to the store to purchase yet another computer for him. Such a waste. When I googled this problem it seems that it is something that is happening quite often with this model. They should no better than sell something with such an issue.

I bought this laptop to replace a run-of-the-mill HP laptop that was beginning to show its age. This Acer laptop was purchased to mostly to run things like El Gato recording software, which it does marvelously. Awakes from sleep mode and restarts swiftly. Light up keyboard is helpful. I do have one problem with this laptop, and despite crawling the internet looking for answers and even contacting Microsoft, the laptop does not play sound when awaking from sleep mode. It has to be restarted completely for sound to resume playing. Of course, the problem returns once the pc enters sleep mode and it awakened. Its a very frustrating problem to have considering I've only owned this laptop for 5 months.