Acer Nitro 16 (2024) review: Best gaming laptop for 1.5 lakh?

If you're looking for a midrange gaming laptop for around 1.5 lakh rupees, then there are many options right now! The Victus 15 from HP, the LOQ from Lenovo, and the Nitro V series from Acer look good on paper, but let me tell you why this Nitro 16 is a better pick instead!

Acer Nitro 16 2024 Review: Specifications

• Dimensions, Weight: 363.50 x 262.10 x 21.95-25.90 mm (W x D x H), 2.62 kg
• Display: 16″ WUXGA IPS panel, 165Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB color gamut, 400 nits brightness
• Keyboard: Full-size chiclet backlit keyboard, 4 Zone RGB backlighting
• Processor: AMD "Hawk Point" Ryzen 7 8845HS
  • 8C/16T, 5.1 GHz max turbo frequency, 45W base power
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (8GB GDDR6 VRAM, 110W TGP)
• RAM: 1x 16GB DDR5-5600 memory
• Storage: 512GB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0)
• Audio: Down-firing stereo speaker system
• Battery: 76 Watt-hours with 230W charging, 140W PD support
• Webcam: HD (720p) camera with E-shutter
• I/O Ports: 1x USB4 (Type-C), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (PD, DisplayPort 1.4), 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x LAN (RJ45), 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack
• Price in Nepal: NPR 155,555 (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
• Check the full specifications of Acer Nitro 16 2024 here
• Buy Acer Nitro 16 2024 here

Acer Nitro 16 2024 Review:

Availability

If you've read some of my reviews or even met in person, you can tell that I love the LOQ 15 gaming laptop. From the colour-accurate display to powerful components and a clean aesthetic, it's got all the things going for it. But at the time of writing this, you can't find an appealing LOQ for this price point of 1.5 lakh rupees. There are either low-powered 3050 variants or very expensive 4060 configurations, both of which don't tingle my spidey senses as much as this Nitro did. Spending 20-30k extra will get you higher-tier models like the Legion Slim or Victus 16, but that's a topic for another discussion. Sticking to around 1.5 lakh, the options get much more limited. There are some appealing options from HP and the Nitro V series at slightly lower price points, I think this Nitro 16 is the best you can get for around NPR 150,000 rupees today.

Design and Build

• 361.10 x 278.3 x 27.9 mm (W x D x H)
• 2.5 kg, Plastic top and bottom

Let's start things off with the design of the Nitro 16. I have had my fair share of experience with Acer's budget offerings dating all the way back to the Nitro 5 from 2020 and I'd say that the brand has preserved the core DNA throughout all these years. It's an aggressive gamery machine built entirely out of plastic to deliver maximum FPS for your dollar (or rupee). Seeing a cleaner lid had me hopeful for some extra stealth points but those orange accents are conspicuous as heck. As such, this Nitro (just like its brethren before) might not be the best piece of technology to bring into a business meeting or conference. But I'll happily rock it in any of my uni classes or show it off at my home rig! Overall build and feel is nothing special with plastic all six yards (the bottom one feels especially bland) and a little bit of flex along the way.

Keyboard and Trackpad

• Full-size backlit chiclet keyboard (4-zone RGB)
• Plastic trackpad

Now that we are done with the design, let me talk about the I/O on this Nitro. Being a step above Acer's entry-line Nitro 'V' series of gaming laptops means the Nitro 16 enjoys additional perks like multicolor RGB. Its chicklet keyboard features 4 zones that you can customize via the 'NitroSense' application with a bunch of presets and surprisingly nice customizability. Typing on the keys, again, is not magical or anything, and feels okayish for the most part. I do wish the keys were a bit stiffer though as the mushiness felt a little sluggish in the beginning. But I got used to the feedback pretty quickly so that should not be a dealbreaker for most. The trackpad sort of belongs to the same lot where it's not stellar but not terrible either.

Ports and Connectivity

• Left: 1x LAN (RJ45), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack
• Right: 1x Kengiston Lock, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
• Back: 1x USB4 (Type-C), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (PD, DisplayPort 1.4), Power Socket, 1x HDMI 2.1
• Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX201 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.3

However, I am very surprised by the rich connectivity options on this variant of the Acer Nitro. Not only does it have all the essentials like Type-A ports on either side, an Ethernet port, and WiFi 6, but there are TWO USB-C ports (quite uncommon on budget gaming series), with all ports being the latest or semi-latest generations. Do wish that the microSD was a full-sized one but I don't have major qualms about it!

Display

• 16″ matte WUXGA (1200p) IPS display
• 165Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB color gamut
• 400 nits brightness, G-SYNC, Advanced Optimus support

Things get even more exciting when you gloss over to the screen. It's an IPS display-typical, 165Hz-a little faster than most, and color accurate-a huge win. Unfortunately, I would have liked to see a higher resolution but 1200p is just fine for your day-to-day chores and gaming. The processors here can dabble in 1440p sessions too so I'd recommend going for the WQXGA variant if it's available. Besides that slight bother, I found the screen on the Nitro to be bright enough, and have decent response times to not notice any ghosting artifacts. By the way, I also appreciate the tall 16:10 aspect ratio on this thing a lot. It's just free real estate when reviewing long lines of code or working with multiple windows simultaneously. And it makes movies and games feel more immersive. Extra cookies for that! The Nitro 16 also has a MUX switch and support for Advance Optimus which allows you to switch between the Integrated Radeon graphics and the dedicated NVIDIA card without a restart. But weirdly, trying to toggle on "NVIDIA GPU Only" from the NitroSense app prompts for a restart while doing the same thing from NVIDIA's own Control Panel doesn't.

• Check the complete details and pricing of the  Acer Nitro Laptop Series here

Audio and Webcam

• 2x 2W down-firing stereo speakers
• HD (720p) camera with E-shutter

Things like the audio clarity and webcam don't really weigh as heavy when dealing with relatively inexpensive gaming laptops so I'll just say that the Nitro 16 has workable speakers with a webcam that can get you through one of your occasional zoom calls. Attend conferences on a regular? Might want to invest in an external webcam. I'd say the speakers should have been at least a little louder for this huge-looking machine, since they are surprisingly quiet!

Performance

• AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU (45W base TDP)
• NVIDIA RTX 4060 graphics (115W TGP with boost)
• 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD (both upgradeable)

Let's get to the good stuff: the guts! The CPU here is not the latest nor the greatest but there's a suitable blend of power and efficiency. The Ryzen 7 8845HS has a decent showcase on benchmarks roughly matching Core i7 chips in terms of single core. Full load workloads will still be faster on the Intel counterparts but the Ryzen has a few of its own strengths...like efficiency! Now I didn't do a Watt-for-Watt comparison between the chips but from my personal experience and the typical battery life on this unit, I can confidently say that the 8845HS is a good balance between a gaming rig and an office/college computer. Keeping the rest of that aside for the endurance part, let's talk numbers!

Gaming Results

At 1080p High settings on Counter-Strike 2, I got around 150fps on average with good stability of 1% low over 60 FPS. Another relatively CPU-heavy Title: Red Dead Redemption II averaged 88.8 FPS with 1% lows of around 56 FPS. While these numbers are good, it's definitely not the best you'd get in a gaming laptop for around 150,000 rupees today. Intel HX-equipped laptop will outperform this Ryzen in CPU-reliant titles all day, so if you only plan on playing FPS shooters like CS or Valo, then getting something else would definitely be a good option too...but... You won't find anything else with a 100W+ RTX 4060 on the market today, especially without extra compromises like a terrible display or a lackluster CPU! So, this GPU from NVIDIA is definitely the star of the show on this Nitro. But does it deliver? Yessss, for sure! Now, you may not be excited for your brand new GPUs like I am but getting an RTX 4060 at this price instead of the 4050 is actually pretty substantial. You manage an extra 15-25% performance in most titles while there are even extreme scenarios where you might get double the performance. But you'll only ever encounter the latter if you push the graphical fidelity and crank up textures to overload the 6GB VRAM on the RTX 4050.In my short and sweet venture, I ran Cyberpunk 2077 at Medium settings without DLSS or RayTracing and got about 95FPS with minimal drops during gameplay. Fora Horizon 5 at Extreme Preset also ran similarly with a near 100FPS average and 1% of around 55 FPS! With similar settings, you can expect around 80% of the results on a RTX 4050 gaming laptop but you'll definitely not regret spending extra for the 4060 if you have plans on cranking up the graphics (needs that extra VRAM) or playing at 1440p!

Battery, Cooling, Fan Noise

• 76Wh battery, 230W AC adapter
• Vapor Chamber cooling, Liquid Metal on processors, dual fans
• Silent, Balanced, Performance, Custom Profiles

Lastly, let me touch up on a few key areas like thermals and battery life! The laptop doesn't get too hot thanks to the Ryzen HS chip, a midrange NVIDIA GPU, and a decent thermal design but the fans can get pretty loud at times. So, I'd recommend NOT letting them rip when you are in a classroom or social setting as you'd definitely get the LOOKS. For the sake of science though, I ran all my tests in 'Max' for optimal performance. Since most of the intake is at the bottom, playing on a couch or your bed will seriously affect airflow and lead to worse overall performance. Not to mention the dust that'll clog the airway over the years. So, be a civilized gamer like the rest of us and plop it on a table, with a controller giving you the convenience that you need! In my review, the battery life on the Acer Nitro 16 (2024) was very good for a gaming laptop with over 5 hours of everyday use for typical office applications and web browsing. I didn't game on battery (and neither should you) but if you plan to, expect that to drop by a couple of hours. Regardless, one benefit of buying an AMD-based gaming laptop over Intel today is the noticeably better endurance during normal usage. So, this Nitro is a great choice for uni students or office folks (if you know what you're getting into) who'd want a powerful gaming laptop that'd at least get through the day (or most of it at least)!

Acer Nitro 16 (2024) Review: Conclusion

With that, I lay my case! While the laptop landscape in Nepal is constantly changing and evolving, the Nitro series from Acer has continued to be the go-to option for many gamers. And right now, this specific configuration of the Acer Nitro 16 (2024) that I've reviewed is the best gaming laptop you can get for 1.5 lakh rupees!

Acer Nitro 16 (2024) Review: Pros and Cons