Introduction
When it comes to gaming laptops, people are always looking for the best performance at the lowest cost. The question on everyone’s mind is, “How much performance can I get from a laptop while paying the least amount possible?” Today, we’re going to talk about the best gaming laptop for the money in 2018 - the Acer Nitro 5. With its impressive specs and affordable price tag, it’s no wonder that this laptop is making waves in the gaming community.
Build and Design
The Acer Nitro 5 has a sleek and stylish design with a black theme and subtle red accents. Unlike other gaming laptops, it doesn’t have an aggressive, flashy look. The build quality is solid, although it is mostly made of plastic. The screen has a bit of flex and there is slight bowing on the keyboard, but nothing out of the ordinary for a laptop in this price range. The keyboard is backlit and the keys are spaced nicely, making it comfortable to type on. The trackpad is accurate and responsive, thanks to Windows Precision drivers.
Display and Storage
The Acer Nitro 5 features a 1080p IPS display with excellent viewing angles. It also gets surprisingly bright, making it suitable for use in well-lit environments. However, it may not be the best choice for color-sensitive work, as the color accuracy is not the best. In terms of storage, the laptop comes with a 256GB SSD, but it is easy to add more storage by simply removing a few screws. This makes it convenient for gamers and content creators who need ample storage space.
Battery Life and Audio Quality
The Acer Nitro 5 is equipped with a 48 watt-hour battery, which provides around 4 hours of solid battery life. Of course, this can vary depending on your usage and settings. The speakers, located on the bottom of the laptop, are surprisingly good for a gaming laptop. They are loud, with a good amount of bass and decent highs. Overall, the audio quality is impressive and enhances the gaming experience.
Performance
Now let’s talk about the most important aspect of any gaming laptop - performance. The Acer Nitro 5 is powered by the NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti, which allows for smooth gaming at high settings. In games like Fortnite, it comfortably achieves over 60 fps. Even after playing for extended periods of time, there is no throttling or drop in performance. The CPU temperatures reach the high 80s, but it doesn’t affect the gameplay. The laptop remains consistently cool and provides a smooth gaming experience.
For productivity tasks, the Acer Nitro 5 performs exceptionally well. It can handle rendering and editing 4K files with ease. The playback is smooth, even when adding color grading, transitions, and other effects. The Nitro Sense program, pre-installed on the laptop, allows you to control the fan speed of both the CPU and GPU. While increasing the fan speed doesn’t necessarily improve performance, it does lower the temperatures, providing a cooler gaming experience.
Is it Worth the Price?
With a price tag of $700, the Acer Nitro 5 is a solid gaming laptop that offers great value for money. It is currently the most affordable gaming laptop on the market with an 8th generation processor and the NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti. If you can find it on sale for $700, it is an excellent deal. Even at $800, it is still a competitive option compared to other laptops in the same price range. Whether it’s the design, keyboard layout, battery life, or performance, the Nitro 5 has a lot to offer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Acer Nitro 5 is an impressive gaming laptop that offers excellent performance and affordability. It may not have the most premium build quality or the most accurate display, but it more than makes up for it with its powerful internals and attractive price point. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly gaming laptop that can handle both gaming and productivity tasks, the Acer Nitro 5 should definitely be on your list. Don’t miss out on this great deal!
