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Acer Nitro 5 (7700HQ, GTX 1050 Ti) Laptop Review

Slim entry-level gamer. Acer's slim gaming notebook can offer an IPS display and a fast NVMe SSD as well as good battery runtimes.

For the original German review, click here.

The Nitro laptops we have tested until now all belong to the mobile-gaming segment. They offer high processing power but still come in rather slim cases. Acer is moving away again from the latter with the new Nitro 5 AN515-51 models. The new devices are a little thicker and bulkier than the models of the Aspire V15 Nitro series due to the new angular shape. Nonetheless, the Nitro 5 devices are still slim notebooks. 

The device does not lack the processing power necessary for gaming thanks to the quad-core processor and the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU. But still, this combination is simply not meant to display games in the highest quality settings. We will find out if the new Nitro can offer a convincing performance in our review. Some of the device's competitors are the HP Omen 15-ax213ng, the Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4, the Dell Inspiron 15 7567, the Lenovo Legion Y520 15IKBN, the Asus FX502VM, and the Medion Erazer X6603.

Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E (Nitro 5 AN515 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-7700HQ 4 x 2.8 - 3.8 GHz, Kaby Lake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1734 MHz, Memory: 1752 MHz, GDDR5, 128-bit bus, ForceWare 385.41, Optimus
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2400, Dual-Channel, two RAM slots (both occupied)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, LG Philips LP156WF6-SPK6, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM175
Storage
Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7, 256 GB 
, + WDC WD10SPZX (1 TB, 5400 rpm), 1140 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC255 @ Intel Sunrise Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combined audio jack, Card Reader: SD, TPM 2.0
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Qualcomm QCA6174 (a/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 26.75 x 390 x 266 ( = 1.05 x 15.35 x 10.47 in)
Battery
48 Wh, 3220 mAh Lithium-Ion, 15.2 V
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, MS Office 365 (trial version), 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.7 kg ( = 95.24 oz / 5.95 pounds), Power Supply: 563 g ( = 19.86 oz / 1.24 pounds)
Price
1299 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

Acer has chosen a black case for the Nitro 5, which is highlighted by red hinges and a red border around the touchpad. The red looks brighter on the images than it is in real life - it looks more like burgundy really. The display cover has a brushed-metal effect. There are two small maintenance hatches on the bottom of the base unit; the battery is not removable. 

The Nitro 5 appears to be well made. There are no overhanging edges and the gap dimensions are consistent. Stability is also quite good, although the base unit and display cover could be a little stiffer for our tastes. Fortunately, however, the latter does not show any image distortion under pressure or when being warped. The hinges keep the display in place and the device can be opened with a single hand.

The dimensions and weight of the Nitro 5 are similar to those of the comparison devices, but the Nitro 5 is a little thicker and heavier than the devices of the Aspire V15 Nitro series.

Size Comparison

389 mm / 15.3 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 29 mm / 1.142 inch 2.5 kg5.51 lbs390 mm / 15.4 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 26.75 mm / 1.053 inch 2.7 kg5.95 lbs390 mm / 15.4 inch 266 mm / 10.5 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 2.6 kg5.67 lbs385 mm / 15.2 inch 275 mm / 10.8 inch 27 mm / 1.063 inch 2.8 kg6.06 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 265 mm / 10.4 inch 28.8 mm / 1.134 inch 2.6 kg5.63 lbs382 mm / 15 inch 253 mm / 9.96 inch 24.5 mm / 0.965 inch 2.3 kg4.97 lbs380 mm / 15 inch 267 mm / 10.5 inch 26 mm / 1.024 inch 2.5 kg5.56 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Acer offers no more than the standard equipment in the area of connectivity. The notebook has three Type-A USB ports (2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 gen 1) and the single Type-C port also only offers the USB 3.1 gen 1 standard. Acer could have upgraded this to the faster USB 3.1 gen 2 port - or even better to a Thunderbolt 3 connector. A DisplayPort would also have been a nice addition to the device. However, we do like the way the ports are positioned, which is towards the back of either side of the device. This way, the areas beside the wrist rest remain free from cables.

Left: security lock, Gigbabit Ethernet, USB 3.1 gen 1 (Type-C), HDMI, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type-A), memory-card reader (SD)
Left: security lock, Gigbabit Ethernet, USB 3.1 gen 1 (Type-C), HDMI, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type-A), memory-card reader (SD)
Right: combined audio jack, 2x USB 2.0 (Type-A), power supply
Right: combined audio jack, 2x USB 2.0 (Type-A), power supply
Back
Back

Communication

The Wi-Fi module has a chip (QCA6174) made by Qualcomm. It supports the Wi-Fi standards 802.11 a/g/n as well as the faster ac standard. We tested the module under optimum conditions (no other Wi-Fi devices in the vicinity, short distance to server PC) and measured very good transfer rates. The device also has a Gigabit Ethernet chip from Realtek's RTL8168/8111 family. Most of the notebooks we test have chips from this model range. They always do their job without causing any difficulties.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Medion Erazer X6603
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
664 MBit/s +11%
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
653 MBit/s +9%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Qualcomm QCA6174
600 MBit/s
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
533 MBit/s -11%
Asus FX502VM-AS73
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
513 MBit/s -14%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 (jseb)
306 MBit/s -49%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
Realtek 8821AE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
282 MBit/s -53%
iperf3 receive AX12
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
686 MBit/s +14%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Qualcomm QCA6174
603 MBit/s
Asus FX502VM-AS73
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
541 MBit/s -10%
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
533 MBit/s -12%
Medion Erazer X6603
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
517 MBit/s -14%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
Realtek 8821AE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
307 MBit/s -49%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 (jseb)
246 MBit/s -59%

Webcam

The device's webcam produces images with a maximum resolution of 1280x720 pixels. The washed-out and grainy results are not very exciting.

Accessories

Apart from the usual leaflets (quick-start guide, warranty information) the device does not come with any accessories.

Maintenance

There are two maintenance hatches at the bottom of the base unit. The RAM slots are positioned beneath the smaller hatch while the larger one gives you access to the 2.5-inch hard drive. If you wanted to change the SSD, you would have to open up the base unit, which is doable. Here is how to do it: First, remove the two maintenance flaps and take out the 2.5-inch hard drive. Then remove all screws on the bottom of the base unit and lift the cover off with the help of a thin spatula or pallet knife. After that, you can access the entire hardware.

Warranty

Acer gives a two-year warranty for the Nitro 5. The period and scope of the warranty can be extended, for example by a four-year warranty with onsite service. Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies & Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices

Keyboard

Acer has equipped the Nitro 5 with a backlit chiclet keyboard. The back-lighting (color: red) can be turned on and off with a function key. The main keys (letters and number row) have a slightly concave surface while the other keys are flat. All keys have medium travel and a clear pressure point. The resistance is fine. The keyboard gives way slightly while typing, but this did not bother us too much. Overall, we can say that Acer has equipped the Nitro 5 with a keyboard that can cater for more than just the basic needs. 

Touchpad

The ClickPad supports multi-touch gestures and is about 10.6 x 7.7 cm (~ 4.17 x 3 in) large. This means there is plenty of space for using gesture control. The smooth surface of the pad makes it easy for fingers to glide upon, and it reacts well to inputs even in the corners. The ClickPad has short travel and a clear pressure point.

Input devices
Input devices

Display

The matte 15.6-inch display of the Nitro 5 has a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The screen's brightness is too low at 264.6 cd/m2. The contrast (1104:1), however, is good. Fortunately, the screen does not use PWM-flickering at all.

Pixel array
Pixel array
Backlight-bleeding
Backlight-bleeding
256
cd/m²
254
cd/m²
252
cd/m²
272
cd/m²
276
cd/m²
270
cd/m²
270
cd/m²
262
cd/m²
269
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LG Philips LP156WF6-SPK6 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 276 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 264.6 cd/m² Minimum: 25 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 281 cd/m²
Contrast: 1104:1 (Black: 0.25 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.06 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 6.25 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
62% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
40% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
43.17% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
62.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
41.7% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 1.76
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
TN, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus FX502VM-AS73
TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Medion Erazer X6603
AH-IPS, LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Display
-7%
-7%
-13%
-9%
-12%
Display P3 Coverage
41.7
38.59
-7%
38.88
-7%
36.42
-13%
38.28
-8%
36.82
-12%
sRGB Coverage
62.2
58
-7%
58.2
-6%
54.9
-12%
56.9
-9%
54.9
-12%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
43.17
39.87
-8%
40.2
-7%
37.62
-13%
39.47
-9%
38.09
-12%
Response Times
-24%
16%
-34%
-66%
9%
-32%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
35 ?(16, 19)
42 ?(20.4, 21.6)
-20%
22 ?(10, 12)
37%
36 ?(17, 19)
-3%
58.8 ?(33.6, 25.2)
-68%
28.4 ?(11.2, 17.2)
19%
46 ?(36, 10)
-31%
Response Time Black / White *
22 ?(12, 10)
28 ?(16.4, 11.6)
-27%
23 ?(13, 10)
-5%
36 ?(19, 17)
-64%
36 ?(23.6, 12.4)
-64%
22.4 ?(6, 16.4)
-2%
29 ?(17, 12)
-32%
PWM Frequency
21550 ?(99)
2174 ?(90)
Screen
7%
-3%
-54%
-29%
-33%
-15%
Brightness middle
276
230
-17%
281
2%
246
-11%
239
-13%
209.5
-24%
252
-9%
Brightness
265
228
-14%
257
-3%
235
-11%
244
-8%
205
-23%
246
-7%
Brightness Distribution
91
88
-3%
85
-7%
75
-18%
88
-3%
92
1%
94
3%
Black Level *
0.25
0.21
16%
0.32
-28%
0.55
-120%
0.35
-40%
0.69
-176%
0.23
8%
Contrast
1104
1095
-1%
878
-20%
447
-60%
683
-38%
304
-72%
1096
-1%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.06
4.01
21%
5.16
-2%
10.97
-117%
7.3
-44%
4.7
7%
7.83
-55%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
10.13
7.26
28%
9.09
10%
24.7
-144%
19.7
-94%
15.5
-53%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
6.25
3.18
49%
4.57
27%
14.25
-128%
4.9
22%
1.8
71%
7.11
-14%
Gamma
1.76 125%
2.52 87%
2.59 85%
1.83 120%
2.19 100%
2.23 99%
2.19 100%
CCT
6873 95%
6814 95%
6931 94%
11200 58%
7332 89%
6975 93%
7930 82%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
40
37
-7%
37
-7%
35
-12%
35
-12%
36.2
-9%
35
-12%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
62
58
-6%
58
-6%
55
-11%
55
-11%
56.6
-9%
55
-11%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-8% / -0%
2% / -1%
-34% / -42%
-48% / -35%
-11% / -22%
-20% / -17%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Nitro 5 vs. sRGB
Nitro 5 vs. sRGB
Nitro 5 vs. AdobeRGB
Nitro 5 vs. AdobeRGB

The DeltaE 2000 color-space deviation is 5.06, which is quite decent, but below 3 would be ideal. The display does not have a blue cast, but it cannot display the AdobeRGB and sRGB color spaces. We measured 62% coverage of the sRGB and 40% coverage of the AdobeRGB color space.

The color profile we have made available for download above can improve the screen's color display slightly. But please make sure your device has the same display model (manufacturer + model number) as our test unit. Otherwise, the color display could become worse with our color profile. It often happens that one notebook series has screens from different manufacturers.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - grayscales
CalMAN - grayscales
CalMAN - color saturation
CalMAN - color saturation

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
22 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 12 ms rise
↘ 10 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 42 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
35 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 16 ms rise
↘ 19 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 42 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Acer has equipped the Nitro 5 with an IPS panel with stable viewing angles. This means that the screen can be read from any position. The notebook can only be used outdoors if the sun is not shining very bright.

Outdoor use (direct sunlight)
Outdoor use (direct sunlight)
Outdoor use (sun behind the device)
Outdoor use (sun behind the device)
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

The Nitro 5 is an entry-level device for the world of gaming notebooks. It can display all current computer games and still does a good job as an all-round computer. Our test unit is available for about $1080 with other configurations available from $800.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
LatencyMon
 

CoolBoost

Acer QuickAccess
Acer QuickAccess

The preinstalled program "Acer Quick Access" offers the possibility to turn on the so-called "CoolBoost" function. This makes the cooling fans work at higher speeds in order to better cool the hardware. In theory, this would mean higher performance. We tested the Nitro 5 with deactivated CoolBoost function, but we did try it out sometimes. We will explicitly state if a certain result was achieved with the CoolBoost function.

Processor

The fact that the Nitro 5 is equipped with a quad-core i7-7700HQ of the Kaby Lake generation is not surprising. This is currently the best choice for a mobile-gaming notebook as the CPU is a good compromise between processing power and power consumption. Cheaper models of the Nitro 5 are equipped with the Core i5-7300HQ. This is also a quad-core processor, but it does not support Hyper-Threading (which means that two threads can be processed per core).

The 7700HQ CPU that is built into our test unit works at a base clock rate of 2.8 GHz. The clock rate can be increased to 3.4 GHz (four cores), 3.6 GHz (two cores) or 3.8 GHz (one core) via the turbo. This is only possible when the device is connected to power. The CPU ran at 2.8 - 3.4 GHz (multithread) and 3.4 - 3.8 GHz (single thread) during our tests. The speeds were at 2.8 GHz (single thread) and 2.1 - 2.8 GHz (multithread) on battery.

The results of the multithread CPU tests we did are not quite as good as those of comparable notebooks, because of the fluctuating turbo speeds. The single-thread results are similar to those of the device's competitors. The 7700HQ offers up to 10% better results than its predecessor (Core i7-6700HQ) when the turbo runs at full speed. This is due to the working memory, which is 200 to 300 MHz larger in today's test unit. We did not see any performance increase due to the different architecture as there is hardly any technical difference between Kaby Lake and Skylake.

Single thread (on power supply)
Single thread (on power supply)
Multithread (on power supply)
Multithread (on power supply)

We ran the multithread test of the Cinebench R15 benchmark in a loop for about 30 minutes in order to find out whether the turbo can be in constant use when the device is connected to power. The results fluctuate a little as the CPU does not have a constant clock rate, but we did not measure a significant drop in performance.

Activating the CoolBoost function enables the CPU to consistently work at 3.4 GHz. The results of the rerun of the Cinebench R15 multithread loop are better and can compare with the results of other 7700HQ notebooks. 

0102030405060708090100110120130140150160170180190200210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380390400410420430440450460470480490500510520530540550560570580590600610620630640650660670680690700710720730740Tooltip
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit - CoolBoost switched off (lower curve), CoolBoost switched on (upper curve)
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
5908
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6614
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
22209
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.71 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
7.26 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
67.3 fps
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
100.6 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
699 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
162 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
162 Points
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (CoolBoost on)
162 Points 0%
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
161 Points -1%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
159 Points -2%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
159 Points -2%
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
151 Points -7%
Medion Erazer X6603
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
151 Points -7%
Asus FX502VM-AS73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
140 Points -14%
CPU Multi 64Bit
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
736 Points +1%
Medion Erazer X6603
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
732 Points +1%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (CoolBoost on)
727 Points
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
699 Points -4%
Asus FX502VM-AS73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
725 Points 0%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
724 Points 0%
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
719 Points -1%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
652 Points -10%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Multi 64Bit
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.16 Points +12%
Medion Erazer X6603
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
8.13 Points +12%
Asus FX502VM-AS73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7.99 Points +10%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7.26 Points
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7.12 Points -2%
CPU Single 64Bit
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.82 Points +6%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.72 Points +1%
Medion Erazer X6603
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.72 Points +1%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.71 Points
Asus FX502VM-AS73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
1.67 Points -2%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
22209 Points
Medion Erazer X6603
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
21939 Points -1%
Asus FX502VM-AS73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
21376 Points -4%
Rendering Single 32Bit
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5908 Points
Medion Erazer X6603
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5823 Points -1%
Asus FX502VM-AS73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5660 Points -4%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
13991 Points
32 Bit Single-Core Score
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
3585 Points
Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
14084 Points
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
4482 Points
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
14975 Points
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
4540 Points
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Medion Erazer X6603
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (Edge 38.14393.1066.0)
269.9 Points +3%
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (Edge 40.15063.0.0)
266.9 Points +2%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
266.3 Points +2%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (EDGE 38.1439.3.00)
261.3 Points 0%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (Edge 40)
261.2 Points
Asus FX502VM-AS73
Intel Core i7-7700HQ (Edge 38.14393.0.0)
218.5 Points -16%

System Performance

A fast SSD and a strong quad-core processor ensure a fast-running system. The PCMark results are very good and certify that our test unit has sufficient performance for demanding applications such as gaming and video and image-processing. The system performance cannot be further enhanced - Acer has already pushed the components to their limits. The PCMark results are the same with the CoolBoost function activated.

The device has two RAM slots.
The device has two RAM slots.
PCMark 7 Score
6346 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4177 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
5291 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5096 points
PCMark 10 Score
4474 points
Help
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Asus FX502VM-AS73
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4765 Points +14%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
4177 Points
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4165 Points 0%
Medion Erazer X6603
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4119 Points -1%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSDSCKKF256H6
3850 Points -8%
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3565 Points -15%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Medion Erazer X6603
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5129 Points +1%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
5096 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSDSCKKF256H6
5068 Points -1%
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
4442 Points -13%
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
3141 Points -38%
Asus FX502VM-AS73
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
2722 Points -47%

Storage Devices

Acer has gone for the most common solution for gaming notebooks: a fast SSD that acts as system drive and a common 2.5-inch hard drive that offers sufficient storage for games. The SSD comes from Intel and is an NVMe model. This kind of SSD runs via a PCIe x4 interface, which supports significantly higher transfer rates than the SATA-III interface does. The SSD has great transfer rates, although they are not quite as good as those of the competitors from Samsung. The 2.5-inch hard drive comes from Western Digital. It runs at 5400 rpm and has a capacity of 1 TB.

The SSD acts as system drive.
The SSD acts as system drive.
Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
Sequential Read: 945 MB/s
Sequential Write: 559 MB/s
512K Read: 639 MB/s
512K Write: 561 MB/s
4K Read: 24.24 MB/s
4K Write: 122.7 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 288.5 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 504 MB/s
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
Intel SSDSCKKF256H6
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Asus FX502VM-AS73
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Medion Erazer X6603
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
75%
-95%
-30%
64%
-40%
63%
Read Seq
945
1657
75%
101.5
-89%
485.8
-49%
2170
130%
503
-47%
2170
130%
Write Seq
559
1208
116%
100.6
-82%
422.8
-24%
1202
115%
138.2
-75%
1100
97%
Read 512
639
806
26%
28.33
-96%
338.9
-47%
786
23%
343.5
-46%
788
23%
Write 512
561
807
44%
28.31
-95%
304
-46%
822
47%
137.8
-75%
831
48%
Read 4k
24.24
62.6
158%
0.327
-99%
27.11
12%
58.9
143%
29.36
21%
59
143%
Write 4k
122.7
176.9
44%
0.846
-99%
85.4
-30%
146.4
19%
70.9
-42%
147.2
20%
Read 4k QD32
288.5
650
125%
0.718
-100%
279.6
-3%
457.7
59%
369.9
28%
464
61%
Write 4k QD32
504
557
11%
0.893
-100%
255.1
-49%
392.9
-22%
99.7
-80%
398.7
-21%

Graphics

Acer has equipped the Nitro 5 with a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics core from Nvidia. This GPU is an upper mid-range model based on Nvidia's Pascal architecture. The core supports DirectX 12 and reaches a speed of up to 1734 MHz. It has 4096 MB of GDDR5 graphics memory available. The results of the 3DMark benchmark are average for this GPU. Cheaper versions of the Nitro 5 are equipped with the GeForce GTX 1050 graphics core. This core's performance is about 20-25% lower than that of the Ti model.

Ex-works, the Nitro 5 comes with the graphics-switching function (Optimus) activated. This means that Intel's integrated HD Graphics 630 is used for everyday applications and on battery mode. When more-demanding applications, such as computer games, are started, the device switches to Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. This happens automatically without the user having to do anything.

3DMark 06 Standard Score
27190 points
3DMark 11 Performance
9084 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
124922 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
22182 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
6730 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
3554 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
2446 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 7 1700
15264 Points +62%
Asus FX502VM-AS73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
14732 Points +56%
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
9909 Points +5%
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
9768 Points +3%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
9725 Points +3%
Medion Erazer X6603
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
9518 Points +1%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ (CoolBoost on)
9450 Points
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
9357 Points -1%
Asus FX550IU-WSFX
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Laptop), AMD FX-9830P
7794 Points -18%
Gigabyte Sabre 15G
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7731 Points -18%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX550VD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7461 (7273min - 7576max) Points -21%
HP Pavilion Power 15t-cb2000
AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5557 Points -41%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
5304 Points -44%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Asus FX502VM-AS73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
80496 Points +59%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 7 1700
68629 Points +35%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
50981 Points +1%
Medion Erazer X6603
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
50793 Points 0%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
50713 Points
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ (CoolBoost on)
50196 Points -1%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
49539 Points -2%
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
47250 Points -7%
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
46362 Points -9%
Gigabyte Sabre 15G
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
39507 Points -22%
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
37388 Points -26%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX550VD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
37128 (36802min - 37178max) Points -27%
Asus FX550IU-WSFX
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Laptop), AMD FX-9830P
31294 Points -38%
HP Pavilion Power 15t-cb2000
AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), Intel Core i7-7700HQ
27941 Points -45%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
27075 Points -47%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Asus FX502VM-AS73
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
11633 Points +51%
Asus GL702ZC-GC104T
AMD Radeon RX 580 (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 7 1700
11010 Points +43%
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7821 Points +2%
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7791 Points +1%
Medion Erazer X6603
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7694 Points 0%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ (CoolBoost on)
7683 Points
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7666 Points 0%
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7682 Points 0%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
7646 Points 0%
Gigabyte Sabre 15G
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
6166 Points -20%
Asus ZenBook Pro UX550VD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
6032 (6004min - 6035max) Points -21%
Lenovo Yoga 720-15IKB-80X7
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel Core i7-7700HQ
5885 Points -23%
Asus FX550IU-WSFX
AMD Radeon RX 460 (Laptop), AMD FX-9830P
5062 Points -34%
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro BE VN7-592G-79DV
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, Intel Core i7-6700HQ
4314 Points -44%
HP Pavilion Power 15t-cb2000
AMD Radeon RX 550 (Laptop), Intel Core i7-7700HQ
4041 Points -47%

Turning on CoolBoost has no influence on the graphics performance. However, the results of the 3DMark benchmarks show that physical performance increases. This is not surprising as the CPU is responsible for it.

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7 (CoolBoost on)
10832 Points
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
9704 Points -10%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7 (CoolBoost on)
7511 Points
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
6532 Points -13%
3DMark 06 - CPU - CPU Score
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7 (CoolBoost on)
7569 Points
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
7184 Points -5%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance Physics
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7 (CoolBoost on)
8723 Points
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
8295 Points -5%

Gaming Performance

The Nitro's combination of CPU and GPU can display all current games smoothly. Games can usually be played in Full HD resolution and medium to high, sometimes maximum, quality settings. Some games do need reduced resolution and/or quality settings to run smoothly, Mafia 3 for example. If you do not want to have to accept these limitations, you will have to choose a different device. We would suggest a notebook with a GTX 1060 GPU. If you want resolutions higher than Full HD, it had even better be a notebook with a GTX 1070.

There are no problems playing The Witcher 3...
There are no problems playing The Witcher 3...
...and F1 2017.
...and F1 2017.

We used the game The Witcher 3 to test whether the device could keep up the frame rates over a long period of time. This meant running the game for about 60 minutes in Full HD resolution and maximum quality settings. The player's character is not moved throughout the entire period. We did not measure a drop in the frame rate.

01234567891011121314151617181920212223242526Tooltip
The Witcher 3 ultra
low med. high ultra
Tomb Raider (2013) 423.3 304.5 196.3 89
BioShock Infinite (2013) 260.7 206.7 185.8 74.1
The Witcher 3 (2015) 141.1 86.3 47.4 24.2
Prey (2017) 142.5 102.6 82.8 66.8
Rocket League (2017) 247.6 178.5 111.3
Dirt 4 (2017) 249.9 114.5 59.6 36.1
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) (2017) 126 58.8 51.5 35.9
F1 2017 (2017) 178 91 71 44
Ark Survival Evolved (2017) 94.9 31.3 22.7 14.6
BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
Asus FX502VM-AS73
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
103.1 fps +39%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
74.1 fps
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
74 fps 0%
Medion Erazer X6603
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
73.9 fps 0%
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSDSCKKF256H6
72.8 fps -2%
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
70.7 fps -5%
The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
48.3 fps +2%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
47.4 fps
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
45.8 (30min) fps -3%
Prey - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:2TX SM AF:16x
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7
66.8 fps

Emissions

System Noise

The cooling fan of the Nitro 5 sometimes stands still while idling and then you can hear no sound at all. But usually, it does run at very low speed and is hardly audible. Were you to access the internal hard drive in this scenario, it would make more noise than the cooling fan. The fan did speed up noticeably both during our stress tests and while playing computer games. This means you basically have to use headphones, especially when playing computer games. The notebook does not produce any other noises.

The CoolBoost function lets the cooling fan run at higher speeds. Having CoolBoost turned on did not influence the maximum volume - or at least we could not tell a difference.

Noise Level

Idle
30.6 / 30.7 / 30.7 dB(A)
Load
43 / 45.8 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 30.6 dB(A)
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Asus FX502VM-AS73
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
Medion Erazer X6603
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Noise
-11%
3%
-2%
3%
-3%
3%
off / environment *
30.6
30
2%
30.4
1%
30.3
1%
27.7
9%
28.7
6%
30.9
-1%
Idle Minimum *
30.6
32
-5%
31.4
-3%
30.9
-1%
30.5
-0%
30.6
-0%
30.9
-1%
Idle Average *
30.7
34
-11%
31.4
-2%
30.9
-1%
30.5
1%
30.6
-0%
30.9
-1%
Idle Maximum *
30.7
36
-17%
31.4
-2%
31
-1%
30.6
-0%
31
-1%
31.6
-3%
Load Average *
43
48
-12%
36.8
14%
46.5
-8%
40
7%
46.2
-7%
38.5
10%
Witcher 3 ultra *
39.7
49
-23%
40
-1%
Load Maximum *
45.8
51
-11%
41.3
10%
46.8
-2%
42.6
7%
52.3
-14%
40.8
11%

* ... smaller is better

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2037.735.535.735.537.72536.334.234.938.636.33145.637.746.948.245.64037.731.938.435.637.75035.834.1383435.86329.930.831.532.229.98030.429.526.728.230.410026.427.526.92726.412526.12825.224.326.116030.125.623.523.230.120027.726.523.622.827.725028.127.322.222.328.131531.729.820.921.531.740030.428.519.820.230.450028.626.919.619.228.663030.22819.118.930.280030.52918.518.430.5100033.832.618.117.933.8125033.831.217.71833.8160037.134.817.717.637.1200036.734.21817.536.7250035.732.61817.935.7315035.532.418.21835.5400033.829.718.218.233.8500033.429.118.518.533.4630029.225.118.718.629.2800027.924.118.718.827.91000024.421.918.818.724.41250021.720.718.918.921.71600020.622.519.219.120.6SPL45.843.130.730.745.8N5.24.21.51.55.2median 30.2median 28median 18.8median 18.8median 30.2Delta3.82.91.823.8hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseAcer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E

Temperature

The Nitro 5 during the stress test.
The Nitro 5 during the stress test.

Our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark running for at least one hour) brought different results depending on whether the Nitro 5 was connected to power or running on battery. On power supply, the processor runs at between 2.6 and 2.8 GHz. The speed of the graphics core is between 1600 and 1700 MHz. On battery, the processor speed drops to 800 MHz; the GPU clock rate is between 600 and 1600 MHz.

The device does not heat up particularly at any load. Only one spot heated up to just over 40 °C (~104 °F) during the stress test. The device heated up a little more during the The Witcher 3 test (the game runs for one hour in FHD resolution and maximum quality settings). But temperatures are still OK.

Max. Load
 39.4 °C
103 F
41.1 °C
106 F
33.1 °C
92 F
 
 35.1 °C
95 F
37 °C
99 F
27.1 °C
81 F
 
 23.5 °C
74 F
25.5 °C
78 F
23.9 °C
75 F
 
Maximum: 41.1 °C = 106 F
Average: 31.7 °C = 89 F
34.8 °C
95 F
38.8 °C
102 F
29.2 °C
85 F
23.5 °C
74 F
31.9 °C
89 F
28 °C
82 F
23.6 °C
74 F
23.4 °C
74 F
24 °C
75 F
Maximum: 38.8 °C = 102 F
Average: 28.6 °C = 83 F
Power Supply (max.)  45.2 °C = 113 F | Room Temperature 21.7 °C = 71 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.7 °C / 89 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.1 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 38.8 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.4 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.5 °C / 91 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27.6 °C / 81.7 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+1.3 °C / 2.3 F).
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Asus FX502VM-AS73
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
Medion Erazer X6603
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Heat
-20%
-9%
6%
-15%
-23%
3%
Maximum Upper Side *
41.1
52.4
-27%
47
-14%
43.4
-6%
46.8
-14%
53.2
-29%
44.3
-8%
Maximum Bottom *
38.8
54.2
-40%
47
-21%
37.7
3%
55.8
-44%
56.8
-46%
39.5
-2%
Idle Upper Side *
28.7
30.5
-6%
28.4
1%
24.3
15%
27.6
4%
28.8
-0%
24.8
14%
Idle Bottom *
26.9
28.2
-5%
27.1
-1%
23.6
12%
28.4
-6%
31.4
-17%
24.6
9%

* ... smaller is better

Heat-map top (load)
Heat-map top (load)
Heat-map top (idle)
Heat-map top (idle)
Heat-map top (The Witcher 3)
Heat-map top (The Witcher 3)
Heat-map bottom (load)
Heat-map bottom (load)
Heat-map bottom (idle)
Heat-map bottom (idle)
Heat-map bottom (The Witcher 3)
Heat-map bottom (The Witcher 3)

Speakers

Both speakers of the Nitro 5 are positioned at the bottom of the device. They produce a nice sound that you can enjoy listening to for a while. However, they are rather quiet. We would suggest connecting headphones or external speakers for a better sound experience.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs204235.5422545.838.645.8314248.2424037.135.637.15041.43441.46336.532.236.58030.528.230.510029.52729.512536.424.336.41604623.24620050.122.850.125050.922.350.931558.721.558.740063.820.263.850060.319.260.363057.318.957.380067.818.467.8100064.317.964.3125059.81859.8160060.617.660.6200063.817.563.8250062.117.962.1315059.91859.9400061.518.261.550005618.556630055.418.655.4800059.218.859.21000058.318.758.31250054.418.954.4160004919.149SPL73.630.773.6N33.31.533.3median 58.7median 18.8median 58.7Delta5.525.535.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseAcer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788EApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (67.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 13.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.8% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (10.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 54% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 38% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 33% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 60% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency diagram in comparison (checkboxes can be turned on/off!)

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The Nitro 5 contents itself with comparatively little power while idling. We measured a maximum power consumption of 9.5 watts. During the stress test, this value increased to up to 126 watts. Had the CPU run at full speed during the stress test, the value would have been even higher. We would expect consumption between 50 and 120 watts while gaming. The power supply has a capacity of 135 watts.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.25 / 0.4 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4.1 / 6.9 / 9.5 Watt
Load midlight 83 / 126 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Asus FX502VM-AS73
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile
Medion Erazer X6603
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile
Power Consumption
-32%
-32%
2%
-21%
-97%
-2%
Idle Minimum *
4.1
6
-46%
7
-71%
4.4
-7%
8.5
-107%
14.9
-263%
4.7
-15%
Idle Average *
6.9
11
-59%
10.2
-48%
6.8
1%
9.1
-32%
15.1
-119%
7.6
-10%
Idle Maximum *
9.5
18
-89%
14
-47%
8.3
13%
9.7
-2%
15.2
-60%
9.2
3%
Load Average *
83
81
2%
78
6%
81
2%
79.9
4%
105.8
-27%
81
2%
Witcher 3 ultra *
108
90
17%
97.7
10%
Load Maximum *
126
146
-16%
127
-1%
127
-1%
121.5
4%
148.8
-18%
112
11%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

The Nitro 5 can manage a runtime of 6:40 h during our practical Wi-Fi test. For this, we simulate the load of accessing websites via a script with the energy profile set to "balanced", energy-saving deactivated and the display brightness set to about 150 cd/m². The video test came to an end after 5:09 h. Here, we play the short film Big Buck Bunny (H.264 codec, 1920x1080 pixels) in a loop with both the Wi-Fi module and energy-saving deactivated and brightness set to 150 cd/m².

The battery has a capacity of 48 Wh.
The battery has a capacity of 48 Wh.
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
14h 53min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 40)
6h 40min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
5h 9min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 03min
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 48 Wh
HP Omen 15-ax213ng
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 63.3 Wh
Acer Aspire VX5-591G-75C4 VX15
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 52.5 Wh
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 7567
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 74 Wh
Lenovo Legion Y520-15IKBN-80WK001KUS
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 45 Wh
Asus FX502VM-AS73
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 64 Wh
Medion Erazer X6603
i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 45 Wh
Battery Runtime
3%
-20%
41%
-37%
-29%
-38%
Reader / Idle
893
765
-14%
322
-64%
1174
31%
509
-43%
363
-59%
340
-62%
H.264
309
196
-37%
455
47%
227
-27%
WiFi v1.3
400
428
7%
302
-24%
622
56%
240
-40%
277
-31%
257
-36%
Load
63
97
54%
81
29%
81
29%
46
-27%
64
2%
46
-27%

Verdict

Pros

+ high-contrast display
+ Full HD resolution
+ fast NVMe SSD
+ good battery runtimes
+ AC Wi-Fi
+ Type-C USB
+ maintenance hatches

Cons

- dark screen
The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E, test unit provided by Acer Germany.
The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E, test unit provided by Acer Germany.

"Powerful notebook for casual gaming" - this is how Acer describes the Nitro 5 - a very fitting description. The inserted Core i7 processor offers sufficient processing power for all important areas of use. Combined with the GeForce GTX1050 Ti graphics core, the device can display all current games smoothly on the matte Full HD screen. But you will have to forego the highest quality settings - the GPU is not made for this.

The Nitro 5 is a good all-rounder with a focus on computer games.

But the device also does a good job in general usage areas (office, Internet). It makes hardly any noise under low load and while idling, and it hardly heats up even when under load. In addition, the device has a backlit keyboard that is suitable for regular typing and good battery runtimes. The quick SSD ensures a fast-running system that can rely on storage provided by a 2.5-inch hard drive.

The matte IPS display has stable viewing angles and good contrast. Brightness could be better, however. We also believe that the manufacturer could have done better in the area of connectivity. For a price of $1080, a Thunderbolt 3 port and DisplayPort should be included. The loud noise of the cooling fan under full load could also be improved.

Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51-788E - 08/07/2018 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
79 / 98 → 81%
Keyboard
81%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
51 / 81 → 63%
Weight
59 / 10-66 → 87%
Battery
85%
Display
85%
Games Performance
91%
Application Performance
94%
Temperature
92 / 95 → 97%
Noise
83 / 90 → 92%
Audio
63%
Camera
35 / 85 → 42%
Average
75%
82%
Gaming - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Acer Nitro 5 (7700HQ, GTX 1050 Ti) Laptop Review
Sascha Mölck, 2017-09-29 (Update: 2020-06-11)