Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46 review: powerful FHD gaming with USB 4
Acer's Nitro 5 series consists of entry-level and mid-range gaming devices. The laptops are positioned below the Predator series, with prices reaching up to 2,500 euros. Today's test unit is available starting from 1,750 euros. Acer has combined an energy-efficient Ryzen 7-6800H APU with a GeForce RTX 3070-Ti GPU (TGP of 150 watts) for this model. In theory, this could make for a powerful notebook that has low emissions and a long battery life. The device's competitors include the Schenker XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22), the MSI Katana GF66 12UGS, and the Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR.
The AN515-58 has been fitted into the same case as its Intel-based sibling, which we already tested. To find out more about the case, connectivity and input devices, please see our review of the Nitro 5 AN515-58 (Core i7, QHD).
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Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
83.9 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2022 | Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 R7 6800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU | 2.5 kg | 26.8 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
80.3 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2022 | MSI Katana GF66 12UGS i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU | 2.3 kg | 27.5 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
87.4 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2022 | SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | 1.9 kg | 21.65 mm | 15.60" | 2560x1440 | |
85.8 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2022 | Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR i7-12650H, GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU | 2 kg | 20.7 mm | 15.60" | 2560x1440 |
Display - Acer notebook with a 165-Hz panel
The matte 15.6-inch (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) display's brightness of 320.2 cd/m² fulfills our minimum requirements (> 300 cd/m²). Its contrast ratio of 1,363:1 is more than adequate and easily beats its competition. The 165-Hz panel has short response times and does not use PWM at any level of brightness.
The display supports AMD's FreeSync technology. This dynamically matches the display's refresh rates with the GPU. The aim is to create the smoothest image possible - especially in computer games.
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Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 334 cd/m²
Contrast: 1363:1 (Black: 0.24 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.26 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9, calibrated: 0.87
ΔE Greyscale 4.87 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
69.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
98.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
68.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.3
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 AU Optronics B156HAN12.H, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | MSI Katana GF66 12UGS AU Optronics AUOAF90, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) BOE CQ NE156QHM-NY2, IPS, 2560x1440, 15.6" | Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR BOE CQ NE156QHM-NY1, IPS, 2560x1440, 15.6" | Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR Chi Mei N156KME-GNA, IPS, 2560x1440, 15.6" | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -42% | -2% | 23% | 21% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 68.8 | 39.1 -43% | 67.3 -2% | 98.4 43% | 95.6 39% |
sRGB Coverage | 98.1 | 58.3 -41% | 96.7 -1% | 99.9 2% | 99.8 2% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 69.7 | 40.4 -42% | 68.2 -2% | 85.9 23% | 85.2 22% |
Response Times | -232% | 12% | 20% | -25% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 13 ? | 40 ? -208% | 11.6 ? 11% | 5.6 ? 57% | 15.7 ? -21% |
Response Time Black / White * | 8 ? | 28.4 ? -255% | 7 ? 12% | 9.4 ? -18% | 10.2 ? -28% |
PWM Frequency | |||||
Screen | -55% | -15% | 9% | -2% | |
Brightness middle | 327 | 227 -31% | 326 0% | 286 -13% | 332 2% |
Brightness | 320 | 225 -30% | 303 -5% | 266 -17% | 303 -5% |
Brightness Distribution | 93 | 90 -3% | 89 -4% | 87 -6% | 86 -8% |
Black Level * | 0.24 | 0.21 12% | 0.33 -38% | 0.25 -4% | 0.29 -21% |
Contrast | 1363 | 1081 -21% | 988 -28% | 1144 -16% | 1145 -16% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.26 | 4.19 -29% | 2.73 16% | 2.14 34% | 3.61 -11% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 8.73 | 17.45 -100% | 9.54 -9% | 5.22 40% | 7.71 12% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.87 | 3.81 -338% | 1.36 -56% | 0.67 23% | 0.59 32% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.87 | 2.7 45% | 5.2 -7% | 2.8 43% | 5.2 -7% |
Gamma | 2.3 96% | 2.208 100% | 2.074 106% | 2.23 99% | 2.155 102% |
CCT | 7070 92% | 6176 105% | 6911 94% | 7092 92% | 6724 97% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -110% /
-77% | -2% /
-8% | 17% /
14% | -2% /
-1% |
* ... smaller is better
The screen displays colors quite well ex-works. We measured a color deviation of 3.26, which is only just above the ideal value (DeltaE < 3). Calibrating the display reduces deviation to 0.87 and makes grayscales appear more even. The panel can display almost the entire sRGB color space (98.1%) and covers 70% of AdobeRGB and 69% of DCI-P3. The sister model's QHD panel achieves better overall color space coverage.
You can download and use the color profile we created for free. The link is in the info box above.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 4 ms rise | |
↘ 4 ms fall | ||
The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 18 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
13 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 6 ms rise | |
↘ 7 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 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 23 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
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 8684 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. |
The IPS panel has stable viewing angles and can be read from any position. It can also be used outdoors, provided the sun isn't too bright.
Performance - Nitro notebook with Ampere and Rembrandt
The Acer Nitro 5 AN515 - a 15.6-inch gaming notebook - is available in a whole range of configurations and can be equipped with either an Intel or an AMD processor. The entry-level configuration is currently available for approximately 800 euros (Core i5-11400H, RTX 3050, 8 GB of RAM, 512-GB SSD, no Windows). The most expensive model (Ryzen 9 6900HX, RTX 3070 Ti, 32 GB of RAM, 1-TB SSD) has a price tag of 2,400 euros.
Testing Conditions
The pre-installed NitroSense software (the laptop's control center, see images) can be used to switch between the performance profiles set by the manufacturer ("performance", "standard", and "quiet"). We performed all our tests with the "standard" profile and with fan control set to automatic. The CPU performance is the same in all performance profiles; GPU performance varies slightly.
Processor
The CPU part of the Ryzen 7 6800H APU (Rembrandt) is made up of an octa-core processor with a basic clock rate of 3.2 GHz. The clock rate can increase up to 4.75 GHz thanks to the turbo. The chip supports simultaneous multi-threading (working two threads per core). The CPU benchmark results are the same across all three performance profiles.
The Cinebench R15 multi-thread test resulted in clock rates between 4 and 4.2 GHz. The single-thread test was completed with 2 to 4.75 GHz. On battery, the CPU clocked at 2.5 GHz (multi-thread) and 1.2 to 2.5 GHz (single-thread). The CB15 loop benchmark confirmed that the CPU turbo can be used continuously.
The processor offers a good performance overall. It does fall behind Intel Alder Lake CPUs occasionally, especially when they can take advantage of their additional CPU cores.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Performance Rating | |
Average of class Gaming | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Average of class Gaming (4986 - 60169, n=181, last 2 years) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (12876 - 17031, n=8) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Average of class Gaming (25360 - 252486, n=181, last 2 years) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (82673 - 105987, n=8) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Average of class Gaming (1339 - 10389, n=181, last 2 years) | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (2886 - 3634, n=8) | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Average of class Gaming (50699 - 200651, n=181, last 2 years) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (75117 - 106322, n=8) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Average of class Gaming (4800 - 32988, n=181, last 2 years) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (11771 - 13120, n=8) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average of class Gaming (12321 - 134044, n=181, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (45287 - 58327, n=8) | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (67816 - 137383, n=8) | |
Average of class Gaming (19065 - 328679, n=181, last 2 years) | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Average of class Gaming (373 - 2409, n=181, last 2 years) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (732 - 901, n=8) | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Average of class Gaming (2540 - 31796, n=181, last 2 years) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (6917 - 8980, n=8) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Average of class Gaming (10805 - 60161, n=182, last 2 years) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (26496 - 30360, n=8) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR |
System Performance
The well-rounded and smooth-running system offers sufficient computing power for demanding applications such as rendering, video processing and gaming. The PCMark results are good. The RAM's transfer rates (DDR5-4800) are slightly lower than those of comparable notebooks such as the Asus TUF Dash F15.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
PCMark 10 / Score | |
Average of class Gaming (5776 - 9852, n=163, last 2 years) | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU (6783 - 7549, n=2) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) |
PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
Average of class Gaming (9057 - 12600, n=162, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU (10343 - 10472, n=2) | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) |
PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
Average of class Gaming (6662 - 14612, n=162, last 2 years) | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU (8991 - 9479, n=2) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) |
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Average of class Gaming (6807 - 18475, n=162, last 2 years) | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU (9108 - 11759, n=2) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) |
CrossMark / Overall | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Average of class Gaming (1247 - 2344, n=143, last 2 years) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU (1522 - 1643, n=2) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 |
CrossMark / Productivity | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Average of class Gaming (1299 - 2204, n=143, last 2 years) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU (1530 - 1600, n=2) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 |
CrossMark / Creativity | |
Average of class Gaming (1275 - 2660, n=143, last 2 years) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU (1589 - 1746, n=2) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 |
CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Average of class Gaming (1030 - 2330, n=143, last 2 years) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU (1316 - 1481, n=2) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 5074 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 5934 points | |
PCMark 10 Score | 6783 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Average of class Gaming (21842 - 94222, n=181, last 2 years) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (48209 - 51186, n=8) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Average of class Gaming (23681 - 99713, n=181, last 2 years) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (43828 - 51778, n=8) | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Average of class Gaming (22986 - 108954, n=181, last 2 years) | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (51116 - 55307, n=8) | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR | |
Average of class Gaming (59.5 - 259, n=181, last 2 years) | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (83.1 - 104.1, n=8) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latencies
The standardized Latency Monitor test (browsing, playing 4K videos, running Prime95 High Load) showed some weaknesses in terms of DPC latencies. The system does not seem to be suitable for real-time video and audio processing. Future software updates could improve or even worsen this situation.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-46-R1A1 | |
SCHENKER XMG Fusion 15 (Mid 22) | |
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-72QR | |
MSI Katana GF66 12UGS | |
Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Device
The 1-TB SSD (PCIe 4, M.2-2280) from Micron has very good transfer rates but suffers from drops in performance due to thermal throttling. The AN515 has another slot for a second PCIe 4 SSD. In theory, the notebook could also be equipped with a 2.5-inch storage device, but the device does not come with the necessary SATA slot nor a suitable drive caddy.
* ... smaller is better