This feature is missing from almost all budget gaming laptops – except the Acer Nitro V 17
Do budget gaming laptops still come with an SD card reader?
In the current generation, almost all budget gaming laptops have dropped the SD card reader entirely. One of the very few exceptions right now is the recently tested RTX 5070 gaming laptop Acer Nitro V 17. To get a clearer picture, we took a closer look at our entire Notebookcheck database, filtering all gaming laptops under €1,800 and checking which ones still include an SD card reader.
The only budget gamer with an SD card reader?
And indeed, Acer’s Nitro models—such as the Nitro V 14 and the Nitro V 17—appear to be the only affordable gaming laptops that still ship with an SD card reader. In 2024, the Gigabyte G5 and the Asus TUF Gaming A14 also offered this feature, but so far in 2025 and 2026, only the Nitro series remains. Even the Asus TUF Gaming A18, tested at the end of 2025, no longer includes a card reader.
What does an SD card reader add to everyday use on the Acer Nitro V 17?
The good news is simple: it’s there. Of course, there are countless USB dongles, hubs, and docking stations that include card readers, but especially when you’re on the go, having one built in—and not needing extra accessories—is genuinely convenient.
The Acer Nitro V 17 is also somewhat unusual for a budget gaming laptop. It runs remarkably quietly and is very power-efficient. That makes it appealing to users who don’t want—or can’t afford—multiple PCs and instead need a single machine that handles both work and gaming. In that context, an integrated card reader can be genuinely useful, particularly for everyday productivity tasks.
How good is the SD card reader in the Acer Nitro V 17 really?
This is where there are two pieces of bad news. First, the built-in reader only supports microSD cards. Second, the SD card reader in the Nitro V 17 is extremely slow. In our benchmarks, we measured transfer speeds of only around 30 MB/s. The gaming laptop class average is well above 100 MB/s.
That said, it’s worth noting that most laptops contributing to that average are significantly more expensive models that include higher-quality card readers. Those devices naturally perform better and push the overall average upward.
Verdict – Is the SD card reader in the Nitro more than just a gimmick?
The SD card reader in the Nitro series is slow, but it exists—unlike in many competing budget gaming laptops. Given that the Nitro V 17 is a particularly quiet and efficient gaming laptop that also works well as an everyday all-purpose machine, the decision to include a card reader makes sense. Users who frequently take the Nitro on the road will likely appreciate having it built in.
Our full Acer Nitro V 17 review covers all other strengths and weaknesses of this budget gaming laptop and explains who the model is ultimately a good fit for.
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