Acer Nitro V 16 (2024) review: A good choice for the right reasons!

New-gen gaming laptops are now readily available in Nepal and riding the wave, a deserted Nitro V 16 washed ashore on my table. Sporting a larger chassis, a newer processor, and a beefier GPU, it sees incremental upgrades from the Nitro V 15 I tested in 2023. In this review of the Acer Nitro V 16 (2024), let me present you what the affordable Nitro offers in terms of raw performance, value, and everything else in between. 

Acer Nitro V 16 (2024) Review Specifications:

• Design & Build: Plastic build, 361.24 (W) x 278.4 (D) x 24.7 (H) mm; 2.5kg
• Display: 16″ anti-glare IPS panel, 165Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB
• Resolution: WUXGA (1920x1200) resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio
• Keyboard: Full-size, Orange backlit keys
• Trackpad: Multi-touch trackpad, Windows Precision drivers
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU
• RAM: 16GB DDR5-5600MT/s, Up to 256GB
• Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (85W with boost), 6GB GDDR6 VRAM
• Audio: 2x 2W stereo speakers, Nahimic Audio
• Battery: 57 Watt-hours 4-cell Li-Po battery
• Webcam: 720p HD camera, Dual-array microphones
• Connectivity: WiFi 6E (ax), Bluetooth 5.1
• I/O Ports: 1x USB Type-C, 1x 3.5 mm headphone/speaker jack, 1x DC-in jack for AC adapter, 1x Ethernet (RJ-45), 1x HDMI 2.1 with HDCP support, 2x USB Type-A
• What’s inside the box: Laptop, power adapter, quick start guide
• Price in Nepal: NPR 150,000
• Buy Acer Nitro V 16 (2024) here

Acer Nitro V 16 (2024) Review:

Design

• 361.24 (W) x 278.4 (D) x 24.74 (H) mm
• 2.5 kg, Plastic build material

The Nitro V 16 is your typical budget gaming laptop with a full plastic chassis and bulky dimensions. You feel it the moment you lay your arm on the armrest or hold to move it somewhere. The plastic immediately makes it apparent that you are in it for the power and not pretty aesthetics.

Looks-wise, I would say that the V16 looks somewhat basic to the likes of Lenovo LOQ or even its smaller V15 counterpart. I like the sunken Nitro logo on the lid but man does it feel like it’s missing some character. Actually prefer the accented edgy look of the V15 that felt unapologetically gamerish. The Nitro V 16 on the other hand tries to sneak in with its basic design but the large chassis and glowing keyboard give it away easily. The laptop weighs about 2.5 kilos and under 3 kilos with the charger which I found to be comfortably manageable for a college workhorse/portable gaming rig hybrid.

• Check out all the pricing and details of Acer Nitro laptops here

It also feels pretty decently built with a sturdy hinge, and not a lot of deck flex. Overall, the V 16 gets passing marks in the build and design department.

Display

• 16" matte WUXGA LCD display
• 165Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB color gamut
• 320 nits brightness, Gamma 2.1

Talking of the display, it’s a 16:10 IPS screen with a 1200p resolution. For a 16-inch panel, that’s just the right amount of pixels to push maximum FPS while not looking too hazy. The 165Hz feels super smooth and the response times are also great while gaming. The 100% sRGB coverage paired with such a fast refresh rate is a rare find in this segment so display-wise the V 16 almost gets full points. You can even go with a higher-resolution configuration if budget is not an issue.

Besides the accurate colors, you also get good contrast and brightness levels measuring at around 320 nits. The viewing angles are also decent so watching your occasional movie or an episode of Demon Slayer is quite enjoyable. 

Speakers and Webcam

The speakers might ruin it though as they are NOT the best by a long stretch...probably one of the loudest I've heard from a laptop but not very good. Vocals alone sound pretty okay so you'll be fine watching YouTube videos or a few shows but when there's a lot going on like with songs and choruses, then it'll sound jumbled and dull. The webcam has a similar story. You are getting a typical 720p webcam that struggles with maintaining proper detail and exposure. As a result, the subject looks noisy and over/under-exposed in most situations.

Keyboard 

• Full-size backlit chiclet keyboard, Orange backlit,
• Dedicated Nitro Sense, Co-pilot, Mode toggle keys

Everyday stuff like browsing through social media and typing a Word document or two is as seamless as you’d expect. Typing on the membrane keyboard feels surprisingly good and you get your gamery backlight too. Unfortunately, you can’t change the color which is a bummer but the layout, key travel, and feel are pretty good for the price. The arrow keys are full-sized and sport this transparent look (like the WASD keys) but that does change the number pad layout a bit. I kept pressing the arrow key trying to enter zero, so the layout might take some getting used to. 

Trackpad

• Plastic trackpad (Microsoft Precision)

There is a Nitro Sense key on the top and a separate Mode toggle switch on the left side of the chassis. 

This can be mapped to toggle between the four different performance modes: ‘Quiet’, ‘Balanced’, ‘Performance’, and ‘Turbo’. All of our performance tests are done in the Turbo mode while the battery-related tests are done in the ‘Eco’ mode (only available when you are not plugged in). The fans are almost inaudible in the Quiet mode which is good for most basic tasks, but the Performance and Turbo Modes sacrifice peace and quiet to keep the thermals in check. Before getting into the raw performance numbers, let me quickly go over the memory specifications. Our model came with 16GB of single-channel RAM  along with a 512GB Micron SSD. The RAM is upgradable with an empty slot inside and you can plop in a second M.2 SSD as well. Memory speeds are pretty good with typical DDR5 and Gen 4 numbers.

Ryzen 7 8845HS

• Zen 4 based on TSMC 4nm
• 8 Cores, 16 Threads (Hawkpoint), 45W TDP
• 3.8GHz base, up to 5.1GHz boost, 8MB L2, 16MB L3

The CPU inside is a Zen 4-based Ryzen 8845HS with 8 high-performing cores and 16 threads. There’s also a lower TDP model (30W) with worse base clocks but that one also goes up 5.1 GHz so you wouldn’t be losing too much. In benchmarks and real-life usage, the Ryzen 7 doesn’t disappoint. 

You get pretty snappy single-core performance while the multi-core score is also good enough. 

AMD is still behind Intel when it comes to raw numbers, but the CPU holds up in real-world usage pretty well. Especially when it comes to gaming and efficiency. 

Gaming

I played a couple of popular titles like CounterStrike, Valorant, Forza Horizon, and CyberPunk 2077, and all of these games played very well on the Nitro. To start with FPS shooters, Counter-Strike, and Valorant run with very few frame dips or stutters averaging in the high 150s. Even the 1% and 0.1% low scores are consistent through runs. Moving to more demanding games like Forza Horizon on Ultra Preset or Cyberpunk, you can still enjoy a very fun gaming experience. 

NVIDIA RTX 4050 at 85W: What's the difference?

My Nitro (V) 16 housed an RTX 4050 inside with a TGP of 85W (with boost) and it was what handled most of the load in those games. Despite not being a full wattage 4050, the benchmark scores are not really that far off from higher-specced models.

That’s why I think that for a card like RTX 4050, the 85W TGP is enough for most folks. That being said, I always recommend trying to go for an RTX 4060 if it’s not far off, not only for the performance bump (generally 20% + improvement) but also for its extra VRAM which is super helpful in games like Forza with lots of graphical assets. 

Battery Life and Ports

Finally, let me talk about the battery life. Since the new Ryzen chip is based on an efficient 4nm architecture, the battery backup was quite satisfactory…especially for a gaming laptop with a small 57Wh cell. I was able to get 5+ hours of work done in the Eco Mode with the screen dialed down to 60Hz and brightness set to 30%. That number was stretched to a nice 8+ hours on our video playback benchmark with the display at 130 nits. That’s an extra hour or two compared to competitors with similarly powerful CPUs and small batteries (<60Wh). 

The port situation is also great with a Type-C (USB-4, PD, DP support), HDMI 2.1, a barrel jack at the back, a USB 3 Type A, RJ45, and a 3.5mm jack on the left, and a single Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1) on the right. Oh! And I nearly forgot…AI! The new Ryzen CPU also hops on the AI bandwagon with a neural processor of its own. Although the raw power is not as impressive as Intel or Apple, you can essentially do the same things like filters during video calls, and generating music and images. And there’s really not a lot riding on it.

Acer Nitro V 16 (2024) Review: Conclusion

In the end, let's try to weigh our options here. The Nitro V 16 offers a good value of bang for-buck performance, paired with an accurate screen, and decent endurance. It's going to be a good choice for those who'll benefit from a beefier CPU and are content with playing games at 1080p.

If maximum FPS is all you're looking for, going for an RTX 4060 laptop like the new LOQ 2024 is a better choice. That guy has a more premium build, a beefier GPU both in terms of CUDA cores, and TGP (105W RTX 4060), and a multi-zone RGB keyboard. But you are sacrificing a few things like a stronger CPU, efficiency/endurance, and a downgraded display. Similarly, if you can get your hands on last year's Nitro 16 models, they too offer better value in terms of the best bang for your buck. But all things considered, the Nitro V 16 is an appealing choice that's good value and easily available.

Acer Nitro V 16 (2024) Review: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• 8000 series Ryzen 7 CPU has good performance
• 165Hz display with accurate colors and brightness
• Upgradability on the table with extra SO-DIMM and M.2 slots
• Good endurance for a gaming laptop

Cons:

• Plastic Build
• Speakers and Webcam aren't great
• Can get better deals for older laptops