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  • - Hey guys, this is Austin.

  • Usually when you're talking about a gaming laptop,

  • you're pretty much in the $1,000-plus budget.

  • Now there's nothing wrong with high-end gaming laptops.

  • Not only do you get all the fun toys like, you know,

  • high-end displays with high refresh rates and RTX graphics,

  • but you also get some of the nicest designs out there.

  • However, not everyone wants to spend 1,000, 2,000,

  • even $3,000 when it comes to a gaming laptop,

  • and that is where Acer's Nitro 5 comes in.

  • There's definitely something to a laptop

  • that you can take to work or school all day

  • and yet still come home and play some games

  • without breaking the bank.

  • Now specifically what I have here is the all-AMD version,

  • so it's got a Ryzen processor as well as RX graphics.

  • However, you should definitely keep an eye on those prices.

  • So I was able to pick this guy up for $570,

  • and at less than 600 bucks, there's a lot to like.

  • What's not so hot, though,

  • is that sometimes this laptop spikes up to around $700,

  • and at that kind of price,

  • it's a little bit of a harder sell,

  • so definitely be sure to keep an eye out

  • for when the sales are,

  • and, well, just don't overpay for the laptop.

  • Take a look around the Nitro 5,

  • and it absolutely looks the part

  • of a much more expensive gaming laptop.

  • It's all red and black, it's built reasonably well,

  • and you even have a back-lit keyboard

  • which is a nice touch at the price.

  • Now the bezels definitely are on the larger side,

  • and the screen isn't anything all that special.

  • So it is a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS panel,

  • so it's good, it's decent,

  • but it doesn't have any kind of high-end bells and whistles

  • such as that high refresh rate.

  • But, I mean, we're talking about less than 600 bucks.

  • It is hard to complain about this stuff.

  • This screen is totally fine.

  • You also get a solid selection of ports.

  • Not only is there USB-C and Ethernet,

  • but you also have plenty of USB-A ports, HDMI.

  • There's even an SD card reader.

  • Now, at almost six pounds,

  • this is certainly not a thin and light gaming laptop.

  • It's a little bit on the thicker side,

  • and yes, it is made entirely out of plastic,

  • but honestly, it does feel reasonably sturdy.

  • I really wouldn't worry about

  • leaving this in my bag all day.

  • It's what's inside that's really interesting.

  • Now there is a standard Core i5

  • and GTX 1050 version of this laptop.

  • What I have here is the pure AMD version,

  • Ryzen 5 2500U as well as a Radeon RX 560X.

  • This is straight-up not a combo

  • that I've pretty much ever seen before,

  • but you know what, it's actually not bad.

  • Sure, the Ryzen 5 does fall behind

  • the higher-wattage Core i5.

  • When you look at the graphics compared to the GTX 1050,

  • it's actually a slight bit faster,

  • which is especially impressive considering

  • we basically never see AMD graphics in laptops.

  • Performance-wise, when you get into a game like Overwatch,

  • it's really no problem.

  • So right now on 1080p on Medium settings,

  • we're getting a very consistent 60 FPS.

  • This makes sense, right?

  • This is the kind of performance

  • that you would expect out of something

  • that's roughly the equivalent to a GTX 1050.

  • It's not the most powerful thing in the world,

  • you won't be able to play everything on Ultra,

  • but games like this are 100% playable.

  • So we were about to start playing Apex Legends

  • until I realized that this was using

  • the integrated GPU instead of the actual RX 560,

  • so I'm gonna try to fix that real quick.

  • So this actually does bring me to one of the issues

  • that I found with this system

  • in that the driver situation is all over the place.

  • So this does have AMD graphics,

  • it was included with that Ryzen processor

  • as well as the Radeon graphics,

  • but the issue is that even though

  • they're going to be fixing this soon,

  • right now you just can't go to the AMD website

  • and download drivers.

  • You actually have to get them specifically from the OEM,

  • which in this case is Acer.

  • Oh, hi, Austin from the future here,

  • back with an important update.

  • So of course the day after we filmed that segment,

  • well, AMD dropped that driver update

  • that they have promised,

  • so now you can go straight to the AMD website

  • and download all the drivers you need for the Nitro 5,

  • and importantly, it looks like Apex Legends is now working.

  • With everything cranked to 1080p Medium,

  • I can see if we pull up Task Manager

  • that the 560 is running it 80, 90% load.

  • It looks like we should be good now.

  • All right, that's definitely better.

  • So, yeah, with a mixture of Medium

  • and a couple of Low settings,

  • we're pretty close to a 60 FPS lock now.

  • With the driver issue fixed,

  • this is a much more usable laptop,

  • so disregard everything I said earlier, it's fine now.

  • So it does look like Fortnite

  • is properly supporting the 560X.

  • So I hop into my settings here.

  • I am able to run at 1080p on High,

  • and now let's see how it actually performs.

  • Okay.

  • Oh, wow (laughing).

  • We just need to make a montage of me dying in Fortnite.

  • I mean, this is fine, like,

  • it was running 50 frames per second

  • until I got shot in the face.

  • Upgrading is pretty easy,

  • although it is a little bit on the limited side.

  • So with a single screw on the bottom,

  • you can upgrade the RAM,

  • so by default this guy comes with eight gigs,

  • although it's me, I'm definitely gonna upgrade to 16.

  • Not only is that just nice to have,

  • but also considering that we're running a Ryzen processor,

  • having fast dual channel memory can make a big difference.

  • Then there's the hard drive.

  • So by default, this comes with a one terabyte drive,

  • and that's fine, it's kinda decently quick

  • as far as hard drives go, but it's 2019

  • and you guys should know my stance on hard drives.

  • Just no.

  • Just say no to hard drives.

  • Thankfully, upgrading this is also super-easy.

  • Again, it's just one screw behind the door on the bottom,

  • and I think it's actually a pretty worthwhile upgrade

  • to go to something like a 500-gig SSD.

  • It's not that expensive,

  • and it'll give you a ton of capacity,

  • but importantly, you're gonna get that SSD speed.

  • Now as this is a gaming laptop,

  • battery life isn't exactly the strong suit.

  • Now it is actually pretty decent

  • for a gaming laptop like this.

  • I was able to get around four to five hours of standard use,

  • but of course you have to keep in mind

  • that you're going to need a charger

  • if you really want to take this out

  • for a full day of proper use,

  • and especially if you're gaming.

  • I mean, you're definitely gonna need it.

  • So when it comes to the Nitro 5,

  • it is all down to the price.

  • Now at $570, with just a couple of upgrades,

  • this is absolutely my favorite budget gaming laptop

  • that I've taken a look at all year.

  • Unfortunately, if you're paying upwards of $600,

  • the value proposition becomes a lot sketchier,

  • so it really does kind of depend on

  • where you're able to find this

  • and how expensive it is.

  • Once they get those AMD driver issues sorted out,

  • there's a lot of potential with the Nitro 5.

  • (children cheering)

- Hey guys, this is Austin.

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