Acer Nitro 5 15.6" AN515-55-53E5 2021, Core i5-10300H, 8GB, 256GB SSD, RTX 3050, Black

The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 pairs a solid RTX 3050 with a 144Hz display, but 8GB of RAM and a tiny 256GB SSD hold it back hard. The four-core i5-10300H is aging fast. Worth considering only at the low end of its $938 to $1,120 US price range, and only if you're willing to upgrade it yourself.

The RTX 3050 is the star here, landing in the 75th percentile for GPU performance. It'll handle esports titles and older AAA games at 1080p without much fuss. But the CPU is a different story. The i5-10300H sits in the 19th percentile, which means it's slower than most gaming laptops we've tested. Four cores just isn't enough for modern titles that love threads. The 8GB of RAM is the real killer though, sitting in the 7th percentile. You'll want to upgrade that immediately, and the 256GB SSD fills up after a couple of big installs. The 144Hz IPS panel is solid, right around average for this class.

Stacked against the Lenovo Legion 5i or MSI Raider, this Nitro 5 looks like a budget compromise. The Legion 5i gives you a much better CPU and more RAM out of the box. The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is a different beast entirely, more portable but pricier. Even the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition beats it on build quality and battery, though it can't game like this can. The Acer's only real advantage is the RTX 3050 at a lower entry price. But once you factor in upgrades, the gap narrows considerably.

Pricing is all over the place. US listings range from $938 to $1,120, which is a $182 spread for the same machine. At the low end, it's a reasonable entry point for 1080p gaming. At the high end, you're getting fleeced. The cheapest US listing is the only one worth considering. For that money, you're getting a capable GPU and a fast display, but you'll need to budget another $50-100 for a RAM upgrade and probably a bigger SSD down the road. That eats into the value proposition fast.

The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 is a budget gaming laptop that tries to punch above its weight. You get an RTX 3050 and a 144Hz display, which sounds great on paper. But the rest of the package feels like it's cutting corners to hit a price point.

8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD are rough in 2024. That's barely enough for Windows, let alone a modern game library. The i5-10300H is a four-core chip from 2020, and it shows its age. This is a laptop that can game, but you'll feel the compromises everywhere.

Skip this if you want a laptop that works well out of the box. The 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD are dealbreakers for anyone who doesn't want to crack open the chassis. If you need something reliable for school or work, the reliability scores here are near the bottom of our database. And if you're into CPU-heavy games like strategy titles or simulation games, the four-core i5 will frustrate you. Spend a bit more on a Legion 5i or similar with 16GB of RAM and a better processor.

This is a laptop for someone who wants to play games on a tight budget and doesn't mind tinkering. The RTX 3050 and 144Hz screen are genuinely good for the price. But you're buying a project, not a finished product. Plan on upgrading the RAM immediately and the storage soon after. If you're not comfortable opening up a laptop, look elsewhere.