Acer Nitro 14 Review: Is This the Best Budget Gaming Laptop of 2024?

Acer Nitro 14 Review: Is This the Best Budget Gaming Laptop of 2024?

Introduction

It is introducing the brand new Acer Nitro 14 review. This is a great deal compared to other 14-inch gaming laptops. For instance, the G14 with an RTX 4060, the Omen 14 is $100 more, and the Razer Blade 14 can be incredibly expensive.

Acer Nitro 14 Review

The Acer Nitro 14 review has made some compromises. It doesn’t offer the premium refinement of the more expensive models but provides a solid gaming experience at a reasonable price. The Best Computer Mice

Design and Build Quality

Acer Nitro 14 Review: Is This the Best Budget Gaming Laptop of 2024?

The laptop’s design is primarily plastic, including the lid, which makes it less premium than its metal counterparts.

The Nitro logo and the extended back give it a distinct gamer vibe, but unfortunately, there are no ports on the back to keep cables out of the way. Huawei Band 9 Review

The orange fins on the back are purely cosmetic and don’t light up, adding a two-tone finish to the laptop. It weighs about 4.41 pounds, heavier than other 14-inch gaming laptops that typically weigh under 4 pounds.

Port Selection

The port selection is decent: on one side, there’s a power connector with a 230W power brick, a USB-A 3.2 port, a USB-C port, a combo audio jack, and indicator lights. On the other side, there’s an HDMI 2.1 port, another USB-A port, a USB-C port (not USB 4), and a micro SD card slot. 5 Best Laptops for Students

Acer Nitro 14 Review: Is This the Best Budget Gaming Laptop of 2024?

Usability and Keyboard

Opening the laptop is easy, even with one hand. The hinge is tight, and there’s minimal wobble. The keyboard, while mushy, is adequate for both typing and gaming. Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Review

It features three zones of RGB lighting, with highlighted WASD keys for gaming. There’s no numeric keypad, but the keys extend to the edges of the deck. There are dedicated buttons for turbo mode and accessing the Nitrenes software.

Touchpad and Speakers

The plastic touchpad is symmetrical and decent in size, though not excellent in quality. The sticker placement is neat, and the deck is also plastic. The speakers at the bottom are not impressive in sound quality.

Display Quality

Acer Nitro 14 Review: Is This the Best Budget Gaming Laptop of 2024?

The display is another area where costs were cut; while it’s a 1920×1200 IPS panel with good colour accuracy, it lacks brightness, making it less suitable for outdoor use.

Webcam & Performance

The webcam is 720p and performs adequately in natural light. The laptop’s performance is strong, with the Ryzen 7 7845HS CPU and RTX 4060 GPU delivering competitive single-core and multi-core speeds.

It’s suitable for tasks like Photoshop and Premiere Pro, with performance comparable to more powerful laptops. The 3DMark scores are where they should be for an RTX 4060.

However, the advertised 140W TGP for the GPU is misleading, as it rarely reaches that level, typically capping at 100W. Despite this, the performance remains strong.

The fan noise can reach 58dB in turbo mode but stays around 45dB in performance mode, which is reasonable for a gaming laptop. The cooling system effectively keeps CPU temperatures below 80°C even under full load. Unlike many other laptops, the MUX switch is user-friendly and does not require a restart.

Internals and Cooling

Internally, there’s no vapour chamber cooler, but the existing cooling solution is sufficient. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 Review

There’s only one drive slot, though there’s space for a second. The read and write speeds are excellent, and the Wi-Fi card is swappable, supporting Wi-Fi 6E.

The laptop also features liquid metal on the CPU and GPU for better thermal management and a 76Whr battery, offering up to 8 hours and 10 minutes of battery life, outperforming some other 14-inch gaming laptops.

Conclusion

The Acer Nitro 14 might not be the fanciest 14-inch gaming laptop, but it excels in performance, cooling, battery life, and price. Some sacrifices were made to keep it, but it remains a compelling option for gamers looking for value.

FAQs

1. Is the Acer Nitro 14 a good budget gaming laptop?

Yes, the Acer Nitro 14 provides solid gaming performance at a reasonable price, making it a great budget option compared to premium models.

2. What are the key specs of the Acer Nitro 14?

It features a Ryzen 7 7845HS CPU, RTX 4060 GPU, 1920×1200 IPS display, and 8 hours of battery life.

3. Does the Acer Nitro 14 have good cooling?

Yes, it has an efficient cooling system and uses liquid metal for thermal management, though it lacks a vapor chamber cooler.

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