Acer Nitro V ANV16-41-R5J0 a particularly exciting gaming laptop than most of its peers. It’s got a solid build, has a gorgeous design, and packs a punch thanks to an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. And then, it doesn’t cost too much, but games pop on its 1920 x 1200, 165 Hz screen.
While it’s not the most powerful gaming laptop in the market – it doesn’t attempt to compete with the feature-packed Alienware m18 R2 –the Ryzen 7 processor and RTX 4060 hold their own with graphics settings cranked to the max in modern games. Performance is crucial, but the battery life and crisp 1200p, 165Hz screen are what make this model hard to beat – especially for the under $1,000 price.
About the Acer Nitro V 16
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS
- Memory: 16GB DDR5
- Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060
- Display: 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS @ 165Hz
- Storage: 1 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD
- Webcam: 720p
- Connectivity: 1x USB-C (USB4, 40Gbps), 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm audio jack
- Networking: Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3
- Weight: 5.51 pounds
- Dimensions: 14.22 x 0.97 x 10.96 inches
The Acer Nitro V 16 comes in a few different configuration options, including a choice between AMD and Intel processors. All these models come with a 16-inch screen, though higher-end models use a higher-resolution 2560 x 1600 display. Our review model, the Nitro ANV16-41-R5J0, comes with a Ryzen 7 CPU and RTX 4060 GPU, though there are other higher-end models with up to RTX 4070 GPUs.
What We Like
Bright, capable IPS display
In 2024, we’ve seen most laptop makers move from a 16:9 ratio to a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is ideal for browsing the web, editing documents, gaming, and general productivity tasks. However, the Nitro V 16’s 165Hz refresh rate is less useful when it comes to productivity. This is a gaming laptop through and through, and along with support for Nvidia G-Sync, it means games look consistently great, whether you’re running a basic eSport or the latest AAA hit.
The display brightness is on the weak side at 300 nits, but it does a fine job showing colors, and viewing angles are impressive for the price. A few hundred dollars more would get you a sharper LCD or even an OLED, but this IPS panel is great for gaming, and the 16:10 aspect ratio gives you more real estate to enjoy your games like Fortnite and Counter-Strike. The RTX 4060 GPU doesn’t falter in rendering modern games at 1200p, and the 165Hz refresh rate offers buttery smooth gameplay on fast-paced scenes.
Competent 1080p gaming performance
With an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 (8GB), and 16GB of RAM, the Nitro ANV16-41-R5J0 is a capable, affordable gaming laptop. This nitro V is no match to the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 monsters out there, but then it comes in at a significantly lower price point.
Running Cyberpunk 2077 on Ultra graphics settings at 1200p results in an average frame rate of 77 frames per second (fps). Enabling ray tracing cuts the framerate in half, but 38 fps still isn’t bad considering the price. Using DLSS 3.0 makes the frame rate jump to 109 fps without ray tracing and 78 fps with ray tracing enabled.
Aside from Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is yet another game that’s unforgiving to graphics cards. With settings set to high, the game plays at an average of 79 FPS. When playing older titles like Metro Exodus Enhanced and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Nitro V averages 74 FPS on high settings and 82 FPS on medium settings, respectively.
Overall, this laptop will run older games and eSports titles at the native resolution with everything maxed out, but with newer and upcoming games, you’re going to need to either reduce detail settings, forget ray tracing, use DLSS in Performance mode, or drop down to 1080p. Sometimes, you may need to do two or more of the above.
What we don’t like
Lackluster sound and battery life
It’s a common trend for gaming laptops to pack all sorts of audio processing, and in the Nitro V 16’s case, it’s DTS:X, though various Dolby sound modes are available on other laptops. This may give you the impression that the sound is going to be great, but that’s far from the case here. The Acer Nitro 16 sounds thin, even compared to other models that offer DTS: X or any other special audio feature.
On battery life, the Acer Nitro V only fits a 56Wh battery, which is closer to what we frequently see in mid-range productivity PCs, but it’s much smaller than the 90Wh cell in other Nitro 16 models. It lasts slightly more than four hours, which isn’t terrible but still not enough to manage a full workday or a cross-country flight. In that case, you’ll want to pack the power brick.
Acer Nitro V ANV16-41-R5J0 Review: Verdict
Even at the MSRP of $1,099 to $1,199, the Acer Nitro V ANV16-41-R5J0 is fantastic value, and it’s usually discounted to under $1,000. For that reachable price, you get a big, fast display ideal for midrange gaming, and the RTX 4060 GPU has enough muscle to run almost any modern title at medium or high settings.
A more generous budget would get you even better gaming performance in an RTX 4070 or higher, maybe an OLED display, but the Nitro V 16 remains incredible value for the midrange. Competitors in this price range include the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 with an Intel Core i7-13650HX processor, RTX 4060 GPU, and 16GB RAM – it’s an equally capable gaming workhorse.
All the Nitro V 16 doesn’t offer is all-day battery life, most gaming laptops don’t, and the sound quality is thin even with DTS:X technology. No gaming laptop is going to last all day, but at least you’re getting a beautiful machine that performs as well as it looks.
Overall, the Acer Nitro V 16 is among our top picks for a budget gaming laptop and is money well spent at around $1,000.
Recommended Configuration
Acer Nitro V Gaming Laptop | AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS Octa-Core AI Capable Processor | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU | 16" WUXGA IPS 165Hz Display | 16GB DDR5 | 1TB Gen 4 SSD | Wi-Fi 6E | ANV16-41-R5J0
1 used from $928.00
The Review
Acer Nitro V
The Acer Nitro V ANV16-41-R5J0 is a good value for the price, delivering great gaming performance with its RTX 4060 GPU and Ryzen 7 CPU, but we just wish its battery would last longer.
PROS
- Competitive pricing
- Robust 1080p gaming for the price
- Bright, 1200p 165Hz screen
CONS
- Sub-par sound
- Middling battery life
Review Breakdown
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ARS SCORE
