Pros & Cons
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- Affordable price for a gaming laptop.
- Solid performance, thanks to an Intel Core i7-4710HQ quad-core CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M GPU.
- Sizable storage with a solid-state drive (SSD) speed boost.
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- Design is fairly bland for a gaming laptop.
Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro (VN7-591G-75S2) Specs
| Graphics Memory | 2048 |
| Graphics Processor | Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M |
| Native Display Resolution | 1920 by 1080 |
| Operating System | Windows 8.1 |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-4710HQ |
| Processor Speed | 2.5 |
| RAM (as Tested) | 8 |
| Screen Size | 15.6 |
| Tested Battery Life (Hours:Minutes) | 4:10 |
| Weight | 5.29 |
| Wireless Networking | 802.11n (2.4+5 GHz Dualband) |
Gaming is growing by leaps and bounds, with PC gaming, in particular, providing one of the few growing segments of the PC market. As such, it's no surprise to see more mainstream manufacturers aggressively getting into the game. Case in point: the Aspire V 15 Nitro (VN7-591G-75S2) ($1,199.99 as tested), one of Acer's first purpose-built gaming laptops. With an entry-level price and a great mix of features and performance, Acer has a wonderful start to its burgeoning gaming lineup, with the Aspire V 15 Nitro earning our Editors' Choice for entry-level gaming laptops.
Design
Gaming laptops have slimmed down in recent months, and the Aspire V 15 Nitro is no exception, measuring 0.9 by 15.3 by 10.1 inches (HWD) and weighing 5.29 pounds. The laptop features black, plastic construction, with a ridged texture across the lid. The hinge is sturdy, bare metal, and that same metal serves as an internal frame for the system. Along the hinge, the name "Aspire V Nitro" is stamped. All in all, it's a fairly sedate design for a gaming laptop.
View All Open the lid, and you'll get a bit more of the flair you might be expecting. The palm rest and touchpad are the same matte-black as the lid, but the keyboard is backlit with a red glow, lighting up the lettering and the edges of each key. The chiclet-style keys offer a pretty good feel when typing, but while the flat keycaps are fine, I prefer the slightly curved surfaces of the keys on the competing Lenovo Y50 Touch. A large clickpad gives you all of the gesture controls you need in Windows 8, but the touchpad isn't ideal for gaming, so I'd recommend a separate gaming mouse.
