The Aspire V 15 Nitro (VN7-591G-76JG) ($1,499.99) is Acer's latest entry-level gaming laptop, and is a more affordable follow-up to the Aspire V 15 Nitro (VN7-591G-70JY) we tested late last year. It's both more affordable and significantly improved in overall performance, but so is the competition, like the latest Alienware 15, our Editors' Choice entry-level gaming laptop.

Design
At this point, the design of the Acer Aspire V15 Nitro is looking pretty familiar—the dimensions and exterior is unchanged from the recent Acer VN7-591G-70JY. With the same 5.3-pound weight and identical dimensions of 0.94 by 15.3 by 10.1 inches (HWD), the only outward indicator that tells you this model is different from its stablemates is the model number. The bare-metal hinge is stamped with the "Aspire V Nitro" name, and provides a glimpse of the internal frame that gives the plastic-covered frame its strength. The laptop has a ridged texture across the lid, but is otherwise fairly plain for a gaming machine.

The 15.6-inch display has the same 3,840-by-2,160 resolution as the Acer VN7-591G-70JY, with an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel and very good color quality. While 4K resolution is an impressive feature, it's not the best choice for a gaming laptop, where the limitations of mobile graphics hardware prevent actual gaming at the high resolutions supported by the display. In contrast, the Editors' Choice Alienware 15 opts for full HD (1,920-by-1,080) resolution in order to provide a better gaming experience. The laptop is outfitted with four built-in speakers and Dolby Digital Plus Home Theater surround sound, offering plenty of volume and bass with minimal distortion.

The keyboard has chiclet-style keys with red, glowing backlighting and a matte-black finish. The red backlight provides some nice color for the otherwise black laptop, but it doesn't have the same color customization offered by the Alienware 15 and the MSI GE62 Apache, but it's still a decent keyboard. The extra-large touchpad offers great gesture-control support for Windows, but for gaming you'll want a separate gaming mouse.

Features
Despite the price, the port selection on the Aspire V 15 Nitro is the same as that of the more expensive Acer VN7-591G-70JY. On the left is a lone security-lock slot, while on the right you'll find three USB 3.0 ports, a full-size HDMI-out port, an Ethernet port, and a headset jack. For wireless connectivity, the Aspire V15 Nitro has 802.11ac Wi-Fi (with 2x MIMO for better connectivity)—a big step up in quality from the 802.11n connection offered on the more expensive Acer VN7-591G-70JY. The laptop also has Bluetooth 4.0.

For storage, the system pairs one 256GB solid-state drive (SSD) with a 1TB, 5,400rpm hard drive, offering both the speedy performance of an SSD with the capacity of a hard drive for storing your game and media library. There's also almost nothing in the way of bloatware on this system. Aside from a 30-day trial of Microsoft Office 365 and Nvidia GeForce Experience, the only extras preinstalled on the system are FreshPaint and Flipboard, apps for paint and reading the news, respectively. The lack of retail links and trialware is refreshing, given how common they are on most gaming systems from major manufacturers. Acer covers the Aspire Nitro V15 with a one-year warranty.

Performance
The Aspire V 15 Nitro is outfitted with a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-4720HQ processor, the same quad-core model offered in the MSI GE62 Apache. Paired with 16GB of RAM, the system offers solid performance, completing our PCMark 8 Work Conventional test with 2,704 points, and cranking through our Photoshop CS6 test in 3 minutes 34 seconds. That PCMark score is a tad low, compared with the HP Omen 15 (3,400 points) and the MSI GE62 Apache (3,099 points), but the Photoshop results indicate that you won't notice any lag in your day-to-day use.

Gaming performance takes center stage, and with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M and 4GB of dedicated memory, the system is well-equipped for whatever titles you prefer. In 3DMark, the laptop scored 15,476 points in Cloud Gate and 1,971 points in Fire Strike Extreme. It gained high frame rates in our baseline gaming tests (at 1,366 by 768), but less than playable frame rates at full 4K resolutions. The difference in both graphical horsepower and the extra demands of 4K were most evident against the more powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M in the Alienware 15, where the Alienware boasted better frame rates and better playability overall in testing.

As far as battery life, the Aspire V 15 Nitro didn't do as well, lasting just 2 hours 59 minutes in our rundown test. Gaming laptops aren't known for long-lasting batteries to begin with, and the power draw of a bright, 4K display only shortens that further. By comparison, the HP Omen 15 (4:17) and the Alienware 15 (5:29) both lasted much longer.

Conclusion
The Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro (VN7-591G-76JG) is a definite improvement over the last iteration, the Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro (VN7-591G-70JY), with better performance and a more affordable price. Unfortunately, it still has the two biggest flaws of its predecessor, with battery life that doesn't quite reach 3 hours and a 4K display that is mostly wasted. For a better gaming experience overall, the Editors' Choice Alienware 15 is the same price, but offers better gaming performance with a Full HD display, and also throws in customizable features, better port selection, longer battery life, and even the option to upgrade to an external desktop GPU.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.