Acer has announced a new budget gaming laptop, the Nitro V 15, with an enticing starting price of $699.99. In an uncertain economy that's still dealing with inflation, that's sure to get some attention on the store shelf, but to get that the company is using an old, low-end graphics card.
The base model, being sold at Costco, is powered by an Intel Core i5-13420H, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2050. Yes, that's a 2050. With a "2" at the front. While some companies have been putting out budget laptops with 3050s at the low-end, the 2050 is a true surprise. A similar version is being sold on Acer's store for $749.99.
For $769.99, you can bump up to an RTX 3050, while at $849.99 you finally get a current-gen RTX 4050. The top-end versions bump to an Core i7-13620H and double the RAM to 16GB. A $999.99 version at Acer has 512GB of storage, while the same specs at Newegg get you 1TB.
When asked about the RTX 2050, an Acer spokesperson told me: "The RTX 2050 GPU allows for a more attainable/attractive price point for some users, such as college users who want a PC for gaming as a second or third purpose. They have school work that benefits from a little more ‘oomph’ with a discrete GPU, but may also play games occasionally or need it for photo or video editing, etc. So while those uses are not high-priority, they do value the capability."
The 15.6-inch, 16:9, 1080p, 144 Hz display is consistent across the lineup, at least among what's being released in the US. Globally, there will be options going to 165 Hz. Options in other markets include 2TB of storage and 32GB of RAM, though I'm told 32GB systems may eventually come to the US.
There are some features that are coming down from the standard Nitro 16 (one of the best gaming laptops under $1,000), like the NitroSense App, Wi-Fi 6, and Thunderbolt 4. It even bares a resemblance ot the Nitro 16's Miami Vice accent scheme. Seemingly, the V 15 is taking the old Nitro 5's spot in the lineup; the Nitro 5 was also a 15-inch device.
The Nitro V 15 is launching this month in Europe, the Middle east, and Africa beginning at €1,099. The North American launch will be in October.
