Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41 Review: Affordable gaming laptop with RTX 4050 and long run times

With a price of just under €1,250, the current configuration of the Acer Nitro 16 belongs to the lower price segment gaming laptops. Our Nitro 16 unit is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS APU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU . The competition includes devices like the Asus TUF Gaming A16 FA617XS , Schenker XMG Focus 15 (E23) , Gigabyte G7 KE , Asus TUF A15 FA507 , and the Medion Erazer Scout E20 .

Information about the case, equipment and input devices can be found in our review of the identically built sister model that features a Ryzen 7 7735HS and an RTX 4070 Laptop GPU . Positives for the matte 16-inch 1,920 x 1,200 IPS screen in 16:10 format include G-Sync support, the absence of PWM flickering, and short response times. Brightness and contrast of the 165 Hz panel meet the respective targets (> 300 cd/m² and 1,000:1, respectively).

There are not many differences apart from these when compared to the WQXGA panel (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) of the sister model , although the latter offers a higher maximum brightness (almost 500 cd/m²). The screen shows a decent color reproduction ex-factory — with a deviation of about 4. 7, the target (DeltaE < 3) is not exactly matched.

A calibration reduces the deviation to 2. 68 and ensures more balanced grayscale levels. The panel can completely reproduce the sRGB color gamut but not the Adobe RGB and Display P3 color spaces.

This is the case for the WQXGA panel in the o ther Nitro 16 variant, as well as the screens of most competitors. Only the display of the XMG Focus 15 offers good DCI-P3 coverage. The IPS panel offers stable viewing angles that can be read from any position.

The panel’s brightness is good-enough for outdoor legibility if the sun does not shine too brightly. The Nitro 16 series combines Ada-Lovelace GPUs with CPUs from Intel or AMD. The present model relies on AMD and is available for about €1,250 (~US$1,500).

Thus, it is currently the cheapest representative of the series. Of the six manufacturer-specific performance modes (see table below), the modes “Balanced” (for benchmarks) and “Eco” (for battery tests) were used. “Turbo” and “Performance” are only available in mains operation (battery level > 30%).

A button above the keyboard allows switching between the modes. Alternatively, this can be done via NitroSense software (control center of the laptop). An LED indicates the active mode.

Note: While the other Nitro 16 model was tested with Optimus mode active, the dGPU mode (= the iGPU is disabled) is used on the current test device. The battery tests are an exception, however. Thus, the benchmark results are not always directly comparable.

The Ryzen 5 7535HS APU (Zen 3+, Rembrandt-R) offers six CPU cores with a total of 12 threads at a maximum single-core boost of 4. 55 GHz. The CPU acknowledges permanent multi-thread load (CB15 Loop) with a constantly high Turbo clock – regardless of the selected system mode.

The differences between the modes are small. Not surprisingly, the Ryzen 7 APU of the sister model offers greater multi-thread performance — after all, it has 8 CPU cores. In terms of the single-thread performance, which is more relevant in everyday use, the APUs are almost on par.

The smoothly running system provides enough computing power for demanding applications like rendering, video editing, and gaming. The transfer rates of the working memory (DDR5-4800) remain below potential, as a comparison with the values of the Asus TUF Gaming A16 shows. The standardized latency monitor test (web surfing, 4k video playback, Prime95 in-place large FFTs) did not reveal any abnormalities.

The system seems to be suitable for real-time video and audio editing. Future software updates could lead to improvements or even degradations. Acer equips the Nitro 16 with a 512 GB SSD (PCIe 4, M.

2-2280) from SK Hynix. It delivers good data rates but is not among the top-performing SSD models. A negative aspect is that performance drops occur due to thermal throttling.

The notebook has room for a second PCIe Gen 4 SSD. The benchmark results of the GeForce RTX 4050 are above that of the average results for the RTX 4050 (“Balanced”). “Performance” and “Turbo” modes result in a minimal performance increase at best.

Acer has set the maximum TGP to 140 W — a higher wattage is not possible. According to The Witcher 3 test, it is not even close to being exhausted. Switching between dGPU and Optimus does not require a restart as Advanced Optimus is supported.

The hardware is designed for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings. High frame rates at the screen’s FHD resolution can thus be fully utilized, and frame rates above the determined RTX 4050 average are achieved. Nvidia’s DLSS technology can provide an increase in frame rates.

If it is active, the GPU calculates a game in a lower resolution and then scales it up to the desired resolution via AI. DLSS has to be explicitly supported by a game. We tested a few corresponding titles on a trial basis.

To check whether the frame rates remain largely constant over a longer period, we run The Witcher 3 for about 60 minutes with Full HD resolution and maximum quality settings. The game character is not moved. A drop in the frame rates is not noticed.

Despite the permanently active dGPU, the notebook is quiet in everyday use (office, Internet, etc. ). As expected, this looks different in gaming mode.

Sound pressure levels of up to 61 dB(A) (“Turbo”) or 56 dB(A) (“Performance”) require the use of headphones. The “Balanced” mode we used leaves at 45 dB(A). An overall lower noise development can be achieved by using the “Quiet” mode, but at the expense of the computing performance of course.

The Nitro 16 heats up noticeably under load. A temperature of more than 60 °C is reached at one measuring point. The temperatures are within the green zone in everyday use, but they are higher than in the sister model due to the active dGPU mode.

The stress test (Prime95 and Furmark in continuous operation) is an extreme scenario for testing the system stability under full load. The CPU starts the stress test with clock rates of 4. 1 to 4.

2 GHz, the graphics core runs at 2. 3 to 2. 4 GHz.

The rates drop to 2. 6 GHz (processor) and 2. 2 GHz (graphics core) in the further course of the test.

The stereo speakers produce a decent, largely bass-free sound. A better sound experience would be achievable with headphones or external speakers. The power consumption is at a normal level for the installed hardware.

The dGPU mode is responsible for the higher idle consumption when compared to the sister model . The stress test and The Witcher 3 test are run with constant power consumption. The supplied power supply (230 W) can fully power the laptop under load.

The Nitro 16 achieves runtimes of 11:00 h and 10:50 h in the WLAN test (calling up websites via a script) and video test (short movie Big Buck Bunny FHD H. 264 encoding in a loop), respectively. During both tests, the notebook’s energy-saving features are disabled, and the display brightness is set to about 150 cd/m².

The wireless modules are also disabled for the video test. Note: The Nitro shows an increased power consumption in battery mode under Windows 11 (Acer installation, own installation). Consequently, the run times lag behind the rates of the sister model (WLAN: 5.

5 vs. 9 h) with the same battery capacities. Therefore, the run times were determined under Windows 10.

The problem does not occur here. We cannot name a reason for the increased energy consumption. It might be a problem of our test device.

The Acer Nitro 16 is designed for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings but also cuts a good figure in other areas (video editing, rendering). The Ryzen 5 7535HS and GeForce RTX 4050 combo delivers the necessary performance, and the CPU and GPU can work with constantly high clock rates. Acer presents a well-rounded gaming laptop in the entry-level segment with the Nitro 16.

Surprisingly, the laptop heats up more under load than its sister model equipped with more powerful hardware. The Nitro models do not have much in common in terms of noise development. The “Balanced” mode provides a moderate background noise.

The 16-inch display (WUXGA) is hardly inferior to the panel (WQXGA) of the sister model. The latter offers a higher maximum brightness (400 nits vs. 500 nits).

The already good runtimes of the Ryzen 7 Nitro are surpassed by the current model, even if only under Windows 10. The storage capacity (512 GB) is meager for a gaming notebook. An alternative can be found in the Asus TUF A15 FA507 .

It offers more CPU performance with slightly better battery run times. The Gigabyte G7 KE would be the budget alternative wherein a lower performance level would be countered by a lower purchase price (€1,050). However, a Windows operating system is not included in the scope of delivery.

In the USA, users can order some variants of Acer Nitro 16 AN16-41 on Amazon , which have more powerful configurations than the one we have reviewed. .