If there’s one space that has benefited the most from increasing advancements on graphic performance is the one that belongs to the mid-range gaming laptops. Even though the best models also get upgrades, the lower prices are the ones that get the most impact value-wise.
Such is this case here. This time we have the review of the Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-571G-50VG, an entry-level gaming laptop that promises to impress with its extremely affordable price and competent performance. Let’s see if that’s actually the case.
Pros: Full HD IPS Matte display, 128 SSD on top of HDD, Core i5 CPU, Dedicated Nvidia Graphics that price!
Cons: we are not fans of the red backlit keyboard.
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-571G-50VG Review of a budget gaming laptop
A more discreet look for gamers
One of the things that we liked the most about the Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-571G-50VG is that it doesn’t rely heavily on the aggressive aesthetics more gaming laptops tend to use. That’s not to say you won’t recognize it as one after some examining with its red backlit keyboard, for example, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction towards a more discrete model.
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Modest performance
Acer made an interesting choice with the Aspire V Nitro VN7-571G-50VG in that it chose a 5th Generation Intel Core i5 processor (dual-core, 2.2 GHz up to 2.7 GHz) instead of an i7, which is the most used chip on gaming machines.
We actually find this refreshing because, although it’s true that the i7 is the superior chip, what matters most in gaming performance is definitely the graphic processor, and so leaving unnecessary power for a lower price seems like the smart choice. And besides, this Core i5 is no slouch: you’ll be able to run even heavy programs for tasks like editing and such.
Web browsing, office work and multimedia consumption shouldn't even be addressed: you’ll fly doing those things. That’s especially true thanks to the 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM available (1600 MHz), the modern standard that will help you do multitasking like a champ.
Medium-level graphics will get you far
So we get the part that probably matters the most: how do the games run? The Nvidia GTX 950M that comes with the Aspire V Nitro VN7-571G-50VG is a mid-range graphics card, the first from Nvidia’s top line. It offers a very decent performance for the price, which in this case can’t be beaten.
It all depend on the title, really, but Notebook Check offers some benchmarks to give you an idea on what you should expect. Metal Gear Solid V, for example, sits above 30 fps on high settings, and GTA V gets on 60 fps territory with medium settings. More demanding titles like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will probably ask you to lower your resolution, on the other hand; while light games like The Sims 4 or FIFA 16 will play on ultra settings very comfortably.
The best balance for battery life
Acer claims that the 3-cell 4605 mAh battery included in the Aspire V Nitro VN7-571G-50VG will get you up to 6 hours of use without having to plug it in. That’s a very respectable number, and in fact we advise to always expect a bit less than advertised. Still, you can’t beat the fact that the i5 consumes less power, so the numbers do make sense, and that’s big win —especially for a gaming PC, a segment typically lacking in terms of battery life.
Connectivity with a new standard, two types of storage
The Aspire V Nitro VN7-571G-50VG offers a decent array of connectivity ports. For starters, it has a total of 4 USB ports: one 2.0, two 3.0 and finally one USB Type-C, the newest and most convenient standard. To close the deal we have an Ethernet port and an HDMI port for connecting external displays.
The storage is one of the most interesting things about the Aspire V Nitro VN7-571G-50VG. First of all, we find a 1TB mechanical hard drive (5400 RPM). That sounds pretty conventional until we find that it also includes a whooping 128 GB SSD.
We would normally be disappointed at the speed on the mechanical unit, but the presence of a —pretty big— SSD has us more than happy. The SSD will get you the best performance on installed programs, while the 1 TB will give lots and lots of space for all of those big games.
Final words and thoughts
For us, one thing is pretty evident after the review of the Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-571G-50VG: this is probably the best gaming performance you can get on a laptop within this price range. That fact by itself is a pretty big thing.
More powerful laptops exist, of course, but you won’t get this performance for the price anywhere else. The smart choices made by Acer are refreshing, and the inclusion of a solid state hard drive pleasantly surprised us. Gaming on a budget? This is it. You can look up pricing and availability for this laptop here.