Acer has announced a new version of its Nitro 5 laptop this week. The new variants will be powered by Intel’s latest Coffee Lake-H processors, and can use NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU. The notebook will be aimed primarily at casual gamers and will be among the more affordable PCs featuring Intel’s new 8th Gen Core processors.

Update 4/5: Acer said that its Nitro 5 laptops can only feature Core i5 or Core i7 CPUs, but not the fully-unlocked Core i9 processors. In addition, the company disclosed some of the new Nitro 5 configurations.

The Acer Nitro 5 notebook is based on Intel’s new 300-series notebook platform featuring Intel’s Core i5/i7 processors with four or six cores, an integrated USB 3.1 Gen 2 controller, and built-in 2×2 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi support with the Intel Wireless-AC 9560 CRF module. The systems will be equipped with up to 32 GB of DDR4 memory as well as up to 512 GB PCIe SSDs.

Just like the AMD Ryzen-based Nitro 5 (AN515-42), the Intel Core-based Nitro 5 is outfitted with a 15.6-inch LCD featuring a 1920×1080 resolution. Similarly to the advanced versions of AMD-powered Nitro that come with AMD’s Radeon RX 560 dGPU, Acer will use NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1050 Ti standalone graphics processor for premium Intel-powered Nitro 5 laptops.

Physical connectivity capabilities of 2018 Nitro 5 laptops seem to be similar too. Both notebooks feature one USB Type-C port, three USB Type-A connectors, a GbE port, an HDMI output, and an SD card reader. The audio sub-system of the Acer Nitro 5 is comprised of a TRRS connector, stereo speakers as well as Acer TrueHarmony and Dolby Audio Premium software enhancements.

Acer Nitro 5 Laptops with Coffee Lake-H at a Glance
  Specifications
Display Diagonal 15.6"
Resolution 1920×1080
Type IPS
CPU Intel Core i5/i7, up to six cores
Graphics Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630
Discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (select SKUs only)
RAM Capacity up to 32 GB
Type DDR4 (frequency unknown)
Storage up to 512 GB SSD
Wi-Fi Intel Wireless-AC 9560 CRF
2x2 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi module
Bluetooth 4.x
USB 1 × USB 3.0 Type-A
2 × USB 2.0 Type-A
1 × USB 3.0 Type-C (?)
Other I/O HDMI 2.0a, webcam, TRRS connector for audio, speakers, microphone, SD card reader
Price Starting from
$719 in the US
€799 in EMEA

Acer plans to start selling its Coffee Lake-H-based Nitro 5 notebooks in May. In North America, the entry-level SKU is currently available exclusively from BestBuy and is priced at $719, whereas in EMEA starting price of the laptop will be €799. Acer traditionally does not share exact configurations of its machines before shipping them, but we have managed to obtain specs of two entry-level Nitro 5 systems to be available in the U.S. shortly.

Entry-Level Acer Nitro 5 Laptops with Coffee Lake-H
  AN515-53-52FA AN515-53-55G9
CPU Intel Core i5-8300H (4C/8T, 2.5 - 4.2 GHz, 8 MB LLC, 45 W)
Graphics Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630
Discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
RAM Capacity 8 GB
Type DDR4 (frequency unknown)
Storage 1 TB HDD 256 GB SSD
Price $719 in the US $849 in the US

Keep in mind that entry-level configurations may look different in other regions.

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  • jordanclock - Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - link

    So you can get an i9 with a 1050ti? That's pretty lopsided.
  • osteopathic1 - Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - link

    Thinking the same thing. Maybe dual 1060 or something along those lines. Otherwise, paying alot for a CPU that you dont need.
  • JoeyJoJo123 - Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - link

    Really depends on workload. CPU heavy stuff that only needs light GPU render support, like CPU encoded h.264 streaming (using this laptop as a portable dedicated streaming machine you can move from a personal PC desk or a living room with consoles, taking video from an external capture device) or video work would be fine for big CPU supported by a small discrete GPU.

    But yes, it's not necessarily ideal if you want to play GPU heavy tasks (like most games).
  • arunkc - Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - link

    It's i9 mobile, so really i5 desktop level performance or a bit lower actually, because of the lower tdp even though it's 6c12t. It pairs pretty well with a 1050ti I think.
  • jordanclock - Thursday, April 5, 2018 - link

    Even then it sounds mismatched. Assuming the i9 option is the Core i9-8950HK, that's a base frequency similar to an i5-8500 and a turbo above any 8th gen i7.

    It would have made waaaay more sense to give options for upgraded GPUs over such high-end CPU options for a gaming laptop.
  • notashill - Thursday, April 5, 2018 - link

    The i9 is a drop in replacement for the i7, a faster GPU would require a completely different cooling system.
  • Samus - Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - link

    The real concern is the 1050Ti only comes in "select SKU's" so what is that? $1500?
  • jordanclock - Thursday, April 5, 2018 - link

    My hope would be that the 1050ti option wouldn't add more than ~$150. Either way, this a pretty weak gaming laptop. You get the option of integrated graphics or a 1050ti.
  • PeachNCream - Thursday, April 5, 2018 - link

    I really would prefer seeing this sort of hardware behind a 14 inch or smaller screen. As it stands, 15.6 inches and a keyboard + tenkey makes the system physically bulky to the point where it sheds a lot of the portability advantages you gain by giving up the performance of higher end graphics cards. The trade-off doesn't seem worth it and it may as well have a 1060 or 1070 if it's going to be that large.
  • Tewt - Saturday, April 7, 2018 - link

    The Nitro with the RX 560 was announced in January and you still can't get it. It doesn't even list on the Acer U.S. site. Some pretty good deals on laptops lately. I want to support AMD but no one is making a good R5 CPU with at least a 570 right now. Almost got the Dell with i5 and a 1060 6GB for $800. Helluva deal. AMD needs laptops like that.

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