Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) review – Powerhouse Performance with Cool Internals
Acer is one of the manufacturers that offers a lot of Zen 4 laptops in different form factors. The Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) is one of the top dogs despite the fully plastic build. This machine has a hefty thermal system that cools AMD Zen 4 Hawk Point-HS CPU and NVIDIA Ada Lovelace graphics cards. The most powerful combo available is AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS plus the 140W RTX 4070. All that is complemented by good upgradability and a nice port selection with five USB connectors.
Let’s continue with the good news – you also get NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, a MUX switch, and G-SYNC support. The base display is a 1200p 120Hz IPS unit and you can opt for the more crisper 1600p model with the same refresh rate. Since that’s an Acer gaming machine, the Nitro Sense app is also here and it’s loaded with useful features such as custom fan control and keyboard backlight control.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-nitro-16-an16-42/
Contents
Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box
- HDD/SSD
- up to 1000GB SSD
- M.2 Slot
- 2x 2280 PCIe NVMe 4.0 x4 See photo
- RAM
- up to 32GB
- OS
- Windows 11 Home, Linux, Windows 11 Pro
- Battery
- 90Wh
- Body material
- Plastic / Polycarbonate
- Dimensions
- 360.1 x 279.9 x 25.9 - 27.9 mm (14.18" x 11.02" x 1.02")
- Weight
- 2.65 kg (5.8 lbs)
- Ports and connectivity
- 1x USB Type-A
- 2.0
- 1x USB Type-A
- 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
- 1x USB Type-A
- 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Sleep and Charge
- 1x USB Type-C
- 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
- 1x USB Type-C
- 4.0, Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
- HDMI
- 2.1
- Card reader
- microSD (microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC)
- Ethernet LAN
- 10, 100, 1000, 2500 Mbit/s
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 6E
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- Audio jack
- 3.5mm Combo Jack
- Features
- Fingerprint reader
- Web camera
- HD
- Backlit keyboard
- optional
- Microphone
- 2x Microphones with Acer Purified Voice
- Speakers
- Stereo Speakers, DTS X: Ultra
- Optical drive
- Security Lock slot
- Kensington Lock
All Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) configurations
Drivers
All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://www.acer.com/us-en/support/product-support/Nitro_AN16-42/downloads?suggest=Acer_Nitro%2016%20(AN16-42);1
What’s in the box?
Inside the box, you will find a bit of paperwork and a 230W barrel plug charger.
Design and construction
The Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) is almost a carbon copy of its AN16-41 sibling. The main difference between the two is that the former lacks the fancy accent lines on the lid which can be a pro for some users because this makes the look of the laptop more mature and clean. The AN16-42 is entirely made of plastic. It weighs 2.65 kg and the profile is 25.9 – 27.9 mm.
The lid that opens with a single hand is a bit more flexible than usual. Nothing too serious but keep that in mind. On the other hand, the base is surprisingly stable even when we push down hard the keyboard deck.
The thick-ish “chin” below the display houses the Nitro logo – the other three bezels are thin. The 720p@30 FPS Web camera with Temporal Noise Reduction is positioned above the panel.
The ventilation grill and the Mode key (for switching between the power presets) on the left are placed above the RGB-backlit keyboard with a NumPad, Nitro Sense, and Copilot key. This is a well-known board that can be seen in many other Acer machine. The WASD zone and the big Arrow keys are highlighted. This unit is superb for both typing and gaming because of the long key travel and clicky feedback.
The touchpad is good enough for work. Its smoothness is average but the accuracy is good.
The bottom plate houses four ventilation grills that are different in size, four grippy rubber feet, and two speaker cutouts. The heat is guided through a pair of vents on the back and two on the sides.
Ports
On the left, there is a 2.5 Gbps LAN, a prehistorical USB 2.0 port, a MicroSD card slot, and an Audio combo jack. The rear is home to a power plug, an HDMI 2.1 connector, and a 40 Gbps USB4 port, and a 10 Gbps USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2) port. Both Type-Cs have DisplayPort and charging capabilities (5 V; 3 A). The right side offers a Kensington lock slot, and two USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 2) ports (the latter supports the power-off charging function).
Display and Sound Quality, Get our Profiles
Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) is equipped with a WQXGA (Wide Quad Extended Graphics Array) IPS panel, model number AUO B160QAN03.H (AUOCDAB). It comes with a 165Hz refresh rate. Its diagonal is 16″ (40.6 cm), and the resolution – 2560 x 1600p. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:10, the pixel density – 189 ppi, and their pitch – 0.13 x 0.13 mm. The screen can be considered Retina when viewed from at least 46 cm (this is based on the pixel density and the typical viewing distance at which individual pixels cannot be distinguished by the human eye).
Viewing angles are good. We offer images at different angles to evaluate the quality.
Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.
The maximum measured brightness is 548 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 505 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of 11%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 6710K.
In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. The illustration below shows how matters are for operational brightness levels (approximately 180 nits) – in this particular case at 41% Brightness (White level = 181 cd/m2, Black level = 0.17 cd/m2).
Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work (a maximum tolerance of 2.0 ). The contrast ratio is good – 1070:1.
To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.
Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people on HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.
Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.
The yellow dotted line shows Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42)’s color gamut coverage.
Its display covers 100% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976, and 84% of DCI-P3.
Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature at 180 cd/m2 luminance (Illuminant white point – D65), sRGB encoding curve.
We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc.
Below you can compare the scores of the Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right).
The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light.
The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is enhanced with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale, and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.
Response time (Gaming capabilities)
We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa (these terms refer to the time it takes for pixels to change from one color to another (black to white and back to black in this case), a shorter time reduces picture blur with fast moving images).
We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 8.5 ms. Short pixel response time is a prerequisite for a smooth picture in dynamic scenes. Gamers should be happy.
After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude.
Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering)
Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the display is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.
Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42)’s display doesn’t use PWM for brightness adjustment. This makes the screen pretty comfortable for long periods of use.
Health Impact: Blue light emissions
Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.
Health Impact: Gloss-level measurement
Glossy-coated displays can be inconvenient in high ambient light conditions due to reflections. We measure the screen reflection level for each laptop when the display is turned off and the measurement angle is set at 60°.
The reflectance of the Acer Nitro 16’s screen is 71.4 GU.
High Gloss: >70 GU
Medium Gloss: 30 – 70 GU
Low Gloss: <30 GU
Sound
Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42)’s speakers produce a sound of very good quality. Its low, mid, and high tones are clear of deviations.
Buy our profiles
Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) configuration with 16.0″ AUO B160QAN03.H (AUOCDAB) (2560×1600) IPS.
*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].
Read more about the profiles HERE.
In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.
Office Work
Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.
Design and Gaming
This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.
Health-Guard
Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.
Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount
Performance: CPU, GPU, Storage
All benchmarks and tests were conducted with the “Turbo” preset activated in the NitroSense app. Also, the “Best Performance” mode is applied in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu and the “NVIDIA GPU-only” mode is selected in the BIOS.
CPU options
These are the CPU options – AMD AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and Ryzen 9 8945HS.
Our laptop has a Ryzen 7 processor.
Here, we evaluate the CPU's performance using a real-world 3D rendering task, assessing its ability to handle complex computations and rendering workloads efficiently.
Results are from the Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core test (higher is better)
Single-core performance ensures smooth operation and responsiveness in operating systems, providing a better user experience.
Results are from the Geekbench 6 Single-Core test (higher is better)
Multi-core performance is essential for handling complex and demanding tasks, such as Video editing, CAD, and Scientific simulations.
Results are from the Geekbench 6 Multi-Core test (higher is better)
GPU options
The GPU variants for this Acer series are GeForce RTX 4060 and a 140W GeForce RTX 4070.
The machine that we bought has an RTX 4070.
The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.
The results are from 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited. Higher is better.
Gaming tests
Metro Exodus | Full HD, Low (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Extreme (Check settings) |
---|---|---|---|
Average FPS | 172 fps | 107 fps | 53 fps |
Borderlands 3 | Full HD, V.Low (Check settings) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Badass (Check settings) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Average FPS | 143 fps | 128 fps | 116 fps | 103 fps |
Far Cry 6 | Full HD, Low (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
---|---|---|---|
Average FPS | 123 fps | 99 fps | 93 fps |
Gears 5 | Full HD, Low (Check settings) | Full HD, Medium (Check settings) | Full HD, High (Check settings) | Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Average FPS | 193 fps | 156 fps | 148 fps | 136 fps |
Our laptop has just one 16GB stick of RAM that works in single-channel mode. As you may already know, the AMD CPUs are always hungry for memory bandwidth and that’s why, in some CPU-bound titles such as FarCry 6 or Gears 5, the RTX 4060 in the Acer Nitro 14 (AN14-41) (with soldered RAM in dual-channel mode) can show higher FPS.
Storage performance
Our machine has a 1TB Micron 3500 MTFDKBA1T0TGD-1BK15ABYY. This a fast Gen 4 NVMe that gets toasty during benchmarking – 79°C.
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Temperatures and comfort, Battery Life, Performance presets comparison
Max CPU load
In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.
Average core frequency (base frequency + X); CPU temp.
AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (45W TDP) | 0:02 – 0:10 sec | 0:15 – 0:30 sec | 10:00 – 15:00 min |
---|---|---|---|
Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) | 4.97 GHz @ 52°C @ 74W | 4.96 GHz @ 58°C @ 73W | 4.89 GHz @ 65°C @ 74W |
Acer Nitro 14 (AN14-41) | 4.84 GHz @ 88°C @ 98W | 4.74 GHz @ 91°C @ 90W | 4.67 GHz @ 98°C @ 89W |
Acer Nitro V 16 (ANV16-41) | 4.78 GHz @ 70°C @ 64W | 4.64 GHz @ 67°C @ 54W | 4.51 GHz @ 74°C @ 54W |
Lenovo Legion Slim 5 (16″, Gen 9) | 4.78 GHz @ 92°C @ 123W | 4.73 GHz @ 100°C @ 119W | 4.59 GHz @ 100°C @ 88W |
Our Ryzen 7 8845HS of our Nitro 16 (AN16-42) can maintain rock-solid ~4.90 GHz under any kind of load which is great. The chip temperatures are also low.
Real-life gaming
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 | GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min) | GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min) |
---|---|---|
Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) | 2640 MHz @ 70°C @ 125W | 2640 MHz @ 72°C @ 125W |
Alienware m16 R2 | 2440 MHz @ 78°C @ 120W | 2427 MHz @ 84°C @ 119W |
MSI Stealth 14 AI Studio A1V | 2048 MHz @ 78°C @ 90W | 1981 MHz @ 85°C @ 89W |
Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (PHN16-72) | 2535 MHz @ 80°C @ 139W | 2503 MHz @ 86°C @ 139W |
MSI Sword 16 HX B14V | 2373 MHz @ 73°C @ 115W | 2372 MHz @ 73°C @ 115W |
MSI Sword 17 HX B14V | 2395 MHz @ 73°C @ 114W | 2388 MHz @ 75°C @ 114W |
Alienware m18 R2 | 2550 MHz @ 68°C @ 132W | 2550 MHz @ 72°C @ 133W |
Lenovo Legion Slim 5 (16″, Gen 9) | 2580 MHz @ 81°C @ 130W | 2580 MHz @ 86°C @ 132W |
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 (PHN18-71) | 2610 MHz @ 77°C @ 131W | 2610 MHz @ 82°C @ 134W |
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (16″, Gen 9) | 2535 MHz @ 74°C @ 129W | 2535 MHz @ 75°C @ 130W |
Acer Nitro 17 (AN17-41) “Turbo” preset | 2535 MHz @ 66°C @ 121W | 2535 MHz @ 67°C @ 122W |
Acer Nitro 17 (AN17-41) “Performance” preset | 2475 MHz @ 72°C @ 123W | 2475 MHz @ 73°C @ 123W |
Nothing to moan about the GPU stats during gaming – 2640 MHz and a 125W TGP and more than enough for playing heavy games.
Gaming comfort
The Acer Nitro Sense app is rich in features such as many power and fan modes. You can manually ramp the fans to ~5800 RPM which is noisy. The fans are slightly audible when the laptop is in an idle state because of the ~ 2200 RPM speed.
The keyboard feels relatively cool when the CPU and the GPU are working hard. The hot spot is close to the Space key and it nearly reaches 40°C. The ventilation grill above the board doesn’t get hot. The two zones in front of the hinges reach ~ 49°C.
The “Turbo” preset is for sure tuned for max performance and low CPU and GPU temperatures. However, the “Performance” mode boasts almost exactly the same processor clocks (~30 MHz less, which is nothing) and way lower noise levels.
The situation isn’t that different during gaming. Applying the “Turbo” preset leads to a stable 125W TGP. However, the “Performance” mode provides almost the same FPS since the power limit spikes between 115 and 125W. Again, the fans are much more tamed.
Battery Life
We conduct the battery tests with Power Efficiency mode turned on and all other applications closed. Here are the settings applied:
Battery Life Test Settings | |
Performance Mode | Eco |
GPU Mode | Optimus |
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh |
More than 11 hours of video playback is an exceptional result, especially given the 2560 x 1600 screen resolution. This is largely thanks to the efficiency of the integrated AMD Radeon 780M GPU.
Brightness: 180 nits; Display Mode: SDR
Time to Full Discharge: Higher is Better
Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance
To see the internals of this 16-inch device, you have to undo 11 Phillips-head screws. Hold firmly the two plastic vents on the rear and pop the panel to the level of the LAN connector. After that, use a thin plastic tool to pry the rest of the sides and the front.
On the inside of the bottom plate, there is a big dust filter for the two central ventilation grills and a dedicated socket for the battery that secures the unit in place.
This laptop is equipped with a 90Wh battery. If you want to remove it, pull out the connector from the motherboard and simply lift the unit away from the base. The capacity is enough for around 11 hours of video playback. To achieve that, you have to apply the “Best Power Efficiency” preset in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu and select the “Eco” and “Optimus” modes in the Acer Nitro Sense app.
The RAM section, the right SSD slot, and the preinstalled NVMe are covered with foil.
According to Acer, the two SODIMMs fit up to 32GB of DDR5-5600MHz memory in dual-channel mode. However, since the CPU can support up to 256GB, this laptop likely wouldn’t have issues running a larger amount of memory than the official manufacturer’s specified limit. A thermal pad beneath the foil also cools the memory module.
For storage, you get two M.2 slots compatible with 2280 Gen 4 SSDs. The Wi-Fi card is on the left of the battery.
The cooling is sizable. It features a pair of fans, two long heat pipes shared between the CPU and GPU alongside one more pipe for the processor and two additional ones that are dedicated to the graphics card memory and VRMs. The system is complemented by four heat sinks and two big metal plates, the taller one is on the GPU side.
Verdict
The Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-42) is a true gaming device with almost zero compromises. The big thermal system cools well the processor and the graphics card – their temperatures under load are low while the frequencies are high. Also, the keyboard gets just slightly hot which allows you to use the laptop comfortably for long hours of gaming. Especially if you choose the “Performance” preset which offers almost the same CPU and GPU power limits and much lower noise levels than the “Turbo” preset.
The snappy IPS display (8 ms pixel response times) is PWM-free and gets pretty color-accurate with our “Design and Gaming” profile (average dE 1.2). Given the 100% sRGB coverage and the high resolution of 2560x1600p, this panel (AUO B160QAN03.H (AUOCDAB)) is also suitable for content creation. We almost forgot to mention the high max brightness of 548 cd/m2.
The build quality is okay – you get a stable main body and a kind of spongy lid. The upgrade options are normal for the class – two DDR5 SODIMMs and a pair of Gen 4 SSD slots. The port selection is great – five USBs and an HDMI 2.1 – nice! The Nitro 16 (AN16-42) is a potent gaming notebook that is full of features such as a MUX switch, G-SYNC, long battery life, a great keyboard, and a competent cooling solution.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-nitro-16-an16-42/
Pros
- Great performance
- Covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut and has accurate colors with our “Design and Gaming” profile (AUOCDAB)
- 165Hz refresh rate + wide viewing angles (AUOCDAB)
- No PWM (AUOCDAB)
- Very high max brightness of 548 nits (CSW1437)
- MUX switch + Nvidia Advanced Optimus + G-SYNC
- Five USB ports
- Great keyboard
- Long battery life (~11 hours of video playback)
- Solid base
- The CPU and the GPU can maintain high frequencies during full loads (~4.90 GHz / 2640 MHz)
- Great “Performance” preset that offers almost the same overall system power as the “Turbo” mode and way less aggressive fans
- Very snappy SSD (1TB Micron 3500 MTFDKBA1T0TGD-1BK15ABYY)
Cons
- The lid could’ve been more stable
- Slow USB 2.0 port on the left side