Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) review – Surprisingly Capable on a Budget

In 2024, the market is literally flooded with budget machines which is a good thing for end users who need inexpensive daily drivers. The Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) doesn’t cost an arm and a leg but this fella is also an entry-level gaming device thanks to the 40W RTX 2050 under the bonnet. The notebook may be not so costly but it’s future-proof because of the SODIMM and the pair of M.2 slots. The port selection is also adequate for the class. You can also choose from two 15W Intel Raptor Lake-U Refresh processors. They aren’t too thirsty and offer enough power to not bottleneck the modest graphics card.

The notable optional features are the keyboard’s backlight and the fingerprint reader. The 1200p IPS display is standard for all machines of this Acer series so all users can enjoy wide viewing angles during work. Yep, no TN panels – yay! For connectivity, you get Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. The dual-fan cooling solution is complemented by a lid with a lever design.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-aspire-16-a16-51gm/

#CommissionsEarned

Acer Aspire 16

Processor

Intel Core 5 120U

VideoCard

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (40W)

RAM

16GB RAM

STORAGE

1000GB SSD

Detailed review

£699^.99

View all results

Contents

Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box

Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) - Specs

All Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) configurations

#CommissionsEarned

#1

Acer Aspire 16

Processor

Intel Core 5 120U

VideoCard

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (40W)

RAM

16GB RAM

STORAGE

1000GB SSD

OS

Windows 11 Home

Detailed review

£699^.99

Drivers

All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://www.acer.com/us-en/support/product-support/A16-51GM/downloads?suggest=A16-51GM;0

What’s in the box?

We found the laptop itself, a bit of paperwork, and a 90W barrel plug adapter inside the normal-looking box.

Design and construction

The Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) is almost a carbon copy of the A15-41M sibling with its grey color, rounded edges, and a “hump” on the top of the aluminum lid. The base is made of plastic. The dimensions are decent for a 16-icnher with a dGPU – 1.88 kg weight and 16.6 – 20.95 mm profile.

You can open the lid effortlessly with a single hand and the hinges aren’t stiff at all. The unit rigidness is average and the main body feels even a bit more solid. There’s a slight flex beneath the Space key and Arrow keys when pressed firmly. However, this is unlikely to be a problem during normal use.

The top bezel that houses a dual-mic 1080p@60FPS Web camera with Temporal Noise Reduction is slightly more thick-ish than the other three which are for sure thin.

When the laptop is opened beyond a 90-degree angle, the base tilts upward, improving airflow and enhancing the cooling system’s effectiveness.

The keyboard with an optional backlight has a NumPad and shortcuts for fast access to MS Copilot and the AcerSense software. The key travel and the feedback are normal which is okay for home or office work.

The touchpad is decently big and it houses an optional fingerprint reader in its top left side. The pad’s accuracy and smoothness are average.

The bottom panel seems standard for an Acer laptop from this class. It houses a sizable ventilation grill, four rubber feet, cutouts for the speakers, and a battery reset pinhole. The hot air is guided via a vent on the back that is positioned close to the lower display bezel. During heavy CPU stress, some amount of heat makes its way to the screen.

Ports

On the left side, there is a power connector, a 10 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort and charging capabilities (65W DC-in), an HDMI 2.1, and a 5 Gbps USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port with power-off charging function. On the right side, you get a Kensington lock slot, a Gigabit Ethernet port, another 5 Gbps USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port, and an Audio combo jack.

Display and Sound Quality, Get our Profiles

Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM)	LP160WU3-SPD2 (LGD079B)
Diagonal	16.0 inches (40.6 cm)
Panel Type	IPS
Resolution	1920 x 1200 pixels
Max Refresh Rate	60 Hz
Aspect Ratio	16:10
Pixel Density	141 PPI
‘Retina’ Distance	Greater than or equal to 61 cm

Viewing Angles

Viewing angles are good. We take photos from different angles to evaluate the quality.

Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

Color Coverage

The whole “sail-shaped” map below (Fig. 1) consists of all the colors we can see, while the black crooked line shows all the colors from real-world scenes and nature around us.

Then, we’ve drawn some of the most important and interesting color spaces, compared to the colors the panel of Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) can show:

Standard/For Web: sRGB – widely used color space for most consumer devices, ideal for Web design and development
For Print: AdobeRGB – used in professional photo editing, graphic design, and print
For Photographers/Video Editors: DCI-P3 – used in high-end film production, post-production, and digital cinema
Premium HDR: Rec.2020 – the widest consumer ITU color standard, covering a massive 75.8% of the visible spectrum, a benchmark for premium HDR content

Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM): the yellow dashed triangle (– – – – – –) represents the range of colors this monitor can display.

In our tests, we calculated the total color coverage of the monitor at 58% of the sRGB color gamut and 44% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

(Fig.1) Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) covers 55% of the sRGB gamut

Brightness and Contrast

The maximum brightness in SDR mode is 335 cd/m² in the center of the screen and 321 cd/m² averaged across the surface with a maximum deviation of 10%.

The Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) on a white screen at maximum brightness is 6870K.

The contrast ratio is 1280:1.

Uniformity: Luminance, Contrast, and Color Deviation

The figure below shows the results from our uniformity test across different sections of the screen. It’s measured at 179 nits (Windows slider = 48%) — a brightness level we consider typical for standard working conditions.

DeltaE values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users. For those working with colors, screens with DeltaE values no higher than 2.0 are recommended.

Color Accuracy

Let’s check the difference between real colors and those you’ll see on the Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM). We measure that distance in DeltaE – the higher the number, the more different they look.

Values below 4.0 are acceptable for regular users, while values below 2.0 are suitable for color-sensitive work. A value below 1.0 means the difference is indistinguishable to the naked eye.

For the next graph, we’ve selected 24 common colors, including dark/light skin, blue sky, green grass, etc.

(Fig. 2) Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) in its factory condition

(Fig. 3) Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) with our display profile

Comparison in the sRGB color space (primaries and D65 white point specified in ITU-R BT.709, sRGB encoding curve).

Here’s an illustration of what the Design and Gaming profile aims to deliver:

Left: No Profile | Drag the slider to see the difference | Right: Design & Gaming Profile

Visibility in dark scenes

Have you ever watched a movie with dark scenes where you could barely see anything? This often happens because many display panels struggle to differentiate the darkest nuances, making them appear the same.

The next figure illustrates how well the display reproduces these dark nuances. The left side of the image shows the display with stock settings, and the right side shows it with our Design and Gaming profile activated.

On the horizontal axis are the grayscale levels, and on the vertical axis – the corresponding display brightness.

You can also check how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display 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.

We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 16.1 ms. Short pixel response time is a prerequisite for a smooth picture in dynamic scenes.

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)

Some use PWM to regulate their brightness, which means that instead of reducing the light intensity, they pulse or flicker. Our brain merges the image, so it appears darker, but this strains both it and our vision, especially when the frequency of the pulses is low. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

In the graph below, you see the intensity of light at different brightness levels—on the vertical axis is the brightness of the emitted light, and on the horizontal axis—time.

The light from the backlight of the Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) display is not pulse-width modulated, providing visual comfort in the discussed aspect.

Health Impact: Blue light emissions

Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates harmful PWM when the laptop uses it to control brightness but also reduces 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: Screen Reflectance

Glossy-coated displays can cause eye fatigue in high ambient light conditions due to reflections. We measure the level of screen reflection with the display turned off, at a 60° angle.

The reflectance of the Aspire 16 (A16-51GM)’s screen is 51.2 GU.

High Gloss: >70 GU
Medium Gloss: 30 – 70 GU
Low Gloss: <30 GU

Get our profiles

Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) configurations with LP160WU3-SPD2 (LGD079B), 1920 х 1200, IPS panel.

*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.

• $9.90 BUY NOW

Buy Now Checkout Added to cart

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.

• $9.90 BUY NOW

Buy Now Checkout Added to cart

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.

• $9.90 BUY NOW

Buy Now Checkout Added to cart

Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount

• $19.90 BUY NOW

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Sound

The speakers of the Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) produce quality sound. Its low, mid, and high tones are clear without any significant deviations.

Performance: CPU, GPU, Storage

All benchmarks and tests were conducted with the “Performance” mode activated in the AcerSense app. Also, the “Best Performance” mode is applied in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu.

CPU options

This laptop is offered with Intel Core 5 120U or Intel Core 7 150U.

Our notebook has a 150U CPU.

3D Rendering

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)

Intel Core 7 150U Acer Aspire 16

Check Price

539

Intel Core i5-12450H MSI Thin 15

Check Price

585

Intel Core i7-1360P Dell Inspiron 5630

Check Price

583

Responsiveness (Single-Core)

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)

Intel Core 7 150U Acer Aspire 16

Check Price

2765

Intel Core i5-12450H MSI Thin 15

Check Price

2226

Heavy Work (Multi-Core)

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)

Intel Core 7 150U Acer Aspire 16

Check Price

10159

Intel Core i5-12450H MSI Thin 15

Check Price

7268

GPU options

For graphics-heavy tasks, you can rely on the 40W GeForce RTX 2050.

3DMark Time Spy (G)

The results are from 3DMark Time Spy (Graphics). Higher is better.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (40W) Acer Aspire 16

Check Price

3516

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (35W) Acer Aspire 5

Check Price

3180

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (45W) MSI Thin 15

Check Price

3840

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (30W) Dell Inspiron 5630

Check Price

3072

3DMark Wild Life Extreme

The results are from 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited. Higher is better.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (40W) Acer Aspire 16

Check Price

7067

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (45W) MSI Thin 15

Check Price

7765

Gaming tests

Storage performance

Our laptop has a 1TB Micron 2550 MTFDKBA512TGE. This Gen 4 SSD gets hot during benchmarking but remains within normal operating ranges under typical usage conditions.

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Read more about it here:
[eBook Guide + Tools] How to MAX OUT Your Laptop

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🛠️ GPU Modifications: vBIOS, Overclocking, Undervolting
⚙️ Building Fast/Reliable RAID configuration
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Temperatures and comfort, Battery Life

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 P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power

Intel Core 7 150U (15W Base Power)	0:02 – 0:10 sec	0:15 – 0:30 sec	10:00 – 15:00 min
Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM)	3.98 GHz @ 2.90 GHz @ 82°C @ 55W	3.13 GHz @ 2.32 GHz @ 75°C @ 33W	2.90 GHz @ 2.17 GHz @ 73°C @ 28W

The Core 7 150U nears 4.00 GHz for the P cores and 3.00 GHz for the E cores in short loads which leads to snappy performance for light tasks. Even in longer stress, the frequencies are much notably higher than Intel’s official base clocks for this chip.

Real-life gaming

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050	GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min)	GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min)
Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM)	1275 MHz @ 65°C @ 36W	1371 MHz @ 66°C @ 40W
MSI Thin 15 B12U	1600 MHz @ 70°C @ 45W	1581 MHz @ 73°C @ 45W
Dell Inspiron 16 5630	1182 MHz @ 69°C @ 30W	1182 MHz @ 67°C @ 30W

The RTX 2050 can maintain a 40W power limit during long gaming sessions. Interestingly, the MSI Thin 15 B12U, equipped with the same GPU but with a 5W higher power limit, demonstrates a 210 MHz clock increase in gaming compared to the Acer model.

Gaming comfort

When the internals are pushed to their limits, the two fans produce an average amount of noise.

While playing games, the hotspot on the keyboard is close to the center and it reaches 50°C and the section of the bottom display bezel that is in front of the back exhaust hits 55°C. The WASD zone and the NumPad are much cooler.

When the processor is pounded with heavy loads, the clocks remain decent even in “Silent” mode. The other two presets offer a higher CPU boost at the expense of noisier fans.

“Performance”

“Normal”

“Silent”

It’s great to see that the RTX 2050 can sustain almost the same TGP of around 40W across the three power modes.

Gaming “Performance”

Gaming “Normal”

Gaming “Silent”

Battery

Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Best Power Efficiency setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 180 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. This laptop’s 53Wh battery lasts for around 7 hours and a half of video playback. To achieve that, you have to apply the “Battery Saver” preset in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu.

Video playback

Brightness: 180 nits; Display Mode: SDR
Time to Full Discharge: Higher is Better

Acer Aspire 16 53Wh

Check Price

7h 23m

MSI Thin 15 52.4Wh

Check Price

5h 31m-25.3%

Dell Inspiron 5630 54Wh, 4-cell

Check Price

11h 22m+54%

Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance

To open this notebook, you have to undo 10 Philips-head screws. Lift the top two edges with a thin plastic tool. While the plastic is still inserted into the chassis raise the zones behind the hinges with a lever tool. Then, pry the back, the sides, and the front.

Here’s how the bottom panel looks on the inside.

This machine has a 53Wh battery. To take it out, pull out the connector from the mainboard and undo the two Philips-head screws that fix the unit to the base. The capacity is enough for around 7 hours and a half of video playback. To achieve that, you have to apply the “Battery Saver” preset in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu.

The RAM section is protected by a metal shroud and you can lift it with a lever tool. The cap has a thermal pad on the inside. Up to 8GB of memory are soldered but on the bright side, there is a SODIMM for dual-channel mode. According to Acer, the slot fits up to 16GB DDR5-5600MHz RAM sticks.

However, since the CPU can support up to 96GB, this laptop likely wouldn’t have issues running a larger amount of memory than the official manufacturer’s specified limit. The Wi-Fi card is placed below the right cooling fan.

For storage, there are two M.2 slots. The one on the right is for Gen 4 SSDs and the other one is for Gen 3 units. After undoing the single screw that secures the NVMe drive in place, you have to push forward the plastic hook in front to release the SSD.

The cooling seems potent enough for a laptop with an entry-level dedicated GPU. It has a pair of fans, two heat pipes, one long top-mounted heat sink, and two heat spreaders.

Verdict

The Acer Aspire 16 (A16-51GM) is a good budget offer. The device feels responsive for everyday tasks or officer usage thanks to the capable two-fan cooling that allows the CPU to boost to around 4.00 GHz for the P cores and 3.00 GHz for the E cores in short stress. The frequencies remain adequate even in medium and long loads. The RTX 2050 can sustain 40W in “Performance” mode and 39W in “Silent” mode. Not bad Acer, not bad! The noise during heave stress is moderate and the keyboard doesn’t feel scorching hot to the touch. Still, the back exhausts blow hot air directly at the bottom bezels of the screen that reach 55°C.

The 1200p IPS display (LP160WU3-SPD2 (LGD079B) is good for the price class. That’s possible thanks to the 16:10 aspect ratio, the 335 nit max brightness, and the lack of PWM usage. The color coverage is unimpressive.

Aside from the soldered memory, you can rely on a SODIMM slot for future upgrades and dual-channel mode. We are happy to see a decent port selection and a pair of M.2 slots but keep in mind that only one of them is for Gen 4 NVMe drives.

The Acer Aspire 16 is capable enough for office work or light gaming. It has a PWM-free IPS panel, decent battery life, potent cooling, and good upgradability.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-aspire-16-a16-51gm/

Pros

• Adequate battery life given the modest 53Wh unit – 7 hours and a half of video playback
• Decent input devices
• Fair price
• Decently solid build quality
• Metal lid with a lever design
• Light for a 16-incher with a dGPU (1.88 kg)
• PWM-free (LGD079B)
• Wide viewing angles +335 nits of max brightness (LGD079B)
• Decent port selection for the class with a Thunderbolt 4 and an HDMI 2.1
• Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.3
• The fan isn’t too noisy during gaming
• The Core 7 150U can maintain ~4.00 GHz / 2.90 GHz P and E-core clock in short CPU loads
• The RTX 2050 sustains a 39W TGP in “Silent” mode and 40W in “Performance”
• Fast SSD for the class (Micron 2550)
• SODIMM slot for memory in dual-channel mode
• 2x M.2 slots
• 1080p@60FPS Web camera

Cons

• Part of the RAM is soldered + one of the SSD slots if for Gen 3 units
• Low sRGB coverage (LGD079B)
• The bottom display bezel gets hot during heavy loads

#CommissionsEarned

Acer Aspire 16

Processor

Intel Core 5 120U

VideoCard

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 (40W)

RAM

16GB RAM

STORAGE

1000GB SSD

Detailed review

£699^.99

View all results

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