Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47) review – still no sign of the real Ryzen 7000 series

Today, we have a very familiar device, which comes with a new, yet controversial processor inside. It is the brand “new” Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47). In fact, the Nitro 5 is one of the best affordable laptops on the market.

Our particular configuration features AMD’s Ryzen 7 7735HS. Now, the Ryzen 7000 series are super exciting, because AMD is again starting to lose its thunder against Intel. However, this particular processor is not anything different than a rebranded Ryzen 7 6800HS.

In addition, you get it with the RTX 3050 or the RTX 3050 Ti, both of which have a 95W TGP. To keep the price down, the graphics choice is limited to these two GPUs.

Another feature that will help you pick the best configuration according to your budget is the display. The default configuration includes a 144Hz Full HD IPS display, but the limit is the sRGB coverage. On the other hand, the 165Hz Full HD option will allegedly come with 100% sRGB colors.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-nitro-5-an515-47/

Contents


Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box

Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47) - Specs

  • AUO B156HAN08.4 (AUOAF90)
  • Color accuracy  3.3  3.4
  • HDD/SSD
  • up to 1000GB SSD
  • RAM
  • up to 16GB
  • OS
  • No OS, Windows 11 Home
  • Battery
  • 57.5Wh, 4-cell, 57.5Wh
  • Body material
  • Plastic / Polycarbonate
  • Dimensions
  • 350.4 x 271.09 x 25.9 - 26.9 mm (13.80" x 10.67" x 1.02")
  • Weight
  • 2.50 kg (5.5 lbs)
  • Ports and connectivity
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 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
  • HDMI
  • 2.1
  • Card reader
  • Ethernet LAN
  • Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax
  • Bluetooth
  • 5.2
  • Audio jack
  • 3.5mm Combo Jack
  • Features
  • Fingerprint reader
  • Web camera
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Microphone
  • Speakers
  • Speakers by DTS X: Ultra Audio
  • Optical drive
  • Security Lock slot
  • Kensington Lock

All Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47) configurations

#CommissionsEarned

Drivers

All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://www.acer.com/us-en/support?search=AN515-47&filter=global_download&suggest=nitro%205%20an515-47;1

What’s in the box?

This device comes with a 180W charger, some paperwork, and a nice black protective cloth.


Design and construction

With the Nitro 5 (AN515-47), Acer has produced a very solid machine. Yes, its lid is a little bendy, but the base remains really tough. Now, we have to consider the fact that this is an all-plastic machine.

Essentially, this means that the structural support inside the chassis is quite massive. Dimensions-wise, we are talking about 2.50 kilos of weight and a profile of 25.9 to 26.9mm.

With a design resembling the Intel-based Nitro 5 (AN515-58), today’s machine looks really appealing. Its lid can be opened with a single hand, while the bezels around the screen are thin. Well, with the exception of the bottom one. So, above the panel, there is an HD Web camera, which is not fantastic, but you can still participate in conference calls.

Here, the base looks quite well populated. It has a ventilation grill up top and a keyboard below it. Our unit features a Red backlight, highlighted “WASD” and Arrow keys, a NumberPad, and a dedicated Nitro Sense button. The board itself is pretty good for gaming, with its decent key travel and interesting feedback.

On the other hand, the touchpad seems a bit small for 2023, despite its accurate tracking, and fast response.

Now, turn the laptop upside down, and you will fund the speaker cutouts, as well as the ventilation grills. The hot air, respectively, is being exhausted through two vents on the back, and one on each side of the laptop.

Ports

On the left side, there is a LAN port, a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port, and an audio jack. Respectively, on the right, you get two USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 2) ports, while the back houses an HDMI 2.1 connector, a USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2) port, and the power plug.


Display quality, Health impact (PWM), Sound

Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47) is equipped with a Full HD IPS panel, model number AUO B156HAN08.4 (AUOAF90). It comes with a 144Hz refresh rate. Its diagonal is 15.6″ (39.6 cm), and the resolution – 1920 x 1080p. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:9, the pixel density – 141 ppi, and their pitch – 0.18 x 0.18 mm. The screen can be considered Retina when viewed from at least 60 cm (from this distance, the average human eye can’t see the individual pixels).

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 248 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 248 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of only 3%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 6810K (average) – slightly colder than the 6500K optimum for sRGB.
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 140 nits) – in this particular case at 57% Brightness (White level = 141 cd/m2, Black level = 0.12 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 – 1180:1.

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 5 (AN515-47)’s color gamut coverage.

Its display covers 53% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976.

Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.

We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.

Below you can compare the scores of the Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47) 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 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.

We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 26 ms.

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 backlight 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 5 (AN515-47)’s display doesn’t flicker at any brightness level. 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 are sometimes inconvenient in high ambient light conditions. We show the level of reflection on the screen for the respective laptop when the display is turned off and the measurement angle is 60° (in this case, the result is 76.0 GU).

Sound

Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47)’s speakers produce a sound of decent quality. Its low, mid, and high tones all have some deviations from clarity.


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 5 (AN515-47) configurations with 15.6″ AUO B156HAN08.4 (AUOAF90) (1920 x 1080) 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, Gaming Tests

CPU options

This laptop is sold with the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS or the Ryzen 7 7735HS.

GPU options

Graphics-wise, we were able to find it with the RTX 3050, and the RTX 3050 Ti, both with 95W TGP.

Gaming tests

Metro ExodusFull HD, Low (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Extreme (Check settings)
Average FPS100 fps48 fps23 fps

Borderlands 3Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Badass (Check settings)
Average fps75 fps59 fps46 fps

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)Full HD, Lowest (Check settings)Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)
Average108 fps83 fps76 fps

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon WildlandsFull HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, High (Check settings)Full HD, Very High (Check settings)
Average fps80 fps74 fps65 fps

[eBook Guide + Tools] How to MAX OUT your Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47)

Your Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47) can be Faster. LaptopMedia has tested thousands of models in the last 15 years, and we’re yet to see a notebook that couldn’t be made more powerful through modifications. And have you seen the most popular search on Google related to “how to make my …”? No? OK, here it is:

As you see, having a faster laptop is more important than having more hair.

Well, the main issue here is that there are thousands of advices on the Web. Some work, some don’t. Some are easy, some are complicated. Some are safe, and some are risky. If only there could be an Easy-to-Follow, Step-by-Step, and Laboratory-Tested guide by a proven organization, right?

That’s what we’ve done. We have hundreds of laptops scattered in our office, and we’ve spent a whole year testing different optimizations. We’ve chosen the ones that really make a difference, that are easy to implement without expert skills, and that are safe for your laptop in the long term.

🚀 What’s the performance boost I could expect?

There’s no general answer but we’ve reached more than 30% GPU Performance boost on some models, while typically it’s between 10% and 20%. You could always go beyond but we want to be sure that our advice will keep your laptop on the safe side in the long term. But you want to get the absolute maximum? We’ll show you how, and then it’s up to you.

We even set several World Records on 3DMark, one being our first Max Out for a specific laptop model – MSI Katana B13V.

We’d be happy to compete with YOU on the 3DMark rank lists, and see what YOUR laptop can do using our guide!

📦 What’s included?

📖 Our eBook includes All the tools you need, along with an Easy-to-follow guide for hassle-free:

GPU Performance boost by vBIOS replacement, Overclocking, and Undervolting
⚙️ Checking the hardware components and finding if you could get a significant boost by upgrading some of them
💾 Installing a clean Windows OS, with all the base settings you need
📋 Software optimization steps that really give a performance boost
Building a RAID Storage configuration for doubling sequential read/write speeds or protecting your data
🎯 Display Profiles bundle for a panel of your choice, enhancing the display for accurate colors, better experience, and protection of your eyes

🎁 To receive the Display Profiles bundle as a gift, simply email us your panel model through our “Contact Us” form.

💵 What is the price?

R&D on laptops isn’t easy nor cheap, especially when you’re not using cherry-picked review samples but real units instead. Our idea is to reinvest the profits from the sales back in our laboratory. However, we also want to make it a killer deal for everyone who is planning or has already spent on a gaming laptop, as this product would significantly boost the performance per dollar they get.

[eBook Guide] How to MAX OUT your Laptop

🛠️ GPU Modifications: vBIOS, Overclocking, Undervolting
⚙️ Building Fast/Reliable RAID configuration
💻 Hardware upgrade tips for best results
🖼 Display enhancing
💾 OS Optimization for best performance

✖ But if these optimizations are easy, why don’t manufacturers do them?

There are a lot of reasons for the manufacturers to put boundaries on your machine, locking part of its performance:

📊 Market Segmentation: To create different product tiers, manufacturers often limit performance. This allows them to target various market segments and price points, encouraging consumers to pay more for higher-performing models.
❓Unknown Potential: Each unit’s performance varies. Checking each one individually isn’t feasible.
🏢 Regulatory Compliance: Certain regions have regulations regarding energy consumption, and manufacturers often place some boundaries to fit all standards.
🏭 Supply Chain Constraints: Limitations are imposed due to the current availability of components.
🫰 Cost-effective solutions: Often, less popular but important details are overlooked. For example, better RAM types can boost performance by up to 30%, but many users ignore this, and many online stores don’t even provide that info.
🔒 Security concerns: Many protections impact performance while being negligible for regular users. However, manufacturers don’t know if their laptops will be purchased by individuals or large corporations, so they can’t disable these features by default.

 

Not a bad performance bump in terms of Storage Speeds:


What are the default apps that impact performance the most?

What to do when RAID drives don’t show up?
How to optimize Windows further for maximum FPS gain in games?

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 core frequency (base frequency + X); CPU temp.

AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS (35W TDP)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 min
Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47)3.94 GHz @ 73°C @ 75W3.86 GHz @ 77°C @ 70W3.87 GHz @ 85°C @ 70W

Since this is the “first” time we used this processor, we can’t compare it with anything. However, we are happy with the high clocks, adequate temperatures, and pretty impressive TDP values. The latter is double the base wattage of the processor.

Real-life gaming

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min)GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min)GPU frequency/ Core temp (Max Fan)
Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47)2018 MHz @ 71°C @ 91W2003 MHz @ 75°C @ 91W
ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (K6502)1755 MHz @ 70°C @ 62W1755 MHz @ 70°C @ 62W
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro (16″, 2022)1702 MHz @ 71°C @ 61W1695 MHz @ 73°C @ 62W
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (15″, 2022)2002 MHz @ 70°C @ 84W1985 MHz @ 72°C @ 85W
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i (15″, 2022)1910 MHz @ 73°C @ 82W1912 MHz @ 71°C @ 82W
Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-58)2021 MHz @ 70°C @ 94W2009 MHz @ 73°C @ 94W
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 (15″, 2021)1885 MHz @ 76°C @ 85W1866 MHz @ 82°C @ 85W
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i (15″, 2021)2004 MHz @ 82°C @ 88W1991 MHz @ 86°C @ 88W
ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 OLED (K3500)1605 MHz @ 69°C @ 49W1610 MHz @ 68°C @ 50W
Dell Vostro 15 75101729 MHz @ 74°C @ 64W1710 MHz @ 78°C @ 65W
ASUS VivoBook Pro 16X OLED (N7600)1576 MHz @ 68°C @ 50W1571 MHz @ 69°C @ 50W
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro (16″)1651 MHz @ 72°C @ 55W1636 MHz @ 75°C @ 55W
HP Victus 16 (16-e0000)1824 MHz @ 73°C @ 75W1814 MHz @ 73°C @ 75W1822 MHz @ 73°C @ 75W
MSI Katana GF661675 MHz @ 73°C @ 60W1660 MHz @ 78°C @ 60W1699 MHz @ 67°C @ 60W

Here, we see 2000+MHz on the die, which is fantastic. Pretty much, as fast as an RTX 3050 can go.

Gaming comfort

Well, we monitored a hotspot of about 40°C in the middle of the keyboard, which is pretty reasonable.

Battery

Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. This machine’s 57.5Wh battery pack lasts for 5 hours and 53 minutes of Web browsing, or 5 hours of video playback on a single charge.


Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance

This laptop is pretty easy to take apart. Undo all 11 Phillips-head screws holding its bottom panel to the motherboard. Then, pry the panel with a plastic tool and remove it from the chassis.

Here, we have a 57.5Wh battery pack. Interestingly, the battery is secured in place by only one Phillips-head screw. To take it away, just undo the screw, and unplug the connector from the motherboard.

As you can see, the memory is protected by a metal bracket. Undo the single screw, and pop it open. This will reveal the two DDR5 SODIMM slots. As for the storage, there are two M.2 PCIe x4 slots, both of which fit Gen 4 drives.

Cooling-wise, you get a total of three heat pipes, four heat sinks, and two fans. The graphics memory and the VRMs are also being cooled down.


Verdict

Year after year, Acer has been improving on the Nitro 5. Regardless of the configuration you get, it is always going to be better than the exact alternative from last year. This particular device is no different, with the exception of its processor.

Despite its wearing the Ryzen 7000 pants, it is actually an AMD Ryzen 6000HS in disguise – it features the same amount of cache, pretty much the same clocks, the same technologies, and iGPU.

Acer Nitro 5 (AN515-47)’s IPS panel has a Full HD resolution, comfortable viewing angles, and a good contrast ratio. Its backlight doesn’t use PWM, which makes gaming on the laptop for long periods of time, safe (at least in this aspect). Unfortunately, it covers only 53% of the sRGB color gamut, and the pixel response times are a bit slow. Not ideal, despite the 144Hz refresh rate.

Well, the battery life is not stellar. We got about 6 hours of Web browsing or 5 hours of video playback on a single charge. You will definitely need a charger by your afternoon brake.

By the way, the upgradeability is great with two SODIMM slots and two M.2 PCIe x4 slots. New technologies are not overlooked, and you can upgrade your memory with DDR5 memory sticks, and Gen 4 SSDs.

The port selection is pretty good too, with the exception of the lack of an SD card reader, and Thunderbolt 4. Fortunately, you can use the USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2) port for Power Delivery, and a DisplayPort output.

Also, the keyboard is super fine for gaming. It comes with huge Arrow keys, decent key travel, and clicky feedback, which sort of imitates some mechanical keyboards. For sure it is better than the Razer Blade 15‘s board.

So, should you invest in this device? Well, if you find a good deal – yes! But we would strongly advise you to search for the Nitro 5 (AN515-58). It’s Intel CPUs are faster, and provide a better battery life.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-nitro-5-an515-47/

Pros

  • 2x DDR5 SODIMM + 2x M.2 PCIe Gen 4 x4
  • Fast display options
  • No PWM (AUO B156HAN08.4 (AUOAF90))
  • HDMI 2.1
  • Great cooling and adequate performance
  • Good keyboard


Cons

  • No SD card reader
  • Covers only 53% of sRGB (AUO B156HAN08.4 (AUOAF90))
  • Average battery life

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David Iyob
David Iyob
5 months ago

Hello,
Can I upgrade an515 47 with hdd?