The Raptor Lake-HX Refresh CPUs are already here and some of them offer more cores, bigger cache size, and slightly higher frequencies than their predecessors. The Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-72) relies on the abovementioned chips which means that the device boasts a serious amount of power - the top-end processor is the Core i7-14700HX with 20 cores and 28 threads. Our laptop has the same CPU - this is the best way to torture the cooling at max. In terms of graphics, the base GPU is the GeForce RTX 3050 (Laptop, 6GB), and the most powerful video card for this series is the GeForce RTX 4060 (Laptop). All display models are IPS units with a 165Hz frequency - this is a good start. There are two 1200p variants and one 1600p screen. That's a gaming laptop so it's not a surprise that it brings to the table goodies such as Nvidia Advanced Optimus, G-Sync, and a MUX switch. The I/O panel is full of ports, the upgradability is good, and you get Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.3 for connectivity - nice! As always, the NitroSense app offers much performance presets and a lot of options for tweaking. You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-nitro-16-an16-72/ Specs, Drivers, What's in the box Drivers All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://www.acer.com/us-en/support What's in the box? Inside the box, we found some manuals and a 230W barrel plug adapter. Design and construction The Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-72) looks very similar to the Nitro 16 (AN16-41) and Nitro 16 (AN16-51) but the device in front of us lacks the pink and blue accent lines on the lid which leads to a cleaner and mature look. Of course, the new Nitro logo is placed right in the center of the lid to remind us that it's a gaming laptop. The machine is entirely made of plastic and it stops the sacles at 2.45 kilos which is adequate for a 16-incher with snappy hardware and big cooling. The profile thickness is 22.7 - 22.4 mm. The lid can be opened with a single hand and you can also flex the unit relatively easily. On the other hand, the body is rigid. The bezels that surround the display are thin except the lower one which houses another Nitro insignia. Above the panel, you can see a dual-mic 720p 30 FPS Web camera with Temporal Noise Reduction. Beneath the screen, you can spot the long ventilation grill that is also home to the "Mode" key. The latter can bump the fans to their maximum speed or you can tune it for faster power preset changing. This keyboard and touchpad can be seen in many other devices from the same brand and that's good because the board is comfortable for both typing and gaming thanks to the long key travel and clicky feedback. The unit also has a NumPad section, full-sized Arrows keys, and a dedicated "Nitro Sense" button. No complaints regarding the touchpad - it's wide, smooth, and decently sized. The pad is also accurate. The optional 4-zone RGB backlight can be tuned with the aid of the Acer software. The sizable ventilation grill and four rubber feet can be seen on the bottom plate. The hot air is pushed through four vents - two on the sides and two on the back of the device. Ports On the left side, we can spot a 2.5Gbps LAN, a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 2) port, a MicroSD card slot, and an Audio combo jack. The back houses a power plug, an HDMI 2.1 connector, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports with DisplayPort and charging capabilities (65W). On the right, you get two USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) ports (the latter supports power-off charging functionality). Display quality, Health impact (PWM), Sound Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-72) is equipped with an IPS WQXGA (Wide Quad Extended Graphics Array) panel, model number AUO B160QAN03.H (AUOCDAB). It comes with a 165Hz refresh rate and G-Sync support. 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 (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 506 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 478 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of 12% (HDR Off). The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 6870K. 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 38% Brightness (White level = 141 cd/m2, Black level = 0.13 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 – 1030:1. 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 (AN16-72)'s color gamut coverage. Its display covers 98% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976, and 80% of DCI-P3, ensuring a super vibrant and attractive picture. 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 (AN16-72) with the default settings sRGB. 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 = 8.2 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 (AN16-72)'s display doesn't use PWM for brightness adjustment. 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 57.7 GU). Sound Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-72)'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 (AN16-72) configuration with 16.0" AUO B160QAN03.H (AUOCDAB) (2560x1600) 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 bg.laptopmedia@gmail.com. Read more about the profiles HERE. Performance: CPU, GPU, Gaming Tests All benchmarks and tests were conducted with the “Turbo” and "NVIDIA GPU-only" modes activated in the NitroSense app. Also, the “Best Performance” mode is applied in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu. CPU options These are the CPU options - Intel Core i5-14450HX, Intel Core i7-14650HX, and Intel Core i7-14700HX. GPU options The GPU variants are the following - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 (Laptop, 140W), GeForce RTX 4060 (Laptop), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (Laptop, 6GB). Gaming tests Assassin's Creed Valhalla Full HD, Low (Check settings) Full HD, Medium (Check settings) Full HD, High (Check settings) Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) Average FPS 155 fps 128 fps 105 fps 86 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 221 fps 156 fps 101 fps 75 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 262 fps 172 fps 142 fps 111 fps The optional GeForce RTX 4050 (Laptop) performs very well because it's complemented by a snappy CPU and memory in dual-channel mode. [eBook Guide + Tools] How to MAX OUT your Laptop 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 P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power Intel Core i7-14700HX (55W TDP) 0:02 - 0:10 sec 0:15 - 0:30 sec 10:00 - 15:00 min Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-72) 3.73 GHz @ 3.09 GHz @ 72°C @ 157W 3.69 GHz @ 3.04 GHz @ 85°C @ 157W 3.24 GHz @ 2.68 GHz @ 74°C @ 100W The 28-thread Core i7-14700HX is a serious challenge for every laptop cooling. The thermal system of the Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-72) is doing a great job here - the processor can sustain very high CPU clocks and power limits no matter the load. Real-life gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min) GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min) Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-72) 2655 MHz @ 67°C @ 92W 2655 MHz @ 67°C @ 92W Lenovo LOQ 15i (Gen 9) 2580 MHz @ 70°C @ 87W 2580 MHz @ 71°C @ 86W HP Omen 16 (16-wd0000) 2565 MHz @ 72°C @ 92W 2565 MHz @ 70°C @ 91W HP Victus 16 (16-s0000) 2565 MHz @ 68°C @ 92W 2550 MHz @ 69°C @ 92W Acer Swift Edge (SFX16-61G) 2550 MHz @ 78°C @ 95W 2548 MHz @ 81°C @ 96W ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA402 (2023) Turbo mode 2565 MHz @ 77°C @ 101W 2565 MHz @ 82°C @ 104W ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA402 (2023) Performance mode 2364 MHz @ 78°C @ 86W 2325 MHz @ 83°C @ 86W Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-51) 2520 MHz @ 67°C @ 92W 2520 MHz @ 67°C @ 91W MSI Thin GF63 (12V) 1735 MHz @ 69°C @ 45W 1729 MHz @ 70°C @ 45W The optional GeForce RTX 4050 can maintain rock solid 2655 MHz frequency alongside 67°C core temperature. Gaming comfort The center of the keyboard feels a bit warm during heavy CPU loads when the "Turbo" mode is applied. You can manually bump the fan speed to the maximum value of around 4800RPM which is a surprisingly low speed for a "Nitro" laptop. The fans are rotating with ~3000RPM in idle which is too high for normal work - just switch down to "Balanced" or "Quiet" and the fans will be tamed. The noise during gaming is alright for such a device (but can be on the limit for some of you). The "Balanced" and the "Performance" modes offer decent noise levels and close TGP values to the "Turbo" preset. 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 90.61Wh battery lasts 7 hours and 9 minutes of Web browsing or 5 hours and 53 minutes of video playback. To achieve that, you have to apply the “Balanced” preset in the Windows “Power & Battery” menu and select the “Balanced” and Optimus modes in the Acer Nitro Sense app. Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance To have a sneak peek at the internals, you have to unscrew 11 Phillips-head screws. After that, you can easily pop up the backside by carefully lifting it while holding firmly the two plastic exhausts. Don't push too hard because you can break the plate close to the LAN connector. Use a thin plastic tool to pry the left side, the bottom, and the zones around the Ethernet port. The battery isn't fixed to the base with screws because there is a dedicated socket for it with soft padding on the inside of the bottom panel that fixes the unit to the chassis. The battery here is a 90.61Wh variant. To take it out, detach the connector from the mainboard and lift it away from the chassis. The capacity is enough for 7 hours and 9 minutes of Web browsing or 5 hours and 53 minutes of video playback. Memory-wise, there are two SODIMMs for up to 32GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM in dual-channel mode. It's nice to see that the memory modules are additionally cooled by a dedicated thermal pad for each stick. For storage, there are two M.2 slots for 2280 Gen 4 SSDs. Our laptop has a pair of 2TB NVMes that work in RAID 0 and they are crazy fast in this mode. The cooling seems potent. It has two fans and a duo of heat pipes shared between the processor and the video card. There is another pipe for the CPU and two more dedicated to the GPU. We can also spot two large metal plates and four heat sinks. Storage performance Our notebook is equipped with two 2TB SAMSUNG PM9A1a which work in RAID 0 mode and the test results are great! The drives get a bit toasty during benchmarking - 71°C / 64°C but the temperatures under normal usage are lower. Verdict We are positively surprised by the Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-72). This is a device that has a few cons and many pros. The lid could be more stable but the base is solid. The keyboard is comfortable and the touchpad is smooth - good. The opening of the bottom plate is an easy job and you can remove the battery effortlessly because it's not held in place with screws. The upgradability is adequate - two SODIMMs and two M.2 slots for Gen 4 SSDs. Our two NVMe drives work in RAID 0 mode and the benchmark results are great. Speaking of which, our laptop feels responsive in any task. That's possible because of the big cooling solution. Thanks to it, the CPU can sustain high clocks under any kind of load and the same goes for the GPU. The manufacturer has also applied liquid metal to the CPU chip. Curiously, the max fan speed here is around 4800 RPM. It may look too high for some of you but in reality, this rotation speed is low for a Nitro device because most of them can ramp up the fans above 6000 RPM. The AN16-72 iteration isn't unbearably noisy in "Turbo" mode and that's a good thing. The optional 1600p 16:10 bright display (AUO B160QAN03.H (AUOCDAB)) is (perhaps) all you need for gaming. It has a 165Hz refresh rate and snappy pixel response times for an IPS panel. In addition, the panel is also suitable for content creation, it boats a 98% sRGB color coverage, and the average dE score of the color accuracy can be boosted to a 1.4 value when you apply our "Design and Gaming" profile. The battery life is decent at best with its 7 hours of Web browsing on a single charge. For example, the Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-41) can last 12 hours and a half with the same battery capacity. Yep, the AMD CPUs efficiency is on another level, if the manufacturer optimization is good. Still, the Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-72) is a potent gaming notebook. It has good port selection, color-accurate PWM-free display, snappy hardware, and a capable cooling system. You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-nitro-16-an16-72/