[Back to school] Acer Nitro ProPanel review: the national gaming laptop is back and is it more beneficial?

Acer Nitro ProPanel continues to be the key representative in the national gaming laptop product range in the Vietnamese market. The "ProPanel" suffix assigned to this model by the manufacturer comes from the fact that it possesses a specialized display panel: color coverage reaches 100% sRGB, scan frequency up to 180Hz and extremely low response time of only 3ms. Part of the Back to School series, the specific configuration for this machine includes Intel Core i7-13620H processor, RTX 5050 discrete graphics card, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, with a market reference price of about 35 million VND.

Fluctuations in technology equipment prices are a reality that users must accept. The market has just witnessed a series of price increases of Mac models, with a difference of 3 to 10 million VND overnight. The mentality of wondering and waiting for a price reduction at the present time is almost a gamble that is sure to lose, the machine will only increase in price. Deciding to deposit money early, combined with Back to School season promotions (for example, gift codes with discounts of up to 500,000 VND for students) is the most optimal solution to own equipment for work and study in an economical way.

Performance

Analyzing processing performance, the Intel Core i7-13620H on the Base version is not the latest generation of Intel silicon, but the practical value it brings is still extremely formidable. The multi-core architecture of this processor ensures smooth computing bandwidth for all usage scenarios: from studying, intense office work, to entertainment with eSports titles and even AAA games. During the actual testing process, the machine was assigned to many different members to use for working, playing games, as well as acting as the main slide presentation computer during offline sessions. All system responses are smooth, with no bottlenecks. With an expected life cycle of 3 to 4 years for a university course, users need to fully exploit the performance of this processor to maximize investment value, and the Core i7-13620H is fully capable of handling those workflows. Of course, Acer still offers more advanced configuration options using the Intel Core Ultra processor platform for those who require a newer configuration.

Moving on to graphics processing capabilities, the RTX 5050 plays the role of the youngest brother in NVIDIA's RTX 50 series family, but possesses great technological advances compared to the RTX 40 series generation. This GPU cluster is equipped with a new generation Tensor core system, a new generation Ray Tracing core and exploits bandwidth from the GDDR7 VRAM memory standard. Although the TGP level on this system is limited from 60W to a maximum of 70W, and comes with 8GB VRAM capacity, the actual performance when playing games is still extremely stable. With eSports titles, this hardware handles everything extremely simply. However, a difficult problem will appear when setting up graphics in AAA blockbusters like Black Myth: Wukong or Cyberpunk 2077. The pure rendering power (Rasterization) of the RTX 5050 at TGP 70W is not enough to maintain smooth frames at the original resolution with high settings. At this time, the intervention of image upscaling algorithms using AI is required.

Actual experience shows that interpolated image quality provides a completely complete gaming experience for ordinary entertainment users. The difference from the original render is only apparent when you deliberately look closely at every microscopic graphic detail. Upcoming upscale technology updates promise to even more thoroughly overcome the remaining problems that the current DLSS 4.5 algorithm is facing.

Design

In terms of design language, this latest version has a more square and mature appearance than the 2024 generation. At first glance, the device tends to approach the design of a popular laptop.

However, the identifying DNA of the gaming laptop is still clearly maintained through the Acer Nitro logo, cut-out patterns on the A side, aggressive heatsink cluster and keyboard LED system. The entire case is made from plastic material, the downside is that it sticks to sweat and fingerprints during use.

The keyboard has not too deep travel but has extremely good bounce and feedback, and integrates a basic single-zone RGB LED backlight. The touchpad provides high accuracy, however, due to the plastic surface, it will cause a slight squeaking feeling when the user's fingers are sweaty or too dry.

Acer's peripheral connection port system is extremely generous on both sides: 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-A port, USB Type-C port, HDMI output, physical RJ45 LAN port and even Kensington lock slot. All connection needs from mouse and keyboard to output to projector and TV are fully met without resorting to cumbersome conversion hubs.

Display screen

The highlight that defines the name "ProPanel" lies in the 15.6-inch display panel with Full HD resolution. 180Hz refresh rate combined with 3ms response time are ideal specifications, satisfying all the strict requirements of FPS gamers. The screen maintains the traditional 16:9 ratio, making the vertical working space slightly narrower than the 16:10 ratio trend (which Acer equips on 16-inch versions with higher configurations).

100% sRGB color coverage ensures brilliance and color accuracy when surfing the web. This panel is more than capable of handling tasks such as designing final-course presentation slides and doing basic student projects. However, if your job orientation is professional graphics to make money, this system will need to be output to a dedicated discrete graphics monitor.

Battery

Regarding energy consumption, in standard office work, web surfing scenarios and completely disconnecting the RTX 5050 discrete graphics card (only using the integrated graphics processor in the CPU), the battery can maintain operation for about 3 to 4 and a half hours. In the actual test of continuously presenting slides at an offline event, the device must output images to a large LED screen with extremely high brightness, battery consumption is about 50% to 60% for a 2 to 3 hour working session. This result is understandable, because the production process of Intel Core i7-13620H cannot provide excellent power optimization like the next generation Core Ultra architecture.

Conclusion

Acer Nitro ProPanel is a machine that puts practicality first. Its ability to handle eSports games is indisputable (very good), while still opening up the opportunity to experience AAA blockbusters thanks to the new generation hardware system. In terms of working and learning tools, the machine is highly flexible, compatible with a wide range of professions: from communications, marketing, accounting (thanks to the physical numeric keypad), pedagogy, mechanical engineering to software programming. This is definitely a safe and effective hardware investment for a long time ahead. Those interested in the product can see more here. Thank you Acer for accompanying me in this article.