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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 is much more expensive and suitable for intensive gaming and engineering tasks with better performance, longevity, and larger screen size, but it's heavier, making it less portable. The Gateway 11.6" is budget-friendly and more portable, suitable for general use and basic tasks with its smaller size and lighter weight, but it lacks the high performance and advanced features of the Acer, which may be necessary for more resource-intensive applications. Consider your primary use-case and whether portability or performance is your priority when making your decision. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 5 15
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Gateway 11.6"
- Excellent portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.6
5.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
The Acer Nitro 5 15, with a high-performance CPU, ample RAM, a full HD screen, and dedicated graphics, provides a smooth experience for a variety of tasks, from web browsing to video streaming, despite its modest battery life and less portability due to its larger size and weight. In contrast, the Gateway 11.6" has a lower-end CPU, minimal RAM, a lower resolution screen, and lacks a dedicated graphics card, which makes it less suitable for multitasking and media consumption, although it offers better portability given its smaller size and lighter weight.
Gaming and AI
7.5
5.4
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.9
5.4
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.5
5.7
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for content creation, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.4
5.7
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for software development, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.9
5.7
15.6in
SIZE
11.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a better screen than the Gateway 11.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Nitro 5 15's screen has adequate resolution and brightness for daily tasks but may lack the wide color gamut necessary for precise engineering and design work, and its refresh rate isn't ideal for the smooth visuals demanded by gaming and 3D applications. The Gateway 11.6", with its smaller size, likely has lower resolution and reduced brightness, which can make it less suitable for any type of detailed work or prolonged usage. Neither laptop would be optimal for engineering, design, or 3D work given their screen limitations, but the Acer might offer a better experience for general use due to its relatively better screen quality.
Battery
5.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Gateway 11.6" has 8 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Fair
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
11.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.6 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 11.6" has excellent portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
5.1
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has good build quality, while the Gateway 11.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$800
$89
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $800 and the Gateway 11.6" costs $89.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the Gateway 11.6" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | Gateway 11.6" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$800 | $89 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | August 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 11'' x 7.5'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 2.6 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 11" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 7.5" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel Celeron N4020 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 4 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 64 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | Unknown | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 11.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 200 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 9.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 0 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 5 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2022
"The Acer Nitro 5 is a fast QHD gaming notebook. The Nitro 5 is a well-balanced gaming laptop for just under US$ 2400. A Core i7-12700H CPU and a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU enable QHD gaming at high to maximum settings, accompanied by fast PCIe-4-SSD (1 TB) and 16 GB of RAM. Acer delivers a solid QHD gaming notebook with the Nitro 5 AN515-58. However, the laptop is not completely free of shortcomings. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The laptop heats up noticeably under load, but not excessively. Noise development is on the usual class level. Once again, however, Acer needs to improve the fan control."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the Gateway 11.6"
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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