Review: Acer Nitro V 16 AI

These preset fan modes are part of Acer’s NitroSense software, allowing you to balance performance, fan noise, and battery life to suit your needs. Performance mode is the default, but you can bump it up to Turbo to set the fans at max speed—and here’s where the problems lie. While these modes can get you up to 6 percent faster frame rates and cooler internal temperatures, they can also drain the battery in some games. Anything GPU-heavy, such as Cyberpunk 2077, will drain in both Turbo and Performance modes. Only in Balanced will the battery stay charged, which automatically switches on once the battery drops to 40 percent. Meanwhile, games that are more CPU-heavy, like Marvel Rivals, don’t drain the battery at all when plugged in.

All of this is bad. Acer should not be selling a product that can’t do the things buyers assume it should be able to do. If the company can’t ship the product with a higher-wattage power charger, I’d at least prefer if it disabled Turbo mode or added a notification to warn gamers when they game in a mode that’s losing battery. Acer isn’t supporting higher-wattage power adapters either, so at least for now, you’re stuck with what you get.

I don’t know if this is necessarily the end of the world. A 5 percent difference between Balanced and Turbo mode isn’t enough that most people will even notice, and many gamers may be turned off by the insane fan noise created in Turbo anyway. Balanced mode still delivers very playable frame rates, especially if you’re willing to use some upscaling. I have a bigger issue with it in the more expensive Nitro V 16S configurations, which cost more and aim for a more premium experience.

So, while the 135-watt power adapter keeps the Nitro V 16 from greatness, price is paramount on a product like this. The retail price of the Acer Nitro V 16 is $899, which is already cheaper than many of its competitors. At the sale price of $629, though, it’s much easier to overlook its issues.