With all that When people talk about the artificial intelligence capabilities of Intel’s new Core Ultra CPUs, it’s easy to forget that AMD has also been busy with AI. AMD has been equipping many of its Ryzen processors with Neural Processing Units (NPUs) since mid-2023 and has been continuously expanding its AI offering since then.
Acer’s latest gaming laptop Nitro 17 (model number AN17-42-R9TH) is based on an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, which is at the top of AMD’s product line. If you’re working with AI on the desktop, you’ll probably bypass the CPU entirely. With the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics processor in the Nitro 17, everything from gaming to AI imaging gets a significant boost. Apart from the processors, Acer isn’t exactly pushing the limits when it comes to equipment: 16 GB of RAM and a 1 terabyte solid-state drive are more or less entry-level options today.
That’s exactly what’s under the hood. On the outside, the Nitro 17 is exactly what you’d probably expect, with a 17.3-inch screen (resolution limited to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels), an impressive 34 millimeters thick, and weighing in at over 6.3 pounds. It’s the heaviest, thickest laptop I’ve tested since 2018, and that’s without the power brick (still a full pound).
Photo: Acer
This laptop was designed for gamers – 90s gamers, I guess, but gamers nonetheless. There are sharp, angled corners at every angle. The screen is about an inch from the back of the laptop, resting on a small bump that feels like a separate device screwed to the top of the chassis. It’s mostly the same design as 2023, aside from a few graphic flourishes.
Housed on a slanted shelf, the responsive keyboard features color backlighting with four adjustable zones and a variety of modes that roll colors across the keys in different patterns. There’s a full-size numeric keypad and arrow keys, as well as custom keys like a Copilot key and a Nitro key, which launches Acer’s NitroSense software, allowing you to optimize every aspect of the laptop experience. Above the keyboard is a dedicated button that lets you switch between four performance modes, from Quiet to Turbo, exactly as they sound.
A tour of the sides and back of the laptop reveals numerous ports, including two USB-C ports – one USB 3.2, one USB 4 – an HDMI jack, a microSD card slot, a full-size Ethernet adapter and three USB-C ports. A ports – one USB 3.2 and one USB 2.0. I can’t explain why there’s a crusty old USB 2.0 port on the device, but with so many connection options it probably doesn’t matter much. Much of the remaining space around the edges has various vents and grilles for the two exhaust fans. When they are running, i.e. whenever the machine is under moderate load, they can get a bit loud, although I have seen many louder machines in recent years. I expected more from the device’s speakers, although they are fine for casual entertainment and gaming.