Acer Nitro L 16", Core i5-13420H, 16GB, 512GB SSD, RTX 3050

The Acer Nitro L is a budget gaming laptop with a solid RTX 3050 and a 165Hz screen. It handles 1080p gaming well, but the port selection and reliability are weak spots. Worth buying if you can find it near CAD 899, not so much at CAD 1,399.

The RTX 3050 sits at the 75th percentile for GPUs in our database, which is solid for a budget machine. The i5-13420H is middle of the pack at the 55th percentile, but it won't bottleneck the GPU in most games. The 165Hz display is a nice touch at this price, though the screen itself only lands at the 63rd percentile. The 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD both sit at the 37th percentile, which is fine for a starter gaming laptop but tight if you plan to keep a big game library installed. The 90Wh battery is generous on paper, but the 2.30kg weight means this is a desk-bound machine for most people.

Against the Lenovo Legion 5i, the Nitro L gives up build quality and port selection but can undercut it on price. The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is a completely different beast, way more portable but also way more expensive. The MSI Raider outclasses this in raw performance but costs significantly more. And the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro isn't even playing the same game, it's a creator machine that happens to game okay. For pure budget gaming, the Nitro L holds its own, but you're making real compromises to hit this price point.

The price spread here is wild. You can find this laptop anywhere from CAD 899 to CAD 1,399 depending on the store. At CAD 899, this is a genuinely good deal for a 1080p gaming machine. At CAD 1,399, you're getting into territory where better options exist. If you're shopping in Canada, hunt for the lower end of that range. The 4.5-star rating from early buyers suggests people are happy with what they got, but the small sample size means we're not putting too much weight on that yet.

The Acer Nitro L is a budget gaming laptop that gets the basics right. You get an RTX 3050 with 6GB of VRAM, 16GB of RAM, and a 165Hz 16-inch screen. That combo handles 1080p gaming without making your wallet cry.

But it's not all smooth sailing. The port selection is rough, reliability scores are near the bottom, and this thing is not compact at all. It's a chunky budget rig that trades polish for raw value.

Skip this if you need something portable or if you rely on a variety of ports. The compact score is near the bottom of our database and the port selection is one of the worst we've seen. If you travel often or need to connect multiple peripherals without a dongle, look at the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 or a Legion 5i instead.

If you want a budget gaming laptop that can handle AAA titles at 1080p without breaking the bank, the Nitro L is worth a look. It's best for students or first-time gaming laptop buyers who prioritize frame rates over portability and build quality. Just make sure you're getting it at the lower end of that price range.