Study, work and play with this Acer Nitro 5 laptop, now $140 off

An Acer Nitro gaming laptop with a robot game playing on the screen
(Image credit: Amazon)

There are a wealth of back-to-school deals on laptops, but if they’ve all felt a little tame for you, this Acer Nitro 5 laptop is well worth a look.

Eschewing the sleek look of the likes of Dell’s XPS or Apple's MacBooks, the Nitro 5 makes a statement with its red keyboard, angular sides, and full-HD display. It’s got power to back it up, too, making it a very capable laptop for both work and play – and you can save $140 (that’s 15% off the MSRP).

If you're looking for one of the best laptops for coding or programming to take to school or college, then this is a fantastic choice that won't break the bank - especially with this discount. And because it's primarily a gaming laptop, it'll be ideal for your downtime too, letting you get a few rounds of Fortnite in around your studying... OK, more than a few rounds.

Acer Nitro 5 - was $929.99, now $789.99 at Amazon
was £929.99 now £789.99 at Amazon US

Acer Nitro 5 - was $929.99, now $789.99 at Amazon

Save $140: This gaming laptop has a 144Hz display and an RTX 3050 Ti GPU under the hood.

The 1080p display offers a 144Hz refresh rate, meaning it can run games (and any other content you may have) at high refresh rates for more fluid movement – and a competitive advantage in some fast-paced shooters.

It’s running Windows 11 right out of the box and has an impressively powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 inside. Alongside 4GB of VRAM and 8GB of fast DDR4 RAM and superfast storage (512GB), it’s a fast machine that will fly through work and let you unwind when the day is done.

Port-wise, the power cable goes in at the back, leaving additional room for three USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and an HDMI connection which means you can share presentations with ease. There’s even a lesser-spotted ethernet port for more reliable connectivity, although the patented ‘Killer’ Wi-Fi 6 chipset is in use, too.

There’s even an option to enable an Alexa mode that turns the laptop into an Echo Show, so you can keep an eye on the weather or ask the smart assistant for help with things. All of this coalesces into a powerful laptop that’ll help get through college tasks and set you up for all night gaming sessions, too.

User reviews are positive, with the laptop receiving high marks for its gaming capabilities, strong Wi-Fi connection, and high refresh rate display, although some have noted it could do with stronger speakers to make it an even better movie-watching experience.

If this doesn't look like the laptop for you, we've got a couple of guides to help you find the right one. Our best laptops for students guide is filled with reviews of the latest and greatest student laptops, while our student laptop deals page has offers to help you find a great deal.

Lloyd Coombes

Lloyd Coombes freelance tech and fitness writer for Live Science. He's an expert in all things Apple as well as in computer and gaming tech, with previous works published on TopTenReviews, Space.com, Dexerto and TechRadar. You'll find him regularly testing the latest MacBook or iPhone, but he spends most of his time writing about video games as Editor in Chief at GGRecon.com. He also covers board games and virtual reality, just to round out the nerdy pursuits.