TheBulletin.ca Journal of Downtown Toronto
James Careless —
The problem with most laptop computers is that they lack the oomph to match the performance of desktop computer systems. This means that, when you return to the office after a trip, you can’t wait to get back on your desktop to do “serious work.”
The Acer Aspire V Nitro laptop is an exception to this stereotype: It has the necessary brains and muscle to do the work of a desktop anywhere, and then some. In fact, the Aspire V Nitro is fast and versatile enough for serious gaming — thanks to its NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics card with up to 4 GB of memory, and the laptop’s 17.3″ Active Matrix TFT Color LCD full HD screen. This screen is as good for watching movies and online TV as it is for gaming. (A 15.6″ 4K screen version of this laptop is also available.)
The Gadget Zone
Acer Aspire V Nitro
Here’s the nitty-gritty: The 64-bit Aspire V Nitro comes with an Intel Core i7-4720HQ Quad-core 2.60 GHz processor, 16 GB of DDR3L SDRAM memory, a 1 TB hard drive and an 8 GB solid state drive to aid quick handling of data and programs. Collectively, these components are powerhouse computer equipment not normally found in a laptop, or even in many desktop computers. The Aspire V Nitro also has a DVD reader/writer, two Secure Digital (SD) Card slots, and a total of four USB ports; two for USB 2.0 and two for USB 3.0.
On the connectivity side, Aspire V Nitro supports both Gigabit Ethernet (wired) and IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wireless networking. It has stereo speakers, a webcam. and a microphone; the only thing it is missing is a touchscreen. The Aspire V Nitro is a Windows 8.1 machine that is upgradable to Windows 10. It comes with a built-inTouchPad in place of an external mouse, although you can always plug one in. The Aspire V Nitro even has a backlit keyboard, so that you can work and play even in the darkest of settings.
The only downside to the metal-encased Aspire V Nitro is its size and weight, because you can’t get a 17.3″ monitor into a smartphone. This laptop measures 1″ (25.4 mm) thick, 16.7″ (423 mm) across, and 11.5″ (293 mm) from front to back; and weighs about 6.6 pounds or 3 kilograms. For travellers, toting the Aspire V Nitro in a shoulder bag could be a problem. A properly-supported backpack or wheeled case would be better bets for travelling. There are also smaller, lighter models available with a 15.6″ display: They weigh 5.28 pounds, or 2.4 kilograms.
To my way of thinking, the Acer Aspire V Nitro is perfect to use as a desktop computer. If you prefer a desktop’s layout, you can always plug in an external mouse, keyboard and even an external monitor. Then, when you have to leave the office, you get to take along a laptop that doesn’t compromise on performance or quality.
One caveat: I would suggest connecting the Aspire V Nitro to either an external hard drive or an network-connected storage drive. This way, you can backup your laptop as you go, and know that all your files are safely duplicated at work whenever you take the Aspire V Nitro with you.
Find the Acer Aspire V Nitro here
