If the Helios Neo 16 is the more affordable desktop replacement gaming laptop, then the Acer Nitro 17 is the definitive budget option from Acer. The Nitro brand has always balanced great specs with a reasonable price point and 2024's Nitro 17 refresh is no different, putting it squarely on track to be one of the best cheap gaming laptops, if not one of the best gaming laptops of this year, to boot.

It's great to see plenty of affordable gaming laptops, which are sorely needed in this space as some can cost well into the thousands. Hopefully, any benchmarks in the near future will showcase how much this refresh has improved on performance.

Acer Nitro 17: Price and availability

The Acer Nitro 17 will be launching in the US in January 2024, with its price starting at $1,249.99 (around £980 / AU$1,860). Out of all of Acer's gaming laptop offerings, this is easily the most budget option, even beating out the Helios Neo 16.

There's no official word yet on launches outside the US - especially the UK and Australia - but we'll most likely see releases in other regions later in 2024.

Acer Nitro 17: Specs

Acer Nitro 17: Design

Unlike the Helios Neo 16 and Helios 18, the Acer Nitro 17 has a much simpler design, a plain black laptop with only the logo on the lid. A bit boring but considering the cheaper list price, a design choice that's entirely necessary.

The keyboard keys have that clear-ish border around them, which lets the RGB lighting shine through, a nice aesthetic touch that doesn't skyrocket the price. It also features a dedicated Microsoft Copilot key on the keyboard, one of Acer's first laptops to have such, allowing users to access Windows' AI features.

The port selection is fantastic and features plenty of USB Type-C and A ports, an Ethernet port, microSD, a combo jack, and more. Considering the price, it's quite the boon considering that more expensive gaming laptops will routinely miss at least one of these ports.

One of the only drawbacks is the weight and size of the laptop, which puts it squarely into desktop replacement territory. A bit strange since the specs don't allow for configurations for the Intel Core i9 or Nvidia RTX 4090, and yet this bad boy is a little over seven pounds. But considering that you get such a large screen in return, it's a trade-off that plenty of budget-minded gamers would be willing to accept.

Acer Nitro 17: Performance

The Acer Nitro 17 refresh means that its specs have gotten some spiffy upgrades, including a 14th-Gen Intel Core CPU and an Nvidia RTX 4000-series GPU, up to an Intel Core 7 14700HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, respectively. Though we don't have any benchmark test results to determine just how well these updated specs will translate into solid gaming performance.

Judging by the performance results of the previous Acer Nitro 17 (2023) and the Acer Nitro 5 (2022) with weaker components, the Nitro 17 (2024) with its current-gen parts should be able to handle just about any of the best PC games at max settings with little issue.

Acer Nitro 17: Early verdict

Though the jury's still out on performance due to a lack of benchmark test results, the Acer Nitro 17 should be able to handle any AAA game at high and maxed-out settings thanks to the upgraded specs. Combined with its budget pricing and you have a gaming laptop that's almost guaranteed to appeal to those looking for a more affordable desktop replacement.

Acer continues the trend of the Nitro being one of the best values in the gaming laptop market, and I hope to see reviews reflect that once it launches later on in January 2024.

The Acer Helios Neo 16 is one of several gaming laptop offerings from Acer in 2024, and it's really worth paying attention to, from what I've experienced in my limited time. Though the chassis is mostly unchanged from last year's version, the specs and display have been upgraded in a way that makes a big difference.

From what I've seen of it so far, it's an impressive machine that features excellent components and port selection as well as a distinct design that instantly sets it apart from other affordable products in the gaming laptop market. It could easily be one of the best cheap gaming laptops or even the best gaming laptops in general.

Acer Helios Neo 16: Price and availability

The Acer Helios Neo 16 will be launching in the US in March 2024, with its price starting at $1,499.99 (around £1,180 / AU$2,250). While not completely a budget gaming laptop, it's a much more affordable option compared to most of its competition, as many gaming rigs tend to be priced in the thousands at least.

There hasn't been confirmation of availability in the UK or Australia as of yet, though it will almost be certainly released in other regions at some point. As we get closer to the release date, that information will be made available.

Acer Helios Neo 16: Design

The Acer Helios Neo 16's design is similar to the 2023 Acer Predator Helios Neo 16, down to the text and decoration engraved on the back and the top of the chassis. The back of the laptop looks particularly striking with this clear plating over the metal engraved with Neo and other decorations around it.

There is one difference between the US version of the Helios Neo 16 and the models that will launch in other regions: the former won't have the cool lid design with engraved 'code'. However, the Helios Neo 18 model will have that in all regions it launches in. A bit disappointing, since it's such a unique feature, but the rest of the laptop is more than cool enough to compensate.

Though the Helios Neo 16 is a bit on the thicker and heavier side, thanks to its distinctive design it maintains an air of style and sleekness that few other cheaper options hit.

It has a great port selection that covers nearly any need and use you could have for this laptop. There's the USB Type-C and Type-A ports, an Ethernet port, HDMI, microSD, a combo jack, and more. The best part is that there are two USB ports for each type, a small but helpful feature that many other budget laptops lack.

The 16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) display boasts an incredible 240Hz refresh rate and DCI-P3 100% color gamut, giving users options to expand the use of this gaming laptop to creative and editing work as well. OLED would have been a great addition, but it makes sense to omit it to keep costs down.

As a nice bonus, its RGB-lit keyboard is full-size, which is a boon for those like myself who prefer one with a number pad. The touchpad is solid and responsive, which is all I ask from it.

Acer Helios Neo 16: Performance

Despite its affordable pricing, the Acer Helios Neo 16 sports some impressive specs. It features 14th-Gen CPUs and Nvidia RTX 4000-series GPUs, up to an Intel Core 9 14900HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070. There's also the choice to configure this laptop with up to 32GB LPDDR5 RAM and 2TB PCIe 4 SSD in RAID 0 storage.

While we haven't had the chance to benchmark this machine yet to find out the true scale of its gaming performance, its specs should translate into some serious power. Meanwhile, the ventilation system sounds impressive on paper, with a cooling fan system, liquid metal thermal grease, and vector heat pipes. But we have to see it in action to determine how effective it is in keeping the Helios Neo 16 properly cool.

Acer Helios Neo 16: Early verdict

The Acer Helios Neo 16 is one of my favorite gaming laptops to come out of CES 2024, because it sports excellent specs, a robust port selection, fantastic display, all packaged in one of the most eye-catching chassis designs around. The fact that it's a refresh of an existing product instead of a brand-new gaming laptop makes it even more surprising.

The price is easily the sweetest part of the Helios Neo 16, as affordably priced products in the gaming laptop market are unfortunately rare to come across, especially ones with current-gen specs.

Hopefully, its gaming and general performance will speak for itself once it comes time for more in-depth reviews.

Dell continues to overhaul its products' designs, and the Alienware m16 R2 refresh is no exception. The new design has a noticeably smaller chassis, making it more portable, and the gaming laptop has been upgraded with new specs and a reworked ventilation system. 

When I first saw the new Alienware m16 R2 against last year's model, I was shocked at how drastic the difference in size was. And beyond that, there were several other design points added to the latest version, as well as the spec upgrades.

From what I saw, this gaming laptop looks quite impressive and will definitely be a more managable beast that will still deliver on power and performance. It could even be one of the best gaming laptops around.

Alienware m16 R2: price and availability

Revealed at CES 2024, the Alienware m16 R2 is set to launch January 11 in the US and in Canada, with an entry-level model starting at $1,499, though more powerful models will be around the $1,649 mark, with more options to come in the first quarter of 2024. 

At the time of writing, we don't have any UK or Australian pricing, but going by the US numbers we expect the new m16 R2 to have similar pricing to its predecessor. 

Overall, such prices seem rational for the specs (see below) the m16 R2 offers. And, as I was told by a Dell rep, the decision to only go up to a GeForce RTX 4070 was made to keep the pricing a bit more reasonable for potential buyers, with other laptops like the Alienware x16 R2 having the GeForce RTX 4080 and GeForce RTX 4090 options instead. But Alienware will likely face strong competition from other big gaming laptop makers like Asus, MSI and Acer, when it comes to making powerful yet compact machines. 

Alienware m16 R2: specs

Here are the specs for the Alienware m16 R2 at a glance. 

Alienware m16 R2: design

The first and most obvious change to the Alienware m16 R2 is its size, which has been reduced by 15%, mainly due to the removal of an overly large and bulky ventilation system that stuck out of the back of its predecessor. As a result, the ventilation system had be completely overhauled with a new Alienware Cryo-tech thermal system being implemented in its place. While it's not as effective as the larger older system, Dell says it still works well in keeping the machine cool.

There's also an interesting feature that the screen can flatten down to 180 degrees. It can't rotate the full 360 degrees like a 2-in-1 laptop to become a tablet, but this feature could help to prevent hinge strain by allowing you to push back the screen that bit further. 

The keyboard is broadly the same as before, but by removing the chunky rear cooling, Alienware was able to push the display further back and thus serve up more room on the keyboard desk, resulting in a larger trackpad flanked by Alienware FX lighting. 

There's also has a new 'Stealth Mode' that can quickly switch from loud RGB colors to a subtle white; this'll likely be handy for people who want to use the M16 R2 for work as well as play. However, instead of using the Cherry MX switches that previous models like the Alienware m18 featured, it instead uses Alienware's own switches, similar to the Alienware Pro Wireless keyboard.

The display has a 16-inch QHD+ panel, so keeps the screen space of its predecessor despite the slimmer size. It also boasts a 240Hz refresh rate, which guarantees smooth and stutter-free gameplay for the more hardcore gamers; just bear in mind you'll need to tweak the settings of very demanding games to get the frame rates needed to take advantage of the highest refresh rates.

The Alienware m16 R2's port selection is quite generous, as despite the slimmer overall footprint, the laptop still has room for an Ethernet port that's handy for people aiming to use it as potentially a desktop replacement machine, where being able to plug in a Ethernet cable is vital for ensuring a stronger internet connection.

Alienware m16 R2: performance

Once the benchmarks come out, and we put the laptop to the test ourselves, we'll have a complete understanding of the kind of performance that the Alienware m16 R2 is capable of. But judging by the use of the Intel Core Ultra CPUs and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000-series GPUs in general, this laptop is going to be an absolute beast. Powering all of this is a 240W GaN charger.

The move to the latest RTX graphics cards also mean the m16 R2 can tap into Nvidia's newest DLSS 3.5 upscaling tech, which can cleverly render games at lower resolutions and then use upmixing to deliver visuals that look very close to the native high resolution of the laptop's display without taking the performance hit. 

With up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of SSD storage, the m16 R2 could be a great machine for so-called content creators, with the specs and performance window likely to easily power through video rendering. For pure gaming, such a high amount of RAM might be overkill. As an aside, the RAM and SSD are user upgradable, should you get a lesser-specced model and then want to upgrade at a later date. 

The aforementioned Stealth Mode, which is activated by the 'Fn' + 'F2' combo, also sets the performance mode to Quiet. It's a very handy shortcut that allows you to use your gaming laptop outside without the fans ramping up to do a passable impression of a jet engine.

Dell has also beefed up its webcam, with FHD resolution. It's nice to see a gaming laptop take its built in webcam serious, as its usually a weakness of most gaming machines. Hopefully it works well even in poor or normal lighting.

Alienware m16 R2: early verdict

The Alienware m16 R2 is a promising refresh of last year's model, with a major decrease in its chassis size that still preserves its 16-inch display. The display is excellent with a very high refresh rate, there's a solid port selection, the keyboard has great feedback on its switches, and Alienware has added other quality of life features. 

For those looking for a great desktop replacement or just a powerful yet reasonably compact gaming laptop, the Alienware m16 R2 is shaping up to be a top choice, especially as it manages to shave off unnecessary mass and weight to make it easier to transport without the need to compromise on high-end specs. 

In short, the Alienware m16 R2 is an example of a well done refresh meets redesign that enhances without detracting from what makes the product well liked in the first place. We'll need to fully test the m16 R2 to see if these tweaks have proved to be effective, so stay tuned for our review. 

Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14: Two-minute review

Lenovo has been on a roll in 2023 with plenty of affordable gaming laptop options, and the Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14 is the latest one of the bunch. A sleek, stainless steel-looking finish with the logo machine-carved into it, it’s a very simple yet distinctive aesthetic that stands out from the traditional black-colored crowd. 

It’s on the slimmer side compared to some other laptops, but when looking at the Razer Blade 14 or the Origin EON 16SL, it’s harder to place this machine under the best thin and light gaming laptops, though it could easily net a spot on best cheap gaming laptops. That said, thanks to its very lightweight and 14-inch display, it really is a portable machine that can easily fit into most bags without weighing them down.

As with most other Lenovo gaming laptops, the majority of the port selection is located in the back, which can be inconvenient for some as it requires a bit of reach. Thankfully the back ports are labeled with icons to make locating them easier. 

The major benefit to using three sides for ports is a robust port selection that includes two USB Type-A ports, two USB Type-C ports, an HDMI port, an SD card reader, an audio combo jack, an e-shutter for the webcam, and a charging port. However, it’s disappointing to see an ethernet port missing from the bunch, which is bizarre considering that there was plenty of space to put it in the back.

Opening the laptop up, we have the standard Lenovo laptop keyboard and touchpad, which is certainly not a bad thing. The keys are well-sized and well-spaced with a satisfying snap while the touchpad is responsive and just as snappy as the keyboard. There’s a soft white backlight for late-night typing, a more subtle option compared to the glare of RGB.

The specs are solid with an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU, up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB of storage, and a lovely 14-inch WQXGA+ 120Hz IPS (2880 x 1800p) display. There’s a nice balance between what gives solid performance but which also keeps the pricing more budget-minded. 

As a result, we have some quite competitive benchmark scores that nearly match what the best gaming laptops with a much higher pricetag put out, which has been something that Lenovo’s also mastered this generation. And general performance with the best PC games nets some truly impressive results.

Sound quality is also pretty solid, especially since the speaker is located above the keyboard. Audio is clear whether you’re streaming movies, listening to music, or gaming, and at high volumes the sounds don’t lose too much. The webcam is 1080p but is of average-at-best quality, requiring great lighting for a clearer image. It comes with a physical e-shutter, which is excellent for safety and should be standard on any laptop. All in all, this is a very solid win for Lenovo–and any gamer on a budget, for that matter.

Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? Starting at $1,439.99 / £1,399.99 (including VAT) / AU$2,949
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

Pricing is quite good for the Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14, starting out at $1,439.99 / £1,399.99 (including VAT) / AU$2,949 though, at the time of this writing, there’s a discount making it about $200 cheaper. My review unit is a bit pricier at $1,634.99 / £1,630 (including VAT) / AU$2,998 thanks to the RTX 4060 replacing the RTX 4050 in the base configuration. The most expensive configuration will run you $1,884.99 / £1,780 (including VAT) / AU$3,397, which is still lower than a lot of competing gaming laptops, thanks to keeping the RTX 4060.

The UK version has similar pricing to the US, though there’s an interesting difference in that you can opt for no operating system, which saves you £90 off the cheapest configuration. And the Australian version doesn’t come with that option, like the US.

The Legion 5 Slim 14 compares best in price with the Origin EON 16SL starting at $1,949 / £1,763.64 (around AU$3,050) and one of Lenovo’s other offerings, the Lenovo Legion 5i (2022) starting at $1,099.99 / £1,293.49 / AU$2,349. The latter is a truly budget option while the former offers similar specs and pricing, really boiling down to which aesthetics you prefer.

• Price score: 5 / 5

Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14: Specs

The review unit I received comes with the following configuration: an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB of storage, and a 14-inch WQXGA+ 120Hz IPS (2880 x 1800) display.

The Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14 doesn’t come in separate models, allowing buyers to somewhat configure the CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage space. The US and Australian versions let you choose between 16GB and 32GB of RAM, while the UK model only has 16GB. Another oddity with the Australian version is that if you choose the Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU, then you can only choose the 16GB RAM option.

• Specs score: 4.5 / 5

Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14: Design

• Solid port selection
• Excellent display
• Great keyboard and touchpad

Lenovo tends to use a stainless steel-type look for most of its gaming machines, with the manufacturer's logo machine-carved into the side. It gives the laptops a very distinctive and appealing aesthetic, which really works to stand out against the sea of boring black laptops that gamers so often get saddled with. 

Though it says Slim in the name, it doesn’t look very thin compared to other laptops in that particular market, though the weight and 14-inch display size make up for it as it’s quite manageable carrying it around.

Port selection is solid, including two USB Type-A ports, two USB Type-C ports, an HDMI port, an SD card reader, an audio combo jack, an e-shutter for the webcam, and a charging port. 

Pretty much every option except for an ethernet port, which makes little sense both because it’s a gaming laptop and a stable internet connection is paramount to competitive play, as well as the fact that it has ports on the back and plenty of space there to stick an extra port there.

Its display is the crowning 14-inch jewel with WQXGA+ 2.8K (2880 x 1800) resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, with up to 500 nits of brightness, 100%DCI-P3 color gamut, and HDR support. The result is a screen that showcases any game with a lovely depth of color and brightness. The color gamut also means that creatives can use this laptop effectively.

The keyboard is the same reliable Lenovo one, meaning wide keys that have a nice snappiness and a white backlight that’s much easier on the eyes while still useful for late-night typing. The trackpad is also the same quality type, with an equally snappy feel and high responsiveness.

Unfortunately, the webcam is also more of the same, needing work office-level lighting to make your image look good. It’s fine for conference calls but grab one of the best webcams if you need to stream. 

The sound quality is also very good thanks to the speaker located above the keyboard, allowing you to hear the various layers of instrumental music, as well as vocals, and sound design. Ideal for gaming for sure.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14: Performance

• Solid all-around performance
• Doesn't play nice with ray tracing

General performance is impressive, especially for its cheaper price point. Benchmark scores are comparable to more expensive gaming laptops including for 3DMark, PCMark10, Cinebench, and Geekbench. It shows that you don’t need tricked out specs in order to deliver great performance and that affordable laptops can offer a lot to even more hardcore and professional gamers.

Its results in non-gaming benchmarks like the 25GB File Copy, Handbrake, and Crossmark tests are quite good, pairing well with its high color gamut. Creatives can rest assured that they’ll be able to double this laptop as an editing and creative machine.

The AMD CPU gives the Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14 an edge in terms of more CPU-heavy tasks, while the RTX 4060 runs even AAA games at high settings like a dream. If you need ray tracing and resolutions higher than 1080p, you need to prepare for those framerates to drop significantly, with the worst offender being Cyberpunk 2077.

Ventilation is solid between productivity work and normal gaming sessions, though not as excellent as I would have expected considering how much Lenovo brags about the cooling system. According to the manufacturer, it features phase-change thermal compounds, hybrid copper heat pipes, air intake and exhaust systems, and a 12V dual liquid crystal polymer fan system. But temperatures can still get quite a bit hot on the underside.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14: Battery

• Works well with normal use
• Not so much with video streaming

The battery life is very interesting, as it scored very well on the web surfing testing, nearly netting eight hours. I also found that it lasts for about seven hours when using it for daily productivity work. 

However, on the TechRadar movie test, it managed only four and a half hours. Extremely inconsistent results on opposite ends, though still better than most other gaming laptops.

• Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14: Also consider

If my Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14 review has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...

How I tested the Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14

• I tested this laptop for about two weeks
• I tested the gaming performance as well as productivity work
• I used a variety of benchmark tests as well as high-end PC games to test this laptop.

To test out the Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14 I used a full suite of benchmarks to rank both CPU and GPU performance, with more emphasis on the latter. I also tested out frame rate performance on max settings with a range of high-end PC games like Cyberpunk 2077, Dirt 5,  Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, and more.

This laptop would primarily be used for gaming, specifically hardcore gaming. Due to its GPU and high color gamut, it can also be used for creative and editing projects, and its CPU means that productivity work is a breeze as well.

I’ve tested out many laptops, especially gaming ones, which gives me plenty of experience with properly benchmarking them. I also have extensive knowledge of testing out general performance such as framerate and graphics.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2023