At a look
Professional’s Score
Execs
- Wonderful efficiency
- Beautiful, giant show
- Nice gaming expertise
Cons
- Common audio
- Common battery life
- Requires subscription to recreation streaming service for AAA video games
Our Verdict
Gaming on a Chromebook appeared like an impossibility till now. Pairing the Acer Chromebook 516 GE with a streaming service like Nvidia’s GeForce Now yields some very spectacular outcomes. It’s a strong system with loads of efficiency on faucet, marking the beginning of a brand new period for Chromebooks.
Value When Reviewed
$649.99
Greatest Costs At the moment: Acer Chromebook 516 GE
There’s been a latest development of recent Chromebooks geared toward avid gamers. The timing of this may really feel a bit suspect, with Google closing down its Stadia recreation streaming platform in January 2023, however there are nonetheless loads of different nice gaming streaming companies accessible, plus a variety of Android apps that may run on Chromebooks.
Acer’s entry is called the Chromebook 516 GE, with ‘GE’ standing for ‘Gaming Version’. However can it go toe-to-toe with rivals on this rising sector? Right here’s the total Tech Advisor overview of the Acer Chromebook 516 GE.
Design & construct
- Light-weight for measurement
- Clear and good livery
- Chunky, however comparatively mild
The 516 GE is constructed for gaming, so it is smart that this isn’t considered one of your small and compact Chromebooks. The aluminium chassis measures 357mm x 250mm x 21mm and weighs in at a respectively mild 1.7kg.
All of this area provides room for the 16-inch IPS show, quad audio system, a full-size keyboard (replete with programmable lighting) and enormous trackpad. There’s additionally a good number of ports, into which you’ll plug a monitor, recreation controller, ethernet cable or many different peripherals.
Martyn Casserly
The Iron colour-scheme is cool and avoids the customarily gaudy designs we’ve seen on devoted gaming laptops. Two giant exhaust ports sit underneath the show, to assist dissipate warmth and maintain issues tolerable when within the midst of busy gaming classes.
Martyn Casserly
The moderately light-weight chassis and engaging livery, means while you’re not battling the advancing hordes, the Acer can lead the double lifetime of a typical Chromebook that wouldn’t look misplaced in a gathering. The 516 GE feels sturdy {and professional} with out killing your shoulders when carried in a backpack. Not a foul mixture.
The 516 GE feels sturdy {and professional} with out killing your shoulders when carried in a backpack
Display screen & audio system
- 16-inch IPD panel
- Quad audio system
- No touchscreen
Clearly, for those who’re severe about gaming then you definitely’re going to want a good show with quick refresh charges, and on these counts the Chromebook 516 GE delivers. Acer equips the system with a 16-inch LCD IPS WQXGA panel (wow, that’s numerous letters) that runs at 2560×1600 and includes a 120Hz refresh fee.
Martyn Casserly
The pin-sharp show has sufficient area to render the various shifting points of a AAA recreation but additionally the month-to-month figures from an Excel spreadsheet when it’s time to do some work. You gained’t discover many Chromebook shows which may pivot between gaming and work so seamlessly.
Colors are effectively represented – the show boasts 100% sRGB protection, so that you get extremely detailed tones. Additionally, the 16:10 side ratio makes it slighter taller than the 16:9 panels you’d historically discover on a Chromebook. Scrolling photographs are easy too, with the excessive refresh fee making certain you don’t miss very important parts when gaming.
Must you want to take your adventures into the backyard or brightly-lit rooms, the 370 nits most brightness ought to be nearly sufficient, however the 516 GE is unquestionably happier when inside.
You gained’t discover many Chromebook shows which may pivot between gaming and work so seamlessly
One draw back is that there’s no touchscreen on this Chromebook. Should you wish to play Android video games, this could be a little bit of an issue. However the thinner panel helps maintain the load down, and the principle focus right here is on recreation streaming companies, for which you’d join a controller anyway.
Sound comes from 4 audio system, with grilles positioned both facet of the keyboard and on the underside of the system. You will get some respectable quantity out of them, however the audio isn’t immersive. In comparison with the 3D impact on many devoted speaker programs, they sound fairly flat.
There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack although, so you possibly can join exterior audio system to enhance the audio, or pop on some gaming headphones for that immersive expertise.
Keyboard & trackpad
- Comfy keyboard
- RGB backlighting
- Giant trackpad
The total-sized keyboard on the Chromebook 516 GE could be very comfy to make use of, though it’s fairly gentle and does lack a specific amount of tactile response that some avid gamers could favor. I didn’t discover this an issue, although, and it really works effectively for each and gaming.
Martyn Casserly
One clear gaming-focused laptop computer is the colorful RGB backlighting, which lets you choose which color is displayed underneath the keys.
Acer has additionally added highlights to the surrounds of the W, A, S and D keys which are typically used for motion in video games. You’ll be able to’t arrange particular colors for sure keys, however having a non-white keyboard backdrop when gaming at the hours of darkness is fairly cool on a Chromebook.
Martyn Casserly
The trackpad is a wholesome measurement and responds shortly to gestures. You’ll most likely need to put money into a gaming mouse for those who intend to play FPS or real-time technique video games, however for day-to-day actions the trackpad is stable.
Having a non-white keyboard backdrop when gaming at the hours of darkness is fairly cool on a Chromebook
Ports, connectivity & webcam
- Loads of ports
- Contains ethernet and HDMI
- Respectable 1080p webcam
Acer has outfitted the Chromebook 516 GE with a wealth of ports that can be utilized to reinforce the gaming expertise.
On the flanks, you’ll discover 2x USB-C 3.2 ports, a 2.5G Gigabit Ethernet port (for wired web connections whereas streaming video games), a HDMI port (to show on a TV or monitor) and and a USB-A 3.2 port (for basic peripherals). The intensive port choice is among the key strengths of the 516 GE.
Martyn Casserly
The laptop computer additionally consists of Wi-Fi 6E capabilities and Bluetooth 5.2, so it’s about as updated as it may be. This could imply the system is effectively future-proofed.
The intensive port choice is among the key strengths of the 516 GE
The built-in webcam goes as much as 1080p and does a good job of maintaining the picture clear. It’s not the perfect I’ve seen, however removed from the worst. So, for those who simply need one thing for a little bit of video-conferencing, then it’s as much as the job.
Martyn Casserly
Specs & efficiency
- Intel Core i5 processor
- 8GB/256GB configuration
- Wonderful gaming efficiency
Chromebooks can typically include fairly primary specs, as ChromeOS doesn’t run that many native apps and tends to be focussed on web-based duties.
Acer doesn’t maintain again with the 516 GE, although, because it’s powered by a Twelfth-gen (Alder Lake) Intel Core i5-1240p processor with 12-cores. That is accompanied by an Intel Iris Xe built-in GPU, 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and a 256GB SSD. The dearth of a discrete GPU may look like a difficulty, however the glorious gaming efficiency suggests in any other case.
Making an attempt out the previous Android favorite Asphalt 9: Legends returned a fluent and visually pleasing expertise. There was no choppiness and my PS4 controller related to the Chromebook by way of Bluetooth to offered quick and correct responses.
The dearth of a discrete GPU may look like a difficulty, however the glorious gaming efficiency suggests in any other case
Signing as much as Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming platform gave me entry to extra advanced titles, the place once more the 516 GE proved a gentle and judder-free expertise. Google and Acer have teamed as much as provide anybody who buys the Chromebook 516 GE a 3 month free trial of the Final tier, so that you’ll be good to go right away.
It’s actually spectacular how far this know-how has are available in a short-time, with AAA PC video games rendering completely on a Chromebook, due to the heavy lifting being performed on the server facet by Nvidia GeForce Now. Other than the free-to-play demos, there was additionally new and basic video games you should buy, plus the choice to attach your Steam, Ubisoft, GOG and Epic accounts and entry your already bought video games (offered they’re additionally accessible on GeForce Now).
Martyn Casserly
Clearly, you’ll want a robust web connection to maintain efficiency ranges excessive, however the ethernet port does imply you don’t need to depend on Wi-Fi. Saying that, I discovered the wi-fi speeds to be quick sufficient to hold some graphically demanding video games with ease.
There was the occasional hiccup by way of buttons on the controller not fairly matching up with the instructions on a regular basis, however general the expertise was a really optimistic one. It proves that Chromebook gaming has lastly come of age.
To get an concept of how the Chromebook 516 GE compares to different fashions we’ve examined, I put it by way of a few of our common benchmarks.
Battery & charging
- Strong battery life
- No actual quick charging
Having nice efficiency is all effectively and good, but when the battery provides out after a short while then there’s not a lot gaming going to be occurring. Fortunately, this isn’t an issue for the Chromebook 516 GE – battery life isn’t spectacular, however nonetheless in step with many Home windows gaming laptops.
After an hour of stable gaming with FPS fashion video games on Nvidia’s GeForce Now service, the battery life had dropped by 20%. Which means try to be good for round 5 – 6 hours of use. Clearly, the truth that the gaming servers are doing a lot of the work signifies that the Chromebook itself can save on vitality, which makes it really slightly aggressive in opposition to extra highly effective Home windows gaming PCs.
Battery life isn’t spectacular, however nonetheless in step with many Home windows gaming laptops
In our commonplace video-loop take a look at the place we stream at 1080p with the show set to 200 nits till the machine dies, the Chromebook 516 GE managed an appropriate, if not overly spectacular, 5 hours and ten minutes.
Charging instances have been additionally respectable, with the system getting again to 21% in quarter-hour and 41% in half an hour. A full recharge was round 90 minutes although, so be sure you plug it in whereas earlier than you head out.
Software program
- Runs ChromeOS
- Streaming companies like GeForce Now work brilliantly
As this can be a Chromebook, the 516 GE runs on ChromeOS, the stripped-down working system that appears and feels fairly a bit just like the Chrome browser.
With this in thoughts, you possibly can’t run Home windows or macOS purposes, except they’ve an Android equal. Whereas the addition of Android apps does open issues up fairly a bit, they’re nonetheless hit or miss by way of with the ability to resize to desktop dimensions.
Martyn Casserly
However, so many companies now have net variations which makes it simple to get work performed, sync up your progress and usually use a Chromebook like another laptop computer. Google’s personal software program covers a lot of the bottom you’d get from Microsoft Workplace, with a number of of the apps working offline and loading up modifications while you return to an online connection.
As you possibly can see from the Nvidia GeForce Now service talked about above, it’s actually attainable as of late to make use of highly effective apps on a Chromebook with out even having to put in them regionally.
Value & availability
You’ll be able to order the Chromebook 516 GE straight from Acer in the present day, with US clients getting solely Intel Core i5 mannequin with a 8GB/256GB configuration for $649.99. UK patrons are taking a look at £849.99 for a similar mannequin.
However the latter even have a higher-spec model accessible to them, with Acer providing an Intel Core i7, 16GB/256GB mannequin for £999.99. There’s no indication in the meanwhile whether or not this variation will make it to North America.
As gaming Chromebooks are nonetheless comparatively new, there isn’t a lot competitors for the 516 GE in the meanwhile. Asus has its new Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip which prices round $869/£849, plus there’s additionally the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i that often retails for round $699/£599.
Verdict
Given the excessive costs of many devoted graphics, the Chromebook method of streaming video games slightly than taking part in regionally means you possibly can entry loads of AAA titles with out spending a fortune.
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE encapsulates this admirably. The show is giant, sharp and vibrant, the keyboard is comfy for lengthy durations and has the RGB backlighting, plus efficiency throughout all conditions is pretty much as good as you’ll get on any Chromebook at this worth.
However pairing it with a recreation streaming service like Nvidia GeForce Now takes the gaming expertise to the following stage. It’s extra light-weight than your common 16in gaming laptop computer, whereas battery life is sweet sufficient to assist an prolonged gaming session.
If you would like a Chromebook for basic use, there are many extra reasonably priced choices. However if you’d like a gaming Chromebook, that is the one to purchase proper now.
Specs
- Intel Core i5-1240P processor Dodeca-core 1.70 GHz
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics shared reminiscence
- 16-inch LCD IPS WQXGA show with 2560 x 1600 decision, 16:10, 120 Hz
- 8GB LPDDR4X Reminiscence
- 256GB SSD
- RGB, anti-ghosting keyboard
- Quad audio system
- HDMI 2.1
- 2x USB-C 3.2 ports
- 2.5G Gigabit Ethernet port
- USB-A 3.2 port
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Wi-Fi 6E
- Bluetooth 5.2
- ChromeOS
- 357mm x 250mm x 21mm
- 1.7kg
