Performance Expectations for Acer Nitro AN517-51

teddies on 26/02/2025 - 16:58

Hi Oz B,
I purchased a Acer Nitro AN517-51 in 2020. It allowed me to do some casual photo and graphics editing as well as to game every so often (very casually) over COVID.
Today, I have been getting into Simulation games (ie. Pub Sim and Ranch Sim) and thought, based on their minimum requirements, the Nitro would still be able to provide me with a decent gaming experience but have experienced performance issues such as general lagging and crashing. I have turned down the graphics levels, ensured drivers are updated to not much result.
Could anyone advise/educate me on whether my specs (below) should still be able to perform and manage well in handling the abovementioned games? Or is 5 years an eternity requiring an update in tech??

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz 2.59 GHz
Installed RAM 16.0 GB (15.8 GB usable)
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
HD1: O/s installed (238gb free)
HD2: Where games are installed (307gb free)

Thanks

Computing Acer Computer Laptop

Comments

  • MS Paint on 26/02/2025 - 17:01
    +2

    What is the graphics card installed and how much vram?

    Minimum specs is just to get you going. Recommended specs is to have a pleasant experience. You seem to exceed recommended so it might come down to your graphics card.

    • CrispyChrispy on 26/02/2025 - 17:05
      +2

      A 6GB 2060, from a quick Google search

      @teddies, I'd imagine it's a combo of old-ish hardware and the games being newly-released and unoptimised

      They're not exactly AAA titles so I doubt performance optimisation was a priority for either developer.

      Or is 5 years an eternity requiring an update in tech??

      Not necessarily. Just depends on the game, really. Some titles like Indiana Jones won't work unless you have a card capable of ray-tracing, whilst other games like KCD:2 run decently well on older hardware. My i7-2600 and RTX 570 combo performed admirably in games like RDR2 and NBA 2K23.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 26/02/2025 - 17:09
        +1

        prob unoptimised yeah.. i guess they could also lower the overall resolution too…maybe go 720p

      • MS Paint on 26/02/2025 - 17:11
        +1

        A few reviews say it chews through ram so a cheap upgrade to 32gb RAM may be the ticket.

        • CrispyChrispy on 26/02/2025 - 17:13

          Possible.

          Best case scenario OP downloads a performance overlay tool eg. MSI Afterburner and checks to see what's bottlenecking his system; a lacklustre GPU and/or just really bad thermals are most likely.

          • MS Paint on 26/02/2025 - 17:15
            +2

            @CrispyChrispy: Thermal throttling with 5 yo crusty paste. That old chestnut.

            • teddies on 26/02/2025 - 17:30
              +1

              @MS Paint: Thanks so much guys. I really do appreciate the conversation. Learning a lot!!!

      • teddies on 26/02/2025 - 21:06

        What a shame! Perhaps a new PC is on the cards, although quite the investment to run a couple of indie sim games 😅

    • teddies on 26/02/2025 - 17:32

      It says, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 - unsure of where I get the VRAM from.

      • MS Paint on 26/02/2025 - 17:38
        +2

        Ouch. Probably 4gb I'm guessing.

      • Talaii on 26/02/2025 - 19:29
        +1

        A laptop1650 is above minimum specs for Ranch Sim, so that should be playable - at least on low settings. It's below the minimum for Pub Sim - but for indies that's often more 'we tested with this and was ok' than 'you need this card'.

        You might want to check which GPU the games are running on - should be in the Nvidia settings somewhere. Laptops generally use the integrated graphics to save power unless you are in a game - and the list of programs it recognizes as games isn't perfect. Probably also worth updating gpu drivers as much as you can.

  • spackbace on 26/02/2025 - 17:30
    +1

    Cloud gaming? Geforce Now etc

    For $20-$30/month it can be good value, especially if you already have Xbox Game Pass etc

    • teddies on 27/02/2025 - 10:04

      Thanks. I'll check it out!

  • FireRunner on 26/02/2025 - 23:08
    +1

    I’d guess your laptop is thermal throttling from clogged fans and dried thermal paste.
    I would open it up, clean out fans and exhausts of dust as and apply a new thermal paste.

    • teddies on 27/02/2025 - 08:03

      Thanks! Not sure how confident id be with the thermal paste part tho 😅

      • FireRunner on 27/02/2025 - 08:39
        +1

        It’s a bit daunting the first time but it’s not that difficult. I encourage you to look into it. Try and find a video for repasting of your laptop’s model for the easiest time.
        You can err on the side of caution with the thermal paste. Putting too much makes a bit of a mess as the paste spills out but it doesn’t impact performance or risk damage.

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