Acer Chromebook 516 GE specs
Worth: $649.99
CPU: Intel Core i5-1240P
GPU: Intel Iris Xe graphics
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB
Show: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600, 16:10, 120Hz
Battery: 7:40
Dimension: 14 x 9.8 x 0.84 inches
Weight: 3.8 kilos
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE, touted as a laptop computer that delivers a “premier cloud gaming expertise,” gave me a little bit of a headache — at first.
Appropriate me if I’m flawed, expensive reader, however isn’t the entire level of cloud gaming that you simply’re rolling out a service for many who can’t afford to buy high-end PCs nor costly gaming consoles? For instance, you may subscribe to NVIDIA GeForce NOW and stream your favourite video games on-demand — regardless of your {hardware}.
So why, pray inform, would an organization roll out a “cloud-gaming prepared” laptop computer when you may principally stream video games on a potato? All you actually want to fret about is whether or not your web connection is quick sufficient to obtain knowledge from a distant server, proper? Properly, not fairly!
After perusing Nvidia GeForce Now’s System Necessities (opens in new tab) web page, I see the place Acer’s going with this “cloud-gaming Chromebook” stuff. Sure, you may technically run video games on any trendy laptop computer, however if you would like that premier cloud gaming expertise that Acer’s boasting about, you’re going to want sure specs that may ship cloud-gaming nirvana.
Because it seems, the Chromebook 516 GE meets all of the wants of a passionate Chromebook gamer, so possibly — simply possibly — the Taiwan-based OEM is definitely on to one thing right here. Let’s check out how properly the Chromebook 516 GE dealt with my foray into the cloud-gaming world.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE value and configuration choices
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE has an MSRP of $649.99, but it surely’s now on sale for $499 at Finest Purchase (opens in new tab). It comes with an Intel Core i5-1240P CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel, 16:10, 120Hz show, and naturally, ChromeOS.
In order for you to try different choices throughout the similar value vary, try our finest laptops beneath $1,000 web page.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE design
Can somebody please clarify to me why the 16-inch Chromebook 516 GE is so darn chunky? It’s not even a gaming laptop computer — hell, I’ve seen actual gaming laptops which can be truly slimmer. (The 17-inch Razer Blade 17 is 0.8 inches thick whereas the Chromebook 516 GE is 0.83 inches thick.) It additionally doesn’t go my “Can I maintain this with one hand?” take a look at both.
I’m really baffled. It’s not prefer it wants a large heatsink to chill down the oh-so-powerful Intel Iris Xe graphics chip — sure, that was sarcasm. Bulkiness apart, I do like its clear, minimalist aesthetic. This can be a laptop computer you may convey to high school or work; nobody will know that it’s an ever-so-enviable cloud gaming Chromebook. The chassis is wrapped in a Titanium Gray hue, which is barely miserable to be trustworthy, however when you open the lid (which has the Acer and Chromebook brand on every high nook), the happiness comes flooding again in.
As if being thicc boi wasn’t sufficient, the Chromebook 516 GE seeks to additional emulate the “gaming laptop computer” aesthetic with its colourful and customizable RGB keyboard. It’s flanked by two upward-firing audio system — MacBook Professional model. (You’ll discover two extra audio system on the Chromebook’s underside.)
Sitting beneath the keyboard is a good sized-touchpad with rounded edges.
On the underside of the laptop computer, you’ll discover two elongated rubber ft, conserving the Chromebook off surfaces in order that they don’t block the huge vents.
For this overview, it was troublesome to decide on a competitor for this Acer laptop computer — we’ve by no means reviewed a cloud-gaming Chromebook earlier than. Consequently, we determined to decide on a Chromebook that’s the most au courant with the Chromebook 516 GE specs-wise: The HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook.
At 3.8 kilos and 14 x 9.8 x 0.84 inches, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE is unsurprisingly heavier than the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook (11.6 x 8.7 x 0.65 inches, 2.8 kilos).
Acer Chromebook 516 GE ports
I am relieved to see that the Acer Chromebook 516 GE has an Ethernet port. Wired connections are sooner than wi-fi ones, so if a cloud gamer needs to additional cut back the chance of latency whereas gaming, they’ll have a extra dependable, speedier connection.
On the left aspect you’ll discover a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C port, an Ethernet port, and a headset jack. On the suitable aspect there’s one other USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C port, a Kensington lock slot, an HDMI port, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-A port.
For those who want extra ports, try our finest USB Sort-C hubs and finest laptop computer docking stations pages.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE show
Coming from a 60Hz laptop computer, one factor I observed instantly with the Chromebook 516 GE is that there’s no denying that it is a 120Hz laptop computer — it’s extremely responsive and navigation feels smoother. This Chrome OS laptop computer sports activities a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel panel with a 16:10 facet ratio. This display screen is spacious child! The bezels may very well be slimmer, particularly the highest one, however I’ll let it slide as a result of it homes a FHD webcam.
For a $500 laptop computer, the show isn’t half unhealthy. I watched the Ahsoka trailer on YouTube and my eyes widened with delight. A surprising actress with ombre hair that transitioned from darkish purple to orange caught my eye as I noticed the refined peachy rosiness on her cheeks and smokey eye make-up. Her leather-based jacket appeared so tangible, I used to be satisfied I might really feel its wrinkly, cool, smooth texture if I touched the display screen. Rosario Dawson, taking part in Ahsoka Tano, took me aback together with her hanging orange pores and skin that contrasted fantastically together with her white facial markings.
couldn’t wait to see how this regarded whereas taking part in a sport on GeForce Now’s Final Subscription ($20 a month), which lets me expertise the ability of an RTX 3080 GPU — with out truly having a laptop computer full of such graphical elements. I fired up CyberPunk 2077, and properly, I anticipated … extra. Every little thing concerning the graphics from this cloud-based sport is middling.
The colours are simply OK. For instance, a hanging, neon-colored department sitting inside a vase caught my eye with its reddish glow. The ray-tracing is fairly good, too, from the reasonable glows emanating from a rich man’s golden, plasticky blazer to the well-illuminated tables and chairs inside Arasaka Company. However the whole lot else within the sport that doesn’t glow nor shine is lackluster. The graphics might stand to be sharper and extra vivid, however maybe I’m asking an excessive amount of from a distant RTX 30-series server farm.
Based on our colorimeter, the Chromebook 516 GE has a DCI-P3 shade gamut of 75.8%, which sadly falls in need of the common Chromebook (78.2%) and the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook (79.3%). With a Delta-E rating of 0.31 (nearer to 0 is best), its shade accuracy isn’t so scorching both. It’s worse than the common Chromebook (0.24) and the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook (0.21).
With a 346-nit show, its luminance isn’t spectacular. It’s dimmer than the common Chromebook (529 nits) and the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook (392 nits), however remember the fact that the Chromebook 516 GE is a sub-$700 laptop computer. Mood your expectations.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Acer Chromebook 516 GE | HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook |
|---|---|---|
| DCI-P3 shade gamut | 75.8% | 79.2% |
| Brightness | 346 nits | 392 nits |
| Delta-E shade accuracy | 0.31 | 0.21 |
Lastly, whereas a touchscreen isn’t usually essential, I’d argue it’s essential for Chromebooks if you wish to play motion and journey video games from the Google Play Retailer. As an alternative of swiping down or up on the display screen to maneuver my character in Temple Run, I’ve to awkwardly use the trackpad. Not cool!
Acer Chromebook 516 GE keyboard and touchpad
Though the Chromebook 516 GE’s chassis offers off a strong, sturdy, premium vibe, the keyboard feels like its value vary for certain. In different phrases, sure, the keys really feel low-cost AF. On the plus aspect, the 4-Zone RGB keyboard distracts me from its texture. By merely proper clicking on the touchpad and deciding on “Set wallpaper and elegance,” you may set the keyboard to seven totally different shade presets. My favourite is purple — mauve has by no means regarded so good.
The island-style keyboard has anti-ghosting expertise, a necessity for a lot of avid gamers, permitting you to make use of a number of key mixtures concurrently with out the keyboard misinterpreting your inputs. Trying to get one step nearer to “gaming laptop computer” standing, the W, A, S and D keys — typically used for in-game navigation — is conspicuously surrounded with white framing. It’s additionally price noting that there isn’t a numpad on this keyboard.
My typing pace is often 87 to 89 phrases per minute on 10FastFingers.com, however on the Acer Chromebook 516 GE, that determine fell to 74 phrases per minute. That is partly as a result of I’m used to typing on an edge-to-edge keyboard on a 14-inch HP laptop computer, however I additionally blame the keys’ slight mushiness. I want they have been springier.
The 5.0 x 3.3-inch stone-colored touchpad, surrounded by a dark-gray body, is giving “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” — it’s juuuust proper. It’s not too slippery nor too resistant; it has the correct quantity of smoothness to assist facilitate my cursor actions. Chromebook gestures, reminiscent of three-finger swiping and two-finger scrolling, labored like a attraction.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE audio
This Chromebook has a quad-speaker setup: two up-firing audio system on the deck and one other set on the underside of the laptop computer. All 4 are tuned with superior DTS audio. Acer claims that sound vibrations are eradicated, due to the force-canceling woofers firing in reverse instructions, so I couldn’t wait to check the audio for myself.
I launched the Sizzling Hits USA playlist on Spotify, and I didn’t suppose Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” music might sound any worse, however lo and behold, the Chromebook 516 GE made it occur. The snappy tune lacked fullness — it sounded tinny, hole and flat.
Funnily sufficient, the Chromebook 516 GE’s tinny sound labored in its favor whereas I performed CyberPunk 2077. Whereas operating round via a company workplace, the echoey sound added to the commercial, empty really feel of the dark-spirited setting. The hole audio additionally labored properly with the in-game public gathering room I walked via, which emanated echoes of quite a few overlapping conversations.
Nonetheless, if I have been you, I’d pair the Chromebook 516 GE with one thing from our finest gaming headsets web page.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE efficiency
Filled with a twelfth Gen Intel Core i5-1240P CPU and 8GB of RAM, I made a decision to check its multi-tasking muscle by stressing Google Chrome with a tab-heavy internet searching session. I swamped it with 30 Google Chrome tabs, and I fired up an Nvidia GeForce NOW sport, too. To my shock, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE did not break a sweat. That being mentioned, for those who get this Chromebook, you shouldn’t end up coping with any irritating slowdowns — even for those who drown it in tabs.
We usually use Geekbench 5 to check the general efficiency of our Chromebooks, however in line with our lab tester, the Chromebook 516 GE’s rival, the Intel Core i5-1245U-packed Elite Dragonfly Chromebook, couldn’t run Geekbench 5. Nonetheless, it did run Geekbench 4.3; the HP outputted a multi-core rating of 20,375. It couldn’t compete with the Chromebook 516 GE’s 33,379 rating nor the common Chrome OS System (26,877). That is such a disgrace contemplating that the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook is a $1,000 Chromebook!
On our JetStream 2.0 benchmark, which assessments how shortly massive internet pages load, the Chromebook 516 GE achieved a panoramic rating of 256.18, eclipsing the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook’s measly 213.7 rating. It beat the common Chromebook, too (237.91).
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Acer Chromebook 516 GE | HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 4.3 | 33,379 | 20,375 |
| JetStream 2.0 | 256.18 | 213.7 |
Cloud-gaming expertise
I ran CyberPunk 2077 by way of Nvidia GeForce NOW on the Chromebook 516 GE, and through an hour-long session, I did run into some enter lag for one thing so simple as spinning my character round. Nonetheless, aside from that short-lived second, gameplay was easy crusing. As talked about on the outset, quick web is essential (I used to be utilizing Verizon FiOS wi-fi web, and in line with an Web pace take a look at, my WiFi has a knowledge price of 295.7 MBps). Acer recommends a minimal community bandwidth of a minimum of 35 Mbps for 1600p at 60 frames per second. If you wish to climb as much as 120 frames per second, Acer says that an Ethernet connection is important.
“Google is engaged on a future ChromeOS replace that’s anticipated to additional enhance the GeForce Now streaming expertise over Wi-Fi,” Acer mentioned in a press launch.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE battery life
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Acer Chromebook 516 GE | HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | 7 hours and 40 minutes | 9 hours and 14 minutes |
The Chromebook 516 GE was on a profitable streak on the efficiency entrance, however sadly, that is the place the Acer laptop computer takes a backseat.
On the Laptop computer Magazine battery take a look at, which entails steady internet browsing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits, the Chromebook 516 GE survived for less than 7 hours and 40 minutes, which is worse than the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook (9:14) and the common Chromebook (9:23).
Acer Chromebook 516 GE webcam
The 1080p webcam on the 516 GE renders colours fantastically. It completely captured my electric-pink gown, my neatly brushed eyebrows, burgundy curtains, and the cheetah sample of a close-by scarf.
Nonetheless, I can inform that it doesn’t have a high-dynamic vary characteristic. At the same time as I sat in a well-lit room, the digital camera did not illuminate sure areas. It does, nonetheless, include a temporal noise discount perk, which actually helped to cut back noise. For a $500 Chromebook, the webcam on this laptop computer is sufficiently sharp and clear. Nonetheless, we might advocate an exterior webcam.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE warmth
No, you don’t have to fret concerning the Chromebook 516 GE singeing a gap via your pants; it remained fairly cool on our warmth take a look at.
After streaming a 15-minute 1080p video, the underside hit 83 levels Fahrenheit, which is 12 levels beneath our 95-degree consolation threshold. The middle of the keyboard hit 91 levels and the touchpad reached 89 levels. The most well liked temperature on the machine was 92 levels, situated on the underside of the laptop computer between the 2 vents.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE software program and guarantee
Chrome OS has its professionals and cons. On one hand, Chrome OS is good for anybody who’s properly built-in into the Google ecosystem. Upon startup, the Chromebook 516 GE requested me to enter my Google credentials. And after setup, Google Chrome was ready for me, all able to go, with my bookmarks and Chrome extensions.
I additionally love Chrome OS options reminiscent of Close by Share, which makes transferring knowledge between my Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely and Chromebook 516 GE seamless and quick. In simply seconds, I beamed a 3-minute video to my Chromebook, and in seconds, it was already sitting on the underside taskbar as an icon. My PC might by no means!
Then again, I completely deplore how some apps function on Chromebook. I couldn’t consider it after I found that Spotify — as in style as it’s — doesn’t have a devoted Chromebook app. You’ll be able to solely select between three modes: Telephone, Pill, and Resize. And fairly frankly, all of them stink. All three have UIs that make it troublesome to scroll via playlists and discover the play/pause controls. Plus, I skilled tons of bugginess. At one level, I closed Spotify, and though I hit X and the app was now not seen on the display screen, I might nonetheless hear Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” screeching within the background. That is what nightmares are manufactured from!
This isn’t simply one thing that impacts the Spotify platform. Chromebook has numerous functions that run as for those who’re mirroring a display screen in your cellphone. You’re sure to run into snags as you try and run software program that’s not purpose-built for Chrome OS.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE comes with a one-year guarantee. See how Acer carried out on our Tech Help Showdown and Finest and Worst Manufacturers rating.
Backside line
I’m probably not certain the place I stand with this laptop computer. The Chromebook 516 GE is sort of the Pinocchio, claiming in a squeaky, high-pitched voice, “I’m an actual gaming laptop computer!” with its 4-zone RGB, anti-ghosting keyboard, quick 120Hz show, and quad-speaker setup.
Save for the zippy refresh price, all of the aforementioned specs really feel considerably gimmicky in that they’re not notably helpful for the audience. I can’t think about a gamer truly utilizing that mushy keyboard — they’d probably go for a gamepad as a substitute. Plus, the DTS-tuned audio system are borderline terrible. Funnily sufficient, the one factor that appears to matter on the Chromebook 516 GE is the Ethernet port. Even Acer mentioned that an Ethernet connection is essential to realize the most effective streaming outcomes (even my quick Wi-Fi connection skilled some lag).
However apparently sufficient, after evaluating the Chromebook 516 GE to the $1,000 HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook, this Chrome OS system is a steal for those who’re utilizing it as a conventional Chromebook — it’s much more {powerful} and it’s $500 much less. No, it received’t earn a spot on our finest Chromebooks web page, but it surely’s admittedly an awesome worth for the value
