Acer ConceptD 5 CN516-72G review and driver

Acer presents an update to the ConceptD line. One new model was also announced, the ConceptD5 (CN516-72G). This laptop is the first to carry a 16-inch display panel in the ConceptD line.

Acer ConceptD5 (CN516-72G) Specifications

Targeting content creators and professionals in the creative field, a highly accurate screen and powerful performance are its most prominent features.

Its 16-inch display panel comes with a 16:10 aspect ratio. So, the screen field area will be wider when compared to a 16:9 screen ratio, making it more optimal for work. The visuals will also be very sharp at 3K resolution of 3072 x 1920 pixels. The display panel is highly accurate with Pantone Validated standards and supports 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. The color accuracy of the display panel has also been calibrated directly from the manufacturer with a delta E standard of less than 2.

Acer ConceptD 5 CN516-72G and driver

Entering the kitchen, the Acer ConceptD5 (CN516-72G) specifications rely on the 11th Generation Intel Core H Series processor. The RAM it supports is up to 64GB and there is PCIe NVMe SSD storage space with a capacity of 2TB.

Meanwhile, in the graphics sector Acer provides graphics card options up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. If the graphics sector is not powerful enough, there is the Acer ConceptD 5 Pro (CN516-72P) which carries an Nvidia GeForce RTX A5000 graphics card.

For other features, the Acer ConceptD5 (CN516-72G) has brought two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 6-inch touchpad. In addition to being very wide, the toucpad has also been reinforced with a layer of Gorilla Glass and is equipped with a fingerprint sensor.

Acer ConceptD5 (CN516-72G) Price

The price of the Acer ConceptD5 (CN516-72G) starts at US$2000. This laptop is already available in the European market in July 2021.

It is worth mentioning that the driver installed for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU for running benchmark tests was the Game Ready one. Even though you most likely already know, for most NVIDIA mid-range and high-end video cards there is the option to install two types of drivers. The Game Ready ones, as we can tell from the name, are recommended for gaming, while the Studio ones are aimed at content creators and graphics, design, design professionals. As these are the categories targeted by the Acer ConceptD 5 CN516-72G, my recommendation is to go for the NVIDIA Studio Driver for this laptop.

NVIDIA's promises for workloads such as photo-video editing talk about even 30% faster rendering of projects when we have NVIDIA Studio Driver installed versus Game Ready Driver.

If we're talking about the cooling system on the Acer ConceptD 5 CN516-72G, then I have to admit that it's one of the quietest I've come across in a laptop. Even at full load the two fans are barely audible, although as you can see in the screenshots below, they do their job well enough.

Maximum CPU and GPU temperatures recorded during benchmark testing on the Acer ConceptD 5 CN516-72G:

As far as I'm concerned, nothing to be scared of regarding the maximum CPU and GPU temperatures, especially since those values were reached under extremely intense working conditions, specifically while running benchmark tests outside at an outdoor temperature of 27 degrees Celsius.

Connectivity

Nothing to complain about here either. In fact, I really can't find any element missing. Not only do we have Wi-Fi ax and Gigabit 2.5 LAN port, but also Bluetooth in the latest version, namely 5.2 and USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support and power at max 65W. Not forgetting the fingerprint reader, SD card reader and webcam, so necessary these days.

As for the port layout, on the left side we see the 3.5mm combo jack, a USB Type-C, a USB Type-A, the RJ-45 port and the power port. On the right we have an HDMI, two more USB ports (one Type-C, the other Type-A) and the SD card reader.

The fingerprint sensor is positioned in the top-left corner of the trackpad. It has a high but not perfect recognition rate and an average response time.

Keyboard and touchpad

As every time I've tested an Acer laptop from the ConceptD range, I found the keyboard extremely pleasant to use. Medium to short travel and crisp actuation without too much noise.

The warm, amber-hued lighting is effective. Key illumination distribution is even.

The touchpad covered with Corning Gorilla Glass is also of good quality. Accurate and with multiple touch recognition, it caused me no inconvenience in use. 

Battery life

Battery life is not only generous under the Acer ConceptD 5 CN516-72G's case, but at the maximum limit a laptop can be taken on board an airplane flight. I believe this is the first Acer laptop I can find a 99 Wh battery in.

Even though it has to power powerful components that demand their serious share of power, the battery can still deliver over 6 - 7 hours of battery life under normal loads. In simple tasks, with screen brightness at less than 50%, you can even catch 9 - 10 hours of battery life.

Notebook Acer ConceptD 5 CN516-72G - not yet available in stores in our country. Recommended prices start at $2,600 (as listed on Acer's website).

Conclusions

Acer ConceptD 5 CN516-72G proves that the series knows constant improvements right in the key chapters, where I also found in previous tests small problems. Now, with this new model, there's little else I can relate to. The only minus, which for some is decisive, is the price, which makes the Acer ConceptD 5 CN516-72G a gadget many can only dream of.

Read Also Acer Aspire One 14 Z1401 Driver Download Windows 8.1 64-bit

The most important pros and cons for the Acer ConceptD 5 CN516-72G notebook:

PRO

  • Extremely solid construction, very good quality materials and finishes;
  • excellent screen;
  • powerful hardware package;
  • quiet and efficient cooling system;
  • great battery life;
  • full connectivity;
  • very user-friendly keyboard and touchpad.

AGAINST

  • High price.
Operating System:windows 11 64bits

Airplane Mode Driver
Date:2023/01/06
Version:1.0.0.10
Vendor:Acer
Size:35.24 KB
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Audio Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:6.0.9247.1
Vendor:Realtek
Size:969.34 MB
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Audio Console Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:1.20.238.0
Vendor:Realtek
Size:9.29 MB
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Bluetooth Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:22.40.0.2
Vendor:Killer
Size:3.66 MB
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Card Reader Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:10.0.19041.21343
Vendor:Realtek
Size:14.7 MB
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Chipset Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:10.1.34.8
Vendor:Intel
Size:3.82 MB
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Acer Display Color Controller
Date:2023/01/06
Version:1.0.0.32
Vendor:Acer
Size:915.6 KB
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Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:8.7.10402.18389
Vendor:Intel
Size:19.58 MB
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Fingerprint Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:3.6.11001.10702
Vendor:ELANTECH
Size:2.97 MB
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Intel GNA Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:02.00.00.1097
Vendor:Intel
Size:56.6 KB
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Serial IO Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:30.100.2104.1
Vendor:Intel
Size:2.69 MB
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IRST (Intel® Rapid Storage Technology) Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:18.3.0.1003
Vendor:Intel
Size:4.02 MB
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IRST (Intel® Rapid Storage Technology) Utility
Date:2021/11/30
Version:18.1.1014.0
Vendor:Intel
Size:33.37 MB
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LAN Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:10.047.0121.2021
Vendor:Killer
Size:23.38 MB
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Lan Utility(Killer control center)
Date:2021/11/30
Version:2.3.3314.0
Vendor:Killer
Size:68.66 MB
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Thunderbolt Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:1.41.1094.0
Vendor:Intel
Size:205.85 MB
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Thunderbolt Utility
Date:2021/11/30
Version:1.0.30.0
Vendor:Intel
Size:28.27 MB
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Touchpad Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:13.6.21.1
Vendor:ELANTECH
Size:2.52 MB
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Turbo Boost Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:2108.100.0.1053
Vendor:Intel
Size:750.49 MB
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VGA Driver(RTX 3060)
Date:2023/01/06
Version:30.0.15.1274
Vendor:NVIDIA
Size:801.84 MB
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VGA Driver(RTX A3000)
Date:2023/01/06
Version:30.0.15.1274
Vendor:NVIDIA
Size:801.84 MB
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VGA Driver(RTX A5000)
Date:2023/01/06
Version:30.0.15.1274
Vendor:NVIDIA
Size:801.84 MB
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VGA Driver(UMA)
Date:2023/01/06
Version:30.0.101.1692
Vendor:Intel
Size:614.45 MB
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VGA Driver(GeForce Experience)
Date:2023/01/06
Version:3.25.1.27
Vendor:NVIDIA
Size:1.01 GB
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VGA Utility
Date:2021/11/30
Version:8.1.958.0
Vendor:NVIDIA
Size:8.16 MB
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Date:2021/11/30
Version:1.100.3282.0
Vendor:Intel
Size:118.25 MB
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Wireless LAN Driver
Date:2021/11/30
Version:22.40.0.7
Vendor:Killer
Size:17.78 MB
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XPERI DTS Utility(DTS sound)
Date:2021/11/30
Version:2021.2.24.0
Vendor:XPERI
Size:364.87 MB
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XPERI DTS Utility(DTS Console)
Date:2021/11/30
Version:1.10.9.0
Vendor:XPERI
Size:100.77 MB
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