Choosing Between Acer Nitro V15 and ASUS TUF F15 for Cybersecurity Studies and Gaming

Hey everyone,

I need to pick up a laptop ASAP and I’m confused between two options that fit my budget. I’m currently studying Cybersecurity and I also do some gaming and a bit of editing. My goal is to play AAA titles like Elden Ring, Cyberpunk, and maybe Minecraft with RTX (if possible), but I don’t need ultra-high settings—just high settings with 60+ FPS would be great.

Here are the specs for the two laptops I’m considering:

ACER NITRO V15 ANV15-51-5985 :

• Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-13420H (12M Cache, up to 4.60 GHz)
• Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4050 6GB GDDR6
• RAM: 8GB DDR5 4800Mhz (will upgrade to 16GB)
• Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen4 NVMe
• Other Features: Backlit Keyboard, 144Hz SlimBezel FHD IPS Display

ASUS TUF Gaming F15 FX507Z-C4HN284W:

• Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-12500H
• Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050, 4GB GDDR6
• RAM: 16GB DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM (upgradable to 32GB)
• Storage: 512GB M.2 NVMe™ PCIe® 3.0 SSD
• Other Features: 144Hz FHD IPS Display, 1-Zone RGB Backlit Keyboard, Thunderbolt™ 4

I’m mainly using this laptop for my Cybersecurity studies, so I need something that can easily handle tasks like running virtual machines, penetration testing, and other security tools. However, I also want to enjoy some gaming on the side.

Another concern I have is potential heating issues with either of these laptops. If anyone has experience with how these models manage heat, especially during long gaming or intensive work sessions, I’d love to hear about it. I do plan on using a cooling pad, but I’d prefer something that manages thermals well on its own too.

Given my needs, which laptop would you recommend? Any advice from fellow redditors who own these models or have similar use cases would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!