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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 1 is less expensive and offers decent general use performance with a lighter weight making it quite portable; however, it has limited storage, less RAM, and a basic processor which might slow down during demanding tasks. Its screen is also less ideal for color-sensitive work or fast-paced games. Meanwhile, the Acer Nitro 5 17, though heavier and at a higher price, provides high-end gaming and engineering performance with a superior processor, more RAM, and significantly more storage. Its screen is better for a wide range of colors and fast motion, making it suitable for intensive gaming and professional creative work. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Aspire 1
- Good portability
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 5 17
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.8
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 is less suitable for general use because it has a weaker CPU, less RAM, poorer screen quality with a TN panel, and lower storage capacity which could slow down multitasking and viewing experience, despite its higher portability and longer battery life. Conversely, the Acer Nitro 5 17, equipped with a much stronger CPU, more RAM, a higher quality IPS screen, and significantly more storage, delivers better performance and visual quality at the cost of being less portable and having similar battery life.
Gaming and AI
5.6
7.7
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
5.5
8.0
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 falls short for engineering and design due to its limited RAM, weaker Intel Celeron processor, basic integrated graphics, and a lower-quality TN screen, which together impede performance and visual clarity required for such tasks.
Content Creation
5.9
7.8
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
6.1
7.4
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 1 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
5.2
8.2
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 1 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When considering laptops for general use, the Acer Nitro 5 17 will please you with its high-quality display, offering sharp images, vibrant colors and sufficient brightness, making it far superior to the Acer Aspire 1, which may disappoint with its lackluster display. For those into engineering and design, the Nitro 5's display covers a wide range of colors which is essential for accuracy in visual work, but the Aspire 1 falls short, lacking in color precision and vibrancy. Lastly, if you're a gaming or 3D enthusiast, the Nitro 5 might not meet the mark due its poorer refresh rates, while screen resolution and panel quality are also average; these aspects are less of a concern for general use and engineering tasks, but crucial for smooth and immersive 3D experiences.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 1 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.5
7.2
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 1 has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$244
$830
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Aspire 1 has a price of $244 and the Acer Nitro 5 17 costs $830.
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Key similarities
Battery
6.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 1 has 6 hours of battery life. The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
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How the Acer Aspire 1 and the Acer Nitro 5 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 1 | Acer Nitro 5 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$244 | $830 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.78'' | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.19 lbs | 5.95 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.3" | 15.89" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 11.02" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel Celeron N4500 | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 4 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 36.7 Wh | 57.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | TN | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 360Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 200 nits | 307 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 5.6/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.5/10 | 6.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 5.4/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 0 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 1
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Dig into reviews and images
CNET
Joshua Goldman | May 2020
"There are no surprises and nothing's extraordinary here but this laptop's price. For those in need of an inexpensive Windows laptop for undemanding tasks, though, the Acer Aspire 1 offers just enough to get the basics done and a larger screen to do them on."
Acer Nitro 5 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2021
"The Acer Nitro 5 17 is a solid mid-range gamer. The Nitro 5 does not belong to the top group of RTX 3070 notebooks: Compared with the RTX 3070 notebooks tested so far, the computer delivers below-average frame rates - this is due to the 100-watt TGP. The GPU performance can be increased a bit with a firmware update. The device scores with a high level of CPU performance. Throttling is not a concern. CPU and GPU can produce their performance constantly. The laptop heats up moderately under load. The noise development is on the usual class level."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 1 or the Acer Nitro 5 17
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
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