If you prioritize affordability and a longer battery life for basic tasks and don't mind lower performance, the Acer Aspire 1 is suitable. However, for high-performance needs such as 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Gigabyte Aorus 5, with its superior processor and graphics card, is a better fit, but it's more expensive and slightly less portable due to its weight. The Aorus 5 also has a higher-quality display and better overall build quality, which could enhance your experience for engineering work and multimedia consumption. 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
Good battery life
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 5
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
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.8/10
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 has limited performance with less RAM and a basic CPU, making it less suitable for demanding tasks and multitasking, while its TN screen offers poorer viewing angles and color reproduction compared to the Gigabyte Aorus 5, which boasts a powerful CPU, ample RAM, and an IPS screen for better overall performance and a superior visual experience. The Aorus 5's higher storage capacity and quality speakers also provide an enhanced experience for general use, despite being less portable and having a shorter battery life than the Acer Aspire 1.
Gaming and AI
5.6/10
7.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
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
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1, with its Intel Celeron N4500 integrated graphics and a lower screen refresh rate of 60 Hz, falls short for gaming and 3D applications, which require robust graphics processing and smooth image rendering. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 5 boasts a powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 360 Hz, offerings that are essential for high-performance gaming and running 3D applications effectively.
Engineering and Design
5.5/10
8.2/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.2/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 is less suited for engineering and design tasks due to its weaker CPU, lower RAM, and less powerful integrated graphics, paired with a lower quality TN screen. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aorus 5 is well-equipped for such tasks with a robust CPU, ample RAM, a high-end dedicated GPU, and a better quality IPS display, making it very good for engineering and design use despite being less portable and having louder operating noise.
Content Creation
5.9/10
7.6/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 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
6.1/10
7.3/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 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
5.2/10
8.0/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 1 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, where clarity, visibility, and comfort are key, the Acer Aspire 1's lower resolution and dimmer display detract from the viewing experience, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 offers a sharper and brighter image. In engineering and design tasks, accurate color representation is crucial; the Aorus 5's wider color gamuts ensure precision in color-critical work, unlike the Acer Aspire 1's more limited color range. However, for gaming and 3D applications that benefit from fast-moving visuals, the Aorus 5's good resolution and panel type are overshadowed by a lackluster refresh rate, which hampers the ability to render smooth motion compared to laptops with higher refresh rates.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Aspire 1 has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.5/10
7.4/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 5 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
$2,359
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Aspire 1 has a price of $244 and the Gigabyte Aorus 5 costs $2,359.
"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."
"The Gigabyte Aorus 5 SE4 is a capable mainstream gaming notebook that will run the latest PC games with aplomb. However, it's not your stereotypical flashy gaming PC. Gigabyte has added some interesting tweaks. For example, the webcam placement and its Microsoft Azure AI tool — to automatically switch between power modes — are unusual for this genre. But more importantly, the pricing is fairly competitive and reasonable."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 1 or the Gigabyte Aorus 5
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.
About Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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