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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 1 is a budget-friendly option with basic features suitable for everyday tasks and longer battery life, while the MSI GF65 Thin, being pricier, offers higher performance for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering tasks with superior graphics but has shorter battery life and is heavier. The Acer is more portable and silent with fanless operation, but the MSI has a better screen, more storage, and more powerful hardware. If your priority is casual use and saving money, go for the Acer; if you need power for demanding applications and gaming, the MSI is the better choice. 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 battery life
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.8
6.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The MSI GF65 Thin is only fair for general use, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 has a lower-tier Intel Celeron processor, less RAM, and a lower-quality TN screen, which contribute to its poor assessment for general use, alongside only satisfactory keyboard and speaker quality, although it does offer silent operation.
Gaming and AI
5.6
6.8
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GF65 Thin is only fair 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
6.7
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
4.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The MSI GF65 Thin is only fair for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1, with its basic Intel Celeron processor and integrated graphics, lacks the power and performance for demanding engineering and design tasks, whereas the MSI GF65 Thin offers a robust Intel i5 processor and Nvidia RTX graphics, making it a much more suitable choice for such intensive work due to significantly enhanced processing and rendering capabilities. The Acer will likely benefit from longer battery life and be more portable due to its lower power consumption, but the MSI's superior screen quality along with a more capable keyboard and reduced operating noise contribute to a better overall experience for engineering and design purposes.
Content Creation
5.9
6.8
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
4.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GF65 Thin is only fair 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.
Screen Quality
5.2
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The MSI GF65 Thin has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 1 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 1's display struggles with clarity and vibrancy, due to its lower resolution and brightness, impacting all round viewing experiences negatively, whereas the MSI GF65 Thin, with its fairer resolution and brightness, provides a more comfortable visual experience for general tasks. The MSI GF65 also outperforms the Aspire 1 in color reproduction, which is crucial for engineering and design work where accurate color representation is needed, although it’s still not top-tier for professionals seeking the highest color accuracy. For gaming and 3D applications, the MSI's better screen refresh rate offers smoother visuals compared to the Aspire 1, but dedicated gamers might still find it lacking when compared to screens optimized for this purpose.
Battery
6.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 1 has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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.
Build Quality
5.5
6.7
The MSI GF65 Thin has only fair 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
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 1 has a price of $244 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Software Development
6.1
6.3
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
4.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI GF65 Thin and Acer Aspire 1 are both only fair for software development.
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.
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Aspire 1 and MSI GF65 Thin both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Aspire 1 and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 1 | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$244 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.78'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.19 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.3" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel Celeron N4500 | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 36.7 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | TN | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 200 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 5.6/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 5.4/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 0 | 2 | |
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."
MSI GF65 Thin
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2021
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 1 or the MSI GF65 Thin
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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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