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Aspire 1
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Prestige 16
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

The Acer Aspire 1 is much more budget-friendly and offers decent general use with fanless operation, making it quiet and suitable for basic tasks. However, it has limited storage, lower RAM, a basic processor and low battery life, making it less suitable for intensive tasks. It also has a lower-quality display and is not intended for gaming. The MSI Prestige 16, although more expensive, provides significantly better performance with a powerful processor, more RAM, and ample storage, ideal for 3D rendering, engineering, and machine learning. It has a higher-quality, brighter display with better color accuracy and more ports, including Thunderbolt. The MSI also boasts a higher battery life and is comparably portable, but is not categorized as a gaming laptop despite its performance benefits. Choose the Acer if you need a simple, affordable laptop for everyday use, or the MSI if you require powerful performance for professional and creative applications. 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
  • The Acer Aspire 1 has no clear advantages over the MSI Prestige 16.
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 16
  • Very good for general use
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Very good for software development
  • Very good for content creation
  • Very good overall display quality
  • Good overall build quality
  • Very good speakers
  • Good keyboard

Key differences

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General Use

5.8
Aspire 1
Prestige 16
8.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The MSI Prestige 16 is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.

Gaming and AI

5.6
Aspire 1
Prestige 16
6.7
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Prestige 16 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.

Engineering and Design

5.5
Aspire 1
Prestige 16
8.2
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Prestige 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.

Content Creation

5.9
Aspire 1
Prestige 16
8.3
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Prestige 16 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.

Software Development

6.1
Aspire 1
Prestige 16
8.1
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Prestige 16 is very good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 1 is only fair.

Screen Quality

5.2
Aspire 1
Prestige 16
8.3
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The MSI Prestige 16 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 1 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

6.0 Hours
Aspire 1
Prestige 16
7.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 1 has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 16 has 7.5 hours of battery life.

Build Quality

5.5
Aspire 1
Prestige 16
7.4
The MSI Prestige 16 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 1 has poor build quality.

Cost

$243
Aspire 1
Prestige 16
$1,611
Product image
Product image

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

The Acer Aspire 1 has a price of $243 and the MSI Prestige 16 costs $1,611.
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Key similarities

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Portability

Good
Aspire 1
Prestige 16
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Prestige 16 and Acer Aspire 1 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 Prestige 16 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Aspire 1MSI Prestige 16
Acer Aspire 1MSI Prestige 16

GENERAL

Price
$243
$1,611
Release Date
October 1, 2022January 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.78''14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.66''
Weight
4.19 lbs4.2 lbs
Width
14.3"14.09"
Depth
9.4"10.18"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel Celeron N4500Intel i7-13700H
RAM
4 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
00
Storage
128 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
6 Hours7.5 Hours
Battery Capacity
36.7 Wh82 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.6"16"
Display Technology
TNIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10802560 x 1600
Refresh Rate
60Hz165Hz
Display Brightness
200 nits400 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
5.6/107.4/10
Portability Score
7.5/107.7/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
10/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
6/107.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
5.4/108.8/10
Webcam
720p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
NoYes
Number Pad
YesYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
32
USB-C ports
02
USB-C Charging
NoYes
Display Outputs
13
Thunderbolt Version
N/A4

Shopping

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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 Prestige 16

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Dig into reviews and images

Make Use Of

Paul Antill | June 2023
"The MSI Prestige 16 Evo: 2023's best value 16” thin & light laptop with i7-13700H. One of the top choices for professionals and students seeking a high-performance, portable computing solution in 2023. While the MSI Prestige 16 Evo A13M may not boast the most striking design compared to some other 16" options, its relatively "safe" styling lends itself well to professional and educational environments. Significantly, it doesn't compromise on essential features like port selection or cooling performance, ensuring seamless connectivity and efficient thermal management. The 16 Evo A13M offers an excellent combination of performance, portability, and functionality, making it a compelling choice for professionals and students alike."

Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 1 or the MSI Prestige 16

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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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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