The Acer Aspire 3 14 is a budget-friendly option that's more affordable, lightweight, and has silent operation due to its fanless design, making it suitable for general use and everyday tasks. On the other hand, the ASUS TUF Gaming A15, while more expensive, offers a higher performance with better components suitable for gaming, 3D tasks, machine learning, and engineering. It has a larger screen with a higher refresh rate, a more powerful CPU, and a dedicated graphics card, but it's also heavier and less portable. Consider how much you value performance versus cost and portability before making your decision. 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 3 14
Very good portability
Advantages of the ASUS TUF Gaming A15
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good battery life
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0/10
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
271.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for general use, though the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is somewhat better.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is less powerful due to its inferior CPU and lesser RAM, resulting in fair general use performance, whereas the ASUS TUF Gaming A15's superior processor and higher RAM enhance its capability, rendering it good for general use; additionally, the TUF Gaming A15 also boasts better screen quality but is heavier, impacting portability, and despite having greater battery capacity, it may not substantially extend usable hours due to higher power demands. Both laptops have sufficient storage, but the TUF's focus on gaming with an advanced GPU suggests the Aspire might offer quieter operation and potentially lower heat, factors that may appeal to users with simpler needs or those prioritizing a quieter, cooler device.
Gaming and AI
5.9/10
8.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 outperforms the Acer Aspire 3 14 in gaming and 3D tasks largely due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card and higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, compared to the less capable AMD Radeon 610M GPU and 60Hz screen on the Acer. While the ASUS may be more suitable for intense gaming and graphic applications, it is also heavier, which could impact its portability compared to the lighter Acer Aspire 3.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
8.2/10
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has modest specifications with an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and AMD Radeon GPU, making it fair for engineering and design, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A15, with a more powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, provides higher performance suitable for more intensive tasks. However, the Acer is more portable and quieter which could be advantageous for on-the-go use and environments where noise is a concern, but the ASUS excels in screen quality and gaming capabilities, albeit at the cost of portability and increased operating noise.
Content Creation
7.2/10
8.0/10
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.
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
7.1/10
7.6/10
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for software development, though the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is somewhat better.
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
6.1/10
7.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
271.0 nits
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When considering screen quality for general use, the Acer Aspire 3 14's display may have adequate resolution and acceptable brightness, but it may fall short compared to the ASUS TUF Gaming A15, which offers improved brightness and clarity, making for a more pleasant viewing experience during everyday tasks. For engineering and design, where color accuracy is crucial, the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 likely offers wider color gamuts, providing better representation of DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which is essential for professionals who require precise color rendition in their workflow. In contrast, the lower refresh rate of both the Acer Aspire 3 14 and ASUS TUF Gaming A15 screens may not be sufficient for gaming and 3D applications, where a high refresh rate is crucial for smooth visuals and a competitive edge, despite them having the necessary resolution and panel types for moderate 3D usage.
Battery
9.5 Hours
11.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has 11 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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has very good portability, while the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.2/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$434
$1,300
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 costs $1,300.
"With the release of the TUF Gaming A15, Asos have concentrated on the essentials: gaming performance. Our base version, which can be had for around $1,169, already provided enough power to play current games smoothly in a native resolution of 1080p and with maximum details - thanks to its new Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop. If you utilize upscaling, then you can even manage to run ray tracing."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the ASUS TUF Gaming A15
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
123,795
Recommendations made
26,823
Consumer hours saved
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.