The Acer Aspire 3 14 is more affordable and offers basic performance suitable for general use with moderate battery life, which makes it highly portable. In contrast, the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is priced higher, with superior performance for intensive tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming; it has a larger screen and significantly better battery life but is heavier, impacting portability. Prioritize the Acer for cost-efficiency and everyday tasks or the ASUS if high performance and gaming are central to your needs. 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 A16
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good battery life
Good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0/10
7.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
12.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for general use, though the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
5.9/10
7.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is better suited for gaming and 3D applications compared to the Acer Aspire 3 14 as it has a more powerful GPU, the AMD RX 7600S, which can handle graphics processing more effectively. Additionally, the ASUS model offers a higher screen refresh rate of 165, enhancing the smoothness of gameplay, while the Acer Aspire has a lower refresh rate of 60, which may result in less fluid visuals during fast-paced scenes.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
7.7/10
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 14, with a less powerful CPU and GPU, is less suited for the demanding tasks of engineering and design compared to the ASUS TUF Gaming A16, which offers a more robust CPU and GPU, crucial for rendering and simulation tasks. Additionally, the A16's larger, higher-quality screen can display more colors accurately and handles higher resolutions better, but weighs more and is less portable than the lighter Aspire 3 14.
Screen Quality
6.1/10
7.5/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the Acer Aspire 3 14 and ASUS TUF Gaming A16 offer clear visuals and sufficient brightness, with resolutions that are adequate for day-to-day tasks. Engineers and designers might prefer the ASUS due to its wider color gamut, allowing for more accurate color representation which is crucial for precise design work. However, when it comes to 3D and gaming, both laptops fall short, with lower refresh rates that do not offer the smooth visuals gamers and 3D professionals seek.
Battery
9.5 Hours
12.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 has 12 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
16.0in
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 A16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.2/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 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
$940
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 costs $940.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for content creation.
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
7.3/10
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the ASUS TUF Gaming A16 compare to other laptops
"The A16 makes an excellent case against more expensive laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 and the MSI Katana GF76, especially if you’re into 1080p gaming. However, although its affordable, it doesn’t skimp on performance or a robust chassis. But for me, the biggest factor that sets it apart from these options is its incredible battery life. In my time reviewing laptops, I can’t remember when I last saw a gaming laptop lasted 11 and a half hours on a single charge, which makes the A16, in my book, truly outstanding."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the ASUS TUF Gaming A16
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.
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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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.
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Laptops Expert
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