For general use, the Acer Aspire 3 14 offers a good balance with a longer battery life, lighter weight, and is more affordable, suitable for everyday tasks. Meanwhile, the Dell G15 5520 has a more powerful processor and graphics card, more RAM and storage, and a better build which makes it ideal for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming. However, the Dell is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable, and it comes with a higher price tag. Think about whether high-performance computing or affordability and ease of carrying are more important for 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 Dell G15 5520
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very 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
251.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Dell G15 5520 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for general use, though the Dell G15 5520 is somewhat better.
The Dell G15 5520 offers better performance for general use due to its stronger CPU, double the RAM, and a more potent graphics unit compared to the Acer Aspire 3 14, which should handle multitasking and demanding applications more efficiently.
Gaming and AI
5.9/10
7.7/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Dell G15 5520 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.
The Dell G15 5520 is better for gaming and 3D because it comes with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 165, enhancing the visual fluidity and gaming response. In contrast, the Acer Aspire 3 14 is equipped with a less capable AMD Radeon 610M GPU and a standard refresh rate of 60, which is adequate for less demanding tasks but falls short for intensive gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
8.2/10
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell G15 5520 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
The Dell G15 5520 is better suited for engineering and design tasks than the Acer Aspire 3 14 due to its more powerful CPU, double the amount of RAM, and a stronger GPU, all of which significantly enhance performance for demanding software applications used in these fields. Additionally, the Dell has a higher-rated screen quality, although it is less portable than the lighter Acer, and it comes with a backlit keyboard and ray-tracing capabilities which can be crucial for design work, while the Acer is valued for its silent operation and higher portability.
Content Creation
7.2/10
7.9/10
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 Dell G15 5520 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for content creation, though the Dell G15 5520 is somewhat better.
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
6.1/10
7.1/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
251.0 nits
The Dell G15 5520 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 offers a balance suitable for basic tasks, with its resolution and brightness levels providing adequate clarity for everyday activities, but may fall short for color-critical work or vibrant gaming experiences due to limited color range and refresh rate. On the other hand, the Dell G15 5520 provides a higher quality display that satisfies the requirements for engineering and design through better color accuracy and a wider color gamut, ensuring detailed and precise visuals, although it's not optimized for high-end gaming as it doesn't prioritize the highest refresh rates needed for smooth motion. When it comes to gaming and 3D, neither laptop excels due to poor refresh rates, limiting their ability to display fast-paced action without motion blur or lag, which are crucial aspects for immersive and reactive gameplay.
Battery
9.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Dell G15 5520 has 6 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
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has very good portability, while the Dell G15 5520 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.4/10
The Dell G15 5520 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
$1,000
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the Dell G15 5520 costs $1,000.
The Dell G15 5520 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the Dell G15 5520 compare to other laptops
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | April 2023
"The Dell G15 (2022) is a 15.6-inch budget gaming laptop, and is great for gaming. You can configure the laptop with powerful Intel 12th Gen. CPUs and various NVIDIA dedicated GPUs, all of which deliver a smooth gaming experience at 1080p. There's also a QHD 240Hz display option if you want better visuals, though you'll have to pair it with the top-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to get good frame rates. It doesn't get overly hot or loud under load, and there's no noticeable throttling on the CPU or GPU. Unfortunately, the 120Hz panel has a slow response time, causing noticeable ghosting, and it doesn't support variable refresh rate."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the Dell G15 5520
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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
109,095
Recommendations made
23,638
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.