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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 is more budget-friendly and has a longer battery life, making it suitable for general use and portable enough for on-the-go tasks. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, while more expensive, offers better performance with higher-quality components, including a more powerful processor and graphics card, better suited for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks. It also has a higher-quality display with touch capabilities and a higher resolution, which could be advantageous for creative professionals. Additionally, the Surface Laptop Studio is more suitable for intensive gaming. Both laptops have similar screen sizes and portability, but the Surface Laptop Studio has a slightly heavier build and comes with additional features like a backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, and facial recognition technology. 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
- Good for engineering and design
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
5.9
6.6
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is equipped with an AMD Radeon 610M GPU and a regular 60Hz screen refresh rate, which may limit gaming and 3D capabilities to only casual or less demanding scenarios. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, with its stronger Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU and higher 120Hz screen refresh rate, provides a more responsive and smooth experience suitable for more demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
6.1
7.3
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 14, with an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and Radeon GPU, suits basic engineering tasks and offers silent operation, but its lower RAM and screen quality limit complex design work. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, featuring a higher-tier Intel CPU, Nvidia RTX GPU, and a sharper, flexible touchscreen, excels in engineering and design tasks, albeit with reduced portability and potential for more operating noise.
Screen Quality
6.1
8.0
14.0in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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, the screen quality of both laptops is noteworthy, with the Acer Aspire providing adequate clarity and brightness, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offering superior resolution and panel technology that result in sharper and more vibrant visuals suitable for everyday tasks. Engineering and design professionals would appreciate the wider color gamut on the Surface Laptop Studio, ensuring more precise color representation for tasks like photo editing and CAD work, which the Acer Aspire might not render as accurately. However, when it comes to gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates which can lead to less fluid motion rendering, though their resolutions and panel types provide decent image quality for less demanding visual content.
Battery
9.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has 8 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
14.4in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has very good portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very 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
$1,700
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.0
7.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for general use.
The Acer Aspire 3 14, while having solid portability due to its lighter weight and silent operation, is considered fair for general use because it has lower screen quality, less powerful CPU and GPU, and half the RAM compared to the Surface Laptop Studio.
Content Creation
7.2
7.4
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
7.3
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 14 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$434 | $1,700 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | September 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.74'' | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.09 lbs | 4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.9" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.5" | 8.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 7520U | Intel i7-11370H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 491 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.4/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Tom Brant | October 2021
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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