The MSI Creator M16 HX is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.
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
7.7/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Creator M16 HX is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
6.1/10
8.7/10
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Creator M16 HX is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.2/10
8.3/10
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator M16 HX 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
8.0/10
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator M16 HX is very good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.
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
8.6/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
The MSI Creator M16 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
9.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator M16 has 5 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
16.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Creator M16 HX has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.0/10
The MSI Creator M16 HX 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
$1,700
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the MSI Creator M16 HX costs $1,700.
How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the MSI Creator M16 HX compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
Acer Aspire 3 14
MSI Creator M16 HX
GENERAL
Price
Price
$434
$1,700
Release Date
Release Date
March 1, 2023
March 1, 2024
Overall Dimensions
Overall Dimensions
12.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.74''
14.1'' x 10.2'' x 1.06''
Weight
Weight
3.09 lbs
4.96 lbs
Width
Width
12.9"
14.13"
Depth
Depth
8.5"
10.2"
INTERNAL
Processor
Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 7520U
Intel i7-14700HX
RAM
RAM
8 GB
32 GB
DDR Memory Version
DDR Memory Version
5
5
RAM Slots
RAM Slots
0
2
Storage
Storage
512 GB
1024 GB
Storage Slots
Storage Slots
1
2
Graphics
Graphics
AMD Radeon 610M
RTX 4060 (65 W)
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus
No
No
GPU Type
GPU Type
Dedicated
GPU Memory (VRAM)
GPU Memory (VRAM)
8 GB
Supports DLSS
Supports DLSS
No
Yes
Supports Ray Tracing
Supports Ray Tracing
No
Yes
BATTERY
Battery Life
Battery Life
9.5 Hours
5 Hours
Battery Capacity
Battery Capacity
40 Wh
65 Wh
SCREEN
Diagonal Size
Diagonal Size
14"
16"
Display Technology
Display Technology
IPS
IPS
Resolution
Resolution
1920 x 1080
2560 x 1600
Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate
60Hz
240Hz
Display Brightness
Display Brightness
250 nits
394 nits
Screen Aspect Ratio
Screen Aspect Ratio
16:9
16:10
Pixel Density
Pixel Density
157.35 PPI
188.68 PPI
Contrast
Contrast
1470: 1
1019: 1
Display Response Time
Display Response Time
36 ms
12.9 ms
DCI-P3
DCI-P3
38 %
98 %
sRGB
sRGB
57 %
100 %
Adobe RGB
Adobe RGB
39 %
87 %
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS
Build Quality Score
Build Quality Score
6.3/10
7/10
Portability Score
Portability Score
8.4/10
6.7/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
Gaming Laptop Appearance
No
No
Premium Business Laptop
Premium Business Laptop
No
No
Fan Noise Score
Fan Noise Score
10/10
7.8/10
Facial Recognition
Facial Recognition
No
No
Upper Side Temp (Max)
Upper Side Temp (Max)
Lower Side Temp (Max)
Lower Side Temp (Max)
Palm Rest Temp (Max)
Palm Rest Temp (Max)
Keyboard Lighting Color
Keyboard Lighting Color
White
White
Warranty Period
Warranty Period
1 year
1 year
HARDWARE FEATURES
Keyboard Quality Score
Keyboard Quality Score
6.3/10
8/10
Speaker Quality Score
Speaker Quality Score
6/10
7.5/10
Webcam
Webcam
720p
720p
Fingerprint Reader
Fingerprint Reader
No
Yes
Backlit Keyboard
Backlit Keyboard
Yes
Yes
Number Pad
Number Pad
No
Yes
CONNECTIVITY
USB Type-A
USB Type-A
2
3
USB-C ports
USB-C ports
1
1
USB-C Charging
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
Display Outputs
Display Outputs
1
2
Thunderbolt Ports
Thunderbolt Ports
0
0
DisplayPorts
DisplayPorts
0
0
HDMI Ports
HDMI Ports
1
1
Ethernet
Ethernet
No
Yes
Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth Version
5.2
5.3
WiFi Version
WiFi Version
6
6E
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the MSI Creator M16 HX
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.
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.