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Aspire 3 14
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Katana 17
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 12, 2024·

The Acer Aspire 3 14 is a budget-friendly option with a smaller screen, lightweight design, and fanless operation, making it quiet and highly portable, which is excellent for general use and routine daily tasks. However, the MSI Katana 17 is more expensive but offers significantly higher performance with a larger screen, powerful processor, and dedicated graphics, suitable for demanding tasks like gaming, 3D modeling, and engineering software. It, however, has shorter battery life and is heavier, which could be a downside if you need to carry it around often. Choose the Acer for cost savings and portability, or the MSI for performance and advanced tasks. 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
  • Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Katana 17
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Good for gaming and AI
  • Good overall build quality
  • Good speakers
  • Good keyboard

Key differences

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General Use

7.0
Aspire 3 14
Katana 17
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Katana 17 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for general use, though the MSI Katana 17 is somewhat better.

Gaming and AI

5.9
Aspire 3 14
Katana 17
7.9
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
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
7.0/10
The MSI Katana 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.

Engineering and Design

6.1
Aspire 3 14
Katana 17
8.4
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Katana 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.

Content Creation

7.2
Aspire 3 14
Katana 17
7.8
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Katana 17 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for content creation, though the MSI Katana 17 is somewhat better.

Screen Quality

6.1
Aspire 3 14
Katana 17
6.9
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
256.0 nits
The MSI Katana 17 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

9.5 Hours
Aspire 3 14
Katana 17
3.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Katana 17 has 3 hours of battery life.

Portability

Very Good
Aspire 3 14
Katana 17
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Katana 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

6.2
Aspire 3 14
Katana 17
7.2
The MSI Katana 17 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 has only fair build quality.

Cost

$434
Aspire 3 14
Katana 17
$1,367
Product image
Product image

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the MSI Katana 17 costs $1,367.
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Key similarities

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Software Development

7.1
Aspire 3 14
Katana 17
7.5
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Katana 17 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for software development.

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How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the MSI Katana 17 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Aspire 3 14MSI Katana 17
Acer Aspire 3 14MSI Katana 17

GENERAL

Price
$434
$1,367
Release Date
March 1, 2023May 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
12.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.74''15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.99''
Weight
3.09 lbs5.73 lbs
Width
12.9"15.67"
Depth
8.5"10.75"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 7520UIntel i7-13620H
RAM
8 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
02
Storage
512 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
9.5 Hours3 Hours
Battery Capacity
40 Wh53.5 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
14"17.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10801920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz144Hz
Display Brightness
250 nits256 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
6.3/107.2/10
Portability Score
8.4/106.2/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
10/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
6.3/107.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
6/107.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
23
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
12
Thunderbolt Ports
00

Shopping

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MSI Katana 17

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Benjamin Herzig | February 2023
"The MSI Katana 17 B13V laptop impressed us in its main area of competency - gaming. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 ensures high-performance levels which can compete with the previous generation's RTX 3070 Ti. In addition to the speedy GPU, the MSI comes with a 144 Hz display as well as an RGB keyboard and provides a very good typing experience. Despite the power at hand, the laptop remains comparatively cool."

Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the MSI Katana 17

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.

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Why trust us

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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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Recommendations made
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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.

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