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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is a budget-friendly option that’s ideal for general use and light productivity tasks, but its modest performance and build quality might not be suitable for demanding activities such as intensive gaming or heavy multitasking. On the other hand, the MSI Modern 14, while also not suitable for intensive gaming, offers a more premium design, potentially better performance and portability, and superior screen quality, catering to professionals seeking a sleek and more powerful machine for on-the-go productivity at a higher price point. 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
- The Acer Aspire 3 14 has no clear advantages over the MSI Modern 14.
Advantages of the MSI Modern 14
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.1
6.4
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
The MSI Modern 14 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 14 for general use, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the Acer Aspire 3 and MSI Modern 14 have displays that provide adequate resolution and brightness, but the panel types might not offer the best viewing angles or color precision. In the realm of engineering and design, while their resolutions are suitable, the fair screen quality could be due to limited color gamut coverage, meaning they don't display the wide range of colors professionals may require. For gaming and 3D applications, the poor screen quality is likely due to lower refresh rates, which result in less fluid motion, and while resolution and panel types are somewhat satisfactory, they don't excel in delivering the premium, rapid-paced visual experience gamers seek.
Battery
9.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Modern 14 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.
Build Quality
6.2
7.0
The MSI Modern 14 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
$525
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the MSI Modern 14 costs $525.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.0
7.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The MSI Modern 14 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for general use.
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
6.0
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Modern 14 to be only fair 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
6.6
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Modern 14 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both only fair for engineering and design.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is suited for engineering and design tasks with its AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and Radeon 610M GPU, but has half the RAM of the MSI Modern 14, which features a similar CPU but better integrated graphics, potentially offering a smoother design experience.
Content Creation
7.2
7.2
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Aspire 3 14 and MSI Modern 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
7.1
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Aspire 3 14 and MSI Modern 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Modern 14 and Acer Aspire 3 14 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the MSI Modern 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 14 | MSI Modern 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$434 | $525 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.74'' | 12.7'' x 8.7'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.09 lbs | 3.08 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.9" | 12.68" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.5" | 8.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 7520U | AMD Ryzen 5 7530U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 39 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 311 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.4/10 | 8.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
MSI Modern 14
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Dig into reviews and images
Rtings
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | October 2023
"The MSI Modern 14 is okay for school use. It's very compact, so it's easy to carry around. It has a sharp display, a spacious keyboard, and a reasonably large touchpad. Its Intel 13th Gen CPU and integrated graphics can handle general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing; however, don't expect to do anything intensive like 3D modeling or physics simulations. Unfortunately, the battery lasts less than five hours of light use, and the display doesn't get bright enough to combat glare."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the MSI Modern 14
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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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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