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Aspire 3 14
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Raider 18 HX
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated June 22, 2024·

For everyday tasks, the Acer Aspire 3 14 offers solid performance with its AMD Ryzen 5 processor and is quite portable, making it a good choice for on-the-go use. It has a decent screen and battery life for general use. However, it's not designed for gaming or intensive tasks like 3D rendering or machine learning due to its less powerful GPU. On the other hand, the MSI Raider 18 HX is a powerhouse with a high-end Intel i9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, ideal for demanding tasks such as gaming, 3D modeling, and machine learning. Its large, high-resolution touchscreen with a fast refresh rate provides an excellent visual experience, though it's less portable due to its size and weight. It also offers a premium build quality and advanced features like a fingerprint reader and facial recognition. Consider the Acer for budget-friendly, everyday computing with good portability. Choose the MSI for top-tier performance in a larger, more robust package that's suitable for intensive tasks and gaming. 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 MSI Raider 18 HX
  • Very good for general use
  • Best in class for engineering and design
  • Excellent for gaming and AI
  • Very good for software development
  • Excellent for content creation
  • Excellent overall display quality
  • Good overall build quality
  • Very good speakers
  • Good keyboard

Key differences

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General Use

7.0
Aspire 3 14
Raider 18 HX
8.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.

Gaming and AI

5.9
Aspire 3 14
Raider 18 HX
9.0
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.

Engineering and Design

6.1
Aspire 3 14
Raider 18 HX
9.6
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.

Content Creation

7.2
Aspire 3 14
Raider 18 HX
9.1
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Raider 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.

Software Development

7.1
Aspire 3 14
Raider 18 HX
8.8
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Raider 18 HX is very good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.

Screen Quality

6.1
Aspire 3 14
Raider 18 HX
9.4
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Raider 18 HX has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Portability

Very Good
Aspire 3 14
Raider 18 HX
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Raider 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

6.2
Aspire 3 14
Raider 18 HX
7.4
The MSI Raider 18 HX has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 has only fair build quality.

Cost

$434
Aspire 3 14
Raider 18 HX
$3,999
Product image
Product image

$0

$1,000

$2,000

$3,000

$4,000

The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the MSI Raider 18 HX costs $3,999.
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Key similarities

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Battery

9.5 Hours
Aspire 3 14
Raider 18 HX
9.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider 18 HX has 9 hours of battery life.

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How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the MSI Raider 18 HX compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Aspire 3 14MSI Raider 18 HX
Acer Aspire 3 14MSI Raider 18 HX

GENERAL

Price
$434
$3,999
Release Date
March 1, 2023March 1, 2024
Overall Dimensions
12.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.74''15.9'' x 12.1'' x 1.26''
Weight
3.09 lbs7.94 lbs
Width
12.9"15.91"
Depth
8.5"12.09"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 7520UIntel i9-14900HX
RAM
8 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
04
Storage
512 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
9.5 Hours9 Hours
Battery Capacity
40 Wh99.9 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
14"18"
Display Technology
IPSMini LED
Resolution
1920 x 10803840 x 2400
Refresh Rate
60Hz120Hz
Display Brightness
250 nits1000 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
6.3/107.4/10
Portability Score
8.4/105.1/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
10/108/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
6.3/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
6/108/10
Webcam
720p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
23
USB-C ports
12
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
13
Thunderbolt Version
N/A4

Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the MSI Raider 18 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.

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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.

By the numbers

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Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
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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.

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