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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 is a budget-friendly option with respectable battery life, and it is lightweight, making it quite portable. It's adequate for general use and light tasks but limited for more demanding applications. In contrast, the MSI Raider GE66 is a high-performance laptop with a high-end graphics card and processor, suitable for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, engineering tasks, and machine learning. It has a better display and more RAM, but this also makes it heavier and more expensive. If you need power for demanding software and gaming, and portability is less of a concern, the MSI is a better choice, whereas if you prioritize affordability and portability for everyday tasks, the Acer Aspire 3 would be more suitable. 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 GE66
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
8.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.
The MSI Raider GE66 outperforms the Acer Aspire 3 14 in general use primarily due to its significantly more powerful CPU and GPU, increased RAM, and a higher quality screen with better resolution and color accuracy, which are important for a variety of tasks. However, the Acer Aspire 3 14 offers better portability with a longer battery life and lighter weight, and it has the advantage of silent operation, making it a better option for those who prioritize mobility and low noise over top-end performance.
Gaming and AI
5.9
8.5
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.
The MSI Raider GE66 outperforms the Acer Aspire 3 14 in gaming and 3D due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, making it very good for smooth and detailed gameplay, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 has a modest AMD Radeon 610M GPU and a 60Hz screen refresh rate, rendering it only fair for such tasks.
Engineering and Design
6.1
8.9
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 14, with its modest AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and Radeon 610M GPU, offers sufficient power for basic engineering and design tasks, whereas the MSI Raider GE66, with a superior Intel i7 CPU and RTX 3070 Ti GPU, is well-equipped for demanding 3D modeling and computational simulations, reflecting in its excellent performance for engineering and design uses.
Content Creation
7.2
8.3
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Raider GE66 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
8.0
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE66 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
8.4
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE66 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 3 14's display may offer adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks such as browsing and document editing, but its limited color range can make it less ideal for engineering and design work that requires color accuracy. The MSI Raider GE66 likely has a high-resolution, bright display with wide color gamuts, making it superior for detailed work in engineering and design, though both laptops have displays with low refresh rates, which isn't optimal for the smooth visuals required in high-end gaming and 3D rendering. This means the GE66 excels in areas that necessitate color precision and clarity, while neither are especially suited for gaming enthusiasts or professionals in 3D fields who prioritize fluid motion graphics.
Battery
9.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 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.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Raider GE66 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
8.5
The MSI Raider GE66 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
$2,499
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the MSI Raider GE66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 14 | MSI Raider GE66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$434 | $2,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.74'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.09 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.9" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.5" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 7520U | Intel i7-12700H | |
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 | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.4/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
MSI Raider GE66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Patrick Schüdzig | June 2022
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the MSI Raider GE66
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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