To decide between the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Acer Aspire 5 17, consider that while the Aspire 3 may save you money, the Aspire 5 typically has a larger screen and better performance, which can be more suitable for multitasking and multimedia tasks. However, the Aspire 5's larger size can make it less portable. If you prioritize savings and portability, and primarily use your laptop for basic tasks like browsing and office applications, the Aspire 3 could be a smart choice. If you need more power for resource-intensive tasks and a bigger display, and don't mind a bulkier laptop and higher price, the Aspire 5 may better meet your needs. 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 15
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has no clear advantages over the Acer Aspire 5 17.
Advantages of the Acer Aspire 5 17
Good for general use
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.6/10
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
266.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 15, with its AMD Ryzen 3 processor, 128GB of storage, and 9.5 hours of battery life, is deemed fair for general use due to moderate performance and storage but has the advantage of longer battery life and lighter weight for better portability.
Engineering and Design
5.9/10
6.7/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15, with its AMD Ryzen 3 CPU and Radeon 610M GPU, offers modest performance suitable for lighter tasks in engineering and design; it offers a decent screen and a balance of portability due to its size and weight. Whereas, the Acer Aspire 5 17 has a higher-performing Intel i5 CPU and better integrated graphics with Intel's Iris Xe, along with a larger screen, which provides a more comfortable viewing experience for detailed work, though it is less portable given its larger size and slightly more weight.
Screen Quality
6.2/10
6.2/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
266.0 nits
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Acer Aspire 5 17 have similar screen quality.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and Aspire 5 17 have fair screen quality for general use due to their adequate panel type, resolution, and acceptable brightness levels, making everyday tasks like browsing, document editing, and video streaming satisfactory. However, their fair screen quality in engineering and design is limited by modest color range coverage, affecting professionals who require precise color accuracy for detailed work. For gaming and 3D applications, the screens' poorer quality is attributed to lower refresh rates which can result in less fluid motion and their resolution and panel types not being optimal for high-end graphics rendering.
Battery
9.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Acer Aspire 5 17 has 7 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.
Cost
$330
$700
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the Acer Aspire 5 17 costs $700.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Aspire 5 17 to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 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.
Content Creation
7.0/10
7.2/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and Acer Aspire 3 15 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
7.0/10
7.2/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and Acer Aspire 3 15 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
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and Acer Aspire 5 17 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
6.5/10
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and Acer Aspire 3 15 both have only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Acer Aspire 5 17 compare to other laptops
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and Yannick Khong | March 2023
"The Acer Aspire 3 is okay for school use. It feels reasonably well-built, and it's easy to carry around. The display looks decently sharp and provides plenty of space for multitasking, but it doesn't get bright enough to combat glare. Its Intel Core i3-N305 CPU and integrated graphics can only handle simple tasks, like text processing, web browsing, and video playback, so it isn't ideal for students in more technical fields like 3D graphics. Unfortunately, the battery lasts only around six to seven hours of light use."
"The Acer Aspire 5 17 laptop shows the expected strengths in the test. Besides the usual high build quality, the configuration convinces in most benchmarks and tests. The combination of CPU, GPU, and RAM is absolutely sufficient for the everyday office and browsing tasks of a laptop. It also renders the odd game passably if the requirements aren't too high. We liked the matte display in the test as well as the fairly manageable dimensions despite the screen size. It can also be used outdoors, even if it's certainly not a laptop designed for mobility."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the Acer Aspire 5 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.
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.