To assist you in your choice between the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Acer Predator Helios 300, consider the following aspects. The Aspire 3 is more budget-friendly and suitable for basic tasks like web browsing, word processing, and light media consumption, and it's lighter which makes it more suitable for carrying around. On the other hand, the Predator Helios 300 is a gaming-oriented laptop that offers higher performance for demanding tasks such as gaming, video editing, and 3D rendering, but this comes at a higher cost and with reduced portability due to its weight and shorter battery life. If your priority is gaming or intensive tasks and you don't mind spending more, the Predator is the better option. However, if you need a laptop for general use that is easy to carry and more affordable, the Aspire 3 will suffice. 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
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Acer Predator Helios 300
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.6/10
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is better for general use than the Acer Aspire 3 15 because it has a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, which greatly enhances performance. Additionally, the Predator Helios 300 offers higher quality screen and speakers, but at the expense of reduced portability and shorter battery life compared to the Aspire 3 15.
Gaming and AI
5.8/10
7.2/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 outperforms the Acer Aspire 3 15 for gaming and 3D because it has a significantly more powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, as opposed to the Aspire 3 15's AMD Radeon 610M and 60Hz refresh rate. Plus, the Helios 300 also boasts a stronger CPU and superior overall screen quality, further enhancing its gaming and 3D capabilities.
Engineering and Design
5.9/10
7.6/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
6.2/10
7.3/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 3 15, with its fair screen quality, offers a display that's adequate for tasks like browsing or document editing due to its basic panel type and sufficient resolution, but its brightness might be lacking in well-lit environments. In contrast, the Acer Predator Helios 300 improves upon this with a brighter and sharper display, which means clearer visuals for intricate designs and engineering diagrams, alongside wider color coverage that helps in accurately assessing design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short because they don't offer the high refresh rates necessary for smooth motion, though the Predator's better panel type and resolution still give it an edge for those purposes.
Battery
9.5 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Acer Predator Helios 300 has 3.5 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
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has good portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 300 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.4/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$330
$1,204
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the Acer Predator Helios 300 costs $1,204.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 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
7.1/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Acer Predator Helios 300 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 Predator Helios 300 review is an overclocked gaming laptop with a good display. The Predator is large, heavy, and loud, but also offers plenty of performance according to gamers. An overclocked gaming laptop - or its user - also has to struggle with the usual disadvantages we mentioned above. On the other hand, overclocking is optional, and those who like it quieter and can live with a few less frames per second can also switch to the significantly more moderate Standard mode. Then the Helios 300 won't be any louder than the competitors."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the Acer Predator Helios 300
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.
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