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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 15 is a budget-friendly option that is quite versatile for general use and is known for decent screen quality for everyday tasks. However, it falls short in performance for engineering applications, 3D rendering, or machine learning tasks. The ASUS Vivobook 17 is similarly priced and offers a larger screen which could be more enjoyable for multimedia consumption, but like the Acer, it is not designed for intensive gaming or high-demand engineering software. Both laptops prioritize affordability and general use over high performance; they are suitable for everyday tasks but not for gaming or professional creative or engineering work. 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 for software development
Advantages of the ASUS Vivobook 17
- Good for general use
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.2
6.2
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
263.0 nits
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 17 for software development.
For general use, both the Acer Aspire 3 and the ASUS Vivobook 17 offer displays that are adequate, but their resolution, brightness, and panel type may not be top-of-the-line, which is why they're considered to have fair screen quality. When it comes to engineering and design tasks, professionals usually seek high color accuracy, but these models may not fully cover professional color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, limiting their effectiveness for color-critical work. As for 3D applications and gaming, a high refresh rate is crucial for smooth motion, but these laptops likely have standard refresh rates, making them less ideal for such demanding visual tasks.
Battery
9.5 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook 17 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.
Cost
$330
$438
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the ASUS Vivobook 17 costs $438.
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Key similarities
General Use
6.6
7.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
263.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Vivobook 17 to be good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a modest CPU and RAM suited for basic tasks, an average screen but it is quite portable with a good battery life, making it a decent pick for routine tasks on the go. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook 17 offers a slightly better CPU with more storage and a larger screen, but its bigger size and weight compromise portability despite having a longer battery life, so it’s better for those who prioritize screen real estate and storage over ease of transport.
Gaming and AI
5.8
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
9.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Vivobook 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.
Engineering and Design
5.9
6.3
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Vivobook 17 to be only fair for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15, with its AMD Ryzen CPU and Radeon GPU, offers modest power for engineering applications, and its IPS display provides good screen quality; however, its smaller storage might be limiting for large projects. The ASUS Vivobook 17 uses an Intel CPU and integrated graphics, making it less suited for graphic-intensive tasks, but offers larger storage and a bigger screen, which could benefit design work, yet its larger size reduces portability compared to the Acer. Both laptops are fairly adequate but with clear compromises in performance and portability for engineering and design use.
Content Creation
7.0
7.0
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Vivobook 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
6.9
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Aspire 3 15 to be good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 17 is only fair.
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 ASUS Vivobook 17 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
6.5
The ASUS Vivobook 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the ASUS Vivobook 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 15 | ASUS Vivobook 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$330 | $438 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.74'' | 15.7'' x 9.9'' x 0.78'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.29" | 15.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 9.89" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | Intel i3-1220P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 50 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 244 nits | 263 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 9.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 6/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 3 15
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Rtings
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."
ASUS Vivobook 17
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NotebookCheck
Marvin Gollor | May 2022
"The ASUS Vivobook 17 is an affordable 17-inch laptop with passive cooling. On one hand, you get a really quiet and cool work device with a good system performance, many connections, good maintenance options, speakers acceptable for multimedia enjoyment, and a sharp and clear matte FHD IPS display with the Asus VivoBook 17 (F712JA). On the other hand, the USB-C port lacks Power Delivery and DisplayPort, and the display, a higher brightness and better color space coverage."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the ASUS Vivobook 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.
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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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