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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 12, 2024·
When comparing the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the HP Stream 14, consider that the Acer typically offers better performance due to a more advanced processor and graphics chip, making it suitable for tasks that demand more processing power like photo editing or multitasking with many applications. On the other hand, the HP Stream is usually lighter and thus more portable, which might be preferable if you travel often or need to carry your laptop around daily. The Acer has a larger and higher resolution screen which is better for productivity and entertainment, but this can come at the cost of reduced battery life compared to the HP. If budget is a primary concern, the HP might be the more cost-effective option, but if performance and screen quality are priorities and you're willing to invest a little more, the Acer Aspire 3 15 would be the better choice. 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
- Good for content creation
Advantages of the HP Stream 14"
- Very good portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.2
5.2
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a better screen than the HP Stream 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 offers a balance suitable for general activities, with a screen that provides acceptable resolution and brightness; however, its color gamut may not meet the stringent requirements for engineering and design work, and the low refresh rate limits its effectiveness for smooth rendering in 3D or gaming. The HP Stream 14" falls short for general use due to its lower resolution and brightness levels, making it less comfortable for everyday tasks. For engineering, design, 3D applications, or games, the screen's limited color range and low refresh rate could greatly diminish the visual experience and responsiveness, rendering it suboptimal for those specific needs.
Battery
9.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The HP Stream 14" has 7.5 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
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP Stream 14" has very good portability, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
5.5
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has only fair build quality, while the HP Stream 14" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$330
$299
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
$450
$500
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the HP Stream 14" costs $299.
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Key similarities
General Use
6.6
6.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.1/10
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and HP Stream 14" are both only fair for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
5.8
5.7
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and HP Stream 14" are both poor for gaming and AI.
The Acer Aspire 3 15, with its AMD Radeon 610M GPU, provides fair performance for gaming and 3D applications, which is better suited for these tasks than the HP Stream 14" that comes with an Intel UHD Graphics 600 GPU, more commonly found in basic productivity laptops with limited graphical capabilities. While both laptops have the same screen refresh rate, the Acer's superior GPU and screen resolution contribute to its fair performance in gaming and 3D scenarios compared to the HP's poor performance in these areas.
Engineering and Design
5.9
5.7
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and HP Stream 14" are both poor for engineering and design.
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.
Content Creation
7.0
6.7
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Aspire 3 15 to be good for content creation, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
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
6.5
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
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 HP Stream 14" 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the HP Stream 14" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 15 | HP Stream 14" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$330 | $299 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.74'' | 12.8'' x 8.9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 3.5 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.29" | 12.76" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 8.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | Intel Celeron N4120 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 320 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | TN | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 244 nits | 220 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 5.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 8.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 8.8/10 | |
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 | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
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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Dig into reviews and images
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."
HP Stream 14"
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Zachary Cuevas | November 2021
"With half of the main system memory and a fraction of the storage that we recommend in any budget Windows laptop, the HP Stream 14 does not impress. Perhaps it doesn't need to, depending on your reference point. For the price, you're getting a functional laptop with Windows 10, which already places the HP Stream 14 above most Chromebooks on that merit alone. Still, in this price range, you can't do much worse, but you can do better. In fact, for just $100 more, you can grab the much superior budget option, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the HP Stream 14"
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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