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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 15 is a budget-friendly option with decent battery life, making it a good choice for general use and basic tasks, but its performance in more intensive tasks like 3D rendering or engineering might be limited. In contrast, the MSI Cyborg 15, while more expensive, is equipped with a more powerful processor and graphics card, offering better performance for gaming, 3D, machine learning, and engineering tasks, but with a lower battery life and is slightly heavier, affecting portability. Neither laptop has a touchscreen or high screen refresh rates, but the Cyborg's gaming capabilities are notably superior. 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 MSI Cyborg 15.
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.6
7.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
The MSI Cyborg 15 offers a beefier CPU and higher-end GPU which are better suited for demanding tasks, plus a higher resolution screen that benefits general use with sharper visuals, at the expense of higher weight and slightly less battery life compared to the Acer Aspire 3 15. While the Acer Aspire 3 15 emphasizes portability with its lighter weight and longer battery life, it has a lower-tier CPU and GPU, making it less capable for intensive applications despite adequate for everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
5.8
7.2
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
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
6.5/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The MSI Cyborg 15 offers better gaming and 3D performance primarily because it has a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 144, compared to the Acer Aspire 3 15 which comes with an AMD Radeon 610M GPU and a 60 refresh rate. Additionally, the MSI has a more capable CPU, which can handle gaming and complex tasks more effectively, though the screen quality is similar in both laptops.
Engineering and Design
5.9
7.5
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The MSI Cyborg 15 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
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The MSI Cyborg 15 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and MSI Cyborg 15 have screens that provide adequate resolution and brightness for tasks like web browsing, office work, and video streaming, which is why the screen quality is fair for general use. For engineering and design purposes, both laptops lack the wide color gamuts needed for precise color work, leading them to have fair screen quality for those fields. However, their lower refresh rates don't align with the need for smooth visuals in fast-paced gaming or 3D modeling applications, resulting in a poor screen quality rating for Gaming and 3D.
Battery
9.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 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.
Build Quality
6.2
6.7
The MSI Cyborg 15 and Acer Aspire 3 15 both have only fair build quality, though the MSI Cyborg 15 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$330
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.0
7.5
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Cyborg 15 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
7.2
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 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
15.6in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and MSI Cyborg 15 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the MSI Cyborg 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 15 | MSI Cyborg 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$330 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.74'' | 14.2'' x 9.9'' x 0.9'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 4.37 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.29" | 14.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 9.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | Intel i7-12650H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 244 nits | 234 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 7.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
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 | 2 | |
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."
MSI Cyborg 15
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NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | April 2023
"The focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the MSI Cyborg 15
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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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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