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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 15 is significantly less expensive, lighter, and offers quieter operation suitable for general use, with a longer battery life for portability. Conversely, the MSI Pulse GL66 is more expensive but also more powerful with superior processing and graphics capabilities, making it better for 3D rendering, machine learning, gaming, and engineering tasks; however, it comes with shorter battery life and is heavier, which impacts portability. 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 battery life
Advantages of the MSI Pulse GL66
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very 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
245.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Pulse GL66 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
The MSI Pulse GL66 outshines the Acer Aspire 3 15 in general use primarily due to its superior CPU and RAM, enhancing overall performance and multitasking capabilities, along with a better screen refresh rate for smoother visuals, though it's slightly heavier and less portable. While both have similar screen sizes and resolutions, the longer battery life of the Acer Aspire 3 15 could be a deciding factor for users needing endurance over the higher performance and superior keyboard and speaker quality of the MSI Pulse GL66.
Gaming and AI
5.8
7.2
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
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 Pulse GL66 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a less powerful AMD Radeon GPU and a standard screen refresh rate, which make it merely fair for gaming, whereas the MSI Pulse GL66 is equipped with a superior Nvidia RTX GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, enhancing its performance for gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
5.9
7.5
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Pulse GL66 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 is fair for engineering and design because it has a mid-range CPU and GPU, which can handle some design tasks but may struggle with more demanding engineering software. The MSI Pulse GL66, on the other hand, is good for these uses due to its more powerful CPU, better GPU, and double the RAM, which allows it to smoothly run intensive engineering applications and deliver higher quality graphics.
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
245.0 nits
The MSI Pulse GL66 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 15 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the MSI Pulse GL66 have screens that are adequate due to their resolution and panel type offering sufficient clarity and brightness for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming. When it comes to engineering and design work, their fair quality suggests they lack the wide color gamuts needed for precise color work, which could limit their effectiveness for professional graphic design or video editing. Meanwhile, for gaming and 3D applications, their lower refresh rates hinder the ability to display fast-moving visuals smoothly, which is less than ideal for high-speed gaming or creating fluid 3D animations.
Battery
9.5 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and MSI Pulse GL66 both have good portability, though the Acer Aspire 3 15 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
7.4
The MSI Pulse GL66 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
$1,399
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the MSI Pulse GL66 costs $1,399.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.0
7.2
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Pulse GL66 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
7.0
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
8.0/10
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and MSI Pulse GL66 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 MSI Pulse GL66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 15 | MSI Pulse GL66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$330 | $1,399 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | March 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.74'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.29" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 53 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 | 245 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 7.1/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 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 | 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."
MSI Pulse GL66
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NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | April 2022
"The MSI Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the MSI Pulse GL66
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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