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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is a budget-friendly, lightweight, and portable laptop with a touchscreen, suitable for general use and silent operation. It offers lower performance with an Intel i3 processor and basic graphics, making it less suitable for intensive engineering tasks or gaming. Conversely, the Acer Nitro 17 is pricier but packs a more powerful AMD Ryzen 7 processor and Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card, which is better suited for gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering software. It also has a larger screen but is heavier, which reduces its portability. Both have similar battery life for typical usage. Choose the Aspire 3 Spin 14 for affordability and portability or the Nitro 17 for higher performance in demanding applications at the expense of portability and higher cost. 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 Spin 14
- Very good portability
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 17
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5
7.8
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The Acer Nitro 17 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 17 offers a substantial boost in performance with a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a more capable graphics card, making it suitable for more demanding tasks, yet it's not as portable and has a lower portability score due to its larger size and heavier weight compared to the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14, which offers a more modest performance but is lighter and more portable with a fanless operation that could be appealing for on-the-go use.
Gaming and AI
5.8
7.4
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Nitro 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 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
7.9
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 17 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 provides modest performance for engineering and design tasks with its more basic CPU and integrated GPU; it is suitable for light use but may struggle with demanding applications, although it excels in portability and has silent operation. In contrast, the Acer Nitro 17 offers substantial power for engineering thanks to a superior CPU, dedicated GPU, and increased RAM, making it well-suited for resource-intensive tasks, but it sacrifices portability due to its larger size and weight.
Content Creation
7.0
7.8
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 17 and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 are both good for content creation, though the Acer Nitro 17 is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
6.2
7.4
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 17 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14's screen may offer suitable resolution and brightness for typical tasks like browsing and office work, but its color coverage might be limited for professional design work which requires a wide range of accurate colors. On the other hand, the Acer Nitro 17 provides a vibrant display that can be beneficial for engineering and design software because of better color gamut coverage; however, its refresh rate might not be high enough for smooth visuals needed in high-paced gaming and 3D rendering environments. Both laptops may fall short for gaming and 3D work because gamers and 3D artists often need higher refresh rates for fluid motion, something neither model seems to excel at.
Portability
Very Good
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
7.4
The Acer Nitro 17 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$418
$970
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the Acer Nitro 17 costs $970.
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Key similarities
Software Development
6.9
7.4
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Nitro 17 to be good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 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.
Battery
8.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 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.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Acer Nitro 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 | Acer Nitro 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$418 | $970 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 9'' x 0.74'' | 15.8'' x 11.6'' x 1.1'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 6.83 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 15.77" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 11.59" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-N305 | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 280 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.2/10 | 5.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
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 | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14
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Rtings
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and Yannick Khong | November 2023
"The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is okay for school use. It feels reasonably well-built, and its compact design makes it easy to carry around. The battery lasts around seven hours of light use, so you only have to plug it in for a short time to get through a typical school day. The overall user experience is so-so; the display looks sharp but dim, and the touchpad is fairly responsive, albeit small."
Acer Nitro 17
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PCMag
Mark Knapp | October 2023
"The Acer Nitro 17 isn't an exceptional gaming laptop; it's kind of chunky even among 17.3-inch notebooks, with a lackluster keyboard, and it doesn't outperform comparably priced machines. But there's a lot to like about it, including a good array of ports, a screen that's sharp and bright for work and play alike, and battery life that soundly beats the competition. All this comes at an affordable price. If size and weight aren't big concerns, you'll find the Nitro 17 a dependable big-screen gaming rig. If you crave higher quality, consider a slight step down or up in screen size with the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 or Alienware m18 respectively."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the Acer Nitro 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.
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