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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
For general use with portability and a lower price point in mind, the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 would be your choice as it's lighter, has a longer battery life, and is more affordable; however, it offers modest performance and storage. Conversely, if your focus is on higher performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Acer Nitro 5 17 is the preferred option with its powerful processor, extensive storage, and dedicated graphics card, but this comes at the cost of reduced portability due to its larger size and weight, as well as a higher price. 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 5 17
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- 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
307.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 offers moderate performance with its Intel i3 processor and 8GB of RAM, and while its screen quality and fanless operation are suitable for light tasks, its portability and long battery life make it a convenient choice for on-the-go use.
Gaming and AI
5.8
7.7
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 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
8.0
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is fair for engineering and design uses because it has an entry-level CPU and integrated graphics, which are adequate for basic tasks, and a higher resolution screen for sharp images, but may struggle with more demanding software. In contrast, the Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for these tasks due to a powerful CPU, a superior dedicated graphics card for rendering and simulation, and a screen that favors speed over resolution, which is beneficial for engineering simulations and design work.
Content Creation
7.0
7.8
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 are both good for content creation, though the Acer Nitro 5 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
8.2
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 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.
When selecting a laptop, the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a display that's adequate for tasks like browsing and watching videos, with reasonable resolution and brightness, but it may lack the wide color gamut needed for precise engineering and design work. The Acer Nitro 5 17, on the other hand, offers a more vivid and brighter display with greater color accuracy, which benefits engineering and design professionals but may fall short for gaming due to a less than ideal refresh rate for fast-paced visuals. Gamers should consider laptops with higher refresh rates to ensure smoother gameplay, which is something neither of these models excel at.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Acer Nitro 5 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.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
7.2
The Acer Nitro 5 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
$830
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the Acer Nitro 5 17 costs $830.
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Key similarities
Software Development
6.9
7.4
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
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 5 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Acer Nitro 5 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 | Acer Nitro 5 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$418 | $830 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 9'' x 0.74'' | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 5.95 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 15.89" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 11.02" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-N305 | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 57.5 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 | 360Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 307 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.2/10 | 6.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | 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 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 5 17
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NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2021
"The Acer Nitro 5 17 is a solid mid-range gamer. The Nitro 5 does not belong to the top group of RTX 3070 notebooks: Compared with the RTX 3070 notebooks tested so far, the computer delivers below-average frame rates - this is due to the 100-watt TGP. The GPU performance can be increased a bit with a firmware update. The device scores with a high level of CPU performance. Throttling is not a concern. CPU and GPU can produce their performance constantly. The laptop heats up moderately under load. The noise development is on the usual class level."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the Acer Nitro 5 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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