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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is considerably cheaper, lightweight, and offers longer battery life, making it suitable for general use and portability. In contrast, the Acer Predator Helios 300 is more expensive but provides a significant performance boost, ideal for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering tasks. The Helios 300 also has a higher refresh rate display for smoother visuals. If you prioritize everyday tasks and value portability and price, the Spin 14 is a smart choice. However, if performance and gaming are critical, and you can handle a heavier and costlier laptop, the Helios 300 is the better option. 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
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Acer Predator Helios 300
- 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
- Good speakers
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5
7.4
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 offers fair general performance with its basic CPU, sufficient RAM for everyday tasks, a high-resolution touchscreen which adds versatility, and excellent portability with a lightweight design and good battery life; it's suited for those who prioritize lower noise over raw power.
Gaming and AI
5.8
7.2
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 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
7.6
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a less powerful CPU and GPU, and comes with less RAM compared to the Acer Predator Helios 300, which limits its performance for intensive engineering and design tasks. While the Aspire 3 Spin 14 offers the flexibility of a 2-in-1 convertible with silent, fanless operation making it more portable, the Predator Helios 300 boasts a better screen quality and higher specs that are significantly more suited to demanding software used in engineering and design.
Screen Quality
6.2
7.3
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 300 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.
For general use, the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14's screen is satisfactory due to its adequate resolution and brightness, but may not be as vibrant or sharp compared to higher-end displays. In engineering and design, while its color accuracy meets basic requirements, professionals might seek displays with wider color gamuts to ensure precise color representation. The Acer Predator Helios 300, meanwhile, offers a more immersive experience for engineering and design with its better coverage of color spaces, but for gaming and 3D applications, its lower refresh rate limits the potential for fluid motion graphics compared to specialized gaming laptops.
Battery
8.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Acer Predator Helios 300 has 3.5 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
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 300 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
7.4
The Acer Predator Helios 300 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
$1,204
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the Acer Predator Helios 300 costs $1,204.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.0
7.3
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 Predator Helios 300 and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 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
6.9
7.1
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
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Predator Helios 300 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 Predator Helios 300 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 | Acer Predator Helios 300 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$418 | $1,204 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 9'' x 0.74'' | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.9'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 5.51 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 14.3" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 10" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-N305 | 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 | 8 Hours | 3.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 59 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 294 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.2/10 | 6.9/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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 Predator Helios 300
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NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | November 2022
"The Acer Predator Helios 300 review is an overclocked gaming laptop with a good display. The Predator is large, heavy, and loud, but also offers plenty of performance according to gamers. An overclocked gaming laptop - or its user - also has to struggle with the usual disadvantages we mentioned above. On the other hand, overclocking is optional, and those who like it quieter and can live with a few less frames per second can also switch to the significantly more moderate Standard mode. Then the Helios 300 won't be any louder than the competitors."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the Acer Predator Helios 300
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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