The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is budget-friendly and ideal for silent, fanless operation, making it suitable for general use and those who prioritize a quiet laptop. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 comes at a premium price, but offers high performance for 3D, machine learning, and gaming with its powerful processor and graphics card. The Acer is more portable, lightweight, and has longer battery life, whereas the ASUS excels in intensive tasks but sacrifices portability and battery longevity. Consider your needs: general use and value go for the Acer; intensive tasks and less concern for portability and cost, choose the ASUS. 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 ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
7.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
292.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is considered fair for general use because it has basic capabilities with an Intel i3 processor, 8GB RAM, and average battery life, making it suitable for basic tasks with relatively good portability due to its lower weight and 2-in-1 convertible design.
Gaming and AI
5.8/10
8.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14, with its modest GPU and lower screen refresh rate, delivers acceptable performance for casual gaming and 3D applications, but it falls short for demanding tasks. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, equipped with a high-end GPU and superior screen refresh rate, offers a premium gaming and 3D experience, making it better suited for intensive gaming and professional 3D work, despite typically being more expensive and less portable.
Engineering and Design
5.9/10
8.6/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a basic CPU and integrated graphics which is adequate for general tasks but may struggle with complex engineering simulations or design software, and its screen quality is fair, which might not be ideal for detailed design work. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers a higher-end CPU, powerful dedicated GPU, and superior screen quality, making it more suitable for intensive engineering and design applications, but it is heavier and less portable, with a lower portability score.
Content Creation
7.0/10
8.2/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is good.
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
6.9/10
7.5/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is 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.
Screen Quality
6.2/10
8.1/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
292.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 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.
For general use, the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 offers adequate clarity and brightness, but may not be as sharp or vibrant as more premium screens, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 provides a higher quality display that's better for multitasking and viewing content. In engineering and design, the ASUS stands out with a wider color range, ensuring more precise color accuracy for professional work, whereas the Acer might lack in displaying the full spectrum of colors needed for such tasks. However, for gaming and 3D applications, neither laptop hits the mark for the best experience due to lower refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth visuals in fast-paced scenarios.
Battery
8.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 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
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
8.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has very 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
$2,499
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 costs $2,499.
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."
"Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 laptop review: liquid metal 7 nm AMD Zen 3 is stunning. The raw performance increase is absolutely bonkers if you're upgrading from a laptop on Coffee Lake-H or older. The 45 W Ryzen 9 5900HX is neck-to-neck with the thicker, heavier, and hotter Schenker Ultra 17 running on a desktop-class Core i9-11900K despite their wide TDP differences. The performance-per-watt advantages can make Intel Rocket Lake feel like a last generation platform at times. As for the chassis itself, it's a huge light show with RGB LEDs on almost all sides of the system."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 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.
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
124,095
Recommendations made
26,888
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.