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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is a budget-friendly option with a touchscreen and good portability; it's suitable for general use like web browsing, office applications, and media consumption. It is light, has a decent keyboard, and offers fanless operation, meaning it's silent. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware X17 R2, while more expensive, provides top-notch performance for gaming, 3D rendering, engineering work, and machine learning tasks. It has a high-refresh rate screen for fast motion, superior build quality, and a powerful graphics card, but it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable than the Acer. 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 Dell Alienware X17 R2
- Very good for general use
- Excellent 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
- Best in class speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5
8.2
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
2.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very 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 largely because it has modest specifications such as an Intel i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a smaller storage capacity, which are adequate for basic tasks but may struggle with more demanding applications; additionally, its lighter weight and silent operation make it very portable.
Gaming and AI
5.8
8.9
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14's inbuilt Intel graphics and a 60Hz screen refresh rate offer fair gaming and 3D performance, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2's more powerful Nvidia graphics card and a much higher 480Hz screen refresh rate provide a smoother and more immersive experience, making it very good for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
5.9
9.1
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14, with a basic Intel i3 processor, lesser RAM, and integrated graphics, offers limited performance for engineering tasks compared to the Dell Alienware X17 R2 which boasts a high-end Intel i9 processor, substantial RAM, and a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti graphics card for heavy workloads. While the Acer has longer battery life and is lighter, making it more portable with a touch screen, the Dell's larger, more vibrant display and powerful components take precedence for demanding engineering and design applications, albeit at the cost of portability and battery life.
Content Creation
7.0
8.3
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 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
7.8
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 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
8.5
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 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 provides an adequate viewing experience with its fair resolution and brightness, while the Dell shines with a higher resolution and brightness, creating a more vibrant and detailed display. When it comes to engineering and design, the Dell's screen excels by covering a wider range of color gamuts, essential for precision work, unlike the Acer which offers a more modest color performance. Regarding 3D and gaming, both laptops don't meet the ideal with their lower refresh rates, though the Acer's performance is particularly limited compared to the Dell, whose resolution and panel type mitigate this deficiency to an extent.
Battery
8.0 Hours
2.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 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
6.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
8.5
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 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
$2,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 costs $2,000.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 | Dell Alienware X17 R2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$418 | $2,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | December 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 9'' x 0.74'' | 15.7'' x 11.8'' x 0.82'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 6.82 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 15.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 11.79" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-N305 | Intel i9-12900HK | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 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 | 2 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 87 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 | 480Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 367 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8.5/10 | |
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 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 4 | |
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."
Dell Alienware X17 R2
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NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | May 2022
"The Alienware x17 R2 recognizes targets a significantly higher TGP of 175 W for a roughly 30 percent performance boost over laptops running on the ~100 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti like the Razer Blade 15 or Gigabyte Aero YE5. Similar results can be found through the CPU as well. This single aspect of the Alienware is perhaps the biggest differentiating factor between it and other ultrathin gaming laptops. Of course, the "performance at all cost" approach comes with drawbacks. Power consumption in particular is through the roof and battery life suffers because of it even when on the lowest performance settings."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the Dell Alienware X17 R2
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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