The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is more budget-friendly and lightweight, making it easier to carry around, with a touchscreen and longer battery life for general use, but it has less storage, a less powerful processor and graphics, and lower performance in demanding tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering software. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, while slightly more expensive and heavier, offers a larger screen, much better performance for gaming, and demanding tasks due to its powerful AMD processor and Nvidia graphics, higher storage capacity, and features like a high refresh rate screen and hardware ray tracing, but it may not be as portable due to its weight and size. If you need a laptop for gaming or intensive tasks, the Lenovo is a better choice; for general use with easy portability and lower cost, the Acer may suit you better. 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 Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 outperforms the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 with its superior AMD Ryzen 7 processor, Nvidia RTX 2050 graphics, and a higher capacity battery, resulting in robust performance and a better suited device for intensive tasks like gaming. However, the Acer is lighter and offers a higher resolution display with touchscreen capabilities, making it a more portable and versatile option for everyday casual use.
Gaming and AI
5.8/10
6.5/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has an Intel integrated GPU and a standard 60Hz refresh rate, making it less optimal for gaming and 3D applications compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, which is equipped with a dedicated Nvidia GPU and has a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, offering smoother visuals and gameplay. While both have IPS screens for good color and viewing angles, the Lenovo’s dedicated GPU and higher refresh rate screen provide a better experience for gaming and tasks that need more graphical power.
Engineering and Design
5.9/10
7.2/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14, with its basic Intel CPU and integrated graphics, is less suited for demanding engineering software, which benefits from the stronger AMD CPU and discrete Nvidia GPU in the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3. Additionally, the IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a larger, higher refresh rate screen and better overall performance ratings, making it more capable for engineering and design tasks.
Screen Quality
6.2/10
7.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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 has adequate resolution and brightness, suitable for everyday tasks, but it lacks the wide color gamut critical for precise engineering and design work; its lower refresh rate and mediocre panel type do not deliver the immersive experience desired for gaming and 3D applications. Conversely, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 offers a higher-quality display that meets the resolution and brightness needed for various tasks, and it includes a better color range to satisfy some engineering and design expectations, yet it still falls short for gaming and 3D due to a refresh rate that doesn't match the demands of those high motion visuals. For avid gamers and professionals in 3D, a laptop with a high refresh rate panel, superior brightness, and an advanced color gamut would provide a more appropriate solution beyond this pair.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.2/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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
$549
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 costs $549.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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
6.9/10
7.3/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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 Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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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How the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 compare to other laptops
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."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is one of the most powerful RTX 3050 Ti laptops. If you disregard the mediocre quality of the case in terms of the material and workmanship, Lenovo has created a successful budget gaming laptop with the IdeaPad Gaming. Thanks to high TDPs and constant performance development, the Core i5-12500H and GeForce RTX 3050 Ti are able to show their full power, while in contrast, the (mostly slower) competitors deliver a better battery life. However, hardly any of the alternative laptops are able to reach the image quality of the Gaming 3. Most of the competitors are left behind in terms of the color space and brightness."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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.
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