The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is more budget-friendly and offers good portability with a lighter weight and higher portability score. It also features a touchscreen and operates silently without a fan. However, it has less storage, less powerful processor and graphics, and lower performance scores across general use, 3D/machine learning, and engineering tasks. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5, while more expensive, provides higher performance with better processing power and a dedicated graphics card, making it suitable for intensive gaming and demanding 3D/machine learning tasks. It also has more storage and RAM but is heavier and has a slightly lower battery life. It lacks a touchscreen but boasts a higher refresh rate display and RGB keyboard lighting. 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 Legion Slim 5
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
7.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 outperforms the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 for general use primarily because it has a stronger CPU, double the RAM, and a dedicated graphics unit, enhancing performance for a variety of tasks. While the Legion offers greater storage capacity and better screen quality, the tradeoff comes with less portability due to its heavier weight and slightly shorter battery life, compared to the lightweight, fanless Acer with longer battery life suited for on-the-go usage.
Gaming and AI
5.8/10
7.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has an integrated Intel GPU and a standard screen refresh rate, making it only fair for gaming and 3D tasks, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 boasts a powerful Nvidia RTX graphics card and a high screen refresh rate, supporting more demanding gaming and 3D applications effectively.
Engineering and Design
5.9/10
8.0/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14, with its moderate CPU and integrated graphics, is less equipped for demanding engineering and design tasks compared to the Lenovo Legion Slim 5, which boasts a stronger CPU and dedicated graphics card, resulting in better performance for such applications.
Content Creation
7.0/10
7.5/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
6.2/10
7.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 offers adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks and work in engineering with sufficient color representation, but its lower refresh rate detracts from the experience in fast-paced gaming and 3D applications. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5, with its sharper resolution and higher brightness, enhances both daily and professional engineering usage with better color accuracy, yet like the Acer, falls short for gaming due to a refresh rate that doesn't meet the demands of high-speed visuals. Both machines, although sufficient for a range of tasks, might disappoint avid gamers looking for the smooth, responsive gameplay provided by higher refresh rates.
Battery
8.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
$1,000
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs $1,000.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
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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