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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize battery life and a lighter device for better portability, the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is an excellent choice. It's more budget-friendly, has a touchscreen, and is suitable for lite applications and general use. However, if your workload includes intensive gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering software, the MSI Cyborg 15, with its more powerful processor and graphics card, would be more appropriate despite being heavier and having slightly less battery longevity. Keep in mind that the MSI Cyborg 15 also costs more, so if your tasks don't demand high performance, the Acer might be a more economical 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
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5
7.3
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 offers good portability and silent operation due to its light weight and fanless design, but its lower-end CPU and minimal storage may limit performance and capacity for general use, whereas the MSI Cyborg 15's higher-end CPU and ample storage, along with a more robust GPU and better overall build, enhances performance for more demanding tasks but comes with a tradeoff in portability and potentially higher operating noise.
Gaming and AI
5.8
7.2
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
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
6.5/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 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
7.5
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The MSI Cyborg 15 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 offers a fair experience for engineering and design due to its Intel i3 processor and integrated UHD Graphics, which may limit performance with intensive tasks, though it excels in portability with its fanless operation and lighter weight. In contrast, the MSI Cyborg 15 is better suited for these tasks with a more powerful Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX GPU, but it is less portable and has a noisier cooling system, trading off for significantly higher performance capabilities.
Screen Quality
6.2
6.8
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The MSI Cyborg 15 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, both the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and MSI Cyborg 15 offer satisfactory display experiences with sufficient resolution and brightness that make reading text and viewing content comfortable, but may not stand out for their display finesse. However, in engineering and design contexts, both laptops fall short due to limited color accuracy and narrower color gamuts, making them less than ideal for professionals who rely on precise color reproduction. When it comes to 3D and gaming, the lower refresh rates on these laptops hinder gameplay fluidity and responsiveness, which is key for immersive and competitive gaming environments.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
6.7
The MSI Cyborg 15 and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 both have only fair build quality, though the MSI Cyborg 15 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$418
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.0
7.5
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Cyborg 15 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
7.2
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Cyborg 15 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
7.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the MSI Cyborg 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 | MSI Cyborg 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$418 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 9'' x 0.74'' | 14.2'' x 9.9'' x 0.9'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 4.37 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 14.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 9.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-N305 | Intel i7-12650H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 53.5 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 | 234 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.2/10 | 7.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.8/10 | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
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."
MSI Cyborg 15
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NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | April 2023
"The focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the MSI Cyborg 15
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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