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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you need a laptop with high performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the MSI Stealth GS66 is a superior choice, offering a more powerful processor, graphics capabilities, and better overall performance scores. However, it is also heavier and has shorter battery life, making it less portable than the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14. On the other hand, the Acer is a budget-friendly option with less storage and computing power, suitable for general use. It is also lighter and offers longer battery life, enhancing its portability for everyday tasks. The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is also a touchscreen device, which the MSI lacks, potentially adding convenience for certain users. 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 MSI Stealth GS66
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5
7.7
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
The MSI Stealth GS66 generally performs better due to its more powerful i7 processor and double the RAM of the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14, which sports an i3 processor and less RAM, translating to smoother multitasking and speedier operation. Additionally, the MSI's superior battery life and larger, higher-quality screen contribute to its enhanced usability, although it is slightly heavier and less portable than the lightweight Acer.
Gaming and AI
5.8
7.8
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 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
8.2
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS66 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The MSI Stealth GS66 surpasses the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 in engineering and design due to its more powerful Intel i7 processor, double the RAM, and a high-end Nvidia RTX GPU, which considerably enhance performance in computational and graphical tasks.
Content Creation
7.0
7.7
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth GS66 and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 are both good for content creation, though the MSI Stealth GS66 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.
Software Development
6.9
7.5
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 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
8.1
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The MSI Stealth GS66 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 provides sufficient clarity and brightness with its resolution and panel, making it suitable for tasks like web browsing and document editing, while the MSI Stealth GS66 offers a sharper image and better brightness which enhances viewing experiences for varied content. Regarding engineering and design work where color accuracy is critical, both laptops offer fair performance; however, their limited color gamut coverage may not meet the demands of professionals requiring precise color reproduction. When it comes to Gaming and 3D applications that thrive on fast motion, the low refresh rate on both laptops could lead to less fluid visuals, which could detract from the immersive experience that fast-paced games and 3D graphics demand.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 has 5.5 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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth GS66 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
8.0
The MSI Stealth GS66 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
$1,799
$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 MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,799.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the MSI Stealth GS66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 | MSI Stealth GS66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$418 | $1,799 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | April 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 9'' x 0.74'' | 14.2'' x 9.7'' x 0.71'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 14.17" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 9.65" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-N305 | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 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 | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 99.9 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 | 360Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 280 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.2/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
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."
MSI Stealth GS66
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NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | February 2022
"The MSI Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the MSI Stealth GS66
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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