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Updated March 21, 2024·
When considering between the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the MSI Titan 18 HX, the main decision points are cost, performance, and portability. The Acer is more affordable and easily portable, suitable for general use, like browsing and office applications, with decent battery life. However, if you need a laptop for high-end gaming, 3D rendering, or intensive engineering software, the MSI is equipped with superior processing power but comes at a higher price and is much less portable due to its size and weight, likely with shorter battery life due to its powerful components. 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 Titan 18 HX
- Very good for general use
- Best in class for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Excellent for content creation
- Excellent overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.5
8.8
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 offers adequate performance for everyday tasks with its CPU and RAM, has a decent screen, and is light enough for easy transport, but it doesn't excel in battery life. On the other hand, the MSI Titan 18 HX, with its high-end CPU and ample RAM, delivers exceptional performance, has an excellent screen for vivid visuals, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
5.8
9.4
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The MSI Titan 18 HX, with its higher-end GPU and faster screen refresh rate, excels in gaming and 3D applications, providing smoother visuals and better performance for demanding tasks. In contrast, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 includes a capable GPU and a decent screen, it is less suitable for intensive gaming and 3D work due to its less powerful graphics and slower refresh rate.
Engineering and Design
5.9
9.9
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
The MSI Titan 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 offers moderate performance due to its average CPU, RAM, and GPU, which can handle engineering tasks but might struggle with more intensive design software; its screen quality is decent, but not top-tier. The MSI Titan 18 HX, on the other hand, boasts a high-end CPU, ample RAM, and a powerful GPU suitable for demanding engineering applications, and it has superior screen quality, but it's less portable and could have a louder operating noise.
Content Creation
7.0
9.0
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent 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
8.9
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is very 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
9.2
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The MSI Titan 18 HX 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 a display that offers adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks like browsing and watching videos but lacks wide color gamuts critical for precise engineering and design work and has a low refresh rate that hinders the 3D gaming experience. The MSI Titan 18 HX boasts a top-tier display with high resolution and brightness, enhancing general use, and provides extensive color gamut coverage needed for professional engineering and design tasks; however, despite its excellent visual fidelity, its lower refresh rate is not ideal for fast-paced gaming where fluid motion is key. Overall, while the MSI Titan offers a superior visual experience for general and professional use, neither laptop is optimized for gaming due to their refresh rate limitations.
Battery
8.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Titan 18 HX has 4 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
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability, while the MSI Titan 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
8.5
The MSI Titan 18 HX 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
$4,800
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the MSI Titan 18 HX costs $4,800.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the MSI Titan 18 HX compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 | MSI Titan 18 HX |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$418 | $4,800 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | February 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 9'' x 0.74'' | 15.9'' x 12.1'' x 1.26'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 7.93 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 15.9" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 12.08" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-N305 | Intel i9-14900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 128 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 4 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 4096 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 18" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 401 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.2/10 | 5.1/10 | |
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 | 10/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
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 Titan 18 HX
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NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | January 2024
"With no new Nvidia GPU this year for laptops, MSI had to refresh everything surrounding the graphics card to make up for it. Users are getting a new 18-inch chassis design, new 14th gen Intel HX CPU, new AC adapter, larger keys, and a new 120 Hz HDR1000 mini-LED 4K display to accompany the high price tag. Most of these changes are a step up from last year's GT77, but users are ultimately getting the same gaming performance out of both models."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the MSI Titan 18 HX
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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