The Acer Aspire 5 is more budget-friendly and lighter, making it better for carrying around; it has an efficient processor suitable for everyday tasks and casual use. In contrast, the Acer Nitro 5 has a high-performance processor and dedicated graphics, ideal for gaming, 3D work, or more demanding software, but it's heavier and generally costs more. If you prioritize portability and lower cost over gaming or intensive tasks, the Aspire 5 may suit you. However, for more robust performance, especially for gaming or productivity software that benefits from powerful graphics, the Nitro 5 is a better fit, at the expense of portability and price. 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 5 15
Good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 5 15
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.1/10
7.5/10
2.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 offers a superior gaming and 3D experience with its Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, compared to the Acer Aspire 5 15 which includes an Intel Iris Xe graphics card and a standard refresh rate of 60Hz. While both laptops have similar screen quality and processors that can handle games, the Nitro's GPU and refresh rate are particularly advantageous for smooth and visually detailed gaming.
Engineering and Design
6.6/10
7.9/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
2.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
6.2/10
6.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
275.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Aspire 5's screen provides adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming, but the Acer Nitro 5 offers a more vibrant and crisp display overall. In engineering and design, where accurate color representation is crucial, both laptops fail to deliver the wide color gamuts required for professional-level color work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops' screens fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which are less ideal for the smooth visuals and fast response times these activities demand.
Battery
7.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has 7 hours of battery life. The Acer Nitro 5 15 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
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
7.2/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$479
$780
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has a price of $479 and the Acer Nitro 5 15 costs $780.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Acer Aspire 5 15 are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
7.3/10
7.5/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Acer Aspire 5 15 are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.3/10
7.4/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Acer Aspire 5 15 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Aspire 5 15 and the Acer Nitro 5 15 compare to other laptops
"The Acer Aspire 5 15 is a good value office laptop with reasonable battery life. The combination of slim exterior, relatively low weight (approx. 1.7 kg) and 8 hour real-life battery runtime makes the Acer Aspire a truly mobile laptop. The modest Tiger Lake processor supports this area and simultaneously ensures an affordable price point. The Aspire produces little noise and stays cool. The screen (FHD, IPS) might not win any prizes but is entirely appropriate for the price."
"The Acer Nitro 5 is a fast QHD gaming notebook. The Nitro 5 is a well-balanced gaming laptop for just under US$ 2400. A Core i7-12700H CPU and a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU enable QHD gaming at high to maximum settings, accompanied by fast PCIe-4-SSD (1 TB) and 16 GB of RAM. Acer delivers a solid QHD gaming notebook with the Nitro 5 AN515-58. However, the laptop is not completely free of shortcomings. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The laptop heats up noticeably under load, but not excessively. Noise development is on the usual class level. Once again, however, Acer needs to improve the fan control."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 15 or the Acer Nitro 5 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.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
125,595
Recommendations made
27,213
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.