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Updated January 12, 2024·
If you're looking to save money and need a laptop for everyday tasks like browsing the web, using office applications, and watching videos, the Acer Aspire 5 15 is a good choice; it's also lighter and has a longer battery life, making it more portable. However, if you require a laptop for more demanding activities such as gaming, 3D modeling, or video editing, the Acer Predator Helios 300 offers more power and an advanced graphics card to handle these tasks, but it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, which makes it less convenient for travel. 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 Predator Helios 300
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.1
7.2
2.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is only fair.
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
6.6
7.6
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 5 15 is equipped with an efficient but less powerful CPU and integrated graphics, making it suitable for lighter engineering and design tasks while being more portable and quieter in operation. In contrast, the Acer Predator Helios 300 comes with a high-performance CPU and a dedicated GPU which provides the necessary power for more demanding engineering software, but with the tradeoff of increased weight and potentially louder fan noise during heavy usage.
Screen Quality
6.2
7.3
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
275.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has a better screen than the Acer Predator Helios 300 for software development, while the Acer Predator Helios 300 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has a satisfactory display for everyday tasks due to its adequate resolution and brightness, but it falls short for engineering and design as it doesn't cover the wider color gamuts needed for precision work, and for gaming and 3D, it lacks a high refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth visuals. The Acer Predator Helios 300, on the other hand, offers a pleasing experience for both general use and engineering with good resolution, brightness, and color range, but its lower refresh rate than specialized gaming laptops means it’s not ideal for high-speed gaming despite its capability in other areas. Both laptops seem to compromise on gaming and 3D performance to some extent; while suitable for general use and engineering tasks, serious gamers and 3D designers may want to consider alternatives with faster screen refresh rates.
Battery
7.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has 7 hours of battery life. The Acer Predator Helios 300 has 3.5 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
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has good portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 300 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
7.4
The Acer Predator Helios 300 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
$480
$1,204
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has a price of $480 and the Acer Predator Helios 300 costs $1,204.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.5
7.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
275.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.9/10
The Acer Aspire 5 15 and Acer Predator Helios 300 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
7.3
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Predator Helios 300 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
7.1
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Aspire 5 15 and Acer Predator Helios 300 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 5 15 and the Acer Predator Helios 300 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 15 | Acer Predator Helios 300 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$480 | $1,204 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.4'' x 0.7'' | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.9'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 5.51 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.21" | 14.3" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 10" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 3.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 50 Wh | 59 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 275 nits | 294 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.8/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 5 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | November 2022
"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."
Acer Predator Helios 300
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NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | November 2022
"The Acer Predator Helios 300 review is an overclocked gaming laptop with a good display. The Predator is large, heavy, and loud, but also offers plenty of performance according to gamers. An overclocked gaming laptop - or its user - also has to struggle with the usual disadvantages we mentioned above. On the other hand, overclocking is optional, and those who like it quieter and can live with a few less frames per second can also switch to the significantly more moderate Standard mode. Then the Helios 300 won't be any louder than the competitors."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 15 or the Acer Predator Helios 300
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.
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