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Updated January 12, 2024·
If price is a major consideration and you need a laptop with a larger screen, the Acer Aspire 5 15 is less expensive and offers a 15.6-inch display, making it suitable for general use and media consumption. However, the MSI Prestige 14, while usually a bit pricier, is lighter and more portable with a 14-inch screen, which might be advantageous for those who travel frequently or prefer a more compact device. The Prestige 14 also provides better build quality, which could be important if you're looking for something more premium. Both laptops have similar internal components like storage and memory, so you'll experience similar performance for everyday tasks. Consider how you'll use your laptop—prioritize portability and build quality or screen size and cost savings. 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
- The Acer Aspire 5 15 has no clear advantages over the MSI Prestige 14.
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 14
- Good for engineering and design
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Good speakers
Key differences
Engineering and Design
6.6
7.1
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
2.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Prestige 14 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
6.9
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
275.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
The MSI Prestige 14 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 15 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Aspire 5 15, while sufficient for general tasks, may not offer the richness in color or sharpness for demanding engineering applications due to its limited color gamut and average resolution. The MSI Prestige 14 provides a high-quality display that's crisp and vibrant, making it suitable for engineering and design work where color accuracy is paramount. However, for gaming and 3D work, both laptops fall short as their screens have lower refresh rates, which can hinder the smoothness required for high-speed graphics rendering.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 14 has 8.5 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
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Prestige 14 has very good portability, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
7.4
The MSI Prestige 14 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
$1,040
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has a price of $480 and the MSI Prestige 14 costs $1,040.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.5
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
275.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.8/10
The MSI Prestige 14 and Acer Aspire 5 15 are both good for general use.
The Acer Aspire 5 15 offers a solid CPU and sufficient RAM for daily tasks, a larger screen for comfortable viewing, and good heat management, but it's heavier, which affects its portability. On the other hand, the MSI Prestige 14 also provides great CPU and RAM performance, better screen quality, and longer battery life, all in a lighter and more portable design, though it might be noisier and run hotter under load.
Gaming and AI
6.1
6.2
2.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Prestige 14 and Acer Aspire 5 15 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Aspire 5 15 and the MSI Prestige 14 both have integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, which provide acceptable performance for gaming and 3D tasks but are not as powerful as dedicated gaming GPUs. Both laptops also feature standard 60Hz IPS screens, which offer fair screen quality but limit the smoothness of fast-paced games compared to higher refresh rate displays.
Content Creation
7.3
7.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Prestige 14 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
7.3
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Prestige 14 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 5 15 and the MSI Prestige 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 15 | MSI Prestige 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$480 | $1,040 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | April 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.4'' x 0.7'' | 12.6'' x 8.6'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 2.84 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.21" | 12.56" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 8.62" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | Intel i5-1240P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 8.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 50 Wh | 53.8 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 275 nits | 313 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
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 | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
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."
MSI Prestige 14
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Dig into reviews and images
Tech Radar
Collin Probst | September 2022
"The MSI Prestige 14” is excellent for productivity and business use cases, but it is not ideal for creators or visual content editors. The Prestige was able to power through days of email, spreadsheets, and text documents without breaking a sweat and was a joy to use. The additional ports were a breath of fresh air, as most laptops seem to be moving towards just Thunderbolt ports. The security options made signing in effortless, with two quick, more secure, and faster options than even the most complex alphanumeric passcode."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 15 or the MSI Prestige 14
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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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.
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