The Acer Aspire 5 17 is less expensive with good battery life, making it suitable for general use and portability. Its performance is sufficient for everyday tasks with a decently bright screen, but it's not built for intensive 3D work or gaming. In contrast, the Acer Nitro 17 costs more but offers significantly better performance for 3D rendering, engineering applications, and gaming, supported by a strong graphics card and a better processor. It has a high refresh rate display and more vibrant colors, which enhances visual work and gaming experiences, but it's heavier and has a lower portability score. 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 17
Good portability
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 17
Good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
266.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The Acer Nitro 17 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for general use, though the Acer Nitro 17 is somewhat better.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 provides a balance suitable for general use, with adequate CPU and RAM for everyday tasks, a decent IPS screen for good viewing angles, and moderate battery life, while being lighter and more portable than the beefier Acer Nitro 17. Meanwhile, the Acer Nitro 17, with a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, excels in screen quality and battery life, and its enhanced GPU makes it better for tasks beyond general use, albeit with a tradeoff in terms of weight and portability.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Nitro 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 17 outperforms the Acer Aspire 5 17 in gaming and 3D tasks primarily because it has a superior Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate of 165 Hz, compared to the Aspire's integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and standard refresh rate of 60 Hz. The Nitro 17's enhanced GPU delivers the power needed for demanding games and 3D applications, while its higher refresh rate provides smoother visual rendering, and despite the Aspire's fair CPU and screen quality, these aspects play a secondary role to the GPU and refresh rate in gaming performance.
Engineering and Design
6.7/10
7.9/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 17 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has less RAM and a less powerful CPU and GPU, making it fair for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 17, with double the RAM, a more robust AMD CPU, and a dedicated Nvidia GPU, is superior, especially for tasks requiring high graphical power, thus earning a good rating for engineering and design use. The Nitro's advantages for performance-intensive applications come at the expense of a heavier weight and lower portability compared to the Aspire 5, along with potential increases in operating noise and heat, which is common for more powerful devices.
Content Creation
7.2/10
7.8/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 17 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for content creation, though the Acer Nitro 17 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.
Screen Quality
6.2/10
7.4/10
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
266.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 17 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Aspire 5 17's fair screen quality stems from its acceptable resolution and brightness, but it lacks the superior panel type seen in premium models. Engineering and design tasks benefit from the Acer Nitro 17's good color accuracy and wider color gamut, which facilitate detailed and color-critical work. However, both laptops' screens fall short for gaming and 3D because they don't offer the high refresh rates required for smooth motion and fast-paced visuals.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 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
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
7.4/10
The Acer Nitro 17 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$700
$970
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a price of $700 and the Acer Nitro 17 costs $970.
The Acer Nitro 17 and Acer Aspire 5 17 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 17 and the Acer Nitro 17 compare to other laptops
"The Acer Aspire 5 17 laptop shows the expected strengths in the test. Besides the usual high build quality, the configuration convinces in most benchmarks and tests. The combination of CPU, GPU, and RAM is absolutely sufficient for the everyday office and browsing tasks of a laptop. It also renders the odd game passably if the requirements aren't too high. We liked the matte display in the test as well as the fairly manageable dimensions despite the screen size. It can also be used outdoors, even if it's certainly not a laptop designed for mobility."
"The Acer Nitro 17 isn't an exceptional gaming laptop; it's kind of chunky even among 17.3-inch notebooks, with a lackluster keyboard, and it doesn't outperform comparably priced machines. But there's a lot to like about it, including a good array of ports, a screen that's sharp and bright for work and play alike, and battery life that soundly beats the competition. All this comes at an affordable price. If size and weight aren't big concerns, you'll find the Nitro 17 a dependable big-screen gaming rig. If you crave higher quality, consider a slight step down or up in screen size with the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 or Alienware m18 respectively."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 17 or the Acer Nitro 17
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.
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