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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is generally less expensive and more suitable for basic tasks with decent battery life, making it a good choice for general use and portability. On the other hand, the Acer Nitro 5 17, while slightly more expensive, offers superior performance with a more powerful processor and graphics card, making it ideal for gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and other intensive tasks. However, the Nitro 5 is heavier and has less battery life, making it less portable than the Aspire 5. 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 5 17
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.3
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
266.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for general use, though the Acer Nitro 5 17 is somewhat better.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is suited for general use due to its adequate processing power with an Intel CPU, substantial memory for multitasking, a quality screen for clear visuals, and lighter weight for better portability, coupled with a longer battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.2
7.7
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a superior Nvidia GPU and a much higher screen refresh rate, which are critical for smooth gaming and 3D performance; in contrast, the Acer Aspire 5 17 uses an integrated Intel GPU with a much lower refresh rate, making it less optimal for these tasks despite its adequate CPU and screen quality.
Engineering and Design
6.7
8.0
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 features a more powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, along with twice the RAM of the Acer Aspire 5 17, delivering significant advantages in performance for engineering and design applications which rely heavily on processing power and graphical capabilities. Despite the Aspire's lighter weight and lesser operating noise making it more portable and quieter, the Nitro's superior screen quality with higher brightness and color space coverage ensures more detailed visuals, which are crucial for such specialized tasks.
Content Creation
7.2
7.8
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for content creation, though the Acer Nitro 5 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
8.2
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
266.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
If you prioritize screen quality for casual activities like browsing or watching videos, the Acer Nitro 5's higher resolution and brightness make it a better choice for general use. For engineering and design tasks that require color accuracy, though the Acer Nitro 5 offers better color coverage, neither of these laptops excel in this area due to their limited color gamuts. When it comes to 3D applications and gaming, both laptops fall short because they have lower refresh rates, but if screen resolution and panel quality are also important to you, the Nitro 5 pulls ahead despite this limitation.
Portability
Good
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
7.2
The Acer Nitro 5 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
$830
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a price of $700 and the Acer Nitro 5 17 costs $830.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.2
7.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 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.
Battery
7.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 5 17 and the Acer Nitro 5 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 17 | Acer Nitro 5 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$700 | $830 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 10.1'' x 0.71'' | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.61 lbs | 5.95 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.83" | 15.89" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.1" | 11.02" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 50.3 Wh | 57.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 360Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 266 nits | 307 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.3/10 | 6.1/10 | |
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 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 5 17
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NotebookCheck
Marcus Schwarten | March 2021
"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."
Acer Nitro 5 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2021
"The Acer Nitro 5 17 is a solid mid-range gamer. The Nitro 5 does not belong to the top group of RTX 3070 notebooks: Compared with the RTX 3070 notebooks tested so far, the computer delivers below-average frame rates - this is due to the 100-watt TGP. The GPU performance can be increased a bit with a firmware update. The device scores with a high level of CPU performance. Throttling is not a concern. CPU and GPU can produce their performance constantly. The laptop heats up moderately under load. The noise development is on the usual class level."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 17 or the Acer Nitro 5 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.
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