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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is more affordable, lightweight, and has a larger 17-inch screen, but with less storage and power; it's well-suited for everyday use and light productivity tasks. The Dell G15 5520, although slightly more expensive and heavier, offers a higher-performing processor, better graphics, more storage, and is designed with gaming and engineering work in mind, but it has a smaller 15-inch screen. 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 Dell G15 5520
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
266.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
251.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Dell G15 5520 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for general use, though the Dell G15 5520 is somewhat better.
The Acer Aspire 5 17, with its Intel i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, is a solid choice for general use, offering a balance between performance and portability, suitable for everyday tasks, and it provides a decent battery life. In comparison, the Dell G15 5520, which packs a more powerful Intel i7 processor, double the RAM, and a dedicated Nvidia graphics card, would be more suited for demanding applications but is less portable and has slightly shorter battery life. However, both have quality IPS screens and come with ample storage, with the Dell offering more space and better performance for applications beyond general use.
Gaming and AI
6.2
7.7
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
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Dell G15 5520 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Dell G15 5520 offers better gaming and 3D performance due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 165Hz, which provides smoother visuals in fast-paced games. In contrast, the Acer Aspire 5 17 is equipped with a less capable Iris Xe graphics unit and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, making it less suitable for intensive gaming.
Engineering and Design
6.7
8.2
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell G15 5520 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is fair for engineering and design use because it has a modest processor and integrated graphics, which may limit performance with demanding applications, but offers a 17-inch screen with good brightness. In contrast, the Dell G15 5520 is very good for such tasks due to a more powerful processor, advanced dedicated graphics card, better screen quality, and double the RAM, which greatly improves the capability for engineering software, though it's slightly less portable and has a smaller screen.
Content Creation
7.2
7.9
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell G15 5520 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for content creation, though the Dell G15 5520 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
7.1
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
266.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
251.0 nits
The Dell G15 5520 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 offers adequate resolution and brightness for daily tasks like browsing and office work, but its color accuracy is not as high, making it less suitable for precision in engineering or design work. The Dell G15 5520, with better color reproduction, caters well to engineers and designers needing more accurate color representation for their detailed work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where high refresh rates are crucial for smooth visuals, both laptops fall short as they are not built with panels that prioritize fast refresh rates.
Portability
Good
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has good portability, while the Dell G15 5520 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
7.4
The Dell G15 5520 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
$1,000
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a price of $700 and the Dell G15 5520 costs $1,000.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.2
7.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell G15 5520 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 Dell G15 5520 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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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Aspire 5 17 and the Dell G15 5520 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 17 | Dell G15 5520 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$700 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 10.1'' x 0.71'' | 14.1'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.61 lbs | 5.55 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.83" | 14.06" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.1" | 10.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
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 | 56 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 266 nits | 251 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.3/10 | 6.4/10 | |
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 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8.8/10 | |
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 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 5 17
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Dig into reviews and images
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."
Dell G15 5520
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Dig into reviews and images
Rtings
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | April 2023
"The Dell G15 (2022) is a 15.6-inch budget gaming laptop, and is great for gaming. You can configure the laptop with powerful Intel 12th Gen. CPUs and various NVIDIA dedicated GPUs, all of which deliver a smooth gaming experience at 1080p. There's also a QHD 240Hz display option if you want better visuals, though you'll have to pair it with the top-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to get good frame rates. It doesn't get overly hot or loud under load, and there's no noticeable throttling on the CPU or GPU. Unfortunately, the 120Hz panel has a slow response time, causing noticeable ghosting, and it doesn't support variable refresh rate."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 17 or the Dell G15 5520
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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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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