Acer Aspire 5 17 vs HP Spectre x360 14

The HP Spectre x360 14 offers superior CPU performance, high-quality RAM, and a better screen, making it very good for a range of tasks, while its compact design and longer battery life enhance its portability. The Acer Aspire 5 17, with decent processing power and adequate RAM for routine tasks, has a larger screen which may not be as portable, and its battery life is shorter, but it's often more affordable and still maintains satisfactory storage, keyboard, speaker quality, and manages heat and noise well for everyday use.

The Acer Aspire 5 17 and HP Spectre x360 14 have graphics processing units capable of handling games and 3D applications to a satisfactory level, but they won't excel like dedicated gaming laptops. The Aspire offers a larger screen for immersive play, while the Spectre's high-quality display and flexible 2-in-1 design are great for casual gaming and content consumption with the tradeoff being less optimal for intense gaming sessions due to the typical lower screen refresh rate of convertible laptops.

The HP Spectre x360 14 outperforms the Acer Aspire 5 17 in engineering and design tasks since it has a more powerful CPU and GPU, higher-quality screen, and more RAM, which are crucial for demanding software used in these fields. Although the Acer provides a larger screen and adequate performance for less intensive tasks, its bulkiness and lower screen quality compared to the HP's superior display and more compact, premium design make the HP a preferred choice for professionals needing top performance on the go.

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.

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.

The Acer Aspire 5 17's screen quality suffices for general tasks due to adequate resolution and brightness, but it lacks the broad color gamuts engineering and design professionals need, and its low refresh rate hampers the smooth visuals crucial for gaming and 3D work. Conversely, the HP Spectre x360 14's display is sharper and brighter, making it ideal for everyday computing and precision tasks like engineering and design, with its superior color range ensuring accurate color representation; however, just like the Acer, it falls short for gaming and 3D modeling due to a refresh rate that doesn't meet the high standard required for those fields. Thus, while both laptops are well-suited for day-to-day use and professional design tasks, neither is optimal for the high refresh rate demands of gaming and 3D applications.

Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.

PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.