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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the Acer Aspire 5 17 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 depends on what's more important to you. The Acer Aspire is less expensive, and it's lighter and thinner, making it more portable. It's suitable for general use, has a larger screen, and multiple ports including Ethernet, but it's not ideal for gaming or heavy graphic tasks. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a stronger processor and graphics card, better suited for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning. However, it's slightly heavier and has a smaller display, although that display has a higher refresh rate which is better for fast-paced visuals. 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
- The Acer Aspire 5 17 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3.
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
- Good for engineering and design
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Engineering and Design
6.7
7.2
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is suited for engineering and design due to a more powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, enhancing performance for demanding software and graphics tasks, while the Acer Aspire 5 17, despite having an adequate Intel i5 CPU with Iris Xe integrated graphics, may not handle intensive tasks as smoothly. Additionally, the Lenovo offers a higher screen refresh rate and better color coverage for clearer and more vibrant visual work, although it's also heavier and slightly less portable than the Acer.
Screen Quality
6.2
7.2
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
266.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a screen that works well for browsing and watching videos due to its satisfactory resolution and brightness but lacks the color accuracy vital for precision in engineering tasks and the high refresh rate needed for smooth visuals in gaming. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 offers a good balance with a display that's bright and crisp for everyday tasks and detailed enough for design work, although its color range is not top-tier and its refresh rate, while better than average, still falls short for the demanding fast-paced action in gaming and 3D applications. Both laptops will serve general and engineering needs adequately, but dedicated gamers and professionals in 3D modeling may find the screen quality lacking for their specific high-performance requirements.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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.
Build Quality
6.5
7.2
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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
$549
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a price of $700 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 costs $549.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.3
7.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
266.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for general use.
The Acer Aspire 5 17's larger screen and lighter weight make it well-suited for general use tasks that benefit from ease of viewing and better portability, plus it has a slightly longer battery life. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 offers a higher screen refresh rate and better speaker and heat management, making it a better choice for media consumption and heavier workloads despite being slightly heavier and having a marginally shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.2
6.5
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is limited in gaming and 3D performance because it uses an integrated GPU that is less powerful for these tasks and has a basic 60Hz screen refresh rate, which might not be as smooth for fast-paced games compared to laptops with higher refresh rates. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 includes a dedicated Nvidia GPU better suited for gaming and 3D applications and a higher 120Hz refresh rate for smoother visuals, therefore offering a more capable setup for gaming and 3D tasks.
Content Creation
7.2
7.4
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and Acer Aspire 5 17 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
7.2
7.3
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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.
Portability
Good
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Aspire 5 17 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 17 | Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$700 | $549 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 10.1'' x 0.71'' | 14.2'' x 10.5'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.61 lbs | 5.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.83" | 14.16" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.1" | 10.49" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 50.3 Wh | 60 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 | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 266 nits | 329 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.3/10 | 7.1/10 | |
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 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.8/10 | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
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."
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | October 2022
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is one of the most powerful RTX 3050 Ti laptops. If you disregard the mediocre quality of the case in terms of the material and workmanship, Lenovo has created a successful budget gaming laptop with the IdeaPad Gaming. Thanks to high TDPs and constant performance development, the Core i5-12500H and GeForce RTX 3050 Ti are able to show their full power, while in contrast, the (mostly slower) competitors deliver a better battery life. However, hardly any of the alternative laptops are able to reach the image quality of the Gaming 3. Most of the competitors are left behind in terms of the color space and brightness."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 17 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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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