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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is often significantly less expensive than the MSI Pulse GL66 and offers good value for day-to-day tasks, a larger screen, and decent battery life, which makes it suitable for general use. However, the MSI Pulse GL66, which costs more, provides a higher-level performance with a better processor and graphics card, making it ideal for 3D rendering, machine learning, engineering tasks, and gaming despite having a slightly smaller screen and lower battery life. If high-performance computing and gaming are important to you and you can handle a slightly reduced battery life, the MSI Pulse GL66 would be the better option. However, if you prioritize a larger screen, longer battery life, and are looking to save money for general use, the Acer Aspire 5 17 would be the way to go. 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 battery life
Advantages of the MSI Pulse GL66
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2
7.2
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Pulse GL66 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The MSI Pulse GL66 outshines the Acer Aspire 5 17 in gaming and 3D tasks mainly because it comes with a Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU which is superior to the Acer's Intel Iris Xe graphics and also offers a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz compared to Acer's 60Hz, yielding smoother on-screen action. While the MSI has a more powerful Intel i7 processor and generally better screen quality for finer details, it is typically at a higher price point than the feature set of the Acer which has a fair display and adequate performance for casual gaming and less demanding 3D work.
Engineering and Design
6.7
7.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Pulse GL66 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is equipped with a less powerful CPU and integrated graphics, making it fair for tasks involving engineering and design due to moderate performance but offers a larger screen. On the other hand, the MSI Pulse GL66 features a more robust CPU and a dedicated high-performance GPU, classifying it as good for these tasks because of its significantly better processing and graphics capabilities, although it has a smaller display.
Screen Quality
6.2
6.8
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
266.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
245.0 nits
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a better screen than the MSI Pulse GL66 for software development, while the MSI Pulse GL66 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and MSI Pulse GL66, while adequate for everyday tasks with their sufficient resolution and brightness, fall short in specialized areas due to their limited screen attributes. Neither display covers the wide color gamuts demanded by engineering and design, which means professionals in those fields may lack the color accuracy needed for their work. In the realm of gaming and 3D applications, the lacking refresh rates mean they won't provide the smooth visuals required for optimal experience, despite having adequate resolution and panel type for average use.
Battery
7.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Pulse GL66 has 4 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
7.4
The MSI Pulse GL66 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
$1,399
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a price of $700 and the MSI Pulse GL66 costs $1,399.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.3
7.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
266.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
245.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Pulse GL66 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for general use.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 offers a larger screen, longer battery life, and is lighter, making it suitable for general use where portability and screen space are valued. The MSI Pulse GL66, however, provides more RAM and a higher-performance CPU and GPU, which are beneficial for more demanding tasks, but its shorter battery life and slightly heavier build make it less portable.
Content Creation
7.2
7.2
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 Aspire 5 17 and MSI Pulse GL66 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
7.0
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
8.0/10
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and MSI Pulse GL66 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
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and MSI Pulse GL66 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 MSI Pulse GL66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 17 | MSI Pulse GL66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$700 | $1,399 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | March 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 10.1'' x 0.71'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.61 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.83" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.1" | 10.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | Intel i7-11800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 50.3 Wh | 53 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 | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 266 nits | 245 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
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 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 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 | 1 | |
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."
MSI Pulse GL66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | April 2022
"The MSI Pulse GL66 has a lot of potential for improvement. Although the RTX 3060 is only able to use 105 watts, we still liked the gaming performance, particularly since this also makes the Pulse comfortably efficient but not slow by any means. Neither the dark display with its lame response times, nor USB 2.0 or the lack of Thunderbolt will please real gamers. The use of a sticker factory seal, which is at least questionable, also won't inspire any enthusiasm. It is obvious that the laptop is really designed for price-conscious gamers."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 17 or the MSI Pulse GL66
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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