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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is often more expensive than the MSI Modern 14, with a larger 17.3-inch screen and a longer battery life suitable for those who prioritize a big display and less frequent charging. The MSI Modern 14, on the other hand, is lighter and more portable, making it a good choice for travel and mobility, and it comes at a budget-friendly price. With more RAM, the MSI provides better multitasking performance, while both laptops share the same storage capacity but differ in their central and graphics processors, which may affect performance in different use cases. Neither is designed for intensive gaming, yet both are equipped for general use and can manage some engineering applications. 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 MSI Modern 14.
Advantages of the MSI Modern 14
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.2
6.4
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
266.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
The MSI Modern 14 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 17 for general use, and engineering and design.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and MSI Modern 14 both have fair screen quality for general use due to their adequate resolution and brightness, offering a clear and comfortable viewing experience for everyday tasks. For engineering and design, their screens don't excel as the color gamuts are limited, which could affect the accuracy when working with color-critical applications. However, both are less suitable for gaming and 3D applications because lower refresh rates can result in less fluid motion, and the moderate resolutions and panel types may not provide the sharpness and speed demanded by these use cases.
Portability
Good
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Modern 14 has very good portability, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$700
$525
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a price of $700 and the MSI Modern 14 costs $525.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.3
7.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
266.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and MSI Modern 14 are both good for general use.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is suitable for general use with its larger screen and respectable screen quality, complemented by a good keyboard and ample storage, but the trade-off comes with its size and weight, which affect portability despite a decent battery life. On the other hand, the MSI Modern 14 offers better portability due to its smaller size and lighter weight, includes more RAM which helps in multitasking, and has a higher-quality screen and speakers, but falls slightly short in battery life compared to the Acer.
Gaming and AI
6.2
6.0
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and MSI Modern 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and MSI Modern 14 are considered fair for gaming and 3D because they both have integrated graphics rather than dedicated GPUs, limiting their performance in graphics-intensive tasks. While each has a standard screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which is fine for casual gaming, they don't offer the smoother visuals that higher refresh rates provide, and although they have quality IPS displays, they lack the superior screen quality or processing power found in higher-tier gaming laptops.
Engineering and Design
6.7
6.6
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Aspire 5 17 and MSI Modern 14 are both only fair for engineering and design.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 offers engineering and design users a larger screen and better battery capacity but is limited by a lower amount of RAM and less powerful Intel i5 CPU with integrated graphics, which can affect the ability to handle memory-intensive design software and intricate 3D modeling tasks.
Content Creation
7.2
7.2
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
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 Modern 14 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
7.1
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
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 Aspire 5 17 and MSI Modern 14 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 MSI Modern 14 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.
Build Quality
6.5
7.0
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Modern 14 to have 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 5 17 and the MSI Modern 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 17 | MSI Modern 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$700 | $525 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 10.1'' x 0.71'' | 12.7'' x 8.7'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.61 lbs | 3.08 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.83" | 12.68" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.1" | 8.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | AMD Ryzen 5 7530U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 50.3 Wh | 39 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 266 nits | 311 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.3/10 | 8.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
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."
MSI Modern 14
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Rtings
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | October 2023
"The MSI Modern 14 is okay for school use. It's very compact, so it's easy to carry around. It has a sharp display, a spacious keyboard, and a reasonably large touchpad. Its Intel 13th Gen CPU and integrated graphics can handle general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing; however, don't expect to do anything intensive like 3D modeling or physics simulations. Unfortunately, the battery lasts less than five hours of light use, and the display doesn't get bright enough to combat glare."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 17 or the MSI Modern 14
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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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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