Choose the Acer Aspire 5 17 for a more budget-friendly option with a larger screen and ample battery life, suitable for general use and less demanding engineering tasks. Opt for the Razer Blade 14 (2023) if high performance in 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming is a priority, but be prepared to invest more and accept a smaller screen. Both are portable, however, the lighter weight of the Razer may be advantageous for frequent travel. The better screen resolution, color accuracy, and refresh rate of the Razer also make it well-suited for tasks requiring visual precision. 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 Razer Blade 14 (2023).
Advantages of the Razer Blade 14 (2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good portability
Good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
266.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
560.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
8.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Razer Blade 14 excels in gaming and 3D due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 240 Hz, which results in smoother visuals and better performance for fast-paced games. In contrast, the Acer Aspire 5 17 has a less capable Intel Iris Xe GPU and a standard refresh rate of 60 Hz, which is adequate for casual gaming but doesn't match the graphical fidelity or fluidity that gaming and 3D applications benefit from in the Razer.
Engineering and Design
6.7/10
8.7/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 5 17, with its mid-range CPU, integrated graphics, and less RAM, provides adequate but not exceptional performance for engineering and design, while its larger screen offers a decent workspace but at a lower resolution and less color accuracy. The Razer Blade 14 (2023) stands out with its high-end AMD CPU, dedicated Nvidia graphics, and more RAM, which greatly enhance engineering and design capabilities, along with a higher resolution and color-accurate screen, at the cost of being less portable due to lower battery life and higher operating noise.
Content Creation
7.2/10
8.2/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is good.
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
7.2/10
7.9/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for software development, though the Razer Blade 14 (2023) is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
6.2/10
8.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
266.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
560.0 nits
The Razer Blade 14 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Aspire 5 17's screen offers sufficient resolution and brightness to handle everyday tasks comfortably, while the Razer Blade 14's higher resolution and superior panel provide sharper and brighter visuals, enhancing the user experience. In engineering and design, the Razer Blade's screen stands out with a wider color gamut, ensuring more accurate color representation crucial for professional work, whereas the Aspire's screen may fall short in color precision. For gaming and 3D applications, both laptops have screens that might not match a gamer's need for smooth motion, as their refresh rates are lower than what is typically desired for these activities.
Portability
Good
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) has very good portability, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
8.5/10
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) has very 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
$2,400
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a price of $700 and the Razer Blade 14 (2023) costs $2,400.
"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."
"After making a huge splash with the original 2021 model, it's expected that the 2022 refresh would be more of a minor update to an already impressive machine. It adds a higher resolution webcam (720p to 1080p), faster CPU (Ryzen 9 5900HX to Ryzen 9 6900HX), faster GPU (RTX 3070/3080 to 3070/3080 Ti), faster RAM (DDR4-3200 to DDR5-4800), faster M.2 SSD support (PCIe3 x4 to PCIe4 x4), newer WLAN module (Killer AX1690i to Qualcomm WCN685x), and a MUX switch for the new integrated Radeon 680M GPU. It's indubitably an upgrade especially in terms of single-thread processor performance."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 17 or the Razer Blade 14 (2023)
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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