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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is a cost-effective option with satisfactory performance for general use, a decent battery life, and a comfortable 17-inch screen, making it suitable for day-to-day tasks and light productivity. However, it lacks the muscle for heavy 3D work, engineering simulations, or high-end gaming. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 18 is a high-performance machine, better equipped for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and demanding engineering tasks due to its powerful processor and graphics card, but it comes at a higher price. It's also heavier and has a shorter battery life, which affects portability. Choose the Aspire for affordability and basic tasks, or the Blade for superior performance in demanding 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
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the Razer Blade 18
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3
8.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
266.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.1/10
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is good.
The Razer Blade 18 surpasses the Acer Aspire 5 17 with a more powerful CPU and significantly greater RAM, enhancing multitasking and demanding applications, alongside a higher resolution and brighter screen for a more vivid display. However, these advantages come at the expense of heavier weight and shorter battery life, making it less portable and convenient for on-the-go use compared to the Aspire 5.
Gaming and AI
6.2
8.9
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
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
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Razer Blade 18 surpasses the Acer Aspire 5 17 in gaming and 3D performance due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics, compared to Acer's integrated Intel graphics, and a high 240Hz screen refresh rate that ensures smoother visuals than Acer's 60Hz display. The Razer also features a more advanced CPU and a higher quality display, further enhancing its suitability for demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
6.7
9.3
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 18 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 5 17, with a mid-range processor and integrated graphics, is suitable for lighter engineering tasks and has a lower-quality screen, but shines in battery life and portability compared to the Razer Blade 18. The Razer Blade 18, on the other hand, offers high-end CPU and GPU performance, more RAM, and a superior screen which makes it excellent for demanding engineering and graphics work, though it is heavier and has shorter battery life.
Content Creation
7.2
8.6
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 18 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
8.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is good.
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
8.9
17.3in
SIZE
18.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
266.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
The Razer Blade 18 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, a laptop like the Acer Aspire with a fair screen offers acceptable clarity, color, and brightness, making everyday tasks like browsing or word processing comfortable, but the Razer Blade's very good quality display, with higher resolution and brightness, will present content more crisply and vividly. The importance of accurate color representation in engineering and design means that although the Acer's screen is adequate, the Razer's superior color gamut coverage ensures more precise and true-to-life colors for professional work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is crucial, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, leading to less fluid visuals despite the Razer's higher resolution and panel quality which are less impactful in fast-paced scenarios.
Battery
7.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 18 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
18.0in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has good portability, while the Razer Blade 18 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
8.5
The Razer Blade 18 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
$10
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a price of $700 and the Razer Blade 18 costs $10.
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How the Acer Aspire 5 17 and the Razer Blade 18 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 17 | Razer Blade 18 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$700 | $10 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | February 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 10.1'' x 0.71'' | 15.7'' x 10.8'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.61 lbs | 6.68 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.83" | 15.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.1" | 10.8" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | Intel i9-13950HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 50.3 Wh | 91.7 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 18" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 266 nits | 524 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.3/10 | 6.2/10 | |
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 | 7.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1440p | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
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."
Razer Blade 18
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | March 2023
"Razer made a powerful laptop in the Blade 18, showing off a beautiful and fast display and the same high-quality build we’ve come to expect from this product line. It’s also quite expensive, which is hardly a surprise, but bears repeating even in this price range. It’s pricier than the Scar 18 despite an inferior GPU and half the storage, so you really have to want the Blade 18’s design to justify the cost."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 17 or the Razer Blade 18
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.
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