Considering the Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Nitro 17, if you prioritize a higher resolution and slightly better performance, particularly in graphic-intensive tasks, then the Nitro 16 with its Nvidia RTX 4070 might be the right fit despite being more expensive. However, if you're looking for more storage out of the box and a larger screen for your productivity or gaming experiences, the Nitro 17 equipped with an Nvidia RTX 4050 and a 17.3-inch display might be preferable. Keep in mind the Nitro 17 may also offer a slight edge in battery life due to less demanding screen resolution and components. Both have the same processor, so CPU performance will be comparable. Consider the type of games or applications you'll run and whether portability ranks high on your list, as the Nitro 16 is lighter and therefore easier to carry around. 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 Nitro 16
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 17
Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
7.4/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Screen Quality
8.3/10
7.4/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The Acer Nitro 16 likely offers superior screen resolution and brightness, making the visuals crisp and vibrant for everyday tasks and detailed engineering work, which benefits from accurate color representation covered by its wide color gamuts. On the other hand, the Acer Nitro 17, while still providing a sharp and bright display beneficial for both general activities and color-sensitive engineering tasks, might fall short in offering the exceptional color accuracy of the Nitro 16. Despite their capabilities, neither is optimized for gaming or 3D applications, as their screens don't support the high refresh rates required for smooth motion and fast-paced visuals.
Portability
Fair
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,050
$970
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the Acer Nitro 17 costs $970.
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Nitro 17 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 16 has higher screen resolution and pixel density, contributing to better screen quality which is very important for general use, and it's lighter and slightly more portable, with good heat management and a decent battery life. On the other hand, the Acer Nitro 17 offers more storage space, which is somewhat important, and a larger screen size that may improve user experience for general use despite being heavier, which affects portability, but it has a lower screen resolution and pixel density.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
7.9/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Nitro 16 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The Acer Nitro 16 stands out for engineering and design work with its superior GPU (RTX 4070) and higher resolution screen with better pixel density, offering more power for graphics-intensive tasks and a sharper, more color-accurate display which is crucial for detailed designs. On the other hand, the Acer Nitro 17, while also equipped for engineering with a competent but less powerful GPU (RTX 4050) and larger screen, offers a lower resolution which may affect precision in design work, but its larger display could potentially provide more screen real estate for multitasking during engineering projects.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.8/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Nitro 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
7.7/10
7.4/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Nitro 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.
Battery
9.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The Acer Nitro 17 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
7.4/10
7.4/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Nitro 17 both have good 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 Nitro 16 and the Acer Nitro 17 compare to other laptops
"Video editing, rendering and, of course, gaming represent the Nitro 16's core competencies with a Ryzen 7 7735HS and GeForce RTX 4070 providing the necessary power. Both chips run at consistently high clock speeds. A fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the required storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Nitro 16 AN16-41, Acer has a well-specced, mid-range gaming laptop in its portfolio."
"The Acer Nitro 17 isn't an exceptional gaming laptop; it's kind of chunky even among 17.3-inch notebooks, with a lackluster keyboard, and it doesn't outperform comparably priced machines. But there's a lot to like about it, including a good array of ports, a screen that's sharp and bright for work and play alike, and battery life that soundly beats the competition. All this comes at an affordable price. If size and weight aren't big concerns, you'll find the Nitro 17 a dependable big-screen gaming rig. If you crave higher quality, consider a slight step down or up in screen size with the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 or Alienware m18 respectively."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the Acer Nitro 17
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.
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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