When deciding between the Acer Nitro 16 and the Gigabyte Aero 5, consider the following: the Acer Nitro 16 offers a more powerful graphics card, which could be better for gaming or tasks that require intensive graphics processing. However, the Gigabyte Aero 5 comes with a higher-resolution OLED screen, which would provide crisper images and more vibrant colors — a feature that might be attractive for creative work like video editing or graphic design. The Aero 5 is also lighter, making it more portable. The Nitro 16 has a larger battery, which may offer longer battery life, but actual longevity will depend on usage. If you prioritize gaming performance and battery life, the Acer Nitro 16 is a strong choice, while for portability and a superior display, the Gigabyte Aero 5 stands out. 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 gaming and AI
Good speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 5
Very good for content creation
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.3/10
8.6/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
446.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aero 5 for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, and software development.
The Acer Nitro 16 provides a balanced screen experience effective for daily tasks and engineering with its high resolution and brightness levels, while its panel type ensures vivid colors, but its lower refresh rate makes it less suitable for the fast-paced visuals needed in gaming and 3D applications. The Gigabyte Aero 5 excels in screen performance for both general users and professionals in engineering and design due to its superior color accuracy and range, accommodating the nuances of detailed visual work. However, like the Acer, its gaming and 3D potential is hindered by a refresh rate that can't match the demanding speed required for smooth rendering in those fields.
Battery
9.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 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
Fair
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Acer Nitro 16 both have only fair portability, though the Gigabyte Aero 5 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,050
$1,250
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 costs $1,250.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Acer Nitro 16 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 16 offers a high refresh rate screen and robust heat management, making it responsive and comfortable for extended use, but it's heavier and has shorter battery life compared to the Gigabyte Aero 5, which boasts a more vibrant OLED screen and lighter build for easier portability, yet it might run warmer and its larger storage comes at a tradeoff with bulkier design and less efficient cooling. Both laptops have ample RAM and powerful CPUs for smooth general use, but the Acer Nitro leans towards users valuing game performance and cooling, while the Aero 5 caters to those prioritizing screen quality and portability.
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
7.9/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Nitro 16 to be very good for gaming and AI, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 is good.
The Acer Nitro 16 is suitable for gaming and 3D tasks due to its powerful GPU — the Nvidia RTX 4070 — and a high refresh rate screen at 165Hz, providing smooth visuals. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aero 5 features a Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti which is also a strong GPU for these tasks but has a lower screen refresh rate at 60Hz; it compensates with an OLED screen, delivering superior screen quality and resolution.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.7/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Acer Nitro 16 are both very good for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.8/10
8.2/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 5 to be very good for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 16 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
7.7/10
7.9/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Acer Nitro 16 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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.8/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Acer Nitro 16 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 Gigabyte Aero 5 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."
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the Gigabyte Aero 5
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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