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Nitro 17 (2024)
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Inspiron 15 3520
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Advantages of the Acer Nitro 17 (2024)
  • Good for general use
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Very good for gaming and AI
  • Good for software development
  • Very good for content creation
  • Very good overall display quality
  • Good overall build quality
  • Very good speakers
  • Good keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 15 3520
  • Good portability

Key differences

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General Use

7.8
Nitro 17 (2024)
Inspiron 15 3520
6.9
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
326.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
259.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) is good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.

Gaming and AI

8.1
Nitro 17 (2024)
Inspiron 15 3520
6.0
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.

Engineering and Design

8.5
Nitro 17 (2024)
Inspiron 15 3520
6.3
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.

Content Creation

8.1
Nitro 17 (2024)
Inspiron 15 3520
7.0
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is good.

Software Development

7.6
Nitro 17 (2024)
Inspiron 15 3520
6.7
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) is good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.

Screen Quality

8.0
Nitro 17 (2024)
Inspiron 15 3520
6.8
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
326.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
259.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 17 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.

Portability

Poor
Nitro 17 (2024)
Inspiron 15 3520
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
6.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 (2024) has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

7.4
Nitro 17 (2024)
Inspiron 15 3520
6.2
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) has good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has only fair build quality.

Cost

$1,250
Nitro 17 (2024)
Inspiron 15 3520
$346
Product image
Product image

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) has a price of $1,250 and the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 costs $346.
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Key similarities

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Battery

6.0 Hours
Nitro 17 (2024)
Inspiron 15 3520
6.5 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has 6.5 hours of battery life.

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How the Acer Nitro 17 (2024) and the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Nitro 17 (2024)Dell Inspiron 15 3520
Acer Nitro 17 (2024)Dell Inspiron 15 3520

GENERAL

Price
$1,250
$346
Release Date
January 1, 2024May 1, 2022
Overall Dimensions
15.8'' x 11.6'' x 1.14''14.1'' x 9.3'' x 0.83''
Weight
6.62 lbs3.65 lbs
Width
15.76"14.11"
Depth
11.55"9.27"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i7-14700HXIntel i3-1215U
RAM
16 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
54
RAM Slots
22
Storage
1024 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
6 Hours6.5 Hours
Battery Capacity
90 Wh41 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
17.3"15.6"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2560 x 14401920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
165Hz120Hz
Display Brightness
326 nits259 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.4/106.3/10
Portability Score
5.6/107.7/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
6.8/107.5/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/106.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
8/106.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesNo
Number Pad
YesYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
32
USB-C ports
21
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
31
Thunderbolt Ports
00

Shopping

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Acer Nitro 17 (2024)

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Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Mark Knapp | October 2023
"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."

Dell Inspiron 15 3520

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Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Mark Knapp | January 2023
"Dell's Inspiron 15 (3525) is a peppy-enough and affordable-enough home or remote work machine, but it's not very ambitious; it does little to go beyond the basics. More the concern: It’s readily overshadowed by a number of machines that outperform and outclass it. Even if the Inspiron can get the job done today, its competition has the mettle to keep doing the job tomorrow in a way the Inspiron simply can’t promise. Plus, those alternatives are much more enjoyable after work."

Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 17 (2024) or the Dell Inspiron 15 3520

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 Dell

Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.

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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

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Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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