The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) is good for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
8.1/10
5.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.5/10
5.5/10
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
8.1/10
5.8/10
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) is very good for content creation, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
7.6/10
5.8/10
9.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) is good for software development, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
8.0/10
6.0/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.1in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
326.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 17 has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Gateway 14.1" 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.
Portability
Poor
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.1in
6.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 14.1" has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 (2024) has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
5.1/10
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) has good build quality, while the Gateway 14.1" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,250
$99
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Nitro 17 (2024) has a price of $1,250 and the Gateway 14.1" costs $99.
"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."
"The Gateway Ultra Slim 14" is surprisingly quiet with long battery life. The inexpensive Gateway excels at maximizing performance per dollar with lots of RAM and storage, super-quiet fan, and a long battery life. It can even house up to two M.2 SSDs which we weren't expecting from such a cheap system. However, the iffy reliability of the keyboard and USB-C port on our test unit means users should double-check for these potential issues immediately after purchasing."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 17 (2024) or the Gateway 14.1"
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 Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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.
By the numbers
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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
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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.