Considering your needs will guide your decision between the Acer Nitro 17 and the ASUS Vivobook 16. If you prioritize gaming or intensive tasks like 3D rendering or engineering simulations, the Acer Nitro 17 offers better performance with a higher-end graphics card and superior refresh rate for smooth visuals, though it is less portable and has a shorter battery life. On the other hand, if you favor portability, longer battery life, and are mainly using your laptop for general tasks such as browsing and office work, the ASUS Vivobook 16 is lighter, more travel-friendly, and still capable of handling everyday applications competently. 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 17
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Vivobook 16
Good portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.3/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 16 is only fair.
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
7.9/10
7.0/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 17 and ASUS Vivobook 16 are both good for engineering and design, though the Acer Nitro 17 is somewhat better.
The Acer Nitro 17 is equipped with a higher-end Nvidia RTX GPU, making it suitable for demanding tasks in engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 16's AMD Ryzen integrated graphics suffice for less intensive tasks but might not handle heavy 3D work as smoothly. Both have high-quality IPS displays, but the Acer's larger screen and higher refresh rate benefit detailed design work, though it's less portable and has a higher operating noise than the sleeker, quieter ASUS.
Screen Quality
7.4/10
6.4/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
295.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 17 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
The Acer Nitro 17 offers good screen quality for general use and engineering due to its high-resolution display and adequate brightness, providing crisp visuals and vivid colors, but lacks the fast refresh rate desired for gaming and 3D applications. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook 16's fair screen quality in both general use and engineering is because it meets the minimum requirements for resolution and brightness but doesn't excel in color accuracy as needed for professional design work. Furthermore, both laptops' screens are not optimal for gaming and 3D since their poor refresh rates do not deliver the smoothness or responsiveness that fast-paced visuals demand.
Portability
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Vivobook 16 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$970
$668
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 17 has a price of $970 and the ASUS Vivobook 16 costs $668.
The Acer Nitro 17 and ASUS Vivobook 16 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 17 features a powerful CPU and dedicated GPU which are great for demanding applications, along with ample screen real estate, making it versatile for both media consumption and work; however, its larger size and heavier weight limit its portability and its battery life is less than ideal for extended use away from power outlets.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.5/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 17 and ASUS Vivobook 16 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
7.4/10
7.3/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Nitro 17 and ASUS Vivobook 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.
Battery
8.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook 16 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
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 17 and ASUS Vivobook 16 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Nitro 17 and the ASUS Vivobook 16 compare to other laptops
"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."
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, Yannick Khong | May 2023
"The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is a budget Windows laptop. It's available with various AMD Ryzen 5000 and 7000 U-series CPUs and integrated graphics. You can only get 8GB of RAM; however, there's an empty SO-DIMM slot if you want to upgrade it. It has an FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 16:10 IPS display, a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, a 720p webcam, and Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity. Ports include three USB-As, one USB-C, an HDMI, and a headphone jack. The USB-C supports charging but no video output."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 17 or the ASUS Vivobook 16
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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