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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize a high-resolution touchscreen with better color accuracy and a lightweight design, the MSI Creator Z16P would be a good choice for creative work like video editing or graphic design. However, it has a lower battery life than the Acer Nitro 17. In contrast, if you're looking for prolonged unplugged usage and a gaming aesthetic, the Acer Nitro 17 with its gaming GPU might be more suitable for you, albeit it is heavier and does not offer a touchscreen. Both have ample storage and memory for various tasks, whether for general use or more demanding engineering software. 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 battery life
Advantages of the MSI Creator Z16P
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.4
8.3
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
The MSI Creator Z16P has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
The Acer Nitro 17 has a balanced combination of resolution, brightness, and panel type, providing a pleasant visual experience for everyday tasks and precise work in engineering and design due to accurate colors. The MSI Creator Z16P excels in screen quality with even higher resolution and superior color gamut coverage, ensuring detailed and color-rich visuals for professionals in creative fields. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D applications, as their screens have lower refresh rates, which are crucial for the smooth rendering of fast-paced visuals often encountered in these scenarios.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator Z16P has 5 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Creator Z16P has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.0
The MSI Creator Z16P has very good build quality, while the Acer Nitro 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$970
$1,300
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Nitro 17 has a price of $970 and the MSI Creator Z16P costs $1,300.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
280.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and Acer Nitro 17 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 17, with a solid processor and ample RAM, is suited for general use and provides a larger screen, making it a good choice for users preferring a bigger display for multi-tasking or entertainment, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life which affects portability. On the other hand, the MSI Creator Z16P offers a higher-resolution touchscreen with superior color accuracy, ideal for creative professionals, and it's lighter with a sleeker design, but it also falls short on battery life and is not as quiet or cool-running as some might prefer.
Gaming and AI
7.4
7.6
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and Acer Nitro 17 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Acer Nitro 17 is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a high 165Hz screen refresh rate, making it well-suited for smooth gaming and 3D applications, while the MSI Creator Z16P boasts a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, alongside a similar 165Hz refresh rate, offering enhanced graphics performance for gaming and content creation. Although both laptops have capable CPUs and high-quality screens, the MSI's superior GPU may provide an uplift in more demanding tasks at the cost of being less budget-friendly.
Engineering and Design
7.9
8.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Creator Z16P to be very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The Acer Nitro 17 is well-suited for engineering and design tasks with a capable processor, dedicated GPU, and sizable screen, but its standard resolution and moderate color space coverage may limit the visual precision for certain design work.
Content Creation
7.8
7.9
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator Z16P 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
7.4
7.6
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P 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.
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How the Acer Nitro 17 and the MSI Creator Z16P compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 17 | MSI Creator Z16P |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$970 | $1,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | June 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 11.6'' x 1.1'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.83 lbs | 5.27 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.77" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.59" | 10.18" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Intel i9-12900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 280 nits | 394 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.6/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.8/10 | 7.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 17
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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."
MSI Creator Z16P
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | June 2022
"There's almost nothing left to be desired with the MSI Z16P. The creator laptop offers enormous performance resources for image editing, video editing, rendering, and more. All this is presented on a precalibrated, adequately sized, and high-resolution display. Its color space, refresh rate, and panel technology are also perfectly suited for a device that specializes in video reproduction and editing."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 17 or the MSI Creator Z16P
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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