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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 17 is often less expensive than the MSI Raider GE66 and has commendable performance for general use and engineering. It offers good battery life, but it's not the most portable given its larger screen and heavier weight. Meanwhile, the MSI Raider GE66 is pricier and better suited for intensive 3D, machine learning tasks, or gaming due to its powerful graphics and processor, sharper display with higher refresh rate, and overall higher performance scores. Despite being more portable than the Acer, the MSI has a shorter battery life which might be a consideration if you often work on the go. 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
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI Raider GE66
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
280.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.8/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for general use, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The Acer Nitro 17 is rated as good for general use primarily because of its balance of CPU and RAM, suitable for everyday tasks, along with a larger screen for ease of visibility at the expense of being heavier and less portable. Conversely, the MSI Raider GE66 is considered very good for general use due to its more powerful CPU, double the RAM for multitasking, higher resolution and better screen color quality, albeit with a tradeoff in heavier weight and marginally shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
7.4
8.5
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The MSI Raider GE66, featuring a Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and a screen refresh rate of 240, provides a higher gaming and 3D performance compared to the Acer Nitro 17, which is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a refresh rate of 165, making the Raider GE66 better suited for more demanding gaming visuals and smoother gameplay.
Engineering and Design
7.9
8.9
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The MSI Raider GE66 offers a higher-resolution screen and a more robust graphics unit, enhancing design and rendering tasks, along with double the amount of RAM compared to the Acer Nitro 17, which greatly improves multitasking in engineering software. However, the Acer Nitro 17 provides a larger screen size that may benefit design work, although it has a lower screen resolution and less powerful graphics hardware than the MSI model.
Software Development
7.4
8.0
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Raider GE66 is very good for software development, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
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
7.4
8.4
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The MSI Raider GE66 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the Acer Nitro 17 and MSI Raider GE66 have panels with adequate resolution and brightness, providing clear and vibrant visuals. When it comes to engineering and design, although both possess screens with good resolution, the MSI Raider stands out with a wider color gamut, ensuring more accurate and vivid color representation which is crucial for these fields. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D because they lack high refresh rates, which means they won't deliver as smooth of a visual experience needed for fast-paced activities.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Raider GE66 has 6 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
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Raider GE66 has only fair portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The MSI Raider GE66 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
$2,499
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Acer Nitro 17 has a price of $970 and the MSI Raider GE66 costs $2,499.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.8
8.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Raider GE66 to be very good for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 17 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.
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How the Acer Nitro 17 and the MSI Raider GE66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 17 | MSI Raider GE66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$970 | $2,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 11.6'' x 1.1'' | 14.1'' x 10.5'' x 0.92'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.83 lbs | 5.25 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.77" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.59" | 10.51" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 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 | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 280 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.6/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.8/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
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 Raider GE66
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Patrick Schüdzig | June 2022
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 17 or the MSI Raider GE66
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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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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