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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you need a laptop mainly for general use and prefer to save money, the Acer Nitro 17 is significantly less expensive and offers a decent balance of performance and battery life. However, if you are looking for top-of-the-line performance for intensive 3D work, machine learning, or engineering tasks and are willing to invest more, the MSI Titan GT77 is a powerhouse with superior processing power, more RAM, and a higher resolution display. The MSI is also slightly heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable, whereas the Acer is more travel-friendly but with more modest specifications. Both have large screens, but MSI's higher screen resolution offers better clarity for detailed work. 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 Titan GT77
- Very good for general use
- Best in class for engineering and design
- Best in class for gaming and AI
- Excellent for software development
- Excellent for content creation
- Best in class overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
280.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
602.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The MSI Titan GT77 is very good for general use, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The Acer Nitro 17 offers a balance for general use with its sufficient CPU and RAM, decent screen quality, and reasonable portability at the cost of shorter battery life, whereas the MSI Titan GT77, boasting a superior CPU, abundant RAM, and a high-quality screen, trades off portability and battery life for top-notch general use performance.
Gaming and AI
7.4
10.0
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The MSI Titan GT77 is best in class for gaming and AI, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The MSI Titan GT77 is superior for gaming and 3D purposes primarily due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth visuals in fast-paced scenarios. In comparison, the Acer Nitro 17 has a less powerful Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a lower refresh rate, which while still good for gaming, doesn’t match the performance and smoothness afforded by the Titan GT77.
Engineering and Design
7.9
10.0
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Titan GT77 is best in class for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.
The MSI Titan GT77 stands out as best for engineering and design due to its superior processing power with an Intel i9 chip, more RAM, and a higher tier Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, which facilitate complex tasks and renderings, along with a Mini LED display providing higher resolution and color accuracy, which are very beneficial for detailed design work. The Acer Nitro 17, while good for these uses with a robust AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, decent amount of RAM, and Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, does not match the Titan's performance, also featuring only an IPS screen and a lower screen quality, making it a more cost-effective option but less suited to the most demanding engineering tasks.
Content Creation
7.8
9.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Titan GT77 is excellent 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.
Software Development
7.4
9.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The MSI Titan GT77 is excellent 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
9.7
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
602.0 nits
The MSI Titan GT77 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Nitro 17 delivers a solid balance of resolution and brightness, suitable for browsing and video streaming, making it a good fit for general tasks. Its color reproduction, covering significant portions of DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB spectra, appeals to professionals in engineering and design who require color accuracy. However, its lower refresh rate detracts from the gaming and 3D experience, where smooth motion is paramount, and the MSI Titan GT77, despite its superior overall screen quality, suffers similarly in gaming due to its refresh rate limitations.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI Titan GT77 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.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The MSI Titan GT77 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
$6,975
$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 Titan GT77 costs $6,975.
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Key similarities
Portability
Poor
Poor
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
7.2 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Titan GT77 and Acer Nitro 17 both have poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Nitro 17 and the MSI Titan GT77 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 17 | MSI Titan GT77 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$970 | $6,975 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 11.6'' x 1.1'' | 15.6'' x 13'' x 0.91'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.83 lbs | 7.28 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.77" | 15.63" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.59" | 12.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Intel i9-13980HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 4 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3840 x 2160 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 280 nits | 602 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 5.6/10 | 5.6/10 | |
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 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 10/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
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 Titan GT77
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"The MSI Titan GT77 HX 13V is the utimate gaming laptop with RTX 4090 & Core i9-13950HX. The new MSI Titan GT77 will most likely only reach a very small group of users due to the high price, but it is still an impressive showcase of what is possible. The high-end gamer combines the best components you can currently get in almost every regard and it is a very good overall package, which does not have to hide behind full-fledged desktop systems."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 17 or the MSI Titan GT77
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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About the laptop team
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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.
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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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