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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 is more expensive than the Acer Nitro 5 15 but offers a better screen, longer battery life, and higher portability. On the other hand, the Acer Nitro 5 is less expensive and has better performance for gaming and engineering tasks due to its dedicated Nvidia GPU. The MacBook Pro runs MacOS, which could be preferable if you're used to Apple's ecosystem, while the Nitro 5 comes with Windows 11, which might be more suitable for a broader range of software, especially for gaming. If you need a laptop for intensive engineering tasks and gaming, and portability isn't a major concern, the Acer Nitro 5 is an excellent choice. However, if you prioritize a high-quality display, battery life, and use more general or productivity-focused applications, the MacBook Pro would be better, albeit at a higher cost. 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 5 15
- Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Excellent overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.6
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
489.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 is good.
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
7.5
6.7
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 15, with its Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics and a high screen refresh rate, is built for gaming and can handle the fast-paced graphics of 3D games; however, many games may not run on the Apple MacBook Pro 14, despite its capable Apple M3 GPU and robust screen quality, due to software compatibility limitations with macOS.
Content Creation
7.5
8.4
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 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
8.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 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
6.9
9.2
15.6in
SIZE
14.2in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
489.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 5 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Nitro 5's strengths for general use are in its adequate resolution and brightness, but for precision tasks like engineering, the range of colors it can display is limited, and for gaming, the slower refresh rate hampers smooth visuals. The Apple MacBook Pro shines across general use and engineering with a high-resolution display that offers exceptional color accuracy and brightness, which enhances detail and visual consistency. However, both the Acer and MacBook Pro fall short for 3D gaming, where their screens don't refresh as fast as dedicated gaming laptops, making them less ideal for fast-paced games that require quick screen updates.
Battery
5.5 Hours
17.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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
Fair
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.2in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
10.0
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$780
$1,449
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $780 and the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) costs $1,449.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
7.9
8.1
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) to be very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is well-suited for engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i5 processor, substantial RAM, dedicated Nvidia RTX graphics, and a high-quality IPS screen, which are very important for such tasks. On the other hand, the Apple MacBook Pro 14 boasts an Apple M3 chip that integrates CPU and GPU for performance, along with a top-tier Mini LED display for screen quality plus a lighter build and outstanding keyboard, making it highly portable and suitable for engineering and design as well.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$780 | $1,449 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | November 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.61'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 3.4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 12.31" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 8.71" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Apple M3 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 17 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 69.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14.2" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3024 x 1964 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 489 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 8.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 10/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 3 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 5 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2022
"The Acer Nitro 5 is a fast QHD gaming notebook. The Nitro 5 is a well-balanced gaming laptop for just under US$ 2400. A Core i7-12700H CPU and a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU enable QHD gaming at high to maximum settings, accompanied by fast PCIe-4-SSD (1 TB) and 16 GB of RAM. Acer delivers a solid QHD gaming notebook with the Nitro 5 AN515-58. However, the laptop is not completely free of shortcomings. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The laptop heats up noticeably under load, but not excessively. Noise development is on the usual class level. Once again, however, Acer needs to improve the fan control."
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | January 2023
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
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 Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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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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CEO and Laptops Editor
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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