When choosing between the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17, consider usage scenarios and budget. The Nitro 5 is more affordable, offers a solid mix of processing and graphics capabilities, and is slightly more portable due to its smaller screen and lighter build, but its performance for heavy tasks isn't on par with the ROG Strix. On the other hand, the ROG Strix Scar 17, with a higher price, provides superior performance for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering applications. It also has a larger, more vibrant screen with a higher refresh rate, but this also means it's bulkier and less battery-efficient. If budget is a limiting factor and you need a balance between performance and portability for general use, lean towards the Nitro 5. If you require top-tier power for demanding tasks and a premium display but can handle a higher cost and decreased mobility, the ROG Strix Scar 17 is the better option. 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
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has no clear advantages over the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17.
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
8.4/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 15, with its Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics unit and a screen refresh rate of 144 Hz, offers solid gaming and 3D performance, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 steps up the game with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti and an exceptional 360 Hz refresh rate, thus providing a smoother and more responsive gaming experience.
Engineering and Design
7.9/10
8.6/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.5/10
8.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 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.
Screen Quality
6.9/10
8.1/10
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
292.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 5 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
When considering the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 for general use, both provide good screen quality due to their adequate resolution and brightness, ensuring comfortable viewing for everyday tasks. For engineering and design work, the ASUS stands out with superior color accuracy, which is crucial for professionals needing precise color representation. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short as they lack the high refresh rates needed for smooth motion rendering, which can be critical for an immersive experience in fast-paced visuals.
Battery
5.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has 7 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
7.2/10
8.5/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has very good 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
$2,499
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $780 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 costs $2,499.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Acer Nitro 5 15 are both good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 offers a superior CPU and double the storage capacity for improved performance in general use compared to the Acer Nitro 5 15, with the added benefits of truly striking screen quality due to higher coverage of color spaces and luminance. However, the increased capabilities and larger screen size compromise portability and battery life when compared to the more compact and lighter Acer Nitro 5 15.
Software Development
7.4/10
7.5/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 and Acer Nitro 5 15 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Portability
Fair
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
6.3 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
1.0in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Nitro 5 15 to have only fair portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 compare to other laptops
"The Acer Nitro 5 is a fast QHD gaming notebook. The Nitro 5 is a well-balanced gaming laptop for just under US$ 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."
"Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 laptop review: liquid metal 7 nm AMD Zen 3 is stunning. The raw performance increase is absolutely bonkers if you're upgrading from a laptop on Coffee Lake-H or older. The 45 W Ryzen 9 5900HX is neck-to-neck with the thicker, heavier, and hotter Schenker Ultra 17 running on a desktop-class Core i9-11900K despite their wide TDP differences. The performance-per-watt advantages can make Intel Rocket Lake feel like a last generation platform at times. As for the chassis itself, it's a huge light show with RGB LEDs on almost all sides of the system."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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