If you prioritize higher performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, the Acer Nitro 5 15 with its Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card would be a better fit. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook S 15 offers a larger storage capacity, longer battery life, and is considerably lighter which makes it more portable for general use. Also worth noting is that the ASUS model may be slightly more expensive and doesn't have dedicated hardware for tasks like ray tracing and AI enhancements in games, which the Acer model can handle thanks to its dedicated GPU. 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
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Vivobook S 15
Good portability
Good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5/10
6.3/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook S 15 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is better suited for gaming and 3D tasks due to its Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU which is more powerful than the integrated Vega 8 graphics in the ASUS Vivobook S 15, and its higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz compared to the Vivobook's 60Hz, which allows for smoother visuals during fast-paced gaming. While the ASUS Vivobook S 15 offers a decent CPU with its AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, it falls short in gaming performance to the dedicated GPU found in the Acer Nitro 5 15.
Engineering and Design
7.9/10
7.1/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 are both good for engineering and design, though the Acer Nitro 5 15 is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
6.9/10
6.3/10
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
267.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook S 15 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 5’s screen offers clarity and comfort due to its resolution and brightness, making it stand out against the ASUS Vivobook S, which provides an acceptable but less vibrant display. In engineering and design tasks, where precise color representation is critical, both laptops have limitations in color gamuts, rendering them only adequate for professional work with colors. For gaming and 3D environments, neither laptop excels due to their lower refresh rates, which can hamper the smoothness of motion crucial for immersive experiences.
Battery
5.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has 9 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.9 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and Acer Nitro 5 15 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 with its Intel i5 processor and dedicated Nvidia graphics card strikes a balance between robust performance and good screen quality for everyday tasks and entertainment, but it's heavier and has shorter battery life compared to the ASUS Vivobook S 15, which, while offering solid performance with its AMD Ryzen 7 processor and integrated Vega graphics, excels in portability with a lighter design and extended battery life, making it ideal for users on the go.
Content Creation
7.5/10
7.6/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 and Acer Nitro 5 15 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
7.4/10
7.4/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS Vivobook S 15 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.
Build Quality
7.2/10
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and ASUS Vivobook S 15 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$832
$800
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $832 and the ASUS Vivobook S 15 costs $800.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the ASUS Vivobook S 15 compare to other laptops
"The Acer Nitro 5 is a fast QHD gaming notebook. The Nitro 5 is a well-balanced gaming laptop for just under US$ 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."
"Internals make Asus VivoBook S15 laptop a compelling option. The Asus multimedia laptop may look rather below-average with its modest black chassis, lack of a dedicated GPU, limited RAM and meagre port selection without Thunderbolt support. But your impression of the device will start changing once you set your eyes on its high-contrast OLED capable of producing deep blacks and highly accurate colours. And your opinion will change completely when the VivoBook is switched on. The AMD CPU can effortlessly keep up with powerful rivals from Intel. The integrated Radeon graphics blows away Intel's iGPU when it comes to graphics workloads such as rendering and simpler games."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the ASUS Vivobook S 15
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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