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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 15, with its more powerful graphics card and processor, is better suited for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks, though it's heavier and bulkier which makes it less portable. If you want a laptop for general use and prefer something easier to carry around, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is lighter, boasts longer battery life, and a higher resolution screen, making it suitable for everyday tasks and some light engineering work. However, consider that the Inspiron usually comes at a higher price than the Nitro. 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
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5
6.4
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is equipped with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card and offers a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, making it well-suited for demanding gaming and 3D applications. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 comes with a less capable Nvidia MX570 graphics card and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, which provides a fair performance for casual gaming and less intensive 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.9
7.1
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 are both good for engineering and design, though the Acer Nitro 5 15 is somewhat better.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is equipped with a more powerful graphics card suited for demanding engineering software and provides a superior gaming experience, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 offers a higher resolution screen and more portable design which may benefit professionals needing clarity and mobility for design tasks.
Screen Quality
6.9
6.5
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 5 15's good screen quality comes from a combination of its adequate resolution, brightness, and panel type, providing a pleasant viewing experience for everyday tasks. Engineering and design professionals might find its screen satisfactory due to its ability to display a range of colors, but it may lack the wider color gamuts needed for precision work. However, gamers and 3D designers will find the screen quality lacking as it doesn't offer the high refresh rate required for smooth visuals, despite having an acceptable resolution and panel type.
Battery
5.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 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
14.0in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$780
$971
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $780 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 costs $971.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 boasts a powerful CPU and discrete GPU suitable for both general use and gaming, though it is heavier and has shorter battery life, making it less portable than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, which offers a higher resolution screen and longer battery life for work on the go, but with a less powerful GPU. Both devices come equipped with solid state drives, ample RAM for multitasking, quality IPS displays for good image clarity, and are well-managed in terms of heat and operating noise, which contributes to a comfortable user experience for general tasks.
Content Creation
7.5
7.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
7.4
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
7.0
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | Dell Inspiron 14 5420 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$780 | $971 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 3.4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 12.36" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 8.96" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel i7-1255U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 54 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2240 x 1400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 279 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
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."
Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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Dig into reviews and images
Smarthouse
Nick Ross | March 2023
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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